John Cheap, the Chapman's Library. Vol. 1: Comic and Humorous: The Scottish Chap Literature of Last Century, ClassifiedGraham, Dougal
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John Cheap, the Chapman's Library. Vol. 1: Comic and Humorous: The Scottish Chap Literature of Last Century, Classified
Graham, Dougal
Chapbooks, Scottish; English literature -- 18th century; Graham, Dougal, 1724-1779; Popular literature -- Scotland
The first thing that I have any clear memory of, was my being
carried out on my auntie’s shoulder, with a leather cap tied under
my chin, to see the Fair Race. Oh! but it was a grand sight! I have
read since then, the story of Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp, but this
beat it all to sticks. There was a long row of tables, covered
with carpets of bonny patterns, heaped from one end to the other
with shoes of every kind and size, some with polished soles, and
some glittering with sparribles and cuddyheels; and little red
worsted boots for bairns, with blue and white edgings, hinging
like strings of flowers up the posts at each end;--and then what
a collection of luggies! the whole meal in the market sacks on a
Thursday did not seem able to fill them: and horn spoons, green and
black freckled, with shanks clear as amber,--and timber caups,--and
ivory egg-cups of every pattern. Have a care of us! all the eggs in
Smeaton dairy might have found resting places for their doups in
a row. As for the gingerbread, I shall not attempt a discription.
Sixpenny and shilling cakes, in paper, tied with skinie; and
roundabouts, and snaps, brown and white quality, and parliaments,
on stands covered with calendered linen, clean from the fold. To
pass it was just impossible; it set my teeth a-watering, and I
skirled like mad, until I had a gilded lady thurst into my little
nieve; the which after admiring for a minute, I applied my teeth
to and of the head I made no bones: so that in less than no time,
she had vanished, petticoats and all, no trace of her being to the
fore, save and except long treacly daubs, extending east and west
from ear to ear, and north and south from cape nep of the nose to
the extremity of beardyland.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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