London Cries.
London Cries.
“Buy a fine singing-bird!”
The criers of singing birds are extinct: we have only the bird-sellers. This [engraving], therefore, represents a by-gone character: it is from a series of etchings called the “Cries of London,” by Marcellus Lauron, a native of the Hague, where he was born in 1653. He came to England with his father, by whom he was instructed in painting. He drew correctly, studied nature diligently, copied it closely, and so surpassed his contemporaries in drapery, that sir Godfrey Kneller employed him to clothe his portraits. He likewise excelled in imitating the different styles of eminent masters, executed conversation pieces of considerable merit, and died at London in 1705. His “London Cries” render his name familiar, on account of the popularity which these performances still possess, and there being among them likenesses of several “remarkable people” of the times. “Lauron’s Cries” are well known to collectors, with whom the portrait of a pedlar, if a “mentioned print,” is quite as covetable as a peer’s.
Mr. Fenn of East Dereham, Norfolk, writing to the Rev. Mr. Granger, who was the Linnæus of “engraved British portraits,” sends him a private etching or two of a “Mr. Orde’s doing,” and says, “He is a fellow of King’s College, Cambridge, and is exceedingly lucky in taking off any peculiarity of person. Mr. Orde is a gentleman of family and fortune, and in these etchings makes his genius a conveyance of his charity, as he gives the profits arising from the local sale of the impressions in the University, to the originals from whom he draws his likenesses.—Randal, the orangeman, got enough by the sale of himself to equip himself from head to food: he always calls his oranges, &c. by some name corresponding to the time he sells them; as, at the commencement, Commencement oranges; at a musical entertainment, Oratorio oranges. By this humour he is known throughout the University, where he is generally called Dr. Randal. His likeness, manner, and gait, are exactly taken off.—The Clare-hall fruit-woman too is very striking, as indeed are all the etchings.”[131]
Mr. Malcolm tells of a negro-man abroad, who cried “balloon lemons, quality oranges, quality lemons, holiday limes, with a certain peculiarity, and whimsicality, that recommended him to a great deal of custom. He adventured in a lottery, obtained a prize of five thousand dollars, became raving mad, through excess of joy, and died in a few days.”
Lauron’s “London Cries” will be further noticed: in the mean time it may suffice to say, that this is the season wherein a few kidnappers of the feathered tribe walk about with their little prisoners, and tempt young fanciers to “buy a fine singing bird.”
April 9, 1827.*
[131] Letters between Rev. J. Granger, &c.
Garrick Plays.
No. XIV.
[From the “Arraignment of Paris,” a Dramatic Pastoral, by George Peel, 1584.]
Flora dresses Ida Hill, to honour the coming of the Three Goddesses.
Flora. Not Iris in her pride and bravery
Adorns her Arch with such variety;
Nor doth the Milk-white Way in frosty night
Appear so fair and beautiful in sight,
As done these fields, and groves, and sweetest bowers,
Bestrew’d and deck’d with parti-colour’d flowers.
Along the bubbling brooks, and silver glide,
That at the bottom doth in silence slide,
The watery flowers and lilies on the banks
Like blazing comets burgeon all in ranks;
Under the hawthorn and the poplar tree,
Where sacred Phœbe may delight to be:
The primrose, and the purple hyacinth,
The dainty violet, and the wholesome minth;
The double daisy, and the cowslip (Queen
Of summer flowers), do over-peer the green;
And round about the valley as ye pass,
Ye may ne see (for peeping flowers) the grass.—
They are at hand by this.
Juno hath left her chariot long ago,
And hath return’d her peacocks by her Rainbow;
And bravely, as becomes the Wife of Jove,
Doth honour by her presence to our grove:
Fair Venus she hath let her sparrows fly,
To tend on her, and make her melody;
Her turtles and her swans unyoked be,
And flicker near her side for company:
Pallas hath set her tigers loose to feed,
Commanding them to wait when she hath need:
And hitherward with proud and stately pace,
To do us honour in the sylvan chace,
They march, like to the pomp of heav’n above,
Juno, the Wife and Sister of King Jove,
The warlike Pallas, and the Queen of Love.
The Muses, and Country Gods, assemble to welcome the Goddesses.
Pomona. ——— with country store like friends we venture forth.
Think’st, Faunus, that these Goddesses will take our gifts in worth?
Faunus. Nay, doubtless; for, ’shall tell thee, Dame, ’twere better give a thing,
A sign of love, unto a mighty person, or a King,
Than to a rude and barbarous swain both bad and basely born:
For gently takes the gentleman that oft the clown will scorn.
The Welcoming Song.
Country Gods. O Ida, O Ida, O Ida, happy hill!
This honour done to Ida may it continue still!
Muses. Ye Country Gods, that in this Ida wonne,
Bring down your gifts of welcome,
For honour done to Ida.
Gods. Behold in sign of joy we sing,
And signs of joyful welcome bring.
For honour done to Ida.
Pan. The God of Shepherds, and his mates
With country cheer salutes your States:
Fair, wise, and worthy, as you be!
And thank the gracious Ladies Three,
For honour done to Ida.
Paris. Œnone.
Paris. Œnone, while we bin disposed to walk,
Tell me, what shall be subject of our talk.
Thou hast a sort of pretty tales in store;
’Dare say no nymph in Ida’s woods hath more.
Again, beside thy sweet alluring face,
In telling them thou hast a special grace.
Then prithee, sweet, afford some pretty thing,
Some toy that from thy pleasant wit doth spring.
Œn. Paris, my heart’s contentment, and my choice
Use thou thy pipe, and I will use my voice;
So shall thy just request not be denied,
And time well spent, and both be satisfied.
Paris. Well, gentle nymph, although thou do me wrong,
That can ne tune my pipe unto a song,
Me list this once, Œnone, for thy sake,
This idle task on me to undertake.
(They sit under a tree together.)
Œn. And whereon then shall be my roundelay?
For thou hast heard my store long since, ’dare say—
How Saturn did divide his kingdom tho’
To Jove, to Neptune, and to Dis below:
How mighty men made foul successless war
Against the Gods, and State of Jupiter:
How Phorcyas’ ’ympe, that was so trick and fair,
That tangled Neptune in her golden hair,
Became a Gorgon for her lewd misdeed;—
A pretty fable, Paris, for to read;
A piece of cunning, trust me for the nonce,
That wealth and beauty alter men to stones:
How Salmacis, resembling Idleness,
Turns men to women all thro’ wantonness:
How Pluto raught Queen Pluto’s daughter thence,
And what did follow of that love-offence:
Of Daphne turn’d into the Laurel Tree,
That shews a myrror of virginity:
How fair Narcissus, tooting on his shade,
Reproves disdain, and tells how form doth vade:
How cunning Philomela’s needle tells,
What force in love, what wit in sorrow, dwells:
What pains unhappy Souls abide in Hell,
They say, because on Earth they lived not well,—
Ixion’s wheel, proud Tantal’s pining woe,
Prometheus’ torment, and a many moe;
How Danaus’ daughters ply their endless task;
What toil the toil of Sysiphus doth ask.
All these are old, and known, I know; yet, if thou wilt have any,
Chuse some of these; for, trust me else, Œnone hath not many.
Paris. Nay, what thou wilt; but since my cunning not compares with thine,
Begin some toy that I can play upon this pipe of mine.
Œn. There is a pretty Sonnet then, we call it Cupid’s Curse:
“They that do change old love for new, pray Gods they change for worse.”
(They sing.)
Œn. Fair, and fair, and twice so fair,
As fair as any may be,
The fairest shepherd on our green,
A Love for any Lady.
Paris. Fair, and fair, and twice so fair,
As fair as any may be,
Thy Love is fair for thee alone,
And for no other Lady.
Œn. My Love is fair, my Love is gay.
And fresh as bin the flowers in May,
And of my Love my roundelay,
My merry, merry, merry roundelay,
Concludes with Cupid’s Curse:
They that do change old love for new.
Pray Gods they change for worse.
Both. {
Fair, and fair, &c.
Fair, and fair, &c.
} (repeated.)
Both:
Fair, and fair, &c.
Fair, and fair, &c.
Repeated.
Œn. My Love can pipe, my Love can sing,
My Love can many a pretty thing,
And of his lovely praises ring
My merry, merry, merry roundelays
Amen to Cupid’s Curse:
They that do change old love for new,
Pray Gods they change for worse.
Both. {
Fair, and fair, &c.
Fair, and fair, &c.
} (repeated.)
Both:
Fair, and fair, &c.
Fair, and fair, &c.
Repeated.
To my esteemed Friend, and excellent Musician, V. N., Esq.
Dear Sir,
I conjure you in the name of all the Sylvan Deities, and of the Muses, whom you honour, and they reciprocally love and honour you,—rescue this old and passionate Ditty—the very flower of an old forgotten Pastoral, which had it been in all parts equal, the Faithful Shepherdess of Fletcher had been but a second name in this sort of Writing——rescue it from the profane hands of every common Composer: and in one of your tranquillest moods, when you have most leisure from those sad thoughts, which sometimes unworthily beset you; yet a mood, in itself not unallied to the better sort of melancholy; laying by for once the lofty Organ, with which you shake the Temples; attune, as to the Pipe of Paris himself, to some milder and more love-according instrument, this pretty Courtship between Paris and his (then-not as yet-forsaken) Œnone. Oblige me; and all more knowing Judges of Music and of Poesy; by the adaptation of fit musical numbers, which it only wants to be the rarest Love Dialogue in our language.
Your Implorer,
C. L.