1001. The father of a late Lord Hardwicke was hanged for forgery. When
Lord H. sat as chancellor, an old countryman was examined as to a
particular fact, the exact date of which he could not recollect. All
that I remember about it, said he, is, that it happened on the day old
Yorke was hanged.
1002. A theatrical lady, celebrated for everything but continence, at
length resolved to marry and reform. Her conduct was duly canvassed in
the dressing-rooms of the theatres. I am told, cried one, that she
confessed to her liege lord all her amours. What a proof of courage!
exclaimed one lady. What an extraordinary instance of candour! said
another. What an amazing instance of memory! cried a third.
1003. Elliston had many friends and some relations in the church.
Visiting one of the latter, who had some occasion to call upon his
clerk, who was also the town crier, Elliston accompanied his friend; the
crier was from home, and whilst the reverend gentleman explained to the
man’s wife the nature of his visit, Elliston looked over two or three
things that had been left to be cried that evening, amongst others, one
was of a dog lost, who, amid his peculiar spots and blemishes, had “sore
eyes;” Elliston always alive for a joke, altered the word sore to four.
The crier came home, took up the several notices and commenced his
round, enunciating in sonorous tones, Lost a black and tan coloured
terrier, and answers to the name of Carlo; has two black legs and four
eyes. You vagabond, cried the traveller to whom the dog belonged, how do
you think I shall ever get my dog, if you describe it in that way? The
crier maintained that it was according to the original, and, upon
examination, it was evident the paper had been tampered with. Home went
the crier, boiling with indignation; his wife had informed him of the
call of his reverend employer, but had said nothing about his companion,
and therefore no doubt remained on the clerk’s mind, that his reverend
master himself had played the trick. He awaited patiently until Sunday
for his revenge, and before he took his seat in the clerk’s pew, removed
the book of St. John from the New Testament. The clergyman gave out the
lesson, as the 2nd chapter of St. John, (the clerk had previously known
it was to be selected from thence,) and then began to look in vain for
the book in question; at last he whispered to the clerk, What has become
of St. John? He can’t come, was the reply, he has got sore eyes.
1004. Dr. Carpue always gave it as his opinion, that Mathews, the
comedian, had experienced improper treatment at the time of his
accident, and that had he been in judicious hands, he would not have
been lame. Some one speaking upon this subject to R―, said, I
understand Mathews means to leave his broken leg to Carpue when he dies.
The devil he does! said R―; well, for my part, I should be sorry to
have such a leg-as-he (legacy).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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