Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 2Daniel, George
History
Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 2
Daniel, George
England -- Social life and customs
** This is the age of progression. Intellect and steam are
on the quick march and full gallop. Butchers' boys, puffing
cigars, and lapping well-diluted caldrons of “Hunt's
Roasted,” illuminate with penny lore the hitherto unclassic
shambles of Whitechapel and Leadenhall. The mechanic, far
advanced in intelligence and gin, roars “animal parliaments,
universal suffering, and vote by bullet.” And the Sunday
School Solomon, on being asked by meo magister, “Who was
Jesse?” lisps “the Flower of Dumblain!”--“When was Rome
built, my little intelligence?”--“In the night, sir.”--“Eh!
How?”--
“Because I've heerd grandmother say, Rome warn't built in a
day!”--“Avez vous du mal, monsieur?” was the question put to
a young Englishman, after a turn over in the French
diligence.--“Non” replied the six-lessons linguist, “Je riai
qu'un portmanteau!”
But we have since advanced to the learning of Mr. Lane; like the lady,
who complained to the limner that her portrait looked too ancient for
her, and received from Mr. Brush this pertinent reply, “Madam, you
will grow more and more like it every day!” _Ingleby_, * “emperor of
conjurors,” (who let his magic cat out of the bag in a printed book of
legerdemain,) and Gyngell played, only with _new variations_, the same
old sleight-of-hand tricks over again. The wizard's art is down among
the dead men.
* “Theurgicomination! or New Magical Wonders, by Sieur
Ingleby. He plays all sorts of tricks upon cards; exhibits
his Pixidees Metallurgy, or tricks upon medals; and
Operation in
Popysomance, being the art of discovering people's thoughts.
Any gentleman may cut off a cock's head, and at the Sieur's
bidding it shall leap back to its old quarters, chanticleer
giving three crows for its recovery!”
As “dead men” died on the Laureat's lips, the joyous presence was
announced of Mr. Hercules Hatband and Mr. Stanislaus Stiflegig. Uncle
Timothy proposed a glass round; and to make up for lost time (in a
libation to mountebanks), tumblers for the mutes.
“Our nephew is fat, and scant of breath we will give him a few minutes
to recruit. Marma-duke Merripall, I call upon you for a song.”
“An excellent call! Uncle Timothy,” shouted Deputy Doublechin.
Up jumped Borax Bumps, Esq. and running his shoulder of mutton palms
with scientific velocity over the curly-wigged cranium of the comical
coffin-maker, he emphatically pronounced the “organ of tune” to exhibit
a musical Pelion among its intellectual nodosities.
“I should take your father, sir, to have been a parish clerk, from this
mountainous developement of Sternhold and Hopkins.”
“My song shall be a toast” said the comical coffin-maker:
“TOASTED CHEESE!”
Taffy ap-Tudor he couldn't be worse--
The Leech having bled him in person and purse.
His cane at his nose, and his fee in his fob,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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