The Cries of London: Exhibiting Several of the Itinerant Traders of Antient and Modern TimesSmith, John Thomas
History
The Cries of London: Exhibiting Several of the Itinerant Traders of Antient and Modern Times
Smith, John Thomas
Cries -- England -- London; London (England) -- Social life and customs -- Illustrations; Peddling -- England -- London
With respect to his Christmas Carols, he said they had varied almost every
year in their bordered ornaments; and the writer regrets the loss of a
collection of Christmas Carols from the time of this man's grandfather,
which, had he been fortunate enough to have made his drawing of the above
vendor only three days before, he could have purchased for five shillings.
The collectors in general of early English woodcuts may not be aware that
there were printed Christmas Carols so early as Queen Mary the First. The
writer, when a boy, detected several patches of one that had been fastened
against the wall of the Chapel of St. Edmond in Westminster Abbey. It had
marginal woodcut illustrations, which reminded him of those very
interesting blocks engraved for "Hollinshed's Chronicle." It appears that
some part of this curious Carol was remaining when Mr. Malcolm wrote his
description of the above Chapel for his Work on London. (Vol. I. p. 144.)
Love Songs, however old they might be, were pronounced by our
Elegy-vender to be always saleable among the country people. Robert
Burton, in his "Anatomy of Melancholy," part 3, sect. 2, speaking of love
songs, says, "As Carmen, Boyes, and Prentises, when a new song is
published with us, go singing that new tune still in the streets, they
continually acted that tragical part of _Perseus_, and in every man's
mouth was _O, Cupid! Prince of Gods and Men!_ pronouncing still like
stage-players, _O, Cupid!_ they were so possessed all with that rapture,
and thought of that pathetical love speech, they could not a long time
after forget, or drive it out of their minds, but, _O, Cupid! Prince of
Gods and Men!_ was ever in their mouths."
In the second volume, page 141, of Shenstone's Works, the author says,
"The ways of ballad singers, and the cries of halfpenny pamphlets,
appeared so extremely humourous, from my lodgings in Fleet Street, that it
gave me pain to observe them without a companion to partake. For, alas!
laughter is by no means a solitary entertainment."
ALL IN FULL BLOOM.
PLATE XV.
The repeated victories gained by England over her enemies, and her
unbounded liberality to them when in distress, not only by her pecuniary
contributions, but by allowing this country to be their general seat of
refuge during their own commotions, encouraged the ignorant among them
still to continue in their belief that the streets of our great city were
paved with gold. The consequence has been, that the number of idle
foreigners who have been tempted to quit their homes have increased the
vagrants who now infest our streets with their learned mice and chattering
monkies, to the great annoyance of those passengers who do not contribute
to their exhibitions; for it is their practice not only to let the animals
loose to the extent of a long string, but to encourage them to run up to
the balconies, oftentimes to the great terror of the families who have
disregarded their impertinent importunities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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