WITH EXTRACTS FROM
MR. PIPS HIS DIARY
BY PERCIVAL LEIGH
T.N.FOULIS
London & Edinburgh
1911
_The publisher has to acknowledge his indebtedness
to Messrs. Bradbury, Agnew, & Co. Ltd., the
publishers of the original edition of this work,
for permission kindly granted to include in this
new edition several copyright pictures with their
accompanying text._
_November 1911_
_Printed by_ MORRISON & GIBB LIMITED, _Edinburgh_
_CONTENTS OF YE VOLUME._
_Ye Contributor hys Preface_ _Page_ vii
_A Cydere Cellare duryng a Comyck Songe_ 1
_An "At Home." Ye Polka_ 3
_Ye Fashonable Worlde in Hyde Parke_ 5
_A Drawynge Room Day_ 7
_Smythfield Cattle Markete_ 9
_A Few Friends to Tea, and a Lyttle Musyck_ 11
_Ye National Sporte!!! of Steeple Chasynge_ 13
_Ye Commons ressolved into a Commytte_ 15
_Ye Public its Excytemente on ye Appearance of Miss Lind_ 17
_A Prospect of Exeter Hall_ 19
_Ye Exhybityon at ye Royal Academye_ 21
_A View of Epsom Downes on ye Derbye Daye_ 23
_A Prospect of Greenwich Fair_ 25
_Kensyngton Gardens with ye Bande Playinge there_ 27
_Ye Hyghest Court of Law in ye Kyngdom_ 29
_Ye Flower Showe at Chysyk Gardens_ 31
_"Socyetye" enjoyinge itselfe at a Soyree_ 33
_A View of Mr. Lorde hys Cryket Grounde_ 35
_A Raylwaye Meetynge_ 37
_A Prospect of ye Thames its Regatta_ 39
_A Raylway Statyon_ 41
_Ye Brytysh Granadiers amountynge Guard_ 43
_A Prospect of a Fashyonable Haberdasher hys Shope_ 45
_Regente Streete at Four of ye Clocke p.m._ 47
_Blackwall_ 49
_Ye Sporte of Punte Fyshynge off Rychmonde_ 51
_Trycks of ye London Trade_ 53
_Madame Tussaud her Wax Werkes_ 55
_Deere Stalkynge in ye Hyghlandes_ 57
_A Prospect of an Election_ 59
_A Partie of Sportsmen out a Shutynge_ 61
_Ye Wyne Vaults at ye Docks_ 63
_A Weddynge Breakfaste_ 65
_A Theatre. Ye House amused by ye Comycke Actor_ 67
_A Prospecte of ye Zoological Societye its Gardens_ 69
_Westminster Hall_ 71
_A Prospecte of ye 5th of November_ 73
_A Banquet of ye Agricultural Interest_ 75
_Ye Appearance of ye Crymynyal Courte_ 77
_A Promenade Concerte_ 79
_Ye Serpentyne during a Hard Frost_ 81
_A Fashionable Club. Four o'clock p.m._ 83
_The Circus at Astley's_ 85
_Ye Fathers of ye Churche gyving Judgmente_ 87
_A Juvenile Partye_ 89
_A Grande Review_ 91
_A Pic-nic_ 93
_Vauxhall_ 95
_A Scientific Institution_ 97
_YE CONTRIBUTOR HYS PREFACE_
Suppose the great-grandfather of anybody could step down from his
picture-frame and stalk abroad, his descendant would be eager to hear
his opinion of the world we live in. Most of us would like to know what
the men of the _Past_ would say of the _Present_. If some old
philosopher, for instance SOCRATES, exchanging robes for modern clothes,
lest he should be followed by the boys and taken up by the police, could
revisit this earth, walk our streets, see our sights, behold the scenes
of our political and social life, and, contemplating this bustling age
through the medium of his own quiet mind, set down his observations
respecting us and our usages, he would write a work, no doubt, very
interesting to her MAJESTY'S subjects.
It would answer the purpose of a skilful literary enchanter to "unsphere
the spirit of PLATO," or that of PYTHAGORAS, ARISTOTLE, or any other
distinguished sage of antiquity, and send it out on its rambles with a
commission to take, and report, its views of things in general. But such
necromancy would have tasked even the Warlock of the North, would puzzle
the wizard of any point of the compass, and, it is probable, could be
cleverly achieved by no adept inferior to the ingenious MR. SHAKSPEARE.
However, there flourished in a somewhat later day a philosopher, for
such he was after his fashion, a virtuoso, antiquary, and _F.R.S._,
whose ghost an inconsiderable person may perhaps attempt to raise
without being accused of pretending to be too much of a conjuror. He
appears to have been a _Peripatetic_, at least until he could keep a
coach, but on the subjects of dress, dining, and some others, his
opinions favour strongly of _Epicurism_. A little more than a hundred
and eighty years ago he employed his leisure in going about everywhere,
peeping into everything, seeing all that he could, and chronicling his
experiences daily. In his _Diary_, which happily has come down to our
times, the historical facts are highly valuable, the comments mostly
sensible, the style is very odd, and the autobiography extremely
ludicrous. I have adventured reverently to evoke this worshipful
gentleman, that, resuming his old vocation as a journalist, he might
comment on the "_Manners and Customs of ye Englyshe_," in the name of
MR. PIPS. I hope his shadow, if not his spirit, may be recognised in the
following pages.