Cornish Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Cornish Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Cornwall (England : County) -- Biography; Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
Parke, in his _Musical Memoirs_, relates an instance of Incledon's
selfishness. He says of him that he was a singular compound of
contrarieties, amongst which frugality and extravagance were
conspicuous. "Mr. Shield the composer, Incledon, and I, lived for many
years a good deal together. On one occasion Shield and myself dined
with Incledon at his house in Brompton in the month of February. When
I had arrived there, Incledon said to me, 'Bill, do you like ducks?'
Conceiving, from the snow lying on the ground, that he meant wild
ones, I replied, 'Yes, I like a good wild duck very well.' 'D---- wild
ducks!' said he: 'I mean tame ducks, my boy'; adding, 'I bought a
couple in town for which I gave eighteen shillings.' Soon afterwards a
letter arrived, announcing that Mr. Raymond, the stage-manager of
Drury Lane Theatre, who was to have been of the party, could not come;
in consequence of which, I presume, only one duck was placed on the
dinner table, with some roast beef, etc. When Mrs. Incledon (who, as
well as her husband, was fond of good living) had carved the duck,
like a good wife she helped her husband to the breast part and to one
of the wings, taking at the same time the other wing to herself,
reserving for Shield and me the two legs and the back. Shield, who
looked a little awkward at this specimen of selfishness and
ill-manners, at first refused the limb offered to him, and I had
declined taking the other: there appeared to be but a poor prospect of
the legs walking off, till Shield relented and took one, and Incledon
the other, so that they were speedily out of sight. The back, however,
remained behind, and afforded a titbit for the servants."
On another occasion he was giving a dinner party, and a dish was
brought to table heaped up, apparently, with fresh herrings. All the
company, except Incledon and his wife, partook of these fish; some
were helped a second time. When the herrings had been cleared away,
there appeared beneath one fine white fish. "My dear," said Incledon,
"what can that be?" "I believe it is a John Dory, Charles."
Some of the John Dory was offered to the company, but they had eaten
enough fish, and so Incledon and his wife ate the John Dory between
them.
Incledon, whilst very willing to hoax others, was easily taken in
himself. As his dependence was entirely on his voice, he was very
apprehensive of catching cold, which, in consequence, rendered him the
occasional dupe of quackery.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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