Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II.: Or, The Rambles and Adventures of Bob Tallyho, Esq., and His Cousin, the Hon. Tom Dashall, Through the Metropolis; Exhibiting a Living Picture of Fashionable Characters, Manners, and Amusements in High and Low Life (1821)Badcock, John, active 1816-1830
General
Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II.: Or, The Rambles and Adventures of Bob Tallyho, Esq., and His Cousin, the Hon. Tom Dashall, Through the Metropolis; Exhibiting a Living Picture of Fashionable Characters, Manners, and Amusements in High and Low Life (1821)
Badcock, John, active 1816-1830
London (England) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
The puffing Perfumer, so spruce and so neat;
While Ladies, who flock to the fam'd Bonassus,
Are boning our hearts as we walk thro' the street.
(Spoken)--“In gude truth,” says a brawney Scotchman, “I'se ne'er see'd
sic bonny work in a' my liefe--there's nae walking up the streets
without being knock'd doon, and nae walking doon the streets without
being tripp'd up.”--“Blood-an-oons, (says an Irishman) don't be after
blowing away your breath in blarney, my dear, when you'll want it
presently to cool your barley broth.”--“By a leaf,” cries a Porter with
a chest of drawers on his knot, and, passing between them, capsizes
both at once, then makes the best of his way on a jog-trot, humming
to himself, Ally Croaker, or Hey diddle Ho diddle de; and leaving
the fallen heroes to console themselves with broken heads, while
some officious friends are carefully placing them on their legs, and
genteelly easing their pockets of the possibles; after which they
toddle off at leisure, to sing
Oh, London! dear London! &c.
Then for buildings so various, ah, who would conceive it,
Unless up to London they'd certainly been?
'Tis a truth, I aver, tho' you'd scarcely believe it,
That at the Court end not a Court's to be seen;
Then for grandeur or style, pray where is the nation
For fashion or folly can equal our own?
Or fit out a fête like the grand Coronation?
I defy the whole world, there is certainly none.
(Spoken)--Talk of sights and sounds--is not there the Parliament
House, the King's Palace, and the Regent's Bomb--The Horse-guards,
the Body-guards, and the Black-guards--The Black-legs, and the
Bluestockings--The Horn-blower, and the Flying Pie-man--The Indian
Juggler--Punch and Judy--(imitating the well-known Show-man)--The young
and the old, the grave and the gay--The modest Maid and the willing
Cyprian--The Theatres--The Fives Court and the Court of Chancery--~268~~
1 Flue Faker--A cant term for Chimney-sweep.
The Giants in Guildhall, to be seen by great and small, and,
what's more than all, the Coronation Ball--
Mirth, fun, frolic, and frivolity,
To please the folks of quality:
For all that can please the eye, the ear, the taste, the touch,
the smell,
Whether bang-up in life, unfriended or undone,
No place has such charms as the gay town of London.
Oh, Loudon! dear London! &c.
The quaint peculiarities of the Singer gave indescribable interest to
this song, as he altered his voice to give effect to the various cries
of the inhabitants, and it was knock'd down with three times three
rounds of applause; when Merrywell, being named for the next, sung,
accompanied with Dashall and Frank Harry, the following
GLEE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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