Thus, the opinion of the best authority is that Henry Mayhew and
Ebenezer Landells were the real founders of _Punch_.
Early in 1841, after several discussions between the members of the
first staff of _Punch_, the original prospectus was drawn up by Mark
Lemon. The first page of this three-page foolscap document is shown in
reduced facsimile in illustration No. 1 of this article. An excellent
facsimile, on the original blue foolscap paper, is bound up in a little
anonymous pamphlet published in the year 1870, "Mr. Punch: His Origin
and Career": but Mr. Bradbury told me that many of the statements
about _Punch_ in this pamphlet are erroneous, although the document
is an exact copy of the original in Mr. Bradbury's possession, which
happens just now to be packed away in a warehouse, and so cannot be
photographed.
[Illustration: THE LEGEND OF JAWBRAHIM-HERAUDEE.
There once lived a king in Armenia, whose name was Poof-Allee-Shaw;
he was called by his people, and the rest of the world who
happened to hear of him, Zubberdust, or, the Poet, founding
his greatest glory, like Bulwer-Khan, Moncktoon-Milnes-Sahib,
Rogers-Sam-Bahawder, and other lords of the English Court, not so
much on his possessions, his ancient race, or his personal beauty
(all which, 'tis known, these Frank emirs possess), as upon his
talent for poetry, which was in truth amazing.
He was not, like other sovereigns, proud of his prowess in arms,
fond of invading hostile countries, or, at any rate, of reviewing
his troops when no hostile country was at hand, but loved Letters
all his life long. It was said, that, at fourteen, he had copied
the Shah-Nameh ninety-nine times, and, at the early age of
twelve, could repeat the Koran backwards. Thus he gained the most
prodigious power of memory; and it is related of him, that a Frank
merchant once coming to his Court, with a poem by Bulwer-Khan
called the Siamee-Geminee (or, Twins of Siam), His Majesty,
Poof-Allee, without understanding a word of the language in which
that incomparable epic was written, nevertheless learned it off,
and by the mere force of memory, could repeat every single word of
it.
Now, all great men have their weakness; and King Poof-Allee, I am
sorry to say, had his. He wished to pass for a poet, and not having
a spark of originality in his composition, nor able to string two
verses together, would, with the utmost gravity, repeat you a
sonnet of Hafiz or Saadee, which the simpering courtiers applauded
as if it were his own.
5.--THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE FIRST LITERARY CONTRIBUTION BY THACKERAY,
WHO ALSO DREW THIS INITIAL SKETCH, 1842.]
It is interesting to see in No. 1 that the name _Punch_ was substituted
for the struck-out title, "The Fun ----." It has been suggested that
the title thus cut short in favour of the single word _Punch_ was to
have been "The Funny Dogs with Comic Tales," and the prospectus ends
with the words, "Funny dogs with comic tales." The price was written
"Twopence," although the price of _Punch_ has always been Threepence.
[Illustration: THE LETTER OF INTRODUCTION.