History of English Humour, Vol. 2L'Estrange, A. G. K. (Alfred Guy Kingan)
History
History of English Humour, Vol. 2
L'Estrange, A. G. K. (Alfred Guy Kingan)
English wit and humor -- History and criticism; Wit and humor -- History and criticism
"The night was spent in another tavern in harmony, the songs being
such as:--
"Musicks a crotchet the sober think vain,
The fiddle's a wooden projection,
Tunes are but flirts of a whimsical brain,
Which the bottle brings best to perfection:
Musicians are half-witted, merry and mad,
The same are all those that admire 'em,
They're fools if they play unless they're well paid,
And the others are blockheads to hire 'em."
Perhaps the most interesting account is that of St. Paul's
Cathedral--then in progress. We all know that it was nearly fifty years
in building, but have not perhaps been aware of all the causes of the
delay:--
"Thence we turned through the west gate of St. Paul's Churchyard,
where we saw a parcel of stone-cutters and sawyers so very hard at
work, that I protest, notwithstanding the vehemency of their
labour, and the temperateness of the season, instead of using their
handkerchiefs to wipe the sweat off their faces, they were most of
them blowing their nails. 'Bless me!' said I to my friend, 'sure
this church stands in a colder climate than the rest of the nation,
or else those fellows are of a strange constitution to seem ready
to freeze at such warm exercise.' 'You must consider,' says my
friend, 'this is work carried on at a national charge, and ought
not to be hastened on in a hurry; for the greater reputation it
will gain when it's finished will be, "That it was so many years in
building."' From thence we moved up a long wooden bridge that led
to the west porticum of the church, where we intermixed with such a
train of promiscuous rabble that I fancied we looked like the
beasts driving into the ark in order to replenish a new succeeding
world....
"We went a little farther, where we observed ten men in a corner,
very busie about two men's work, taking as much care that everyone
should have his due proportion of the labour, as so many thieves in
making an exact division of their booty. The wonderful piece of
difficulty, the whole number had to perform, was to drag along a
stone of about three hundred weight in a carriage in order to be
hoisted upon the moldings of the cupula, but were so fearful of
dispatching this facile undertaking with too much expedition, that
they were longer in hauling on't half the length of the church,
than a couple of lusty porters, I am certain, would have been
carrying it to Paddington, without resting of their burthen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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