The History of Sir Richard Whittington — John Shaqi
The History of Sir Richard Whittington
History
The History of Sir Richard Whittington
Folklore -- England; Whittington, Richard, -1423
ring out what appeared to be--
"Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London,
Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London."
These words took complete possession of him, and he returned before it
was known that he had run away. In the more modern chap-book Whittington
is made to reach Holloway, where it would be less easy to hear Bow
bells, and from which place he would have found it more difficult to
return before the cook had risen. As far as I can find there is no
allusion to Holloway or Highgate hill in any early version, and it is
evident that this localization is quite modern. Mr. Lysons is certainly
wrong when he says that at Highgate "a stone continued to mark the spot
for many centuries." It is not known when the stone was first erected
there, but it was probably put up when the name of the place was first
foisted into the tale. One stone was taken away in 1795, but others have
succeeded it, and now there is a Whittington Stone Tavern; and the
situation of Whittington College, which was removed to Highgate in 1808,
has helped to favour the supposition that Whittington himself was in
some way connected with that place.
The form of invitation which the bells rung out varies very much in the
different versions.
In Richard Johnson's ballad (1612) we find--
"Whittington, back return."
which is then amplified into--
"Turn againe, Whittington,
For thou in time shall grow
Lord Maior of London."
In T. H.'s _History_ (see p. 11) we have--
"Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London."
In the later chap-book version this is altered into--
"Turn again, Whittington,
Lord Mayor of great London."
It will be seen that the special reference to the fact that Whittington
was three times Lord Mayor is not to be found in either the ballads or
the chap-books.
In the _Life_, by the author of _George Barnwell_ (1811), however we
read--
"Return again, Whittington,
Thrise Lord Mayor of London."
And in _The Life and Times of Whittington_ (1841)--
"Turn again, turn again, Whittington,
Three times Lord Mayor of London."
In the early version of the _History_ by T. H. the fanciful portions are
only allowed to occupy a small portion of the whole, and a long account
is given of Whittington's real actions, but, in the later chap-book
versions, the historical incidents are ruthlessly cut down, and the
fictitious ones amplified. This will be seen by comparing the two
printed here. Thus T. H. merely says (p. 6) that Whittington was
obscurely born, and that being almost starved in the country he came up
to London. In the later chap-book the journey to London is more fully
enlarged upon (p. xxxiii.), and among those at Whittington's marriage
with Alice Fitzwarren the name of the Company of Stationers not then in
existence is foisted in (pp. xlii.) It does not appear in T. H.'s
_History_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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