“The days of chivalry are NOT past. The fair Castellane of
T-gg-r-dgeville, whose splendid entertainments have so often been
alluded to in this paper, has determined to give one, which shall exceed
in splendor even the magnificence of the Middle Ages. We are not at
liberty to say more; but a tournament, at which His Ex-l-ncy B-r-n de
P-nt-r and Thomas T-gr-g, Esq., eldest son of Sir Th--s T-gr-g, are
to be the knights-defendants against all comers; a QUEEN OF BEAUTY,
of whose loveliness every frequenter of fashion has felt the power; a
banquet, unexampled in the annals of Gunter; and a ball, in which the
recollections of ancient chivalry will blend sweetly with the soft tones
of Weippert and Collinet, are among the entertainments which the Ladye
of T-gg-ridgeville has prepared for her distinguished guests.”
The Baron was the life of the scheme; he longed to be on horseback, and
in the field at Tuggeridgeville, where he, Tagrag, and a number of our
friends practised: he was the very best tilter present; he vaulted over
his horse, and played such wonderful antics, as never were done except
at Ducrow's.
And now--oh that I had twenty pages, instead of this short chapter, to
describe the wonders of the day!--Twenty-four knights came from Ashley's
at two guineas a head. We were in hopes to have had Miss Woolford in the
character of Joan of Arc, but that lady did not appear. We had a
tent for the challengers, at each side of which hung what they called
ESCOACHINGS, (like hatchments, which they put up when people die,) and
underneath sat their pages, holding their helmets for the tournament.
Tagrag was in brass armor (my City connections got him that famous
suit); his Excellency in polished steel. My wife wore a coronet,
modelled exactly after that of Queen Catharine, in “Henry V.;” a tight
gilt jacket, which set off dear Jemmy's figure wonderfully, and a train
of at least forty feet. Dear Jemimarann was in white, her hair braided
with pearls. Madame de Flicflac appeared as Queen Elizabeth; and Lady
Blanche Bluenose as a Turkish princess. An alderman of London and his
lady; two magistrates of the county, and the very pink of Croydon;
several Polish noblemen; two Italian counts (besides our Count);
one hundred and ten young officers, from Addiscombe College, in full
uniform, commanded by Major-General Sir Miles Mulligatawney, K.C.B.,
and his lady; the Misses Pimminy's Finishing Establishment, and fourteen
young ladies, all in white: the Reverend Doctor Wapshot, and forty-nine
young gentlemen, of the first families, under his charge--were SOME
only of the company. I leave you to fancy that, if my Jemmy did seek for
fashion, she had enough of it on this occasion. They wanted me to have
mounted again, but my hunting-day had been sufficient; besides, I ain't
big enough for a real knight: so, as Mrs. Coxe insisted on my opening
the Tournament--and I knew it was in vain to resist--the Baron and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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