Liverpool a few years since: by an old stager — John Shaqi
Liverpool a few years since: by an old stagerAspinall, James
History
Liverpool a few years since: by an old stager
Aspinall, James
Liverpool (England) -- Biography; Liverpool (England) -- History
But, before we pass beyond the boundaries of the old borough, let us hark
back a little, and enumerate a few more of the ancient worthies, or
“standards,” of the town whom we have omitted in the foregoing catalogue.
There were the Boardman, Harding, Bancroft, Downward, and Lorimer
families. Nor must we forget to mention that admiration of our boyhood,
William Peatt Litt. He always seemed to us to be the original of the
lines—
“Old King Cole was a jolly old soul,
And a jolly old soul was he.”
A munificent, magnificent, generous, hospitable soul indeed was Mr. Litt.
There are few like him now. And there were several families of the
Byroms. The Naylors and Bournes, the grandfathers of the present
generation of those names, lived in Duke-street, and were among the most
respectable and respected of our citizens. There, also, lived Mr.
Patrick Black, a fine old stager even at the time we speak of. We can
see him yet before us. Picture to yourselves a kind and venerable man,
in a cloak enveloping his whole body from head to foot, a gold-headed
cane in his hand, and a wig. Oh! such a wig, a regular wig of wigs, as
white as the whitest of hair-powder could make it, of a transcendental
cauliflower appearance, and in size far beyond the proportions of the
largest Sunday wig assigned to Dr. Johnson in the pictures which have
come down to us. We recollect once, when about some six years old,
getting into an awful scrape about this said venerable gentleman and his
megatherium wig. We were walking with a small friend of our own age and
inches, when suddenly the apparition of Mr. Patrick Black, arrayed as we
have described him, came in sight. Our admiration, as usual, burst forth
in the far from respectful and almost profane exclamation, “There goes
old Black with his white wig.” Hardly were the words out of our mouth,
when a gentle tap came upon our shoulders, and a soft whisper fell upon
our ear, “Master —, if it would be any particular pleasure to you, I will
ask my father to wear a black wig in future.” We looked round, and, O!
horror of horrors! were we not thrown into real agonies, and almost
hysterics, when, in the person uttering this mild remonstrance, we
recognised the daughter of the old gentleman whose wig we had been
blaspheming? We stammered and hammered at an excuse, and then ran for
our life. And for many a long day we disappeared round the nearest
corner as quickly as possible if any of the Black family came in sight of
us in our walks. The joke, however, got wind, and it was long before our
martyrdom and persecution ceased, even in our own circle, where “Old
Black with his white wig” was thrown into our teeth whenever we were
inclined to be obstreperous and naughty. Neither must we forget the name
of Brian Smith, who lived in Bold-street, and whose very look was a
picture of benevolence. John Leigh, too, the attorney, a man of gravity
and silence, but with a very intelligent countenance, lived then in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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