As Will Brinsmead and John Deane with their charge approached Cambridge,
they found the roads, always far from good, becoming worse and worse, in
consequence of the vast amount of traffic which had passed over them;
while crowds of other small dealers and purchasers from all parts of the
country would account for the vast concourse of people who were to be
seen both in the town of Cambridge, along the banks of the river, and
thickly scattered over the meadows. From all directions were seen
moving on carts, waggons, caravans, and vehicles of all sorts, from
London and elsewhere, as well as innumerable trains of pack-horses laden
with Yorkshire goods from Leeds, Halifax, and other towns in an
apparently endless succession, bound for the Duddery, the great mart for
wholesale dealers in woollen manufactures, which was to occupy a
considerable portion of the meadow in which the fair was held. In the
vehicles from London were conveyed milliners, toy-sellers, goldsmiths,
turners, haberdashers, mercers, drapers, hatters, and in fact
representatives of all the trades of the metropolis.
At a short distance from Cambridge the drove came fairly to a stop,
when, as it chanced, Brinsmead and Jack found close to them, mounted on
a tall pack-horse, a personage who by the peculiar cut of his somewhat
threadbare garments they took to be a humble student of divinity. He
wore a shabby cassock and a shovel hat, sitting the animal on which he
journeyed sideways with a book in his hand, making a reading-desk
occasionally of a bale of some sort which towered above the horse's
neck. Old Will at once entered into conversation with him, and confided
afterwards to Jack that he had been highly edified by his correct and
judicious remarks. Jack had, however, remarked a peculiar twinkle in
the student's eye when talking to the old man, which made him suspect
his sincerity. He appeared, however, to be very well informed on many
subjects, and still further won Master Brinsmead's heart by showing that
he possessed some knowledge of the art of breeding cattle, and of
healing their diseases, but little understood in those days. They were,
however, again separated, and no more was seen of the divinity student.
At length the towers and spires of Cambridge, rising from the groves and
gardens of the classic Cam, came in sight.
When Jack Deane rode up to the far-famed meadow, he might well be
astonished at the scene he beheld. The sun shone brilliantly on a vast
expanse of canvas, with bright-coloured streamers flying over it, and
appropriate sign-boards, gilt weathercocks, and other painted ornaments,
forming regular streets, and reaching from the high-road which runs
between Cambridge and Newmarket to the river.
The "Duddery" was separated from the rest of the fair, and contained
larger and more substantial buildings for the display of its valuable
bales and its vast pockets of wool, one of which was sufficient to load
a waggon. Here, too, great quantities of Yorkshire clothing were
exhibited for sale, as well as the produce of the hosiery towns, such as
Nottingham, Leicester, and Derby. The sale of wool, however, did not
begin till the lighter goods had been disposed of, so that Brinsmead and
Deane had ample time to execute the various commissions with which they
had been entrusted, and to wander about and to enjoy the wonders of the
fair, which Jack did to his heart's content.
One whole street was devoted to hardware of all sorts, from excellent
Dutch delf to the coarse pottery furnished by Staffordshire, with
occasional luxuries in the form of Chelsea tea-services, or costly jars
of grotesque shapes from Pekin, sent by the London china-shops. All
sorts of toys and fancy articles were to be found. Painted mirrors,
which were then greatly in fashion, fans, long leathern gloves, jewelled
snuff-boxes, wooden balls, and whirligigs might be seen, to satisfy the
fancy of those who came rather for amusement than business. The great
characteristic of the fair, however, lay in the enormous quantity of
merchandise of the best quality that was accumulated there from all
parts of England. The price of hops was fixed in Kent and Herefordshire
by their value at Stourbridge Fair, and the horse-market and the
cattle-market were the largest of the year any where. Nearly a thousand
horse-packs of Yorkshire cloths, such as kerseys, fustians, and
pennistons, together with Manchester goods, took up one side and a half
of the Duddery, and it was not uncommon to hear that 100,000 pounds
worth of woollen manufactures had been sold there in less than one
week's time.
Among the tents and sheds were eating-houses and innumerable places of
refreshment, and coarse entertainment to suit the lowest tastes, with
the customary sights and shows popular at such gatherings. Dwarfs and
giants, jugglers and ballet-dancers and rope-dancers with their painted
booths were more common than wonders from foreign lands. Mountebanks
attracted also great attention, and so also did some curious clocks from
Neuremberg, and Dutch figures made to move by concealed machinery.
Play-actors and mummers also were to be found, some of their troupe in
front of their large booths drumming and piping and shouting, and
inviting the passers-by to enter and behold the wonders they had to
exhibit. There were tumblers also, and fat pigs, and learned pigs, and
dancing bears, indeed sufficient exhibitions of all sorts to captivate
and amuse every description of taste.
Brinsmead, as he walked through the fair, kept Jack close to him. The
play-actors especially excited his indignation.
"Don't look that way, lad," he observed; "they are seducing follies,
just invented by Satan to lead the young astray, and no good ever came
to those who have frequented such places. I would I were the chief
magistrate, to put them all down; but the Evil One must have his way,
I'm afraid, though it will be a happy day when he is driven out of the
world."
The magistrates' booth held an important position in the array of lath
and canvas, which had been erected as soon as the harvest had been got
off the ground. Here a regular court of justice was held as long as the
fair lasted. The magistrates wore their gowns and gold chains of
office, and arrived every day in some considerable state by water from
Cambridge, when they were generally followed by a crowd of gaily-painted
barges and passenger-wherries, which had, as has been said, been brought
from London. All disputes arising out of the traffic of the fair were
settled at the magistrates' booth, which was also duly attended by
constables and several officials, to preserve order and bring up
culprits.
The liveliness and brilliancy of the scene were greatly increased by the
dresses of the many-coloured crowd: the gay cloth jackets and gold and
silver lace, the bright ribbons in the head-dresses of the women, and
the feathers in those of the men. These were the days when stockings of
the brightest hue were worn by the women, with silver and variously
coloured clocks, and high-heeled shoes; while the habits of the men were
varied and many-coloured. No one seemed at rest. Men, women, and
children were moving about in all directions; now stopping before the
mercers' shops, or the sempsters from Cheapside, or looking into those
of the goldsmiths: while the vintners were never without a crowd inside
or out of their booths. Here was a quack doctor selling his infallible
specifics from his cart, promising an unfailing cure for all manner of
diseases. There was a mountebank conjurer seated on a table, performing
all sorts of wonders before a gaping crowd. Here stood a seeming orator
on a barrel, vociferating at the top of his voice, generally, however,
inviting purchasers for some article of which his partner, who sat below
him, had to dispose. The venerable town itself was of course
overflowing with visitors of every degree, and one-half the guests at
the inns were accommodated in the stables or lofts, where travellers of
higher degree than Brinsmead and Deane were thankful to sleep on straw.
Their first business was very soon accomplished, as the butchers, to
whom Mr Strelley's beasts were well-known, looked forward to supply
themselves regularly from those which were brought to them by his
drovers. The sums obtained for the cattle were to be spent in wool and
hops; and besides this more important business, Brinsmead and Deane,
with their men, had a great variety of private purchases to make for
their families and friends.