Thought lingers pleasantly over this sunset period. Handel throughout
life was so wedded to his art, that he cared nothing for the delights
of woman's love. His recreations were simple--rowing, walking,
visiting his friends, and playing on the organ. He would sometimes try
to play the people out of St. Paul's Cathedral, and hold them
indefinitely. He would resort at night to his favourite tavern, the
Queen's Head, where he would smoke and drink beer with his chosen
friends. Here he would indulge in roaring conviviality and fun, and
delight his friends with sparkling satire and pungent humour, of which
he was a great master, helped by his amusing compound of English,
Italian, and German. Often he would visit the picture galleries, of
which he was passionately fond. His clumsy but noble figure could be
seen almost any morning rolling through Charing Cross; and everyone
who met old Father Handel treated him with the deepest reverence.
The following graphic narrative, taken from the _Somerset House
Gazette_, offers a vivid portraiture. Schoelcher, in his _Life of
Handel_, says that "its author had a relative, Zachary Hardcastle, a
retired merchant, who was intimately acquainted with all the most
distinguished men of his time, artists, poets, musicians, and
physicians." This old gentleman, who lived at Paper Buildings, was
accustomed to take his morning walk in the garden of Somerset House,
where he happened to meet with another old man, Colley Cibber, and
proposed to him to go and hear a competition which was to take place
at midday for the post of organist to the Temple, and he invited him
to breakfast, telling him at the same time that Dr. Pepusch and Dr.
Arne were to be with him at nine o'clock. They go in; Pepusch arrives
punctually at the stroke of nine; presently there is a knock, the door
is opened, and Handel unexpectedly presents himself. Then follows the
scene:--
"Handel: 'Vat! mein dear friend Hardgasdle--vat! you are merry py
dimes! Vat! and Misder Golley Cibbers, too! aye, and Togder Peepbush
as vell! Vell, dat is gomigal. Vell, mein friendts, andt how vags the
vorldt wid you, mein tdears? Bray, bray, do let me sit town a momend.'
"Pepusch took the great man's hat, Colley Cibber took his stick, and
my great-uncle wheeled round his reading-chair, which was somewhat
about the dimensions of that in which our kings and queens are
crowned; and then the great man sat him down.
"'Vell, I thank you, gentlemen; now I am at mein ease vonce more. Upon
mein vord, dat is a picture of a ham. It is very pold of me to gome to
preak my fastd wid you uninvided; and I have brought along wid me a
nodable abbetite; for the wader of old Fader Dems is it not a fine
pracer of the stomach?'
"'You do me great honour, Mr. Handel,' said my great-uncle. 'I take
this early visit as a great kindness.'
"'A delightful morning for the water,' said Colley Cibber.
"'Pray, did you come with oars or scullers, Mr. Handel?' said Pepusch.
"'Now, how gan you demand of me dat zilly question, you who are a
musician and a man of science, Togder Peepbush? Vat gan it concern you
whether I have one votdermans or two votdermans--whether I bull out
mine burce for to pay von shilling or two? Diavolo! I gannot go here,
or I gannot go dere, but some one shall send it to some newsbaber, as
how Misder Chorge Vrederick Handel did go somedimes last week in a
votderman's wherry, to preak his fastd wid Misder Zac. Hardgasdle; but
it shall be all the fault wid himeself, if it shall be but in print,
whether I was rowed by one votdermans or by two votdermans. So, Togder
Peepbush, you will blease to excuse me from dat.'
"Poor Dr. Pepusch was for a moment disconcerted, but it was soon
forgotten in the first dish of coffee.
"'Well, gentlemen,' said my great-uncle Zachary, looking at his
tompion, 'it is ten minutes past nine. Shall we wait more for Dr.
Arne?'
"'Let us give him another five minutes' chance, Master Hardcastle,'
said Colley Cibber; 'he is too great a genius to keep time.'
"'Let us put it to the vote,' said Dr. Pepusch, smiling. 'Who holds up
hands?'
"'I will segond your motion wid all mine heardt,' said Handel. 'I will
hold up mine feeble hands for mine oldt friendt Custos (Arne's name
was Augustine), for I know not who I wouldt waidt for, over andt above
mine oldt rival, Master Dom (meaning Pepusch). Only by your
bermission, I vill dake a snag of your ham, andt a slice of French
roll, or a modicum of chicken; for to dell you the honest fagd, I am
all pote famished, for I laid me down on mine billow in bed the lastd
nightd widout mine supper, at the instance of mine physician, for
which I am not altogeddere inglined to extend mine fastd no longer.'
Then, laughing: 'Berhaps, Mister Golley Cibbers, you may like to pote
this to the vote? But I shall not segond the motion, nor shall I holdt
up mine hand, as I will, by bermission, embloy it some dime in a
better office. So, if you please, do me the kindness for to gut me a
small slice of ham.'
"At this instant a hasty footstep was heard on the stairs, accompanied
by the humming of an air, all as gay as the morning, which was
beautiful and bright. It was the month of May.
"'Bresto! be quick,' said Handel; he knew it was Arne; 'fifteen
minutes of dime is butty well for an _ad libitum_.'
"'Mr. Arne,' said my great-uncle's man.
"A chair was placed, and the social party commenced their _déjeuner_.
"'Well, and how do you find yourself, my dear sir?' inquired Arne,
with friendly warmth.
"'Why, by the mercy of Heaven, andt the waders of Aix-la-Chapelle,
andt the addentions of mine togders andt physicians, and oggulists, of
lade years, under Providence, I am surbrizingly pedder--thank you
kindly, Misder Custos. Andt you have also been doing well of lade, as
I am bleased to hear. You see, sir,' pointing to his plate, 'you see,
sir, dat I am in the way for to regruit mine flesh wid the good viands
of Misder Zachary Hardgasdle.'
"'So, sir, I presume you are come to witness the trial of skill at the
old round church? I understand the amateurs expect a pretty sharp
contest,' said Arne.
"'Gondest,' echoed Handel, laying down his knife and fork. 'Yes, no
doubt; your amadeurs have a bassion for gondest. Not vot it vos in our
remembrance. Hey, mine friendt? Ha, ha, ha!'
"'No, sir, I am happy to say those days of envy and bickering, and
party feeling, are gone and past. To be sure we had enough of such
disgraceful warfare: it lasted too long.'
"'Why, yes; it tid last too long, it bereft me of mine poor limbs: it
tid bereave of that vot is the most blessed gift of Him vot made us,
andt not wee ourselves. And for vot? Vy, for noding in the vorldt pode
the bleasure and bastime of them who, having no widt, nor no want, set
at loggerheads such men as live by their widts, to worry and destroy
one andt anodere as wild beasts in the Golloseum in the dimes of the
Romans.'
"Poor Dr. Pepusch during this conversation, as my great-uncle
observed, was sitting on thorns; he was in the confederacy
professionally only.
"'I hope, sir,' observed the doctor, 'you do not include me among
those who did injustice to your talents?'
"'Nod at all, nod at all; God forbid! I am a great admirer of the airs
of the "Peggar's Obera," andt every professional gendtleman must do
his best for to live.'
"This mild return, couched under an apparent compliment, was well
received; but Handel, who had a talent for sarcastic drolling, added--
"'Pute why blay the Peggar yourself, Togder, andt adapt oldt pallad
humsdrum, ven, as a man of science, you could gombose original airs of
your own? Here is mine friendt, Custos Arne, who has made a road for
himself, for to drive along his own genius to the demple of fame.'
Then, turning to our illustrious Arne, he continued, 'Min friendt
Custos, you and I must meed togeder somedimes before it is long, and
hold a _têde-à-têde_ of old days vat is gone; ha, ha! Oh! it is
gomigal now dat id is all gone by. Custos, to nod you remember as it
was almost only of yesterday dat she-devil Guzzoni, andt dat other
brecious taughter of iniquity, Pelzebub's spoiled child, the
bretty-faced Faustina? Oh! the mad rage vot I have to answer for, vot
with one and the oder of these fine latdies' airs andt graces. Again,
to you nod remember dat ubstardt buppy Senesino, and the goxgomb
Farinelli? Next, again, mine somedimes nodtable rival Bononcini, and
old Borbora? Ha, ha, ha! all at war wid me, andt all at war wid
themselves. Such a gonfusion of rivalshibs, andt double-facedness,
andt hybocrisy, and malice, vot would make a gomigal subject for a
boem in rhymes, or a biece for the stage, as I hopes to be saved.'"