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[_SECOND EDITION.--GREATLY ENLARGED._]
A HISTORY
OF THE
Cries of London.
_Woodcuts by Thomas & John Bewick_,
And their Pupils, &c.
[ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL. _All Rights Reserved._]
[Illustration: HOGARTH'S PIEMAN.
"We frequently meet with the pieman in old prints; and, in Hogarth's
'March to Finchley,' there he stands in the very centre of the crowd,
grinning with delight at the adroitness of one robbery, while he is
himself the victim of another. We learn from this admirable figure by the
greatest painter of English life, that the pieman of the last century
perambulated the streets in professional costume; and we gather further,
from the burly dimensions of his wares, that he kept his trade alive by
the laudable practice of giving 'a good pennyworth for a penny.' Justice
compels us to observe that his successors of a later generation have not
been very conscientious observers of this maxim."]
A HISTORY OF THE
CRIES OF LONDON.
Ancient and Modern.
"_Let none despise the merry, merry Cries
Of famous London Town._"
SECOND EDITION.
GREATLY ENLARGED AND CAREFULLY REVISED
BY CHARLES HINDLEY, ESQ.,
_Editor of "The Old Book Collector's Miscellany; or, a Collection of
Readable Reprints of Literary Rarities," "Works of John Taylor--the
Water Poet," "The Roxburghe Ballads," "The Catnach Press," "The
Curiosities of Street Literature," "The Book of Ready Made Speeches,"
"Life and Times of James Catnach, late of the Seven Dials, Ballad
Monger," "Tavern Anecdotes and Sayings," etc._
London:
CHARLES HINDLEY
[THE YOUNGER,]
BOOKSELLERS' ROW, ST. CLEMENT DANES,
STRAND, W. C.
London:--
E. A. BECKETT, PRINTER, 111 & 113 KINGSLAND ROAD.
TO HORATIO NOBLE PYM, ESQ.,
OF HARLEY STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE,
AS _A TESTIMONIAL OF ESTEEM_
FOR HIS PRIVATE WORTH,
AND AS
A PATRON OF LITERATURE:
A HISTORY OF THE CRIES OF LONDON,
Ancient and Modern,
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY
Charles Hindley.
RECTORY ROAD, STOKE NEWINGTON,
LONDON, N.
[Illustration: NOTICE.
On or about LADY DAY, 1885, will be published for the same Author, THE
HISTORY OF The Catnach Press. To be followed by a New Edition of the
CURIOSITIES OF STREET LITERATURE]
[Illustration: INTRODUCTION.]
Oh, dearly do I love "Old Cries,"
Your "Lilies all a'blowing!"
Your blossoms blue, still wet with dew,
"Sweet Violets all a'growing!"
_Eliza Cook._
The idea of printing and publishing "A History of the Cries of
London--Ancient and Modern," somewhat in the manner and style here
presented to the public, was first suggested to me by the late Rev:--
Thomas Hugo.
Author of "The Bewick Collector," 1866. The Supplement to same, 1868, and
"Bewick's Woodcuts," 1870, etc., and at the time, Rector of West Hackney
Church, Stoke Newington, London, N., in the year 1876.
While actively engaged in preparing for publication "The Life and Times of
James Catnach late of Seven Dials: Ballad Monger,"--to which the present
work may be considered a sequel, and the completion of the series on the
subject of the--
"CURIOSITIES OF STREET LITERATURE,"
I had frequently to consult the pages of "The Bewick Collector," and other
works of a kindred character for information respecting the elder Catnach,
who, by himself, and afterwards in conjunction with his partner, and
subsequently his successor, William Davison, employed Thomas Bewick, the
famous English artist who imparted the first impulse to the art of wood
engraving, for several of their Alnwick publications. This led to my
communicating with the Rev. Thomas Hugo, wherein I informed him of my
plans, and of the object I had in view with regard to the publication I
was then preparing for the press: at the same time soliciting his
co-operation, especially in reference to the loan of some of the Bewick
wood-cuts, formerly possessed by the elder Catnach, while he was in
business as a printer, in Narrowgate Street, Alnwick, an ancient borough
and market-town in Northumberland.
In answer to my application, I received the letters that follow:--
THE RECTORY, WEST HACKNEY,
STOKE NEWINGTON, LONDON, N.
_21st August, 1876._
DEAR SIR,
I shall be glad to aid you in any way. I must ask you to see me on
some _morning_, between nine and eleven o'clock, and to make a
previous appointment, as I am a working man, with plenty to do.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Hugo.
CHARLES HINDLEY, ESQ.,
76, Rose Hill Terrace,
Brighton.
WEST HACKNEY RECTORY,
AMHURST ROAD, WEST,
STOKE NEWINGTON, N.
Tuesday Night. [_13th September, 1876._]
DEAR SIR,
I have been expecting you for the last ten days. In a few hours I am
leaving town for my holiday; I shall not return till far on in
October.
As Brighton is but a short way off, I shall hope to see you on my
return. You shall be welcome to the loan of some Blocks. You had
better examine my folio volume, called "Bewick's Woodcuts," in the
British Museum, and give me the numbers of the cuts, when I will see
what I can do for you.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Hugo.
MR. C. HINDLEY, SENR.,
(of Brighton,)
8, Booksellers' Row,
Strand, W.C.
WEST HACKNEY RECTORY,
AMHURST ROAD, WEST,
STOKE NEWINGTON, N.
_8th Nov., 1876._
Dear Sir,
I can see you between 9.30 and 10.30 on _Friday_ Morning.
Be so good as to advise me beforehand _what_ you wish to see.
Yours sincerely,
Thomas Hugo.
C. HINDLEY, ESQ.,
(of Brighton,)
8, Booksellers' Row,
Strand, W.C.
The proposed interview took place at the Rectory-house, on the 10th of
November, and was of a very delightful and intellectual character. The
reverend gentleman found me an apt scholar in all matters with respect to
his favourite "Hobby-horse," viz:--the Brothers Bewick and their Works.
All the rich and rare Bewickian gems were placed before me for inspection,
and all the desired assistance I needed at his hands was freely offered
and ultimately carried out. During our conversation the learned Rector
said:--
"I look upon it as a curious fact that you should have been of late
occupying your leisure in working out your own ideas of Catnach and
his Times, because, while I was in the office at Monmouth-court, where
I went several times to look out all the examples of Bewick I could
find, and which I afterwards purchased of Mr. Fortey--the person who
has succeeded to the business of the late James Catnach, I one day
caught nearly the same notion, but it was more in reference to OLD
LONDON CRIES: as I possess a fairly large collection of nicely
engraved wood-blocks on the subject, that I met with in 'Canny
Newcassel,'--in some of which it is asserted, and can hardly be
denied, that Thomas Bewick had a hand. I have since used the set in my
'BEWICK'S WOODCUTS.' But, alas!--_Tempus fugit_, and all thoughts on
the subject got--by reason of my having so much to do and think
of--crowded out of my memory. Now, sir, as you seem to have much more
leisure time than myself, I shall be happy to turn the subject-matter
over to you and to assist in every way in my power."
I thanked the rev. gentleman, at the same time promising to bear the
suggestion in mind for a future day.
WEST HACKNEY RECTORY, AMHURST ROAD, WEST,
STOKE NEWINGTON, N., _14th Nov., 1876_.
DEAR SIR,
Accept my best thanks for your letter, books, and promises of future
gifts, all of which I cordially accept.
To-morrow, if all be well, I shall have time to look out the Blocks,
and they shall be with you soon afterwards.
Very truly yours,
Thomas Hugo.
C. HINDLEY, ESQ., Rose Hill Terrace,
Brighton.
W. H. R. _29th Nov._ [1876.]
DEAR SIR,
Herewith the Block. I have made a few corrections (of fact) in your
proof.
Yours sincerely,
T. H.
C. HINDLEY, ESQ., 76, Rose Hill Terrace,
Brighton.
The somewhat sudden and unexpected death of the Rev. Thomas Hugo on the
last day of the year 1876 is now a matter of history.
In Memoriam.
The Rev. T. HUGO, M.A.
_Rector of West Hackney Church._
Departed this life, Sunday, December 31st, 1876.
On Christmas Day, before the altar kneeling,
Taking that Food by which our souls are fed;
Around us all a solemn silence stealing,
And broken only by the priests' slow tread.
Yes, he was there, our good and earnest Rector,
And firmly strove his weakness to withstand,
Giving the cup, he, the pure Faith's protector--
That cup of blessing with a trembling hand.
His church, for which he felt such admiration,
Was deck'd with flow'rs and evergreens that morn,
In praise to Christ, who died for our salvation,
And deign'd as a weak infant to be born.
Ah! little did we think that happy morning--
So truly, bravely kept he at his post--
When next a Sabbath came, to us his warning
And kind, yet noble, presence would be lost.
That solemn sound, which tells of souls departed,
Took the glad place of that which calls to prayer,
And his loved people, shocked and broken-hearted,
Could hardly enter, for _he_ was not there.
But when they heard it was his last desire
That they should meet at midnight as was said,
They met by thousands, mov'd with holy fire,
And spoke in whispers of their shepherd--_dead_.
No, no, not dead, but calm in Jesus sleeping;
Free from all sorrow, all reproach, all pain:
And though he leaves a congregration weeping
Their earthly loss is his eternal gain.
He loved the weak, and all the mute creation,
In generous deeds he ever took his part;
At Death, the _thrice_-repeated word _Salvation_
Showed the firm trust of that true, tender heart.
* * * * *
Again we meet: they come his coffin bringing
Midst solemn chant, and deck'd with purest flowers,
And feel, whilst we his own sweet hymn are singing,
The joy is _his_, the sad rememberance _ours_.
Mrs. HILDRETH.
At the sale of the HUGO COLLECTION, I purchased among many others:--
LOT 405. London Cries, also used in Newcastle and York Cries, two very
pretty series of early Cries, some with back-grounds, from Hodgson's
office, and R. Robinson, Newcastle--[51 _blocks_],
To carry out the suggestion before-mentioned, and to utilize the very
pretty series of fifty-one woodcuts as above, and other Bewick,
Bewickiana, and _ultra anti_-Bewickian woodcut blocks I possess, formed
and accumulated by reason of my published works: "The Catnach Press,"
1868. "Curiosities of Street Literature," 1871. And "Life and Times of
James Catnach," 1878.
In collecting information on the subject of "The Cries of London--Ancient
and Modern," I have availed myself of all existing authorities within
reach, and therefore, to prevent the necessity of continual reference,
here state that I have drawn largely from Charles Knight's "London."
Mayhew's "London Labour and the London Poor." Hone's "Every-Day Book." An
article on Old London Cries, in "Fraser's Magazine." "Cuthbert Bede." Mr.
Edwin Goadby's "The England of Shakespeare,"--an excellent Text Book,
forming one of Cassell's Popular Shilling Library. "Our Milk Supply," from
the columns of _The Daily Telegraph_. Charles Manby Smith's "Curiosities
of London Life," and his "Little World of London." And what from various
other sources was suitable for my purpose.
To the one lady, and many gentlemen friends who have responded to my
enquiries for advice, material, and assistance, and by which they have so
greatly enriched the contents of this volume, I beg to express my best
thanks. I must in a more particular manner mention the names of--the one
lady first--Mrs. Rose Hildreth; then Mr. John Furbor Dexter, Mr. William
Mansell; next Messrs. W. H. & L. Collingridge, the Proprietors of _The
City Press_, Aldersgate-street, London, for the use of the following
woodcuts that have appeared in the pages of their ever-entertaining work,
"Y{e} OLD CITY," by Aleph.: 1.--Shakespeare's London; 2.--Aldersgate;
3.--Cheapside Cross; 4.--Old Stage Waggon; 5.--Baynard's Castle; 6.--Old
London Shop; 7.--St. Pauls Cathedral. I have also to express my cordial
thanks to Messrs. Longman, Green & Co., who kindly allowed the use of
1.--Colebrook Cottage; 2.--The Old Queen's Head; and 3.--Canonbury Tower.
From Howitt's "Northern Heights of London." Messrs. Chatto & Windus,
Piccadilly: 1.--Charles Lamb's House, Enfield; 2.--House at Edmonton,
where Charles Lamb died; 3.--Edmonton Church. Messrs. Marks and Sons,
Publishers of all kinds of Fancy Stationery, Toy-books, Valentines, &c.,
72, Houndsditch, for the eight blocks used in their "Cries of London," at
pages 351 to 358. Messrs. Goode, Toy-book Manufacturers, Clerkenwell
Green. Mr. John W. Jarvis, Mr. William Briggs, Mr. G. Skelly, Alnwick, and
Dr. David Morgan, Brighton.
* * * * *
SECOND EDITION.
The rapid sale of the whole of the First Edition of this work--about one
half of which went Due-North, that is to say, in and round about "Canny
Newcassel" (the home-land of the Brothers Bewick), America taking the
remainder,--will sufficiently explain the re-appearance of "A History of
the Cries of London" in its new, and, the Author ventures to think,
improved form.
RECTORY ROAD, STOKE NEWINGTON,
LONDON, N.
_Lady-Day._, 1884.
CATALOGUE OF THE
CHOICE AND VALUABLE COLLECTION
OF BOOKS, WOOD ENGRAVINGS,
AND ENGRAVED WOODCUT BLOCKS,
Manuscripts, Autograph Letters & Proof Impressions,
BY OR RELATING TO THOMAS AND JOHN BEWICK,
AND THEIR PUPILS,
GLEANED FROM EVERY AVAILABLE SOURCE BY THE LATE
REV. THOMAS HUGO, M.A., F.S.A.,
AUTHOR OF "THE BEWICK COLLECTOR," 1866;
"SUPPLEMENT TO SAME," 1868; AND
"BEWICK WOODCUTS," (folio) 1870.
WHICH WILL BE SOLD BY AUCTION,
BY MESSRS.
SOTHEBY, WILKINSON & HODGE,
_Auctioneers of Literary Property & Works illustrative of the Fine Arts_,
At their House, No. 13, Wellington Street, Strand, W.
On WEDNESDAY, 8th of AUGUST, 1877, and following Day,
AT ONE O'CLOCK PRECISELY.
May be Viewed Two Days prior, and Catalogues had.
Dryden Press: J. Davy and Sons. 137, Long Acre.
[Illustration]
GOLDSMITH AND PARNELL POEMS: Published by William Bulmer, _Shakespeare
Printing Office_, London, 1795. Embellished with thirteen designs on wood.
Most of the cuts were drawn by Robert Johnson and John Bewick, and all
were engraved by Thomas Bewick, except the vignettes on the title-pages,
and the large cut of "The Sad Historian," and the tail-piece at the end of
the volume, which was done by John Bewick.
The most magnificent result of the efforts of the wood-engraver,
type-founder, paper-maker, and printer, "that ever was produced in any
age, or in any country." Bulmer realized, after paying all expenses, a
profit of L1,500 on the work these exquisite blocks adorned.
[Illustration: [_John Bewick, del. et Sculp._]
THE SAD HISTORIAN.
_Published January 1, 1795, by William Bulmer, at the Shakespeare Printing
Office, Cleveland Row._]
[Illustration: _John Johnson, del._] [_T. Bewick, Sculp._
THE HERMIT AT HIS MORNING DEVOTIONS.
_Published January 1, 1795, by William Bulmer, at the Shakespeare Printing
Office, Cleveland Row._]
[Illustration: _R Johnson, del._] [_T. Bewick, Sculp._
THE HERMIT, ANGEL, AND GUIDE.
_Published January 1, 1795, by William Bulmer, at the Shakespeare Printing
Office, Cleveland Row._]
[Illustration: _John Bewick, del._] [_T. Bewick, sculp._
THE CHASE.
_A POEM_
BY WILLIAM SOMERVILE, ESQ.
LONDON:
Printed by W. Bulmer & Co.,
Shakespeare Printing Office, Cleveland Row.
1796.]
[Illustration: _John Bewick, del._] [_T. Bewick, sculp._
SOMERVILE'S CHASE.]
This work contains the best specimens of John Bewick's abilities as a
designer; all the cuts were drawn by him except one, but none of them were
engraved by him. Shortly after he had finished the drawings on the blocks,
he left London and returned to the North in consequence of ill-health.
They were engraved by Thomas Bewick, with the exception of the tail-piece
at the end of the volume, which was engraved by Charles Nesbit, one of his
pupils.
[Illustration: _John Bewick, del._] [_T. Bewick, sculp._
SOMERVILE'S CHASE.]
The cuts in the Chase, on the whole, are superior in point of execution to
those in the Poems of Goldsmith and Parnell. Many conceive it impossible
that such delicate effects could be produced from blocks of wood, and his
late Majesty (George III.) ordered his bookseller, Mr. George Nicolls, to
procure the blocks for his inspection, that he might convince himself of
the fact.
[Illustration: _John Bewick, del._] [_T. Bewick, sculp._
SOMERVILE'S CHASE.]
Speaking of the death of John Bewick, which took place at Ovingham on the
5th of December, 1795,--aged 35, a writer in the _Gentleman's Magazine_
says, "The works of this young artist will be held in estimation, and the
engravings to 'Somervile's Chase' will be a monument of fame of more
celebrity than marble can bestow."
[Illustration: THE PEACOCK. (_Pavo cristatus_, Linn.----_Le Paon_, Buff.)
(From Bewick's Land Birds.)]
[Illustration: THE COMMON SANDPIPER. (Bewick's Water Birds).]
[Illustration: THE WATER OUZEL. (Bewick's Water Birds.)]
[Illustration: THE SNIPE. (Bewick's Water Birds.)]
[Illustration: THE REDSTART. (Bewick's Water Birds.)]
[Illustration: _FIRST STATE!_]
"THE LITTLE HOUSE" and PIG, &C.
"Snug in an English garden's shadiest spot
A structure stands, and welcomes many a breeze;
Lonely and simple as a ploughman's cot!
Where monarchs may unbend who wish for ease."
COLMAN'S--_Broad Grins_.
[Illustration: _SECOND STATE!!_]
Among the very many and all much admired Tail-pieces drawn and engraved by
Bewick himself, the above, which, in its--_First state!_ is at page 285 of
vol. i. of 'A History of British Birds,' 1797, has obtained by far the
greatest notoriety. It appears that soon after publication, it was pointed
out to Bewick that the nakedness of a prominent part of his subject
required to be a little more covered--_draped_! So one of his apprentices
was employed to blacken over with ink all the copies then remaining
unsold. But by the time Bewick received the 'gentle hint,' a goodly number
had been delivered to local subscribers and the London agents--Messrs. G.
G. and J. Robinson. It is these '_not inked!_' copies that are now so
readily sought after by all "Bewick Collectors."
[Illustration: _THIRD STATE!!!_]
For the next, and all subsequent editions a plug was inserted in the
block, and the representation of two bars of wood engraved upon it, to
hide the _part_! However, it seems that before the block was thus altered
and amended, many impressions on various papers were taken of the--_First
state!_ The late Rev. Hugo possessed several of such, one of which--_Proof
on paper_--he gave me on the 10th of November, 1876.--C. H.
[Illustration: THE WATER RAIL. (Bewick's Water Birds.)]
[Illustration: THE RED-NECKED GREBE. (Bewick's Water Birds.)]
[Illustration: THE CHILLINGHAM WILD BULL. Used in Richardson's Table Book,
Vol. vi p. 15. Attributed to T. Bewick.]
[Illustration: _T. Bewick._ GIN AND BITTERS. The Sportsman's Cabinet,
1803.]
[Illustration: "WILLIE BREW'D A PECK O'MAUT."]
The Poetical Works of Robert Burns. Engravings on Wood by Bewick, from
designs by Thurston. Alnwick: Printed by Catnach and Davison, 1808. And
London: Printed for T. Cadell and Davis, Strand, 1814. With cuts
previously used in Davison's publications.
[Illustration]
"Many of the engravings produced for Burns' Poems, are of a very superior
class, and cannot be too highly commended."--_Hugo._
[Illustration: "_And for whole days would wander in those places where she
had been used to walk with Henry._"
THE HISTORY OF CRAZY JANE.
By Sarah Wilkinson.
With a Frontispiece by Bewick.
ALNWICK: Printed by W. DAVISON, 1813.]
[Illustration: JACKSON'S: A TREATISE ON WOOD ENGRAVING. _See Hugo's
"Bewick Collector."--The Supplement._]
[Illustration: THE REPOSITORY OF SELECT LITERATURE.
Adorned with beautiful Engravings by Bewick.
ALNWICK: Printed by W. DAVISON, 1808.]
[Illustration: ARMS OF NEWCASTLE. (_Signed_ Bewick, _Sculpt._)]
[Illustration: BULL PURSUING A MAN.
THE POETICAL WORKS OF ROBERT FERGUSON, with his Life.
Engravings on Wood by BEWICK.]
[Illustration: "SANDIE AND WILLIE."
THE POETICAL WORKS OF ROBERT FERGUSON.
Alnwick: Printed by W. DAVISON.--1814.]
[Illustration: SCOTTISH BALLADS AND SONGS. Printed and Sold by G.
NICHOLSON, Poughnill, Near Ludlow.]
[Illustration: G. NICHOLSON, PRINTER, Poughnill, near Ludlow.]
[Illustration: G. NICHOLSON, Printer, Poughnill, near Ludlow.]
[Illustration: G. NICHOLSON, Printer.]
[Illustration:
"_Not to return, how painful the remembrance
Of joys departed,_"
BLAIR'S GRAVE.
Alnwick: Printed by CATNACH and DAVISON,--1808.]
[Illustration: FROM NEWCASTLE. HUGO'S Bewick's Woodcuts, No. 1333.]
[Illustration: VIEW OF STRAWBERRY HILL. With Shield of Arms of the Hon.
Horace Walpole.]
[Illustration: Mr. Bigge's cut of the FIGURE OF LIBERTY.]
[Illustration: TYNE-SIDE SCENE, With Shield of Arms.]
[Illustration: A CHURCHYARD MEMORIAL CUT.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: THE SPORTSMAN'S CALENDER. 1818. HUGO'S "_Bewick's
Woodcuts_," No. 1309.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: THE DOG IN THE MANGER.]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: HASTIE'S READING EASY. From Angus's Office, where the book
was printed.]
"Bewick cut for Mrs. Angus, twenty-four figures for the Alphabet:--The Fox
and Grapes, the Crow and Pitcher, the Foolish Stag, Joseph and his
Brethren, etc. All of them excellent cuts. The fortieth edition was
printed in 1814, and the seventy-third in 1839, so that they must have
been done in his early days."
MS. Note of the late Mr. John Bell, of Newcastle. See Hugo's _Bewick's
Woodcuts_. No. 240-276.
[Illustration: FOX AND THE GRAPES.]
[Illustration: THE CROW AND PITCHER.]
[Illustration: THE FOOLISH STAG.]
[Illustration: JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.]
[Illustration: _T. Bewick.--Sculpt._]
[Illustration: _T. Bewick.--Sculpt._]
[Illustration: [_R. Johnson, del. Charlton Nesbit, sculpt._]
Cut to the memory of ROBERT JOHNSON.
_Bewick's favourite Pupil._]
On the South side of Ovingham Church there is this tablet--
In Memory of
ROBERT JOHNSON,
PAINTER AND ENGRAVER.
A NATIVE OF THIS PARISH.
Who died at Kenmore in Perthshire,
_The 29th, of October, 1796_.
IN THE 26th, YEAR OF HIS AGE.
[Illustration: THOMAS BEWICK.]
Thomas Bewick died at his house on the Windmill-Hills, Gateshead, November
the 8th, 1828, in the seventy-sixth year of his age, and on the 13th he
was buried in the family burial-place at Ovingham, where his parents,
wife, and brother were interred.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory?"]
A HISTORY OF THE CRIES OF LONDON.
A HISTORY
OF THE
CRIES OF LONDON
(Ancient & Modern)
SECOND EDITION
Greatly Enlarged and
Carefully Revised.
HISTORY OF THE CRIES OF LONDON.
"Let none despise the merry, merry cries
Of famous London Town":--_Rex. Ballad._
The cries of London have ever been very popular, whether as broadsides,
books, ballads, or engravings. Artists of all countries and times have
delighted to represent those peculiarities of costume and character which
belong to the history of street-cries, and the criers thereof. Annibale
Carracci--1560-1609--has immortalized the cries of Bologna; and from the
time of Elizabeth to that of Queen Victoria, authors, artists and printers
combined, have presented the Cries and Itinerant Trades of London, in
almost numberless forms, and in various degrees of quality, from the
roughest and rudest wood-cut-blocks to the finest of copper and steel
plate engravings, or skilfully wrought etchings. While many of the early
English dramatists often introduced the subject, eminent composers were
wont to "set to music" as catch, glee, or roundelaye, all the London Cries
then most in vogue,--"They were, I ween, ryght merrye songs, and the
musick well engraved."
The earliest mention of London trade-cries is by Dan John Lydgate
(1370-1450), a Monk of the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St. Edmund's, the
friend and immediate follower of Geoffrey Chaucer, and one of the most
prolific writers of his age this country has produced. To enumerate
Lydgate's pieces would be to write out the catalogue of a small library.
No poet seems to have possessed a greater versatility of talents. He moves
with equal ease in every mode of composition; and among his minor pieces
he has left us a very curious poem entitled "London Lyckpeny," _i.e._,
_London Lackpenny_: this has been frequently printed; by Strutt, Pugh,
Nicolas, and partly by John Stow in "A Survey of London," 1598. There are
two copies in the British Museum, Harl. MSS., 367 and 542. We somewhat
modernize the text of the former and best of these copies, which differ
considerably from each other.
"O Mayster Lydgate! the most dulcet sprynge
Of famous rethoryke, with balade ryall
The chefe orygynal."
_"The Pastyme of Plasure," by Stephen Hawes, 1509._
In "London Lackpenny" we have a most interesting and graphic picture of
the hero coming to Westminster, in term time, to obtain legal redress for
the wrong he had sustained, and explain to a man of law his case--"_How my
goods were defrauded me by falsehood_," but being without the means to pay
even the preliminary fee, he was sent--"from pillar to post," that is from
one Law-court to another, but although he "_crouched, kneeled, prayed for
God's sake, and Mary's love_, he could not get from one the--_mum of his
mouth_." So leaving the City of Westminster--minus his hood, he walked on
to the City of London, which he tells us was crowded with peripatetic
traders, but tempting as all their goods and offers were, his
_lack-of-money_ prevented him from indulging in any of them--But, however,
let _Lackpenny_, through the ballad, speak for himself:--
[Illustration: London Lackpenny.]
To London once my steps I bent,
Where truth in no wise should be faint,
To Westminster-ward I forthwith went,
To a man of law to make complaint,
I said, "for Mary's love, that Holy saint!
Pity the poor that would proceed,"
But, for lack of money, I could not speed.
And as I thrust the _prese_ among, [crowd]
By froward chance my hood was gone,
Yet for all that I stayed not long,
Till to the King's Bench I was come,
Before the Judge I kneeled anon,
And prayed him for God's sake to take heed;
But, for lack of money, I might not speed.
Beneath them sat Clerks a great rout,
Which fast did write by one assent,
There stood up one and cryed about,
Richard, Robert, and John of Kent.
I wist not well what this man meant,
He cried so thick there indeed,
But he that lacked money, might not speed.
Unto the Common-place _I yode thoo_, [I went then]
Where sat one with a silken hood;
I did him reverence, for I ought to do so,
And told him my case as well as I could,
How my goods were defrauded me by falsehood.
I gat not a mum of his mouth for my meed,
And, for lack of money, I might not speed.
Unto the Rolls I gat me from thence,
Before the clerks of the Chancery,
Where many I found earning of pence,
But none at all once regarded me,
I gave them my plaint upon my knee;
They liked it well, when they had it read:
But, lacking money, I could not speed.
In Westminster Hall I found out one,
Which went in a long gown of _ray_; [velvet]
I crouched and kneeled before him anon,
For Mary's love, of help I him pray.
"I wot not what thou meanest" gan he say:
To get me thence he did me bede,
For lack of money, I could not speed.
Within this Hall, neither rich nor yet poor
Would do for me ought, although I should die:
Which seeing, I gat me out of the door,
Where Flemings began on me for to cry:
"Master, what will you _copen or buy_? [chap or exchange]
Fine felt hats, or spectacles to read?
Lay down your silver, and here you may speed."
Spectacles to read before printing was invented must have had a rather
limited market; but we must bear in mind where they were sold. In
Westminster Hall there were lawyers and rich suitors
congregated,--worshipful men, who had a written law to study and expound,
and learned treatises diligently to peruse, and titles to hunt after
through the labyrinths of fine and recovery. The dealer in spectacles was
a dealer in hats, as we see; and the articles were no doubt both of
foreign manufacture. But lawyers and suitors had also to feed, as well as
to read with spectacles; and on the Thames side, instead of the
coffee-houses of modern date, were tables in the open air, where men every
day ate of "_bread, ribs of beef, both fat and full fine_," and drank
jollily of "_ale and wine_," as they do now at a horse-race:--
Then to Westminster Gate I presently went,
When the sun was at high prime:
Cooks to me, they took good intent,
And proffered me bread, with ale and wine,
Ribs of beef, both fat and full fine;
A fair cloth they gan for to spread,
But, wanting money, I might not there speed.
Passing from the City of Westminster, through the village of Charing and
along Strand-side, to the City of London, the cries of food and feeding
were first especially addressed to those who preferred a vegetable diet,
with dessert and "_spice, pepper, and saffron_" to follow. "_Hot peascod
one began to cry_," Peascod being the shell of peas; the _cod_ what we now
call the _pod_:--
"Were women as little as they are good,
A peascod would make them a gown and hood."
"_Strawberry ripe, and cherries in the rise._" Rise--branch, twig, either
a natural branch, or tied on sticks as we still see them.
Then unto London I did me hie,
Of all the land it beareth the prize;
Hot peascods! one began to cry;
Strawberry ripe, and Cherries in the rise!
One bade me come near and buy some spice;
Pepper and saffron they gan me _bede_; [offer to me]
But, for lack of money, I might not speed.
In Chepe (Cheapside) he saw "_much people_" standing, who proclaimed the
merits of their "_velvets, silk, lawn, and Paris thread_." These, however,
were shopkeepers; but their shops were not after the modern fashion of
plate-glass windows, and carpeted floors, and lustres blazing at night
with a splendour that would put to shame the glories of an eastern palace.
They were rude booths, the owners of which bawled as loudly as the
itinerants; and they went on bawling for several centuries, like butchers
in a market, so that, in 1628, Alexander Gell, a bachelor of divinity, was
sentenced to lose his ears and to be degraded from the ministry, for
giving his opinion of Charles I., that he was fitter to stand in a
Cheapside shop with an apron before him, and say "What do ye lack, what do
ye lack? What lack ye?" than to govern a kingdom.
Then to the Chepe I began me drawn,
Where much people I saw for to stand;
One offered me velvet, silk, and lawn;
Another he taketh me by the hand,
"Here is Paris thread, the finest in the land."
I never was used to such things indeed;
And, wanting money, I might not speed.
Then went I forth by London Stone,
Throughout all Canwyke Street:
Drapers much cloth me offered anon;
Then comes in one crying "Hot sheep's feet;"
One cried mackerel, rushes green, another gan greet;
One bade me buy a hood to cover my head;
But, for want of money, I might not speed.
The London Stone, the _lapis milliaris_ (mile stone) of the Romans, has
never failed to arrest the attention of the "Countryman in Lunnun." The
Canwyke Street of the days of John Lydgate, is the Cannon Street of the
present. "_Hot sheep's feet_," which were cried in the streets in the time
of Henry V., are now sold _cold_ as "sheep's trotters," and vended at the
doors of the lower-priced theatres, music-halls, and public-houses. Henry
Mayhew in his "London Labour and the London Poor," estimates that there
are sold weekly 20,000 sets, or 80,000 feet. The wholesale price at the
"trotter yard" is five a penny, which gives an outlay by the street
sellers of L3,033 6s. 8d. yearly. The cry which is still heard and
tolerated by law, that of _Mackerel_ rang through every street. The cry of
_Rushes-green_ tells us of by-gone customs. In ages long before the
luxury of carpets was known in England, the floors of houses were covered
with rushes. The strewing of rushes in the way where processions were to
pass is attributed by our poets to all times and countries. Thus at the
coronation of Henry V., when the procession is coming, the grooms cry--
"More rushes, more rushes."
_Not worth a rush_ became a common comparison for anything worthless; the
rush being of so little value as to be trodden under foot. _Rush-lights_,
or candles with rush wicks, are of the greatest antiquity.
Then I hied me into East-chepe,
One cries ribs of beef, and many a pie;
Pewter pots they clattered on a heap;
There was harp, pipe, and minstrelsy;
"Yea by Cock! Nay by Cock!" some began cry;
Some sung of Jenkin and Julian for their meed;
But, for lack of money, I might not speed.
Eastcheap, this ancient thoroughfare, originally extended from
Tower-street westward to the south end of Clement's-lane, where
Cannon-street begins. It was the Eastern Cheap or Market, as distinguished
from Westcheap, now Cheapside. The site of the Boar's Head Tavern, first
mentioned _temp._ Richard II., the scene of the revels of Falstaff and
Henry V., when Prince of Wales, is very nearly that of the statue of King
William IV. _Lackpenny_ had presented to him several of the real Signs of
the Times and of Life in London with "_ribs of beef_--_many a
pie_--_pewter pots_--_music and singing_"--_strange oaths_, "_Yea by
Cock_" being a vulgar corruption for a profane oath. Our own taverns still
supply us with ballad-singers--"_Buskers_"--who will sing of "_Jenkin and
Julian_"--Ben Block; or, She Wore a Wreath of Roses, "_for their meed_."
Then into Cornhill anon I _yode_, [went]
Where was much stolen gear among;
I saw where hung mine own hood
That I had lost among the throng;
To buy my own hood I thought it wrong;
I knew it well, as I did my creed;
But, for lack of money, I could not speed.
The manners and customs of the dwellers in Cornhill in the time of John
Lydgate, when a stranger could have his hood stolen at one end of the town
and see it exposed for sale at the other, forcibly reminds us of
Field-lane and the Jew Fagin, so faithfully sketched in pen and ink by
Charles Dickens of our day. Where "a young man from the country" would run
the risk of meeting with an Artful Dodger, to pick his pocket of his silk
handkerchief at the entrance of the Lane, and it would be offered him for
sale by a Jew fence at the end, not only "Once a Week" but "All the Year
Round." However, when Charles Dickens and Oliver Twist came in, Field-lane
and Fagin went out.
At length the Kentish man being wearied, falls a prey to the invitation of
a taverner, who with a cringing bow, and taking him by the
sleeve:--"_Sir_," saith he, "_will you our wine assay?_" Whereupon
_Lackpenny_, coming to the safe conclusion that "_a penny can do no more
than it may_," enters the tempting and hospitable house of entertainment,
and there spends his only penny, for which he is supplied with a pint of
wine:--
The taverner took me by the sleeve,
"Sir," saith he, "will you our wine assay?"
I answered "That cannot be much grieve,
A penny can do no more than it may;"
I drank a pint, and for it did pay;
Yet, sore a-hungered from hence I _yode_, [went]
And, wanting money, I could not speed.
Worthy old John Stow supposes this interesting incident to have happened
at the Pope's Head, in Cornhill, and bids us enjoy the knowledge of the
fact, that:--"Wine one pint for a pennie, and bread to drink it was given
free in every taverne." Yet Lydgate's hero went away "_Sore a-hungered_,"
for there was no eating at taverns at this time beyond a crust to relish
the wine, and he who wished to dine before he drank had to go to the
cook's.
Wanting money, _Lackpenny_ has now no choice but to return to the country,
and applies to the watermen at Billingsgate:--
Then hied I me to Billingsgate,
And one cried "Hoo! go we hence!"
I prayed a bargeman, for God's sake,
That he would spare me my expense,
"Thou scap'st not here, quod he, under two-pence,
I list not yet bestow any almes deed."
Thus, lacking money, I could not speed.
We have a corroboration of the accuracy of this picture in Lambarde's
"Perambulation of Kent." The old topographer informs us that in the time
of Richard II. the inhabitants of Milton and Gravesend agreed to carry in
their boats, from London to Gravesend, a passenger with his truss or
fardel [burden] for twopence.
Then I conveyed me into Kent;
For of the law would I meddle no more;
Because no man to me took entent,
I _dyght_ [prepared] me to do as I did before.
Now Jesus, that in Bethlem was bore,
Save London, and send true lawyers their meed!
For whoso wants money, with them shall not speed.
The poor Kentish suitor, without two-pence in his pocket to pay the
Gravesend bargemen, whispers a mild anathema against London lawyers, then
takes his solitary way on foot homeward--a sadder and a wiser man.
* * * * *
With unpaved streets, and no noise of coaches to drown any particular
sound, we may readily imagine the din of the great London thoroughfares of
four centuries ago, produced by all the vociferous demand for custom. The
chief body of London retailers were then itinerant,--literally pedlars;
and those who had attained some higher station were simply stall-keepers.
The streets of trade must have borne a wonderful resemblance to a modern
fair. Competition was then a very rude thing, and the loudest voice did
something perhaps to carry the customer.
[Illustration: THE LONDON STONE.]
[Illustration]
In the old play entitled:--"A ryght excellent and famous Comedy called the
_Three Ladies of London_, wherein is Notable declared and set fourth, how
by the meanes of Lucar, Love and Conscience is so corrupted, that the one
is married to Dissimulation, the other fraught with all abhomination. A
Perfect Patterne of All Estates to looke into, and a worke ryght worthie
to be marked. Written by R. W.; as it hath been publiquely played. At
London, Printed by Roger Warde, dwelling neere Holburne Conduit at the
sign of the Talbot, 1584," is the following poetical description of some
London cries:--
[Illustration]
_Enter_ CONSCIENCE, with brooms, singing as followeth:--
_New broomes, green broomes, will you buy any?
Come maydens, come quickly, let me take a penny.
My brooms are not steeped,
But very well bound:
My broomes be not crooked,
But smooth cut and round.
I wish it would please you,
To buy of my broome:
Then would it well ease me,
If market were done.
Have you any olde bootes,
Or any old shoone:
Powch-ringes, or buskins,
To cope for new broome?
If so you have, maydens,
I pray you bring hither;
That you and I, friendly,
May bargin together.
New broomes, green broomes, will you buy any?
Come maydens, come quickly, let me take a penny._
CONSCIENCE _speaketh_.
Thus am I driven to make a virtue of necessity;
And seeing God Almighty will have it so, I embrace it thankfully,
Desiring God to mollify and lesson Usury's hard heart,
That the poor people feel not the like penury and smart.
But Usury is made tolerable amongst Christians as a necessary thing,
So that, going beyond the limits of our law, they extort, and to many
misery bring.
But if we should follow God's law we should not receive above what we
lend;
For if we lend for reward, how can we say we are our neighbour's friend?
O, how blessed shall that man be, that lends without abuse,
But thrice accursed shall he be, that greatly covets use;
For he that covets over-much, insatiate is his mind:
So that to perjury and cruelty he wholly is inclined:
Wherewith they sore oppress the poor by divers sundry ways,
Which makes them cry unto the Lord to shorten cut-throats' days.
Paul calleth them thieves that doth not give the needy of their store,
And thrice accurs'd are they that take one penny from the poor.
But while I stand reasoning thus, I forget my market clean;
And sith God hath ordained this way, I am to use the mean.
Sings again.
_Have ye any old shoes, or have ye any boots? have ye any buskins, or
will ye buy any broome?
Who bargins or chops with Conscience? What will no customer come?_
_Enter_ USURY.
USURY.
Who is that cries brooms? What, Conscience, selling brooms about the
street?
CONSCIENCE.
What, Usury, it is a great pity thou art unhanged yet.
USURY.
Believe me, Conscience, it grieves me thou art brought so low.
CONSCIENCE.
Believe me, Usury, it grieves me thou wast not hanged long ago,
For if thou hadst been hanged, before thou slewest Hospitality,
Thou hadst not made me and thousands more to feel like Poverty.
By another old comedy by the same author as the preceding one, which he
entitles:--"The pleasant and Stately Morall of the _Three Lords and Three
Ladies of London_. With the great Joye and Pompe, Solemnized at their
Marriages: Commically interlaced with much honest Mirth, for pleasure and
recreation, among many Morall observations, and other important matters of
due regard. By R. W., London. Printed by R. Ihones, at the Rose and
Crowne, neere Holburne Bridge, 1590," it appears that woodmen went about
with their beetles and wedges on their backs, crying "_Have you any wood
to cleave?_" It must be borne in mind that in consequence of the many
complaints against coal as a public nuisance, it was not in common use in
London until the reign of Charles I., 1625.
There is a character in the play named _Simplicity_, a poor Freeman of
London, who for a purpose turns ballad-monger, and in answer to the
question of "What dainty fine ballad have you now to be sold?"
replies:--"I have '_Chipping-Norton_,' '_A mile from Chapel o' th'
Heath_'--'_A lamentable ballad of burning of the Pope's dog_;' '_The sweet
ballad of the Lincolnshire bagpipes_;' and '_Peggy and Willy: But now he
is dead and gone; Mine own sweet Willy is laid in his grave_.'"
[Illustration: SHAKESPEARE'S LONDON.
"City of ancient memories! Thy spires
Rise o'er the dust of worthy sons; thy walls,
Within their narrow compass, hold as much
Of Freedom as the whole wide world beside."]
The London of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson and Co.,--_Limited_ as it was within
its great wall, occupied very much the same space as that now covered by
the City proper; its streets were narrow and winding, yet there were still
left many open spaces; it was covered with people; its river was full of
shipping; it was rich, prosperous, and possessed of a considerable amount
of liberty. The great wall of London, broad and strong, with towers at
intervals, was more than two miles long, from end to end, beginning at the
Tower of London on the east, and ending at the Fleet River and the Thames
on the west.
[Illustration: ALDERSGATE.]
As regards the gates, there were anciently only four--namely, Aldersgate,
Aldgate, Ludgate, and Bridgegate--that is to say, one for each of the
cardinal points. Then other gates and posterns were added for the
convenience of the citizens: Bishopsgate, for those who had business in
the direction of Norfolk, Suffolk, or Cambridgeshire; Moorgate, for those
who would practice archery, or take their recreation in Moor Fields;
Cripplegate, more ancient than the two preceding, had a prison for debtors
attached to it; and there was also a postern for the Convent of Grey
Friars, now Christ's Hospital. At Newgate was a small, incommodious, and
fever-haunted prison for criminals; and at Ludgate was another prison,
appropriated to debtors, trespassers, and those who committed contempt of
Court. Along the river-side were several water-gates, the chief of which
were Blackfriars, Greenhithe, Dowgate and Billingsgate.
Within the narrow space of the City Walls there rose a forest of towers
and spires. The piety of Merchants had erected no fewer than a hundred and
three churches, which successive citizens were continually rebuilding,
beautifying, or enlarging. They were filled with the effigies and splendid
tombs, the painted and gilded arms, of their founders and benefactors, for
whose souls masses were continually said.
[Illustration: CHEAPSIDE CROSS.]
"London was divided into Wards, and was perhaps as catholic in its
commercial and industrial pursuits then as now. Every kind of trade was
carried on within its walls, just as every kind of merchandise was sold.
The combination of fellows of the same craft began in very early times,
guilds were formed for the protection of trade and its followers; the
guild-brothers met once a month to consider the interests of the craft,
regulating prices, recovering debts and so forth. But the London of the
period was not so gay as Paris, nor so bustling and prosperous as Antwerp,
nor so full of splendour and intellectual life as Venice.[1] Yet to the
Englishman of the day it was an ever-lasting wonder. Its towers and
palaces, its episcopal residences and gentlemen's inns, the bustle of its
commerce, the number of its foreigners, the wealth of its Companies, and
the bravery of its pageants, invested it with more poetry than can be
claimed for it at the present time, unless Wealth be our deity, Hurry our
companion, and Progress our muse. The rich were leaving their pleasant
country mansions to plunge into its delights. At the law terms there was a
regular influx of visitors, who seemed to think more of taking tobacco
than of winning a lawsuit. Ambitious courtiers, hopeful ecclesiastics,
pushing merchants, and poetic dreamers, were all caught by the
fascinations of London. Site, antiquity, life, and, above all, abundance
of the good things that make up half its charm, in the shape of early
delicacies, costly meats, and choice wines, combined to make it a
miraculous city in the eyes of the Elizabethan."
"The external appearance of the City was certainly picturesque. Old grey
walls threw round it the arm of military protection. Their gates were
conspicuous objects, and the white uniforms of the train-bands on guard,
with their red crosses on the back, fully represented the valour which
wraps itself in the British flag and dies in its defence. To the north
were the various fields whose names survive, diversified by an occasional
house, and Dutch-looking windmills, creaking in the breeze. Finsbury was a
fenny tract, where the City archers practised; Spitalfields, an open,
grassy place, with grounds for artillery exercise and a market cross; and
Smithfield, or Smoothfield, was an unenclosed plain, where tournaments
were held, horses were sold, and martyrs had been burnt. To the east was
the Tower of London, black with age, armed with cannon and culverin, and
representing the munificence which entertained royalty as well as the
power which punished traitors. Beyond it was Wapping, the Port of London,
with its narrow streets, its rope-walks and biscuit shops. Black fronted
taverns, with low doorways and leaden framed windows, their rooms reeking
with smoke and noisy with the chatter of ear-ringed sailors, were to be
found in nearly every street. Here the merchant adventurer came to hire
his seamen, and here the pamphleteer or the ballad-maker could any night
gather materials for many a long-winded yarn about Drake and the Spanish
main, negroes, pearls, and palm-groves.
[Illustration: OLD STAGE WAGGON.]