Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London LifeKirwan, Daniel Joseph
History
Palace and Hovel; Or, Phases of London Life
Kirwan, Daniel Joseph
London (England) -- Description and travel; London (England) -- Social life and customs
There is a large tent back from the path covered all over with
representations of half-naked boxers in the act of defending
themselves, or mauling or beating each other to pieces, and the master
pugilist stands on a high bench to attract the crowd, while at the
same time he can look inside of the tent and direct the ceremonies by
calling time and announcing the names of the combatants. Two wretched,
miserable looking women, their features furrowed with want, their
eyes bleared with gin, and their general appearance indicative of hard
luck, cruel treatment and filth, hold each a sheet of the tent in their
hands, and one of them puts out her hand to take the two pence which is
the price of admission.
I pass in to the tent and find twenty or thirty hard-looking cases
circling around "Brisket Bill" and the "Hackney Wick Cove," who are
stripped to their waists, their features inflamed with passion, their
hair cropped short, and boxing gloves on their hands. There are half a
dozen burly, big soldiers in the tent belonging to different arms of
the Queen's service, and two of them wear the red shell jackets and
army fatigue caps of the Life Guards. Brisket Bill is a low-sized,
compact, thick witted brute in corduroys and heavy hob-nailed shoes,
who has been probably "starring" in the provinces, and the Hackney
Cove is a tall, well-made, fresh-faced-looking young fellow, who is
quite lively on his feet, and seems to rather like the punishment which
Brisket gives him every now and then in the chest and face.
A ruffianly-faced scoundrel offers me a ticket to go to his boxing
benefit on the next Monday night, which is declined, and at the next
moment the Hackney Cove knocks Brisket Bill, with a tremendous blow,
kicking at my feet, while cheers greet the feat from the Life Guards,
roughs, thieves, and clodhoppers in the tent, and the Master Pugilist
cries from the top of the tent outside:
"Vind hup, Brisket; 'it 'im 'ard and be done vith your larking. Give
these gentlemen the vorth of their tupence. Vind hup, I say, and stop
'im."
Going down the towing path I found the crowd increasing every moment,
and all streaming from the direction of London. A great number of
soldiers were present all in bright uniform, without side-arms,
and all carrying jaunty canes--lancers, foot guards, riflemen,
artillery drivers, men of the siege train, heavy cavalry, dragoons,
and light-infantry men. The majority of these warriors bold were
accompanied by their sweethearts, pretty, clear-skinned English girls
in their best bibs and tuckers, and of course they all wore the Oxford
blue on their persons. Hundreds of small dirty-faced and ragged boys
swarmed in and out of the numerous tents, and many grown men were
endeavoring by bawling loudly, to dispose of badges and rosettes. Some
of them had pieces of wide dark blue ribbon with the words cribbed from
the famous ballad of Tommy Dodd a little altered, inscribed in gilt
type on them:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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