May 2.

On May Day.By Leslie.Beautiful and radiant May,Is not this thy festal day?Is not this spring revelryHeld in honour, queen, of thee?’Tis a fair: the booths are gay,With green boughs and quaint displayGlasses, where the maiden’s eyeMay her own sweet face espy;Ribands for her braided hair,Beads to grace her bosom fair;From yon stand the juggler playsWith the rustic crowd’s amaze;There the morris-dancers stand,Glad bells ringing on each hand;Here the Maypole rears its crest,With the rose and hawthorn drest;And beside are painted bandsOf strange beasts from other lands.In the midst, like the young queen,Flower-crowned, of the rural green,Is a bright-cheeked girl, her eyeBlue, like April’s morning sky,With a blush, like what the roseTo her moonlight minstrel shows;Laughing at her love the while,—Yet such softness in the smile,As the sweet coquette would hideWoman’s love by woman’s pride.Farewell, cities! who could bearAll their smoke and all their care,All their pomp, when wooed awayBy the azure hours of May?Give me woodbine, scented bowersBlue wreaths of the violet flowers,Clear sky, fresh air, sweet birds, and trees,Sights and sounds, and scenes like these!L. E. L.

On May Day.By Leslie.

Beautiful and radiant May,Is not this thy festal day?Is not this spring revelryHeld in honour, queen, of thee?’Tis a fair: the booths are gay,With green boughs and quaint displayGlasses, where the maiden’s eyeMay her own sweet face espy;Ribands for her braided hair,Beads to grace her bosom fair;From yon stand the juggler playsWith the rustic crowd’s amaze;There the morris-dancers stand,Glad bells ringing on each hand;Here the Maypole rears its crest,With the rose and hawthorn drest;And beside are painted bandsOf strange beasts from other lands.In the midst, like the young queen,Flower-crowned, of the rural green,Is a bright-cheeked girl, her eyeBlue, like April’s morning sky,With a blush, like what the roseTo her moonlight minstrel shows;Laughing at her love the while,—Yet such softness in the smile,As the sweet coquette would hideWoman’s love by woman’s pride.Farewell, cities! who could bearAll their smoke and all their care,All their pomp, when wooed awayBy the azure hours of May?Give me woodbine, scented bowersBlue wreaths of the violet flowers,Clear sky, fresh air, sweet birds, and trees,Sights and sounds, and scenes like these!

Beautiful and radiant May,Is not this thy festal day?Is not this spring revelryHeld in honour, queen, of thee?’Tis a fair: the booths are gay,With green boughs and quaint displayGlasses, where the maiden’s eyeMay her own sweet face espy;Ribands for her braided hair,Beads to grace her bosom fair;From yon stand the juggler playsWith the rustic crowd’s amaze;There the morris-dancers stand,Glad bells ringing on each hand;Here the Maypole rears its crest,With the rose and hawthorn drest;And beside are painted bandsOf strange beasts from other lands.In the midst, like the young queen,Flower-crowned, of the rural green,Is a bright-cheeked girl, her eyeBlue, like April’s morning sky,With a blush, like what the roseTo her moonlight minstrel shows;Laughing at her love the while,—Yet such softness in the smile,As the sweet coquette would hideWoman’s love by woman’s pride.Farewell, cities! who could bearAll their smoke and all their care,All their pomp, when wooed awayBy the azure hours of May?Give me woodbine, scented bowersBlue wreaths of the violet flowers,Clear sky, fresh air, sweet birds, and trees,Sights and sounds, and scenes like these!

L. E. L.

Northampton May Garland.

Northampton May Garland.

To the Editor of the Every-Day Book.

Northampton, April, 1826.

Sir,—Having received much information from yourEvery-Day Book, I shall be very happy to afford any that I may be able to glean; but my means are extremely limited. I however mention a custom at Northampton on the first of May, with some hope that I am not troubling you with a “twice-told tale.”

The girls from the neighbouring villages of Kingsthorpe, &c. on the morning of May-day, come into the town with May garlands, which they exhibit from house to house, (to show, as the inhabitants say, what flowers are in season,) and usually receive a trifle from each house. The garland is composed of two hoops crossing each other vertically, and covered with flowers and streamers of various coloured ribands; these are affixed to a staff about five feet long by which it is carried, and in each of the apertures between the hoops is placed a smartly dressed doll.

The accompanyingsketchwill convey some idea of the garland. There are numerous streamers attached to it, of all the colours of the rainbow. Should you think this notice worth inserting, I shall feel obliged by your substituting any signature you please for my name, which, agreeable to your request to correspondents who communicate accounts of customs, &c., I subjoin.

I am, &c.B. S. G. S.

The last Chimney Sweeper.

The last Chimney Sweeper.

A large brush made of a number of small whalebone sticks, fastened into a round ball of wood, and extending in most cases to a diameter of two feet, is thrust up the chimney by means of hollow cylinders or tubes, fitting into one another like the joints of a fishing rod, with a long cord running through them; it is worked up and down, as each fresh joint is added, until it reaches the chimney pot; it is then shortened joint by joint, and on each joint being removed, is in like manner worked up and down in its descent; and thus you have your chimney swept perfectly clean by this machine, which is called a Scandiscope.

Some wooden tubes, a brush, and rope,Are all you need employ;Pray order, maids, the Scandiscope,And not the climbing boy.

Some wooden tubes, a brush, and rope,Are all you need employ;Pray order, maids, the Scandiscope,And not the climbing boy.

Some wooden tubes, a brush, and rope,Are all you need employ;Pray order, maids, the Scandiscope,And not the climbing boy.

Copy of a printed hand-bill, distributed before May-day, 1826.

No May Day Sweeps.

CAUTION.

The inhabitants of this parish are most respectfully informed, that theUnited Society of Master Chimney Sweepersintend giving their apprentices a dinner, at the Eyre Arms[619, 620]St John’s Wood, on the first of May, instead of suffering them to collect money as heretofore; the public are therefore cautioned against encouraging in any way such collections, as they are too frequently obtained by persons of the worst descriptions, or for the sinister purposes of their employers.

N. B. The procession will start from the Bedford Arms, Charlotte-street, Bedford-square, at eleven o’clock.

On Monday, the first of May, 1826, (pursuant to the above notice,) the first anniversary dinner of the “United Society of Master Chimney Sweepers,” took place at the Eyre tavern, St. John’s-wood, Marylebone.

About eleven o’clock, two hundred of their apprentices proceeded in great regularity through the principal streets and squares at the west end of the town, accompanied by an excellent band of music. The clean and wholesome appearance of the lads, certainly, reflected much credit on their masters, and attracted crowds of persons to the above tavern, where the boys were regaled with a substantial repast of roast beef and plum-pudding; after which the masters themselves sat down to a very excellent dinner provided for the occasion.

On the cloth being removed, and the usual routine of loyal toasts drank, the chairman addressed his brother tradesmen, congratulating them on the formation of a society that was calculated to do such essential service to the trade in general. It would be the means of promoting the welfare of their apprentices,—which was a feeling he was convinced every one of them had at heart,—who, instead of being permitted to loiter and dance about the streets on the first of May, dressed up in tawdry apparel, and soliciting money, should in future be regaled with substantial fare on each forthcoming day of the anniversary of the society, in order to put an end to the degrading practice which had for such a length of time stigmatized the trade. (Applause.)

“Success to the United Society of Chimney Sweepers,” having been drank with thunders of applause,

Mr.Bennett, of Welbeck-street, addressed the company on the subject of cleansing chimnies with the machine, the introduction of which he was confident would never answer the intended purposes. He urged the absolute necessity of employing climbing boys in their trade; and instanced several cases in which the machines were rendered perfectly useless: most of the chimnies in the great houses at the west end of the town were constructed in such a manner that it was utterly impossible to clear them of soot, unless a human being was sent up for that purpose. He admitted that some houses had chimnies which were built perpendicular; but even in those were frequently to be met with what the trade called “cores,” which were large pieces of mortar that projected out from the brick-work, and that collected vast quantities of soot on their surface, so that no machine could get over the difficulty. When the subject of the climbing boys was before the house of lords, he (Mr. Bennett) was sent for by the earl of Hardwicke, who was desirous of personally ascertaining whether the practice of allowing boys to ascend chimnies could be dispensed with entirely. He (Mr. Bennett) had attended at his lordship’s residence with the machine, which was tried in most of the chimnies in the house, but the experiment failed; one of his apprentices having been ultimately obliged to ascend for the purpose of extricating the machine from impediments which were only to be surmounted by the activity of climbing boys. The result was, that his lordship subsequently expressed his opinion that the machines could never answer the purposes for which they were originally intended, and therefore had his chimnies swept by the old method. Mr. Bennett concluded by making some observations on the harsh manner in which the trade had been aspersed. He said it had been insinuated that their apprentices, in consequence of being permitted to ascend chimnies, were often rendered objects for the remainder of their lives. There were, he admitted, a few solitary instances of accidents happening in their trade as well as in every other. He now only wished that their opponents might have an opportunity of witnessing the healthy and cheerful state in which their apprentices were.

A master chimney-sweeper, with great vehemence of action and manner, said, “I am convinced, Mr. Chairman, that it is a thing impossible to do away with our climbing boys. For instance, look at the duke of York’s fifty-one new chimnies.Let me ask any one of you in company, is it possible a machine could be poked up any one of them? I say, no; and for this reason—that most of them run in a horizontal line, and then abruptly turn up, so that you see a machine would be of no more use than if you were to thrust up an old broomstick; and I mean to stick to it, that our opponents may as well try to put down chimney-sweepers in the old way, as the Equitable Loan Bank Company endeavoured to cut up the business of the pawnbrokers. (Applause.) When I look round the table, (said the speaker,) and see such respectable gentlemen on my right and on my left, and in front of me, who dares to say that the United Society of Master Chimney Sweepers are not as respectable a body of tradesmen as any in London? and although, if I may be excused the expression, there is not a gentleman now present that has not made his way in the ‘profession,’ by climbing up chimnies. (There was a universal nod of assent at this allusion.) Therefore, continued the speaker, the more praise is due to us, and I now conclude by wishing every success to our new society.” The above animated address was received with the loudest plaudits.

Several other master chimney-sweepers addressed the company, after which the ladies were introduced into the room, and dancing commenced, which was kept up to a latehour.[154]

On the first of May, 1807, the slave trade in the West Indies was proscribed by the British parliament, and we see by the proceedings at the Eyre tavern, St. John’s-wood, that on the first of May, 1826, an effort was made to continue the more cruel black slavery of white infants. Some remarks reported to have been made by these gentlemen in behalf of their “black art,” require a word or two.

We are told that after the usual routine of loyal toasts, the chairman congratulated his “brother tradesmen” on the formation of a society that was calculated to do “essential service tothe tradein general.” There can be no doubt that “the king” was the first name on their list of toasts, yet it happens that his majesty is at the head of an association forabolishingtheir “trade.” The first names on the roll of “The Society for suspending Climbing Boys by the use of the Scandiscope,” are those of the “patron,” and the president, vice-presidents, committee, and treasurer. These are chiefly prelates, peers, and members of the house of commons; but the “patron” of the society is “the king,” in opposition to whom, in the capacity of “patron,” Mr. Bennett, the master-sweep, of Welbeck-street, urges the “absolute necessity” of employing climbing boys. One of his reasons is, that in some chimnies the bricklayers have “cores” of mortar whereon the soot accumulates so that no machine can get over the difficulty; but this only shows the “absolute necessity” of causing the “cores” to be removed from chimnies already so deformed, and of making surveyors of future houses responsible for the expenses of alteration, if they suffer them to be so improperly constructed. Mr. Bennett says, that lord Hardwicke was convinced “the machines could never answer the purposes for which they were originally intended, and therefore had his chimnies swept by the old method.” If his lordshipdidexpress that opinion, it is in opposition to the opinion of the king, as “patron,” the late bishop of Durham, the present bishop of Oxford, the duke of Bedford, the lords Grosvenor, Morley, Harrowby, Gwydir, Auckland, and other distinguished individuals, who as president and vice-presidents of the society, had better opportunities of determining correctly, than Mr. Bennett probably afforded to earl Hardwicke.

Another “master chimney-sweeper” is reported to have said, “look at the duke of York’s fifty-one new chimnies:—most of them run in a horizontal line, and then abruptly turn up, so that, you see, a machine would be of no more use than if you were to thrust up an old broomstick:” and then he asks, “who dares to say that the United Society of Master Chimney Sweepers are not as respectable a body of tradesmen as any in London?” and triumphantly adds, that “there is not a gentleman now present that has not made his way in theprofessionby climbing up chimnies.” To this “there was a universal nod of assent.” But a universal admission by all “the gentlemen present” that they had climbed to respectability by climbing up chimnies, is of very little weight with those who observe and know that willing slaves become the greatest and most effective oppressors; and as to the duke of York’s new chimnies, it is not credible his royal highness can be informed that the presentconstruction of his chimnies necessarily dooms unborn infants to the certain fate of having the flesh torn from their joints before they can sweep such chimnies. The scandalous default of a surveyor has subjected the duke of York to the odium of being quoted as an authority in opposition to a society for abolishing a cruel and useless trade, wherein servitude is misery, and independence cannot be attained but by the continual infliction of blows and torture on helpless children. Yet as an act of parliament abated the frequency of conflagrations, by empowering district surveyors to cause the erection of party walls, so a few clauses added to the building act would authorize the surveyors to enforce the building of future chimnies without “cores,” and of a form to be swept by the “Scandiscope.” Master chimney-sweepers would have no reason to complain of such enactment, inasmuch as they would continue to find employment, till the old chimnies and the prejudices in favour of cruelty to children, disappeared by effluxion of time.

Theengravingat the head of this article is altered from a lithographic print representing a “Scandiscope.” Perhaps the machine may be better understood from the annexeddiagram. It simply consists of a whalebone brush, and wooden cylinders strung on rope, and put into action by the method described beneath thelarger engraving.

Scandiscope

Mr. George Smart obtained two gold medals from the Society of Arts for this invention. The names of the machine chimney-sweepers in different parts of London may be obtained from Mr. Wilt, secretary of the “Society for superseding Climbing Boys,” No. 125, Leadenhall-street; the treasurer of the institution is W. Tooke, esq., F. R. S. Any person may become a member, and acquaint himself with the easy methods by which the machine is adopted to almost any chimney. As the climbing chimney-sweepers are combining to oppose it, all humane individuals will feel it a duty to inquire whether they should continue willing instruments in the hands of the “profession” for the extension of the present cruel practice.

The late Mrs. Montagu gave an annual dinner to the poor climbing boys which ceased with her death.

And is all pity for the poor sweeps fled,Since Montagu is numbered with the dead?She who did once the many sorrows weep,That met the wanderings of the woe-worn sweep!Who, once a year, bade all his griefs depart,On May’s sweet morn would doubly cheer his heart!Washed was his little form, his shirt was clean,On thatoneday his real face was seen,His shoeless feet,nowboasted pumps—and new.The brush and shovel gaily held to view!The table spread, his every sense was charmed,And every savoury smell his bosom warmed;His light heart joyed to see such goodly cheer,And much he longed to taste the mantling beer:His hunger o’er—the scene was little heaven—If riches thus can bless, what blessings might be given!But, she is gone! none left to soothe their grief,Or, once a year, bestow their meed of beef!Now forth he’s dragged to join the beggar’s dance;With heavy heart, he makes a slow advance,Loudly to clamour for that tyrant’s good,Who gives with scanty hand his daily food!

And is all pity for the poor sweeps fled,Since Montagu is numbered with the dead?She who did once the many sorrows weep,That met the wanderings of the woe-worn sweep!Who, once a year, bade all his griefs depart,On May’s sweet morn would doubly cheer his heart!Washed was his little form, his shirt was clean,On thatoneday his real face was seen,His shoeless feet,nowboasted pumps—and new.The brush and shovel gaily held to view!The table spread, his every sense was charmed,And every savoury smell his bosom warmed;His light heart joyed to see such goodly cheer,And much he longed to taste the mantling beer:His hunger o’er—the scene was little heaven—If riches thus can bless, what blessings might be given!But, she is gone! none left to soothe their grief,Or, once a year, bestow their meed of beef!Now forth he’s dragged to join the beggar’s dance;With heavy heart, he makes a slow advance,Loudly to clamour for that tyrant’s good,Who gives with scanty hand his daily food!

And is all pity for the poor sweeps fled,Since Montagu is numbered with the dead?She who did once the many sorrows weep,That met the wanderings of the woe-worn sweep!Who, once a year, bade all his griefs depart,On May’s sweet morn would doubly cheer his heart!Washed was his little form, his shirt was clean,On thatoneday his real face was seen,His shoeless feet,nowboasted pumps—and new.The brush and shovel gaily held to view!The table spread, his every sense was charmed,And every savoury smell his bosom warmed;His light heart joyed to see such goodly cheer,And much he longed to taste the mantling beer:His hunger o’er—the scene was little heaven—If riches thus can bless, what blessings might be given!But, she is gone! none left to soothe their grief,Or, once a year, bestow their meed of beef!Now forth he’s dragged to join the beggar’s dance;With heavy heart, he makes a slow advance,Loudly to clamour for that tyrant’s good,Who gives with scanty hand his daily food!

It is theinterestof the “United Society of Master Chimney Sweepers” to appear liberal to the wretched beings who are the creatures of their mercy; of the variation and degrees of that mercy, there is evidence before the committee of the house of commons. Sympathy for the oppressed in the breast of their oppressors is reasonably to be suspected. On the minutes of the “Society for superseding Climbing Boys,” there are cases that make humanity shudder; against their recurrence there is no security but the general adoption of machines in chimnies—instead of children.

Mr. Montgomery’s “Chimney Sweeper’s Friend, and Climbing Boys’ Album,” is a volume of affecting appeal, dedicated to the king, “in honour of his majesty’s condescending and exemplary concern for the effectual deliverance of the meanest, the poorest, and weakest of British born subjects, from unnatural, unnecessary, and unjustifiable personal slavery and moral degradation.” It contains a variety of beautiful compositions in prose and verse: one of themis—

The Chimney Sweeper.Communicated byMr. Charles Lamb,from a very rare and curious little work,Mr. Blake’s “Songs of Innocence.”When my mother died I was very young,And my father sold me, while yet my tongueCould scarcely cry, “Weep! weep! weep!”So your chimnies I sweep, and in soot I sleep.There’s little Tom Toddy, who cried when his head,That was curl’d like a lamb’s back, was shaved, so I said,“Hush, Tom, never mind it for when your head’s bare,You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.”And so he was quiet, and that very nightAs Tom was a sleeping, he had such a sight,That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,Were all of them locked up in coffins so black.And by came an angel, who had a bright key,And he opened the coffins, and set them all free;Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run,And wash in a river, and shine in the sun,Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind;And the angel told Tom, if he’d be a good boyHe’d have God for his father, and never want joy.And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,And got with our bags and our brushes to work;Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm,So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.

The Chimney Sweeper.

Communicated byMr. Charles Lamb,from a very rare and curious little work,Mr. Blake’s “Songs of Innocence.”

When my mother died I was very young,And my father sold me, while yet my tongueCould scarcely cry, “Weep! weep! weep!”So your chimnies I sweep, and in soot I sleep.There’s little Tom Toddy, who cried when his head,That was curl’d like a lamb’s back, was shaved, so I said,“Hush, Tom, never mind it for when your head’s bare,You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.”And so he was quiet, and that very nightAs Tom was a sleeping, he had such a sight,That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,Were all of them locked up in coffins so black.And by came an angel, who had a bright key,And he opened the coffins, and set them all free;Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run,And wash in a river, and shine in the sun,Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind;And the angel told Tom, if he’d be a good boyHe’d have God for his father, and never want joy.And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,And got with our bags and our brushes to work;Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm,So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.

When my mother died I was very young,And my father sold me, while yet my tongueCould scarcely cry, “Weep! weep! weep!”So your chimnies I sweep, and in soot I sleep.

There’s little Tom Toddy, who cried when his head,That was curl’d like a lamb’s back, was shaved, so I said,“Hush, Tom, never mind it for when your head’s bare,You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.”

And so he was quiet, and that very nightAs Tom was a sleeping, he had such a sight,That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack,Were all of them locked up in coffins so black.

And by came an angel, who had a bright key,And he opened the coffins, and set them all free;Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing, they run,And wash in a river, and shine in the sun,

Then naked and white, all their bags left behind,They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind;And the angel told Tom, if he’d be a good boyHe’d have God for his father, and never want joy.

And so Tom awoke, and we rose in the dark,And got with our bags and our brushes to work;Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy and warm,So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.

In old St. Paul’s cathedral “within a proper chappel purposely made for him,” and in a proper tomb, sir John Beauchamp, constable of Dover, and warden of the cinque ports, was buried in the year 1358. “This deceased nobleman,” says Stow, “by ignorant people hath been erroneously mistermed and said to beduke Humfrey, the good duke of Gloucester, who lyeth honourably buried at Saint Albans in Hartfordshire, twenty miles from London; in idle and frivolous opinion of whom, some men, of late times, have made a solemne meeting at his tombe upon Saint Andrewe’s day in the morning (before Christmasse) and concluded on a breakfast or dinner, as assuring themselves to be servants, and to hold diversity of offices under the good duke Humfrey.”

Stow’s continuator says, “Likewise, onMay-day, tankard bearers, watermen, and some other of like quality beside, would use to come to the same tombe early in the morning, and, according as the other, deliver serviceable presentation at the same monument, by strewing herbes, and sprinkling faire water on it, as in the duty of servants, and according to their degrees and charges in office: but (as Master Stow hath discreetly advised such as are so merrily disposed, or simply profess themselves to serve duke Humfrey in Pauls) if punishment oflosing their dinnersdaily, there, be not sufficient for them, they should be sent to St. Albans, to answer there for their disobedience, and long absence from their so highly well deserving lord and master, as in their merry disposition they please so to call him.”

There can be no doubt that this mock solemnity on May-day, and the feast of St. Andrew, on pretence of attending a festival in Paul’s, on the invitation of a dead nobleman in another place, gave rise to the saying concerning “dining with duke Humfrey.” It is still used respecting persons who inquire “where shall I dine?” or who have lost, or are afraid of “losing their dinners.”

The following particulars of a very curious celebration is remarkable, as being a description of the old mode of festivous enjoyment, “according to order,” and the wearing of garlands by the stewards, with “whifflers” in theprocession.[155]It is extracted from Randle Holme’s “Storehouse of Armory, 1688.”

The Printers, Journeymen, with the Founders and Ink-makers have every year a general Feast, which is kept in the Stationers Hall on or about May Day. It is made by 4 Stewards, 2 Masters, and 2 Journeymen; and with the Collection of half a Crown a piece of every Guest, the charges of the whole Feast is defrayed.

About 10 of the Clock in the Morning on the Feast day, the Company invited meet at the place appointed, and from thence go to some Church thereabouts in this following Order. First, 4 Whifflers (as Servitures) by two and two, walking before with white Staves in their Hands, and red and blew Ribbons hung Belt-wise upon their Shoulders: these make way for the Company.

Then walks the Beadle of the Company of Stationers, with the Companies Staff in his Hand, and Ribbons as afore.

Then the Minister, whom the Stewards have engaged to Preach the Sermon, and his Reader or Clerk.

Then the Stewards walk, by two and two, with long white wands in their Hands, and all the rest of the Company follow in like order, till they enter the Church, &c. Service ended, and a Sermon suitable for the occasion finished, they all return to their Hall in the same order, where upon their entrance each Guest delivers his Ticket to a Person appointed, which gives him admittance; where every one Feasts himself with what he likes best, being delighted all the while with Musicks and Songs, &c.

After Dinner the Ceremony of Electing new Stewards for the next Year begins: then the Stewards withdraw into another Room, and put Garlands of Laurel or Box on their Heads, and white wands in their Hands, and are Ushered out of the withdrawing Roomthus;—

First, the Companies Beadle with his Staff in his Hand, and Musick sounding before him;

Then one of the Whifflers with a great Bowl of White wine and Sugar in his right Hand, and his Staff in the left: after him follows the eldest Steward.

Then another Whiffler as aforesaid, before the second Steward; in like manner another Whiffler before the third; and another before the fourth Steward.

And thus they walk, with Musick sounding before them, three times round the Hall; and, in the fourth round, the first Steward takes the Bowl from his Whiffler, and Drinks to one (whom before he resolved on) by the Title ofMr.Steward Elect; and taking the Garland off his own Head, puts it on the Steward Elect’s Head, at which all the Company clap their Hands in token of Joy.

Then the present Steward takes out the Steward elect, and Walks with him, hand in hand, (giving him the right Hand,) behind the three other Stewards, another round the Hall; and in the next round as aforesaid, the second Steward drinks to another with the same Ceremony as the first did; and so the third, and so the fourth. And then all walk one round more, hand in hand, about the Hall, that the Company may take Notice of the Stewards Elect: and so ends the Ceremony of the Day.

Old Watch Towerof the City Wall.

Old Watch Towerof the City Wall.

Thisis a front view of a watch tower, or one of the barbicans, on the city wall, which was discovered near Ludgate-hill on the first of May, 1792.Belowis a section of Ludgate-hill from a plan of London by Hollar, wherein this tower is described.

map

They are both represented in an engraving published by the late Mr. Nathaniel Smith, of Great May’s buildings, from whence the preceding views are copied for the purpose of more especially marking the discovery of the old tower on this festival day.

A rare tract, connected with the history of the opera in England, records ajeu d’esprit, which, together with the tract, are attributed to the author of the “Pursuits of Literature:” it will be seen to relate to the present day from the following extracts from the pamphlet.

THE EDITORTOTHE READER.

May 5, 1800.

Piu non si turbi all’ animaLa sua tranquillità:Pensiamo solo a ridere;Sara quel che sara’.Aria; Gli Zingari in Fiera. A. 2.

Piu non si turbi all’ animaLa sua tranquillità:Pensiamo solo a ridere;Sara quel che sara’.

Piu non si turbi all’ animaLa sua tranquillità:Pensiamo solo a ridere;Sara quel che sara’.

Aria; Gli Zingari in Fiera. A. 2.

The following poetical Composition appeared in the Morning Herald of May 1, 1800; and it is reprinted at the very particular request of several persons, votaries of the Opera, Fashion, Wit, and Poetry, who were desirous that it should be preserved in a less perishable form than that of a Newspaper.

The occasion ofthe Arm-Chairsbeing placed in the Pit at the Opera House was this. Before the opening of the Opera House this season,it was generally understood, thatHis Majestyhad graciously signified to Lord Salisbury his concern, that any of the Subscribers should be deprived of their Boxes on the nights whenHis Majestyhonoured the Theatre with his presence. This being communicated to Mr. Taylor, he observed that theRoyalobjection might easily be obviated, by detaching the last Row from the Pit, on these occasions, for the reception of the Subscribers. This was done accordingly, anda Row ofArm-Chairs,with Locks and Keys to the bottoms of them, were placed there, which on everyother night were to be free for general accommodation. But about two months after, the Arm-Chairs were removed, and a long bench was substituted.

On this great event, the Editor has noIntercepted Lettersto lay before the publicby authority, and therefore he has not applied to Mr. Canning for a Preface, nor for Notes to Mr. Gifford. There is no EgyptianFastto be solemnized, norFestivalto be celebrated. He can assure them also, that neither the Mustapha Raschid Effendi and Mustapha Ressichi Effendi for the Grand Vizir; nor General Dessaix and Citizen Poussielgue for General Kleber, were Commissioners on signing this Convention. Butthe Evacuation of the Arm-ed Chairswas effected without bloodshed or loss on either side, byLord Gallowayand Mr.Bell, Commissioners on the part of the Amateurs and Conoscenti, and by SignorLorenzo da Ponte, Poet to the Opera House, and Mr.Solomon, Leader of the Band, Commissioners on the part of General Taylor and the Dramatic Field Marshalthe Marquis of Salisbury.The Arm-ed Chairswere surrendered three days after the signing of the Capitulation, without the intervention of any gallantKnight[156]from Sweden or from Malta.

Thus far is from the preface, and after a few remarks and a “Scena” in Italian, the poem alluded to, and here reprinted verbatim, is introduced in the followingmanner:—

March 19, 1800.

THE ARGUMENT.

A month or two ago, Lord Galloway came to the Opera, and on the Pit-door near the Orchestra being opened, he perceived, to his confusion and astonishment, that a long Bench was substituted in the place of theRow of Arm-Chairsat the bottom of the Pit, the principal or central of which he had filled for so many nights with discernment and dignity, and to the general satisfaction of every person present. His Lordship conceiving, rather hastily, that this measure was intended as a personal slight to himself, retired disconcerted, without taking his seat; and, as he is a votary of the Muses, penned the following Lamentation, which he sent to Lord Salisbury the next day, and recovered his wonted good humour, cheerfulness, and gayety.

PANDOLFO ATTONITO!OR,LORD GALLOWAY’sPOETICAL LAMENTATIONON THEREMOVAL OF THE ARM-CHAIRSFROM THEPIT AT THE OPERA HOUSE!What!—the proud honours of the chairMust I no more, withCecil(a), share?—Still be my soul sereneVirtù, or virtue’s but a name,Brutus and Galloway exclaim,And sighing quit the scene.Too sure I heard a warning knell,And told my Critic BrotherBell(b)The fall of seats(c)andstocks;Yet fondly sooth’d byBolla’sairs,ThoughtTaylor’sbottom, and his chairsSecure with keys and locks.(d)But ah! how Fortune loves to joke!Expell’d am I, who sung and spokeAs loud as at the Fair:(e)While yearly, with six thousand pound,The CommonsAddingtonhave boundTheir Servantto the Chair.My purer taste, my classic eye,Unzon’d Thalia could descry,Who stepp’d beyond her place:How oft I warn’d, in either house,That charmstoo plainat last would rouseTheMitreand theMace!I with Pandolfo watch’d the sphere,When Mars on Venus shone so clear,ThatSaturn(f)felt the shock:GraveShuteandHenryshrunk at Love,And at the loose flesh-colour’d glove,That blush’dat twelve o’clock.I said, some folks would thunder GreekAtHilligsberg’sMorale lubrique,AndParisot’scostume!(g)Where shall Paullinia, tight andround,(h)In vest appropriate now be found,With India’s palm and plume?OldQ—nsb—ryfeels his dotard qualm,Terpsichorè can pour no balmO’erhalfhis visual ray;NorWilliam(i)can console the Sag,NorElisée(k)his pain assuage,Nor Yarmouth smooth his way.WhenMarinari’s(l)magic handTraced the bold view in fabled land,For Fawns and Wood-nymphs meetAh, soon, I cried, maySal’sb’rythink,’Tis just, that they who dance should drink,And they who sing, shouldeat.(ll)For this, in arbitrating state,In presence of the wise and great,I sung the Sovereign’sair:(m)Firm was my voice, forTaylorsmil’d;Nor deem’d I then, (too well beguil’d,)How slippery wasthe Chair.NorG—rd—n’scoarse and brawny Grace,The last new Womanin thePlace(n)With more contempt could blast;Not Marlb’rough’s damp on Blandford’s purseTomecould prove a heavier curse;My fame, my glory past.Fall’n though I am, I ne’er shall mourn,Likethe dark PeeronStorer’surn,(nn)Reflecting onhis seat!In vain that meanmysterious SireIn embers would conceal the fire;While Honour’s pulse can beat.For me shall droop th’ AssyrianQueen,(o)With softest train and tragic mien,TheSiddonsin her art;E’enBolla(p)shall forget to please,With sparkling eye and playful ease,And Didelot shall start.Leo enthron’d bade Querno sit;AndGianni’s(q)verse andregalwitThe Consulloves to share:Pye has the laurel and the sack,AndC—mbethe foolscoat on his back,But Galloway,no Chair.Yet though, reduc’d by Taylor’s pranks,I sit confoundedin the ranks,Good Humour’s still my own;Still shall I breathe in rapt’rous trance,“Eternal be the Song, the Dance,The Opera and the Throne!”

PANDOLFO ATTONITO!OR,LORD GALLOWAY’sPOETICAL LAMENTATIONON THEREMOVAL OF THE ARM-CHAIRSFROM THEPIT AT THE OPERA HOUSE!

What!—the proud honours of the chairMust I no more, withCecil(a), share?—Still be my soul sereneVirtù, or virtue’s but a name,Brutus and Galloway exclaim,And sighing quit the scene.Too sure I heard a warning knell,And told my Critic BrotherBell(b)The fall of seats(c)andstocks;Yet fondly sooth’d byBolla’sairs,ThoughtTaylor’sbottom, and his chairsSecure with keys and locks.(d)But ah! how Fortune loves to joke!Expell’d am I, who sung and spokeAs loud as at the Fair:(e)While yearly, with six thousand pound,The CommonsAddingtonhave boundTheir Servantto the Chair.My purer taste, my classic eye,Unzon’d Thalia could descry,Who stepp’d beyond her place:How oft I warn’d, in either house,That charmstoo plainat last would rouseTheMitreand theMace!I with Pandolfo watch’d the sphere,When Mars on Venus shone so clear,ThatSaturn(f)felt the shock:GraveShuteandHenryshrunk at Love,And at the loose flesh-colour’d glove,That blush’dat twelve o’clock.I said, some folks would thunder GreekAtHilligsberg’sMorale lubrique,AndParisot’scostume!(g)Where shall Paullinia, tight andround,(h)In vest appropriate now be found,With India’s palm and plume?OldQ—nsb—ryfeels his dotard qualm,Terpsichorè can pour no balmO’erhalfhis visual ray;NorWilliam(i)can console the Sag,NorElisée(k)his pain assuage,Nor Yarmouth smooth his way.WhenMarinari’s(l)magic handTraced the bold view in fabled land,For Fawns and Wood-nymphs meetAh, soon, I cried, maySal’sb’rythink,’Tis just, that they who dance should drink,And they who sing, shouldeat.(ll)For this, in arbitrating state,In presence of the wise and great,I sung the Sovereign’sair:(m)Firm was my voice, forTaylorsmil’d;Nor deem’d I then, (too well beguil’d,)How slippery wasthe Chair.NorG—rd—n’scoarse and brawny Grace,The last new Womanin thePlace(n)With more contempt could blast;Not Marlb’rough’s damp on Blandford’s purseTomecould prove a heavier curse;My fame, my glory past.Fall’n though I am, I ne’er shall mourn,Likethe dark PeeronStorer’surn,(nn)Reflecting onhis seat!In vain that meanmysterious SireIn embers would conceal the fire;While Honour’s pulse can beat.For me shall droop th’ AssyrianQueen,(o)With softest train and tragic mien,TheSiddonsin her art;E’enBolla(p)shall forget to please,With sparkling eye and playful ease,And Didelot shall start.Leo enthron’d bade Querno sit;AndGianni’s(q)verse andregalwitThe Consulloves to share:Pye has the laurel and the sack,AndC—mbethe foolscoat on his back,But Galloway,no Chair.Yet though, reduc’d by Taylor’s pranks,I sit confoundedin the ranks,Good Humour’s still my own;Still shall I breathe in rapt’rous trance,“Eternal be the Song, the Dance,The Opera and the Throne!”

What!—the proud honours of the chairMust I no more, withCecil(a), share?—Still be my soul sereneVirtù, or virtue’s but a name,Brutus and Galloway exclaim,And sighing quit the scene.

Too sure I heard a warning knell,And told my Critic BrotherBell(b)The fall of seats(c)andstocks;Yet fondly sooth’d byBolla’sairs,ThoughtTaylor’sbottom, and his chairsSecure with keys and locks.(d)

But ah! how Fortune loves to joke!Expell’d am I, who sung and spokeAs loud as at the Fair:(e)While yearly, with six thousand pound,The CommonsAddingtonhave boundTheir Servantto the Chair.

My purer taste, my classic eye,Unzon’d Thalia could descry,Who stepp’d beyond her place:How oft I warn’d, in either house,That charmstoo plainat last would rouseTheMitreand theMace!

I with Pandolfo watch’d the sphere,When Mars on Venus shone so clear,ThatSaturn(f)felt the shock:GraveShuteandHenryshrunk at Love,And at the loose flesh-colour’d glove,That blush’dat twelve o’clock.

I said, some folks would thunder GreekAtHilligsberg’sMorale lubrique,AndParisot’scostume!(g)Where shall Paullinia, tight andround,(h)In vest appropriate now be found,With India’s palm and plume?

OldQ—nsb—ryfeels his dotard qualm,Terpsichorè can pour no balmO’erhalfhis visual ray;NorWilliam(i)can console the Sag,NorElisée(k)his pain assuage,Nor Yarmouth smooth his way.

WhenMarinari’s(l)magic handTraced the bold view in fabled land,For Fawns and Wood-nymphs meetAh, soon, I cried, maySal’sb’rythink,’Tis just, that they who dance should drink,And they who sing, shouldeat.(ll)

For this, in arbitrating state,In presence of the wise and great,I sung the Sovereign’sair:(m)Firm was my voice, forTaylorsmil’d;Nor deem’d I then, (too well beguil’d,)How slippery wasthe Chair.

NorG—rd—n’scoarse and brawny Grace,The last new Womanin thePlace(n)With more contempt could blast;Not Marlb’rough’s damp on Blandford’s purseTomecould prove a heavier curse;My fame, my glory past.

Fall’n though I am, I ne’er shall mourn,Likethe dark PeeronStorer’surn,(nn)Reflecting onhis seat!In vain that meanmysterious SireIn embers would conceal the fire;While Honour’s pulse can beat.

For me shall droop th’ AssyrianQueen,(o)With softest train and tragic mien,TheSiddonsin her art;E’enBolla(p)shall forget to please,With sparkling eye and playful ease,And Didelot shall start.

Leo enthron’d bade Querno sit;AndGianni’s(q)verse andregalwitThe Consulloves to share:Pye has the laurel and the sack,AndC—mbethe foolscoat on his back,But Galloway,no Chair.

Yet though, reduc’d by Taylor’s pranks,I sit confoundedin the ranks,Good Humour’s still my own;Still shall I breathe in rapt’rous trance,“Eternal be the Song, the Dance,The Opera and the Throne!”

Mean Temperature 52·75.

[145]See vol. i. p. 541.[146]Saluteth.[147]Groves.[148]Royal.[149]The Indicator.[150]This is not king Charles the Second’s celebrated “Royal Oak,” but the “King’s Oak” so often mentioned in the novel. To make it standing in 1651 is another anachronism by the by. Ωνωφιλτατος.[151]Sic in orig.Why the other two days are passed over silently I know not.—Ωνωφιλτατος.[152]Plumptre.[153]The Examiner.[154]The Times, May 3, 1826.[155]Whifflers, see vol. i. p. 1444,note, and 1488.[156]This differs a little fromthe Argumentprefixed to the Poem, but the impartial Historian of a future age will weigh the authorities on either side, and record the truth according to the evidence.The Editor.(a)“Our Midas sitsLord Chancellor of Plays.”Dunciad.(b)Mr.Bell, an ingenious Gentleman, very conversant in the Stocks and Funds,Grand Amateur, and Connoisseur of the Lower Bench.(c)It is feared that the Noble Lord alludes to thevalue of seatsin a certain House, after the Union.Editor.(d)The bottoms of these lamented Chairs were kept under lock and key.(e)i. e. As loud as the very Gipsies themselves on the Stageat the Fair. This is poetry, but no fiction.Editor.(f)“QuelSaturno bricconti guarda trino.”Gli Zingari in Fiera, A. I.(g)Contecta levi velatum pectus amictu,Et tereti strophio luctantes vincta papillas.Catullus.(h)Alluding to the fascinating Ballet ofPaul et Virginie.Bacchus and Ariadnetoo are now constrained to appear in patch-work dresses. The Costume is lost, and the Graces mourn. Jacet semisepulta Venus. So says the D. of Q. and many others of the ton hold the same doctrine.IfPropertiuswere Ballet Master he would cast the parts of theHillisbergtoujours gaie et intéressante, of theParisotau geste animé et sublime, and of theLaborieà sourire doux et enchanteur, with exquisite and appropriate taste.Hæchederas legat in thyros, Hæccarmina nervisAptet, etIllamanu texat utraque rosam!(i)Lord William Gordon.(k)Pere Elise’e, Conoscente e Medico di camera al Serenissimo Duca.“Corpo dotato di Sanitá.”Gli Zingari in Fiera.(l)The painter of various exquisite scenes at the Opera House.(ll)Les Chanteurs et les Danseurs, des deux Sexes, a Monsieur T. si tendre et si cruel; “Il faut que nous vivions.”—Reponsede Monsiur R. “Je n’en vois pas la nécessité.”Le Tableau,Présenté à Monseigneurle ChambellanPolonius!“Chanteurs, Danseurs, assailants, assaillis,Battans, battus, dans ce grand chamaillis:Ciel, que de cris, et que de hurlemens!Pere Elise’ereprit un peu ses sens;Il se tenoit les deux côtés de rire,Et reconnut que ce fatal empireDe l’Opera, des Jeux, et du grand Ton,Etoit sans doute une œuvre du Démon.”The Editor.(m)The Air of Midas in the Burletta, beginning thus:“I’m given to understand that you’re all in a pother here,Disputing whether, &c.”(n)An expression used, with a curious felicity, by her Grace for “the Manufactured Ladies of Fashion” imported from Yorkshire and other Counties into Portland Place, &c. whose houses shecondescendedto enter. Butonceshe was most unfortunately mistaken.Car MadameM—lls,ouvrant un large bec,(Ayant en un Palais changée sa chaumière,Son air de drap devint démarche fiere;)Disoit tout haut, queG—rd—nparloit Grec.Les Grands surpris admirent sa hauteur,Et les Petits l’appellént Dame d’honneur.Leçonà deux tranchans, tant à laBourgeoisie, qu’à la Noblesse.The Editor.(nn)Antony Storer, Esq. formerly Member for Morpeth, (as some persons may possibly recollect,) a gentleman well known in the circles of fashion and polite literature.(o)Bantila Sovrana.(p)Bollala Vezzosa.(q)Gianni, the Italian Poet Laureat to Buonaparte, as Camillo Querno was to Pope Leo X. For a specimen of Gianni’s Poetry, seethe Timesof Dec. 31, 1800.

[145]See vol. i. p. 541.

[146]Saluteth.

[147]Groves.

[148]Royal.

[149]The Indicator.

[150]This is not king Charles the Second’s celebrated “Royal Oak,” but the “King’s Oak” so often mentioned in the novel. To make it standing in 1651 is another anachronism by the by. Ωνωφιλτατος.

[151]Sic in orig.Why the other two days are passed over silently I know not.—Ωνωφιλτατος.

[152]Plumptre.

[153]The Examiner.

[154]The Times, May 3, 1826.

[155]Whifflers, see vol. i. p. 1444,note, and 1488.

[156]This differs a little fromthe Argumentprefixed to the Poem, but the impartial Historian of a future age will weigh the authorities on either side, and record the truth according to the evidence.

The Editor.

(a)“Our Midas sitsLord Chancellor of Plays.”

Dunciad.

(b)Mr.Bell, an ingenious Gentleman, very conversant in the Stocks and Funds,Grand Amateur, and Connoisseur of the Lower Bench.

(c)It is feared that the Noble Lord alludes to thevalue of seatsin a certain House, after the Union.

Editor.

(d)The bottoms of these lamented Chairs were kept under lock and key.

(e)i. e. As loud as the very Gipsies themselves on the Stageat the Fair. This is poetry, but no fiction.

Editor.

(f)

“QuelSaturno bricconti guarda trino.”Gli Zingari in Fiera, A. I.

“QuelSaturno bricconti guarda trino.”

“QuelSaturno bricconti guarda trino.”

Gli Zingari in Fiera, A. I.

(g)

Contecta levi velatum pectus amictu,Et tereti strophio luctantes vincta papillas.Catullus.

Contecta levi velatum pectus amictu,Et tereti strophio luctantes vincta papillas.

Contecta levi velatum pectus amictu,Et tereti strophio luctantes vincta papillas.

Catullus.

(h)Alluding to the fascinating Ballet ofPaul et Virginie.Bacchus and Ariadnetoo are now constrained to appear in patch-work dresses. The Costume is lost, and the Graces mourn. Jacet semisepulta Venus. So says the D. of Q. and many others of the ton hold the same doctrine.

IfPropertiuswere Ballet Master he would cast the parts of theHillisbergtoujours gaie et intéressante, of theParisotau geste animé et sublime, and of theLaborieà sourire doux et enchanteur, with exquisite and appropriate taste.

Hæchederas legat in thyros, Hæccarmina nervisAptet, etIllamanu texat utraque rosam!

Hæchederas legat in thyros, Hæccarmina nervisAptet, etIllamanu texat utraque rosam!

Hæchederas legat in thyros, Hæccarmina nervisAptet, etIllamanu texat utraque rosam!

(i)Lord William Gordon.

(k)Pere Elise’e, Conoscente e Medico di camera al Serenissimo Duca.

“Corpo dotato di Sanitá.”Gli Zingari in Fiera.

“Corpo dotato di Sanitá.”

“Corpo dotato di Sanitá.”

Gli Zingari in Fiera.

(l)The painter of various exquisite scenes at the Opera House.

(ll)Les Chanteurs et les Danseurs, des deux Sexes, a Monsieur T. si tendre et si cruel; “Il faut que nous vivions.”—Reponsede Monsiur R. “Je n’en vois pas la nécessité.”

Le Tableau,Présenté à Monseigneurle ChambellanPolonius!“Chanteurs, Danseurs, assailants, assaillis,Battans, battus, dans ce grand chamaillis:Ciel, que de cris, et que de hurlemens!Pere Elise’ereprit un peu ses sens;Il se tenoit les deux côtés de rire,Et reconnut que ce fatal empireDe l’Opera, des Jeux, et du grand Ton,Etoit sans doute une œuvre du Démon.”

Le Tableau,Présenté à Monseigneurle ChambellanPolonius!

“Chanteurs, Danseurs, assailants, assaillis,Battans, battus, dans ce grand chamaillis:Ciel, que de cris, et que de hurlemens!Pere Elise’ereprit un peu ses sens;Il se tenoit les deux côtés de rire,Et reconnut que ce fatal empireDe l’Opera, des Jeux, et du grand Ton,Etoit sans doute une œuvre du Démon.”

“Chanteurs, Danseurs, assailants, assaillis,Battans, battus, dans ce grand chamaillis:Ciel, que de cris, et que de hurlemens!Pere Elise’ereprit un peu ses sens;Il se tenoit les deux côtés de rire,Et reconnut que ce fatal empireDe l’Opera, des Jeux, et du grand Ton,Etoit sans doute une œuvre du Démon.”

The Editor.

(m)The Air of Midas in the Burletta, beginning thus:

“I’m given to understand that you’re all in a pother here,Disputing whether, &c.”

“I’m given to understand that you’re all in a pother here,Disputing whether, &c.”

“I’m given to understand that you’re all in a pother here,Disputing whether, &c.”

(n)An expression used, with a curious felicity, by her Grace for “the Manufactured Ladies of Fashion” imported from Yorkshire and other Counties into Portland Place, &c. whose houses shecondescendedto enter. Butonceshe was most unfortunately mistaken.

Car MadameM—lls,ouvrant un large bec,(Ayant en un Palais changée sa chaumière,Son air de drap devint démarche fiere;)Disoit tout haut, queG—rd—nparloit Grec.Les Grands surpris admirent sa hauteur,Et les Petits l’appellént Dame d’honneur.Leçonà deux tranchans, tant à laBourgeoisie, qu’à la Noblesse.

Car MadameM—lls,ouvrant un large bec,(Ayant en un Palais changée sa chaumière,Son air de drap devint démarche fiere;)Disoit tout haut, queG—rd—nparloit Grec.Les Grands surpris admirent sa hauteur,Et les Petits l’appellént Dame d’honneur.

Car MadameM—lls,ouvrant un large bec,(Ayant en un Palais changée sa chaumière,Son air de drap devint démarche fiere;)Disoit tout haut, queG—rd—nparloit Grec.Les Grands surpris admirent sa hauteur,Et les Petits l’appellént Dame d’honneur.

Leçonà deux tranchans, tant à laBourgeoisie, qu’à la Noblesse.

The Editor.

(nn)Antony Storer, Esq. formerly Member for Morpeth, (as some persons may possibly recollect,) a gentleman well known in the circles of fashion and polite literature.

(o)Bantila Sovrana.

(p)Bollala Vezzosa.

(q)Gianni, the Italian Poet Laureat to Buonaparte, as Camillo Querno was to Pope Leo X. For a specimen of Gianni’s Poetry, seethe Timesof Dec. 31, 1800.

It is noticed in the journals of May, 1817, that in the preceding summer, Mr. J. Welner, a German chemist, retired to his house in the country, there to devote himself, without being disturbed, to the study and examination of poisonous substances for the purpose of producing a complete “Toxicology,” established by undeniable proof. He tried his poisons upon himself, and appeared insensible to the great alterations which such dangerous trials produced upon his health. At the latter end of the month of October, he invented some unknown poisonous mixture; and wished to be assured of its effect. The following is the account which he gives of it in the last page of his manuscript:—“A potion composed of—(here the substances are named, and the doses indicated)—is mortal; and the proof of it is—that I am dying!”

Mean Temperature 52·55.

For the origin of this church of England holiday, see vol. i. p. 611.

To the Editor of the Every-Day Book.

May 3, 1826.

Sir,—There is a custom at Yarmouth dinners, which in my opinion would be “more honoured in the breach than the observance.” After the cloth has been removed, and the ladies have retired, some one in the company, who is an adept in the game, sings the followinglines,—

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