(By Alice Pollard)
SOME forty years ago there was picked up in the cellar of a large private bank in Lombard Street a little pocket-book, which must have lain there for at least a century. Its parchment covers were yellow and time-stained, and the brown ribbon which fastened them together had become ragged and moth-eaten, but despite its somewhat faded brown ink the crabbed handwriting remained as legible as ever. After its removal from the Lombard Street cellar the queer little book lay for another forty years in the musk-scented drawer of a Chippendale secretaire, which formed for it a not unfitting resting-place. Thence it has to-day been unearthed, and is now to be made to tell its old-world story. This, in truth, is but a simple one, as the book contains chiefly a very carefully kept memorandum of the moneys spent by its owner during his youth and early manhood; but running through these accounts we can trace something of his family history, of his employments, tastes, and habits, and so, I think, gain a very fair idea of the writer's individuality. Now and then, as if to help us, he uses a page as a diary, and by means of such entries as births, deaths, and marriages, we can piece our story together.
'John Payne, 1699,' that is the first information which our book gives us, and we turn from the fly-leaf, where it is boldly written, to inquire who this John Payne was, and what was his business and rank in life. We start with a predisposition to believe that he was a banker, because it was in a bank which still bears his name that his pocket-book was picked up; but the pocket-book itself has nothing to say about banking, while it is very profuse on the subjects of 'Linsayes, dyapers, Westfalia linen,' etc., and informs us that its owner was frequently sending home house linen and dress stuffs to his mother, sisters, and friends. Somewhat reluctantly, therefore, we conclude that our hero began life as a draper, and it is with satisfaction (for we would fain have him cut a figure) that we note sundry entries of a Sir James and my Lady, a Sir Stephen, and a Lady Langham in a connection which shows them to have been either relations or old family friends. There are not wanting other indications that our young draper came of a well-to-do stock, and we may, therefore, conclude that in coming to London to serve a seven years' apprenticeship, he was only acting on the excellent rule that to win success as a merchant (or anything else) you must begin at the beginning. As has been already said, the date inside the pocket-book is 1699, but the accounts begin on January 10, 1696, so that those of the first three years have evidently been copied in from some earlier notes. This ascertained, we become excited to find the entry of the purchase of the book itself, and are rewarded after a little search by the information that, together with some paper and quills, it only cost one shilling and fourpence, certainly no excessive outlay for a book constantly in use for over a quarter of a century. In copying his back accounts into his new purchase, John divided his book into two halves, keeping the first for 'what I have layd out since I came to London on my Father's charge,' and the second for his disbursements from 'the money that I did bring up to town at the first coming up (4l 8s.), and sent me since and given me by freinds.' In looking over his accounts for him we will follow the order of his own choosing, and begin with his expenditure for what he considered the necessaries he might fairly charge to his father.
On his first arrival in town the youthful John evidently found himself somewhat behind the times in the cut of his clothes and the fashion of his hair, for on the first page of the book we have distinct suggestions of visits to his tailor and the barber, who between them arrayed his outer man for a first entry into town life, and managed to do so at the moderate cost of £5, 3s. 6d. Here are the items:
Layed out between ye 10th of January & ye 20th of February 1695/6. £ s. d. A paire of Gloves 00 01 02 A box & hatband 00 02 06 A pennknife 00 00 08 A Queer of paper 00 00 06 A Coppy Booke 00 00 08 A Porter & letter 00 00 06 The Barber 00 00 03 Sugar Candy 00 00 02 Damask 4 yds 00 14 06 2 yds ¾ of Bd Cloth 01 13 00 5 yds of Shaloone 00 11 00 Buttons & fustin 00 10 11 Buckrum & Canvis 00 01 03 Glazd Lin: 00 00 05 The Taylors Bill 01 06 00 05 03 06
| Layed out between ye 10th of January & ye 20th of February 1695/6. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | s. | d. | |
| A paire of Gloves | 00 | 01 | 02 |
| A box & hatband | 00 | 02 | 06 |
| A pennknife | 00 | 00 | 08 |
| A Queer of paper | 00 | 00 | 06 |
| A Coppy Booke | 00 | 00 | 08 |
| A Porter & letter | 00 | 00 | 06 |
| The Barber | 00 | 00 | 03 |
| Sugar Candy | 00 | 00 | 02 |
| Damask 4 yds | 00 | 14 | 06 |
| 2 yds ¾ of Bd Cloth | 01 | 13 | 00 |
| 5 yds of Shaloone | 00 | 11 | 00 |
| Buttons & fustin | 00 | 10 | 11 |
| Buckrum & Canvis | 00 | 01 | 03 |
| Glazd Lin: | 00 | 00 | 05 |
| The Taylors Bill | 01 | 06 | 00 |
| 05 | 03 | 06 |
Tailors were evidently more modest in their charges in those days. It is difficult at first to see under what pretext John could have set down twopennyworth of sugar candy under the head of 'Thinges layd out on my Father's charge,' but we soon find a further entry of 'Things for my cold,' and doubtless the sugar candy might also have come under that head; indeed, the London fogs seem not to have agreed with the Huntingdonshire lad, for more than once in each year we find references to colds which mostly appear to have been treated by blood-letting.
After the first month of 1695/6 the father could have had no cause to complain of his son's extravagance, for his whole expenses for the next quarter come to seventeen shillings and fourpence, even including 'Sister Betty's fringe,' for which he paid eightpence, a tip of sixpence given to 'Ye Maide,' and 'Close mending from Top to Toe,' which cost him four shillings and threepence! During the next year and a half he has a fair number of new clothes and makes some wonderful bargains, obtaining 'A Comb: Sisers: Blade & Buttons' for one shilling and ninepence. His barber is still an expensive item, for his 'Peruke' needs constant attention; his cold also requires 'sugar candy and other things,' but he executes a great piece of economy by having 'Wastcoate turned to Breeches' at a cost of only 2s. 1d. In 1699 his 'wigg' again proves costly; it appears to have been thoroughly done up and trimmed to the latest fashion previous to a visit to his home, for we find two entries following each other:
£ s. d. My Wigg & its Mending 01 04 00 My place ith' Coach & charge on the Roade 01 00 00
| £ | s. | d. | |
| My Wigg & its Mending | 01 | 04 | 00 |
| My place ith' Coach & charge on the Roade | 01 | 00 | 00 |