Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy
Thereare some wise old people, who, when they hear the music of the showmen in the streets, are very much annoyed, and wish to have the vagrants sent off to the work-house. Gently—gently—Mr. Snarl. This very exhibition of Punch and Judy, has given more innocent pleasure than almost any other that was ever invented.
The story of Punch and his wife Judy, had its origin in Italy. As it is a pleasant story, I will tell it. In the district of Acezza, near Naples, the people are very much addicted to the making of wine from grapes; and it is curious that from antiquity they have been famous for their love of droll wit and comic fun.
Well, many years ago, in the season of the vintage, which is a time when everybody seems to be full of joke and frolic, some comic players came along, through Acezza. They began to poke fun at the vintagers, and in the war of wit, the players got the worst of it.
Now there was, among the vintagers, a fellow with an enormous red nose, long and crooked like a powder horn; and he was the very drollest and wittiest of the whole company. The players were so tickled with his witty sayings, all set off by his odd face and very queer air and manner, that they almost cracked their sides with laughter.
After they went away, they began to think that this droll fellow would be a great accession to their company: so they went back and made offers to him. These he accepted; and such was the success of his efforts that the company acquired great fame and a great deal of money. Everybody went to see this witty buffoon, and all were delighted.
This example led to the establishment of a droll or buffoon in all companies of comedians; and he was always called after the original one, whose name was Pucco d’Aniello. This was, in the course of time, softened into Polecenello; the French made it Polichenel, and the English, Punchinello. After a time, the English, for the sake of brevity, left off the latter part of the word, and called it plain Punch.
How Judy originated, history does not tell us; but it is easy to smell out her story. Such a merry fellow as Punch has as good a right to a wife as anybody, if he can get one. Why not?You may think that his beet-like nose would stand in the way of his finding a woman willing to marry him; but his wit is a fair offset to this. Women are fond of wit, and Punch would play his part ill, if he could not make it cover his nose.
Well, we now suppose Punch to have a wife, and also suppose her name to be Judy. What, then, is more natural than for this amiable couple, now and then, to have a bit of a breeze? They live a wandering life, and do, like other people in their station, take a little liquor to raise their spirits. After the effect is over, feeling a little peevish, they fall to calling each other hard names, and hard blows follow, as natural as life. So here is the whole history, fairly made out.
Gentle reader! if you are young, you will not quarrel with the showmen, nay, you will stand by, clap your hands and pay your pence. If you are old, consider that you were once young, and tolerate the innocent exhibition, in behalf of those who are now what you were some half century ago.
Petrarch.—Petrarch, the celebrated Italian poet, recommended himself to the confidence and affection of Cardinal Coloma, in whose family he resided, by his candor and strict regard to truth. A violent quarrel occurred in the household of this nobleman, which was carried so far that recourse was had to arms. The cardinal wished to know the foundation of this affair; and, that he might be able to decide with justice, he assembled all his people, and obliged them to bind themselves by a most solemn oath to declare the whole truth. Every one submitted to the examination; even the cardinal’s own brother was not excused. Petrarch, in his turn, presented himself to take the oath; the cardinal said, “As to you, Petrarch, your word is sufficient!”