for the ancients. Lank hair was considered indicative of pusillanimity
and cowardice; yet the head of Napoleon was guiltless of a curl!
Frizzly hair was thought an indication of coarseness and clumsiness.
The hair most in esteem, was that terminating in ringlets. Dares, the
historian, states that Achilles and Ajax Telamon had curling locks;
such also was the hair of Timon, the Athenian. As to the Emperor
Augustus, nature had favoured him with such redundant locks, that no
hair-dresser in Rome could produce the like. Auburn or light brown
hair was thought the most distinguished, as portending intelligence,
industry, a peaceful disposition, as well as great susceptibility to
the tender passion. Castor and Pollux had brown hair; so also had
Menelaus. Black hair does not appear to have been esteemed by the
Romans; but red was an object of aversion. Ages before the time of
Judas, red hair was thought a mark of reprobation, both in the case
of Typhon, who deprived his brother of the sceptre of Egypt, and
Nebuchadnezzar who acquired it in expiation of his atrocities. Even the
donkey tribe suffered from this ill-omened visitation, according to the
proverb of "wicked as a red ass." Asses of that colour were held in
such detestation among the Copths, that every year they sacrificed one
by hurling it from a high wall.
THE FIRST COFFEE HOUSE IN LONDON.
Coffee is a native of Arabia, supposed by some to have been the chief
ingredient of the old Lacedemonian broth. The use of this berry was not
known in England till the year 1657, at which time Mr. D. Edwards, a
Turkey merchant, on his return from Smyrna to London, brought with him
one Pasquet Rossee, a Greek of Ragusa, who was used to prepare this
liquor for his master every morning, who, by the way, never wanted
company. The merchant, therefore, in order to get rid of a crowd of
visitants, ordered his Greek to open a coffee-house, which he did in
St. Michael's Alley, in Cornhill. This was the first coffee-house
opened in London.
EATING FOR A WAGER.
The handbill, of which the subjoined is a literal copy, was circulated
by the keeper of the public-house at which the gluttony was to happen,
as an attraction for all the neighbourhood to witness:--
"_Bromley in Kent_, July 14, 1726.--A strange eating worthy is to
perform a Tryal of Skill on St. James's Day, which is the day of our
_Fair_ for a wager of Five Guineas,--viz.: he is to eat four pounds of
bacon, a bushel of French beans, with two pounds of butter, a quartern
loaf, and to drink a gallon of strong beer!"
FOX KILLED BY A SWAN.
At Peusey, a swan sitting on her eggs, on one side of the river,
observed a fox swimming towards her from the opposite side; rightly
judging she could best grapple with the fox in her own element, she
plunged into the water, and after beating him off for some time with
her wings, at length succeeded in drowning him.
HIGHWAYMEN IN 1782.
On Wednesday, the 9th January, 1782, about four o'clock in the
afternoon, as Anthony Todd, Esq., Secretary to the Post-office, was
going in his carriage to his house at Walthamstow to dinner, and
another gentleman with him, he was stopt within a small distance of his
house by two highwaymen, one of whom held a pistol to the coachman's
breast, whilst the other, with a handkerchief over his face, robbed
Mr. Todd and the gentleman of their gold watches and what money they
had about them. As soon as Mr. Todd got home all his men-servants were
mounted on horses, and pursued the highwaymen; they got intelligence
of their passing Lee-bridge, and rode on to Shoreditch; but could not
learn anything farther of them.
The same evening a gentleman going along Aldermanbury, near the church,
was accosted by a man with an enquiry as to the time; on which the
gentleman pulled out his gold watch. The man immediately said, "I
must have that watch and your money, sir, so don't make a noise." The
gentleman seeing nobody near, he delivered his gold watch and four
guineas, with some silver. The thief said he was in distress, and
hoped the gentleman would not take away his life if ever he had the
opportunity.
Sunday, the 13th January, 1782, about twelve o'clock, a man was, by
force, dragged up the yard of the French-Horn Inn, High Holborn, by
some person or persons unknown, and robbed of his watch, four guineas,
and some silver; when they broke his arm and otherwise cruelly treated
him. He was found by a coachman, who took him to the hospital.
AN ARCHBISHOP WASHING THE FEET OF THE POOR.
In the _Gentleman's Magazine_, we find the following
observance:--_Thursday, April 15, 1731_.--Being Maunday-Thursday, there
was distributed at the Banquetting-house, Whitehall, to forty-eight
poor men, and forty-eight poor women (the King's age 48) boiled beef
and shoulders of mutton, and small bowls of ale, which is called
dinner; after that, large wooden platters of fish and loaves, viz.,
undress'd, one large old ling, and one large dry'd cod; twelve red
herrings, and nineteen white herrings, and four half quartern loaves;
each person had one platter of this provision: after which was
distributed to them shoes, stockings, linnen and woolen cloath, and
leathern bags, with one penny, two penny, three penny, and four penny
pieces of silver, and shillings: to each about L4 in value. His Grace
the Lord Archbishop of York, Lord High Almoner, performed the annual
ceremony of washing the feet of a certain number of poor in the Royal
Chapel, Whitehall, which was formerly done by the Kings themselves, in
imitation of our Saviour's pattern of humility, &c. James II. was the
last King who performed this in person. His doing so was thus recorded
in the _Chapel Royal Register_.--"On Maunday Thursday April 16 1685 our
gracious King James y{e} 2{d} wash'd wip'd and kiss'd the feet of 52 poor
men w{th} wonderful humility. And all the service of the Church of
England usuall on that occasion was performed, his Maty being psent all
the time."
A LUCKY FIND.
_Sunday, April 1._--A few days ago, Sir Simon Stuart, of Hartley, in
Hampshire, looking over some old writings, found on the back of one
of them a memorandum noting that 1,500 broad pieces were buried in a
certain spot in an adjoyning field. Whereupon he took a servant, and
after digging a little in the place, found the treasure in a pot, hid
there in the time of the late civil wars, by his grandfather, Sir
Nicholas Stuart.--_Gentleman's Magazine_, 1733.
HOOPS IN 1740.
[Illustration: [++] Ladies Hoops in 1740.]
The monstrous appearance of the ladies' hoops, when viewed behind, may
be seen from the following cut, copied from one of Rigaud's views.
The exceedingly small cap, at this time fashionable, and the close
up-turned hair beneath it, give an extraordinary meanness to the head,
particularly when the liberality of gown and petticoat is taken into
consideration: the lady to the left wears a black hood with an ample
fringed cape, which envelopes her shoulders, and reposes on the summit
of the hoop. The gentleman wears a small wig and bag; the skirts of his
coat are turned back, and were sometimes of a colour different from the
rest of the stuff of which it was made, as were the cuffs and lappels.
SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR.
Gibraltar had been taken by a combined English and Dutch fleet in 1704,
and was confirmed as a British possession, in 1713, by the peace of
Utrecht; but in 1779 it was assailed by the united forces of France
and Spain, and the siege continued till the 2nd of February, 1783. The
chief attack was made on the 13th September, 1782. On the part of the
besiegers, besides stupendous batteries on the land side, mounting two
hundred pieces of ordnance, there was an army of 40,000 men, under the
command of the Duc de Crillon. In the bay lay the combined fleets of
France and Spain, comprising forty-seven sail of the line, beside ten
battering ships of powerful construction, that cost upwards of L50,000
each. From these the heaviest shells rebounded, but ultimately two of
them were set on fire by red-hot shot, and the others were destroyed to
prevent them from falling into the hands of the British commander. The
rest of the fleet also suffered considerably; but the defenders escaped
with very little loss. In this engagement 8,300 rounds were fired by
the garrison, more than half of which consisted of red-hot balls.
During this memorable siege, which lasted upwards of three years, the
entire expenditure of the garrison exceeded 200,000 rounds,--8,000
barrels of powder being used. The expenditure of the enemy, enormous
as this quantity is, must have been much greater; for they frequently
fired, from their land-batteries, 4,000 rounds in the short space of
twenty-four hours. Terrific indeed must have been the spectacle as the
immense fortress poured forth its tremendous volleys, and the squadron
and land-batteries replied with a powerful cannonade. But all this
waste of human life and of property was useless on the part of the
assailants; for the place was successfully held, and Gibraltar still
remains one of the principal strongholds of British power in Europe.
[Illustration: Saint George's Hall, Gibraltar.]
During the progress of the siege, the fortifications were considerably
strengthened, and numerous galleries were excavated in the solid rock,
having port-holes at which heavy guns were mounted, which, keeping up
an incessant fire, proved very efficacious in destroying the enemy's
encampments on the land side. Communicating with the upper tier of
these galleries are two grand excavations, known as Lord Cornwallis's
and St. George's Halls. The latter, which is capable of holding several
hundred men, has numerous pieces of ordnance pointed in various
directions, ready to deal destruction on an approaching enemy.
KEEPING WHITSUNTIDE AT DURHAM CATHEDRAL.
The following curious account of the consumption of provisions in the
cathedral of Durham, during Whitsun week, in 1347, together with the
prices of the articles, is taken from the rolls of the cellarer, at
present in the treasury at Durham:--six hundred salt herrings, 3s.;
four hundred white herrings, 2s. 6d.; thirty salted salmon, 7s. 6d.;
twelve fresh salmon, 5s. 6d.; fourteen ling, fifty-five "kelengs;"
four turbot, 23s. 1d.; two horse loads of white fish, and a "congr,"
5s. 10d.; "playc," "sparlings," and eels, and fresh water fish, 2s.
9d.; nine carcases of oxen, salted, so bought, 36s.; one carcase and
a quarter, fresh, 6s. 11-3/4d.; a quarter of an oxe, fresh, bought in
the town, 3s. 6d.; seven carcases and a half of swine, in salt, 22s.
2-1/4d.; six carcases, fresh, 12s. 9d.; fourteen calves, 28s. 4d.;
three kids, and twenty-six sucking porkers, 9s. 7-1/2d.; seventy-one
geese with their feed, 11s. 10d.; fourteen capons, fifty-nine chickens,
and five dozen pidgeons, 10s. 3d.; five stones of hog's lard, 4s. 2d.;
four stones of cheese, butter, and milk, 6s. 6d.; a pottle of vinegar,
and a pottle of honey, 6-1/2d.; fourteen pounds of figs and raisins,
sixteen pounds of almonds, and eight pounds of rice, 3s. 7d.; pepper,
saffron, cinnamon, and other spices, 2s. 6d.; one thousand three
hundred eggs, 15s. 5d.--sum total, L11 4s. Similar consumptions took
place during the week of the feast of St. Cuthbert, and other feasts,
among the monks of Durham, for a long period of years.
CURIOUS LAW.
The following curious law was enacted during the reign of Richard I.
for the government of those going by sea to the Holy Land:--"He who
kills a man on shipboard, shall be bound to the dead body and thrown
into the sea; if the man is killed on shore, the slayer shall be bound
to the dead body and buried with it. He who shall draw his knife to
strike another, or who shall have drawn blood from him, to lose his
hand; if he shall have only struck with the palm of his hand without
drawing blood, he shall be thrice ducked in the sea."
DECAPITATION BY THE GUILLOTINE.
A gentleman of intelligence and literary attainments, makes, in an
account of his travels on the continent, the following most singular
remarks on an execution he witnessed, in which the culprit was beheaded
by the guillotine:--"It appears," says he, "to be the best of all
possible modes of inflicting the punishment of death; combining the
greatest impression on the spectator, with the least possible suffering
to the victim. It is so rapid, that I should doubt whether there were
any suffering; but from the expression of the countenance, when the
executioner held up the head, I am inclined to believe that sense and
consciousness may remain for a few seconds after the head is off. The
eyes seemed to retain speculation for a moment or two, and there was a
look in the ghastly stare with which they stared upon the crowd, which
implied that the head was aware of its ignominious situation."
ALDERMAN BOYDELL.
It was the regular custom of Mr. Alderman Boydell, who was a very early
riser, at five o'clock, to go immediately to the pump in Ironmonger
Lane. There, after placing his wig upon the ball at the top of it, he
used to sluice his head with its water. This well-known and highly
respected character, who has done more for the British artist than all
the print-publishers put together, was also one of the last men who
wore a three-cornered hat.
FEATS OF STRENGTH IN 1739.
April 21.--The following notice was given to the public:--"For the
benefit of Thomas Topham, the strong man, from Islington, whose
performances have been looked upon by the Royal Society and several
persons of distinction, to be the most surprising as well as curious
of any thing ever performed in England; on which account, as other
entertainments are more frequently met with than that he proposes, he
humbly hopes gentlemen and ladies, &c., will honour him with their
presence at the Nag's Head, in Gateshead, on Monday the 23d of this
instant, at four o'clock, where he intends to perform several feats of
strength, viz.:--He bends an iron poker three inches in circumference,
over his arm, and one of two inches and a quarter round his neck; he
breaks a rope that will bear two thousand weight, and with his fingers
rolls up a pewter dish of seven pounds hard metal; he lays the back
part of his head on one chair, and his heels on another, and suffering
four men to stand on his body, he moves them up and down at pleasure;
he lifts a table six feet in length, by his teeth, with a half hundred
weight hanging at the further end of it; and, lastly, to oblige the
publick, he will lift a butt full of water." "Each person to pay one
shilling." This "strong man" fell a victim to jealousy, as is proved by
the following:--"August 10th, 1749, died, Mr. Thomas Topham, known by
the name of the strong man, master of a publick house in Shoreditch,
London. In a fit of jealousy, he stabbed his wife, then cut his own
throat and stabbed himself, after which he lived two days."
ELEPHANTS FRIGHTENED AT PIGS.
"Then on a tyme there were many grete clerkes and rad of kyng
Alysaunder how on a tyme as he sholde have a batayle with ye kynge
of Inde. And this kynge of Inde broughte with hym many olyphauntes
berynge castelles of tree on theyr backes as the kynde of the is to
haue armed knyghtes in ye castell for the batayle, them ne knewe
Alysaunder the kynge, of the olyphauntes that they drad no thynge more
than the jarrynge of swyne, wherefore he made to gader to gyder all
ye swyne that myghte be goten, and caused them to be dryuen as ny the
olyphauntes as they myghte well here the jarrynge of the swyne, and
thenne they made a pygge to crye, and whan the swyne herde the pygges a
none they made a great jarrynge, and as soone as the olyphauntes herde
that, they began to fle eche one, and keste downe the castelles and
slewe the knyghtes that were in them, and by this meane Alysaunder had
ye vyctory."--_Liber Festivalis, printed by W. Caxton in_ 1483.
A VISIT TO THE OBSERVATORY OF SIR ISAAC NEWTON.
The memory of a great and good man is imperishable. A thousand years
may pass away, but the fame that has survived the wreck of time remains
unsullied, and is even brighter with age.
"The actions of the just
Smell sweet, and blossom in the dust."
In an age of progress like our own we have frequently to regret the
destruction (sometimes necessary) of places associated with the genius
of the past; but in the case of Sir Isaac Newton we have several
relics existing, none of which, perhaps, are more interesting than
the house in which he resided, still standing in St. Martin's Street,
on the south side of Leicester Square. The engravings of the interior
and exterior of this building have been made from drawings made on
the spot. The house was long occupied as an hotel for foreigners, and
was kept by a M. Pagliano. In 1814 it was devoted to the purposes of
education. The Observatory, which is at the top, and where Sir Isaac
Newton made his astronomical researches, was left in a dilapidated
condition until 1824, when two gentlemen, belonging to a committee of
the school, had it repaired at their own expense, and wrote a brief
memoir of the philosopher, which was placed in the Observatory, with a
portrait of him.
[Illustration: Interior of Sir Isaac Newton's Observatory.]
[Illustration: House of Sir Isaac Newton, St. Martin's Street,
Leicester Square.]
In this house Sir Isaac Newton resided for many years; and it was
here, according to his biographer, that he dispensed, under the
superintendence of his beautiful niece, an elegant hospitality. Our
sketch gives a good idea of the appearance of the exterior of the
house at the present day; the front, it will be seen, has been well
plastered, which, although clean and pleasant-looking to some eyes,
seems to us to destroy the character of the building. The old doorway,
with a projecting top, has also been removed. The interior of the
house is in excellent repair, and has undergone very little change.
The cornices, panelling, and the spacious staircase, are not altered
since the days of Newton. The rooms are very large. Tradition states
it was in the back drawing-room that the manuscript of his work, the
"New Theory of Light and Colours," was destroyed by fire, caused by a
favourite little dog in Sir Isaac's absence. The name of this canine
incendiary was Diamond. The manner in which the accident occurred is
thus related:--The animal was wantoning about the philosopher's study,
when it knocked down a candle, and set fire to a heap of manuscript
calculations upon which he had been employed for years. The loss was
irretrievable; but Sir Isaac only exclaimed with simplicity, "Ah,
Diamond, Diamond, you little know what mischief you have been doing!"
Passing upstairs, and looking slightly at the various rooms, which
are all well panelled, but which do not require particular notice, we
reached the little observatory shown in the engraving. There, in the
room in which Sir Isaac has quietly studied, and in which he may have
held conferences with the most distinguished of his contemporaries,
we found two shoemakers busily at work, with whom we had some
pleasant conversation. Our artist has represented the interior of
the observatory, with its laborious occupants, worthy sons of St.
Crispin. Shoemakers are well known to be a thoughtful class of men,
although sometimes they unfortunately do not make the best use of their
knowledge. Brand, the historian and author of the excellent book on
"Popular Antiquities," was at one time a shoemaker; so was Bloomfield,
the poet, who, when working at the "last" in Bell Alley, near the Bank,
strung together the charming recollection of his plough-boy life. We
could give a long list of shoemakers who have been eminent for talents.
We have not the exact date at which Newton came to reside here, but
certainly he was living in this house, at intervals, after 1695, when
he was appointed Warder of the Mint, of which establishment he rose to
be Master in the course of three years. The emoluments of this office
amounted to L1200 a-year, which enabled him to live in ease and dignity.
In 1703 he was chosen President of the Royal Society--an honourable
post, to which he was annually elected until the time of his death.
POISONING THE MONARCH.
An idea of the popular notions about poisoning in the middle of the
seventeenth century, may be formed from the following extract from an
old tract, published in 1652, with the title of "Papa Patris, or the
Pope in his Colours":--"Anno Dom: 1596; one Edward Squire, sometimes a
scrivener at Grenewich, afterwards a deputy purveyor for the Queene's
stable, in Sir Francis Drake's last voyage was taken prisoner and
carried into Spaine, and being set at liberty, one Walpole, a Jesuite,
grew acquainted with him, and got him into the Inquisition, whence
he returned a resolved Papist, he persuaded Squire to undertake to
poyson the pummell of the Queene (Elizabeth's) saddle, and, to make
him constant, made Squire receive the Sacrament upon it; he then gave
him the poyson, showing that he should take it in a double bladder,
and should prick the bladder full of hoales in the upper part, when he
should use it (carrying it within a thick glove for the safety of his
hand) should after turne it downward, pressing the bladder upon the
pummell of the Queene's saddle. This Squire confest. Squire is now in
Spaine, and for his safer dispatch into England it was devised that
two Spanish prisoners taken at Cales should be exchanged for Squire
and one Rawles, that it might not be thought that Squire came over but
as a redeemed captive. The Munday sennight after Squire returned into
England, he, understanding the horses were preparing for the Queene's
riding abroad, laid his hand, and crushed the poyson upon the pummell
of the Queene's saddle, saying, 'God save the Queene,' the Queene
rode abroad, and as it should seem laid not her hand upon the place,
or els received no hurt (through God's goodnesse) by touching it.
Walpole, counting the thing as done, imparted it to some principall
fugitives there, but being disappointed of his hope, supposing Squire
to have been false, to be revenged on him sent one hither (who should
pretend to have stolne from thence) with letters, wherein the plot of
Squires was contained; this letter was pretended to be stolne out of
one of their studies. Squire, being apprehended, confessed all without
any rigor, but after denied that he put it in execution, although he
acknowledged he consented to it in the plot, at length he confessed the
putting it in execution also."
GRINNING FOR A WAGER.
_June 9, 1786._--On Whit-Tuesday was celebrated at Hendon, in
Middlesex, a burlesque imitation of the Olympic Games. One prize was a
gold-laced hat, to be grinned for by six candidates, who were placed on
a platform, with horses' collars to exhibit through. Over their heads
was printed in capitals,--
Detur Tetriori; or
The ugliest grinner
Shall be the winner.
Each party grinned five minutes _solus_, and then all united in a
grand _chorus_ of distortion. This prize was carried by a porter to a
_vinegar_ merchant, though he was accused by his competitors of foul
play, for rinsing his mouth with _verjuice_. The whole was concluded
by a hog, with has tail shaved and soaped, being let loose among nine
peasants; any one of which that could seize him by the _queue_, and
throw him across his shoulders, was to have him for a reward. This
occasioned much sport: the animal, after running some miles, so tired
his hunters that they gave up the chase in despair. A prodigious
concourse of people attended, among whom were the Tripoline Ambassador,
and several other persons of distinction.
BITE OF THE TARANTULA SPIDER.