Real Life In London Part 93

Sir Felix, in chastis.e.m.e.nt of their arrogance, would singly have encountered the whole group, had he not been restrained by Tom and Bob, who rather than engage in a street brawl with a host of pertinacious adversaries, chose to yield to circ.u.mstances, and purchase freedom at the expense of a trifling pecuniary consideration, with which the collectors departed well satisfied.

Our observers having thus obtained their liberty, renewed their walk, and reached the lodgings of the Baronet without farther interruption.

During their perambulation, the following article was put into the hands of the Squire, with which we shall conclude our Chapter of Incidents;--

THE KING AND THE LAUREAT.

A LOYAL BIRTH-DAY EFFUSION.

Hail! mighty Monarch of a mighty People!-- While tuneful peals resound from tower and steeple, And thundering cannons gratulations roar, Fright'ning old Father Thames from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e;-- For King or etiquette while n.o.bles caring, To Buckingham-house by hundreds are repairing, With gorgeous Dames, to whom this day a bliss is; Accompanied by smiling lovely misses Of eager appet.i.te, who long to gorge And batten on the favours of King George; While London's Mayor and Aldermen set out In Civic state, to grace the royal rout; While strut the Guards in black straps and white gaiters In honour of their Patron and Creators;{1}-- While General Birnie musters all his forces Of foot Police, and spavin'd Police horses, To guard St. James's Park from innovation, And cheque the daringness of depredation;-- While for those partizans who mind their manners The cabinet ministers prepare grand dinners, And I, and others of my kindred trumpery, Dine with the vision'ry 'yclept Duke Humphrey:{2} I whom the Muses sometimes deign to greet, Though perch'd in "garret vile" in White-cross street,

1 In honour of their Patron and Creators.--The poet, we presume, means to draw a line of distinction between the Military and Civic community; the one being the work of G.o.d, the other the creation of man.

2 Duke Humphrey.--An ideal personage, with whom the un- fortunate wight is said to dine who has not got a dinner to eat.

_Sans_ viands, drink, or necessary clothing, Reckless of fate, and even existence loathing; Great King amidst each various pa.s.sing matter On this auspicious day, I will not flatter; Not that I cannot; aye, as well as any Of heretofore or present laureat Zany!-- But lack of payment, Sir, and lack of zeal; Could I your gracious bounty hope to feel, Invention then, on eagles wings should rise, And laud your nameless virtues to the skies!--

But as it is,--all hail the King!-- With shouts let now the welkin ring, And hence all doubts and fears; May ages yet to come obey The Fourth King George's lenient sway, Even for a thousand years!{1}

Methinks his portly form I see, Encircled at this grand Levee By courtly lords and ladies; Returning every bow with smiles, Where selfish adulation's wiles A profitable trade is.

But where, amid this grand display, Is Soutkey, on each natal day Who charm'd with Ode delicious?

Why absent now the tuneful lore, Why sing not, as in days of yore,--

Has Roy'lty grown capricious?

Or barren is the courtly verse Of genuine subject, to rehea.r.s.e The mighty monarch's fame; His public virtues, private worth, To chant in grateful measure forth, And o'er the world proclaim?

Tush, man! a driveller then, thou art, Unequal to the merry part Thou undertook'st to play;-- The Birth-day comes but once a year, Then tune thy dulcet notes and clear, Again in annual lay.

1 When the combined fleets of England and Spain blockaded the port of Toulon, the Spanish Admiral terminated a dispatch to Lord Hood with the following notable wish,--May your Excellency live a THOUSAND YEARS!

Thou, who wilt still persist to write In public apathy's despite, Can claim no just pretension On which to found a vague excuse;-- Then trust, in dearth of truth, the Muse Prolific in invention.

Hast thou no conscience left? alack!

Hast thou forgot thy Pipe of Sack!

And annual pounds two hundred?{1} That Hume hath not attack'd thy post, And caused it to give up the ghost, Is greatly to be wonder'd!

But if the place must still be kept, Though long the princely themes have slept That erst the Muses lauded;-- Give it to me, ye G.o.ds! and then Shall Kings, above all other men, Be rapturously applauded!

Content with half that Southey shares, I then would drown all worldly cares, Yet Sack I'd not require;-- Give me, in place of Falstaff's wine, A b.u.t.t,--to wake the song divine,

Of Hanbury's Entire!

Now G.o.d preserve the comely face Of George the Fourth, and grant him grace For kindred soids to brag on!-- May future times his deeds proclaim, And may he even eclipse the fame Of--Saint George and the Dragon.'

1 Formerly the allowance was a pipe of sack and one hundred pounds; but his present Majesty, taking into his gracious consideration the very difficult task which the Laureat had to perform, increased his salary to 200L. per annum!!

CHAPTER XXI

"Of ups and downs we daily see Examples most surprising, The high and low of each degree, Now falling are, now rising.

Some up, some down, some in, some out, Home neither one nor t'other; Knaves--fools--Jews--Gentiles--join the rout, And jostle one another.

By ups and downs some folks they say Among grandees have got, Sir, Who were themselves but yesterday The Lord knows who, or what, Sir.

_Sans_ sense or pence, in merits chair, They dose and dream supine 0; But how the devil they came there, That neither you nor I know."

~~282~~~ The departure of Merrywell left our three friends at perfect liberty, and they were determined to enjoy it as much as possible during Sparkle's visit. The remainder of the evening was therefore devoted to the retracing of past events, in which they had formerly been engaged together, in drinking success to Merrywell's journey, and in laying down some plans for the proceedings of the next day. On the latter subject, however, there were as many opinions as there were persons. The Hon.

Tom Dash all proposed going to the Review--Sparkle was for a journey to Gravesend in the steam-boat, with the religious friends who were to accompany Lord Gambier--and Tallyho proposed a visit to the Tower of London, in order to inspect its interior. It was therefore left undecided till the morning, which proving extremely inviting, they determined to sally forth, and leave the direction of their course wholly to chance, as they had many times done before.

~~283~~~ Sparkle's relish for the sprees and sports of a London life, was evidently injured by his residence in the country; though at the same time former scenes and former circ.u.mstances rushing occasionally upon his sight and his recollection, appeared to afford him gratification and delight.

"And how," said Sparkle, addressing himself to Tallyho, "do you like the scene of ever varying novelty--has it lost any of its charms since I saw you last?"

"By no means," replied Tallyho; "for although many of them are grown familiar to me, and many are also calculated to excite painful feelings, I am not yet tired of the inquiry. I set out with the intention to contemplate men and manners as they actually are, and I conceive a useful lesson for instruction and improvement may be afforded by it."

"Right," continued Sparkle, "real life is a most excellent school; and if in imbibing the instruction with which it is fraught, the judgment is not misled, or the mind vitiated none can be more important to mankind."

"Come," said Tom, "I see you are getting into one of your moralizing strains, such as you left us with. Now I am well aware that you have an excellent acquaintance with the pursuits you are speaking of, and have enjoyed them as much as myself; nor can I conceive that your temporary absence has wrought such a change in your opinion, as to make you wholly disregard the amus.e.m.e.nts they afford. So come along, no more preaching; "and thus saying, he seized him by one arm, while Tallyho closed upon the other; and they proceeded on their way along Piccadilly towards the Haymarket.

"Besides," continued Dashall, "every day makes a difference in this metropolis; so that even you who have proved yourself so able a delineator of men and things as they were, may still find many things deserving of your observation as they are."

"I do not doubt it," was the reply; "and consequently expect, that having just arrived from rural felicity, you will direct my footsteps to the most novel scene of metropolitan splendour or extraordinary character."

~~284~~~ "Character is an abundant and everlasting supply of humour and eccentricity for an observant quiz like yourself, and being fly to most occurrences either in town or country, I shall rather confine myself to the most remarkable circ.u.mstances that happen to strike my recollection us we proceed. The first that occurs at this moment, is the opening of a new establishment in Regent-street, under the t.i.tle of the Cafe Royale, to which, as we have not yet paid a visit, I propose now to direct your steps."

"Cafe Royale" repeated Sparkle, "there is something Frenchified in the sound. I suppose it is quite in the tip top stile of elegance."

"So says report."

"Then _allons_,--but as we proceed, I beg to ask one question. If it be considered important in a national point of view, that the superior elegancies of our Parisian neighbours should be engrafted on our own habits, and that an establishment of this nature should be formed, with a view of its becoming the resort of rank and fashion, whether any good reason can be given why such an establishment, in an English city for Englishmen, should not have an English t.i.tle?"

"A most extraordinary question for a fashionable man."

"It may be so," continued Sparkle; "but you must attribute it to my country habits of thinking: however, as I like argument better than a.s.sertion, I see no reason to abandon my question. The adoption of any thing foreign, is only rational in proportion as it is useful or agreeable; for foreign wines, foreign fruits, foreign made coffee, &c.

no one can be a greater advocate than myself; but I apprehend that these good things may taste as well, whether the room in which they are taken be called by a French or an English name."

"That is a truth so self evident as to require no reply; and really I can give no sort of reason for the adoption of a French t.i.tle, unless it be with a view to give it that air of novelty which invariably proves attractive to Johnny Bull; and I think I need not attempt to explain to you the importance of a t.i.tle."

"However," said Sparkle, "I cannot help thinking, that if the place alluded to is to become a permanent establishment, it would become an Englishman to have an English name for it. We need not be ashamed of our language, although some folks disdain to use it, if they can find any subst.i.tute, however inapt. Why should it not be called the Royal Coffee-house, the King's Coffee-house, the Patrician, the Universal, or in fact any thing, so that it be English?"

~~285~~~ "Because," said Tallyho, "those t.i.tles are already engrossed by newspaper editors, coffee-shops of a lower order, magazines, &c.: for instance, we have the Royal Magazine, the Universal Magazine; and consequently these are all grown common, and any thing common is extremely vulgar."

"Besides," continued Dashall, "_Cafe Royale_ is a mouthful, without attacking its contents; and the very sound of it seems to impart a taste, before you approach it, of what may be obtained in the interior.

Zounds! this country life of your's seems to have altered your opinions, and almost obliterated your former education: I never had any relish for it."

"In town let me live, and in town let me die, For in truth 1 can't relish the country, not I: If one must have a villa in summer to dwell, Oh give me the sweet shady side of Pall Mall."