Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents, and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents, and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Legends -- England -- Yorkshire; Yorkshire (England) -- Miscellanea
"MY LORD,--I have received thy letter stating his Majesty's wish to
see me. What does his Majesty wish to see me for? I'm nothing
related to him, and I owe him nothing that I know of; so I can't
conceive what he wants with me. I suspect thou hast been telling
him what queer clothes I wear, and such like. Well, thou may tell
his Majesty that I am very busy just now training an otter to fish;
but I'll contrive to come in the course of a month or so, as I
should like to see London."
Lord Beaumont showed Jemmy's letter to George III., who laughed when he
read it, and said, "He seems to think more of seeing London than of the
honour of introduction to royalty."
Jemmy spent a month in getting ready for his journey to London; he had
an entirely new suit made--a new lambskin hat of the old dimensions, an
otter-skin coat lined with red flannel and turned up with scarlet cloth,
a waistcoat of the skins of drakes' necks, list breeches, red and white
striped stockings, and shoes with large silver buckles on them. His
carriage was repainted in the most lively colours; and when all was
ready he adjured Sarah to look well after his favourites during his
absence, and then drove off at a slashing pace, drawn by his four
Andalusians.
He created a sensation in every town and village he passed through.
People turned out of their shops and houses to see him.
He put up at Doncaster at the King's Head Inn. The hostler there
exhibited Jemmy's carriage and mules at a penny charge for admission,
and realised something handsome thereby. The landlord also reaped a good
harvest, for the inn was crowded as long as Jemmy stayed there.
Jemmy reached London in three days. Lord Beaumont's butler had been sent
some time before to Tottenham, with orders to wait there till Mr. Hirst
made his appearance and then to conduct him to his Lordship's town
residence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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