Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne, Taken from Original SourcesAshton, John
History
Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne, Taken from Original Sources
Ashton, John
Great Britain -- History -- Anne, 1702-1714; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 18th century
Information on maritime matters was even then forwarded to Lloyd's
(although his _News_ was not published after Feb. 23, 1696, till
1726), as is shown by the following episode: '_London_, August 4th.
Yesterday Morning a Letter was sent by the Penny Post to Mr. Edward
Lloyd, Coffee man, in Lombard Street; which letter was subscrib'd Jo.
Browne, was dated from on Board the Little St. Lewis off Bantry Bay in
Ireland. July. 22. and contain'd in Substance, That the said Browne
coming in a Vessel of which he was Master, from the Bay of Campeachy
for Ireland, was taken by the said little St. Lewis, a French Frigate
of 30 Guns, the 14th of July.'[304] He then went on circumstantially
to relate how an officer on board had told him that the French had
taken the Island of St. Helena and fifteen English East India ships;
and that their fleet intended to sail for the Cape, to intercept our
outward-bound East India ships. The editorial comment on this news is:
''Tis very probable this Letter is a Forgery, but as we cannot
possibly determine whether it be or not, and the Story having made a
great Noise in Town, we found ourselves oblig'd to give an Account of
it.' It turned out a hoax, for, next day, Lloyd received a letter
saying that the rumour had served its turn. 'To which Mr. Lloyd thinks
fit to Answer. Sir, Whoever you are that wrote these two letters to
Mr. Lloyd, he makes it his Request to you, that you would please to
Confirm your Willingness to take off the Amusement made by the first,
by writing him a third Letter in the same Hand the first was, which
the second is not.' Lloyd died on Feb. 15, 1713.
[Footnote 304: _Daily Courant_, Aug. 4, 1704.]
There were several coffee-houses kept by persons of the name of Man.
There was Old Man's, Young Man's, Man's New Coffee House, Charing
Cross, Man's in Birchin Lane, and Man's in Chancery Lane, opposite
Lincoln's Inn Gate. Old Man's was in the Tilt Yard, Whitehall, and was
the rendezvous for officers in the army. The Paymaster-General's
office is now built upon its site. It was kept by the well-known Jenny
Man, whom Brown describes as 'pledging an Irish Colonel in
Usquebaugh.' The _Postboy_, June 3/5, 1712, notices her: 'Expect
something Extraordinary[305] in our Next. In the mean time, we are
inform'd, that Jenny -- Man is indispos'd'; and in the _Flying Post_,
Nov. 6/8, 1712, is a song, one verse of which refers to her:--
[Footnote 305: News of the peace.]
Alas! alas! for _Jenny Man_,
'Cause she don't love the Warming Pan,[306]
High Church will all her Actions Scan
Since she was an Inch long, Sirs;
She is no Friend to Right Divine,
Therefore she must not sell French Wine,
But Tea and Coffee, very fine,
And sure that is no Wrong, Sirs.
[Footnote 306: An allusion to the story of the Pretender's
being smuggled in a warming-pan, and evidence of Jenny's
Hanoverian proclivities.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account