The street Pieman with his “cry,” of “Pies all hot! hot!! hot!!!—Penny pies, all hot! hot!!—fruit, eel, beef, veal or kidney pies! pies, all hot-hot-hot,” is one of the most ancient of street callings, and to London boys of every degree, “Familiar in their mouths as household words.” Nor is the itinerant trade in pies—“Eel, beef, veal, kidney or fruit,” confined to the great metropolis. All large provincial towns have, from a time going back much farther than even the proverbial “oldest inhabitant” can recollect, had their old and favourite “Penny Pieman,” or, “Old-all-Hot!” as folks were ever wont to call him. He was generally a merry dog, and mostly to be found where merriment was going on, he scrupled not to force his way through the thickest of the crowd, knowing that the very centre of action was the best market for his wares.
The Pieman;
OR, O LORD! WHAT A PLACE IS A CAMP.
| “O Lord! what a place is a camp, What wonderful doings are there; The people are all on the tramp, To me it looks devilish queer: Here’s ladies a swigging of gin, A crop of macaronies likewise: And I, with my ‘Who’ll up and win? Come, here is your hot mutton pies.’ Here’s gallopping this way and that, With, ‘Madam, stand out of the way;’ Here’s, ‘O fie! sir, what would you be at?— Come, none of your impudence pray:’ Here’s ‘Halt—to the right-about-face,’ Here’s laughing, and screaming, and cries: Here’s milliners’-men out of place, And I with my hot mutton pies. Here’s the heath all round like a fair, Here’s butlers, and sutlers, and cooks; Here’s popping away in the air, And captains with terrible looks: Here’s ‘How do you do?’—‘Pretty well; The dust has got into my eyes,’ There’s—‘Fellow what have you to sell?’ ‘Why, only some hot mutton pies.’” |
History informs us, through the medium of the halfpenny plain and penny coloured chap book, editions issued by the “Catnach Press,” that, one:—
| “Simple Simon met a Pieman, Going to the fair; Says simple Simon to the Pieman, ‘Let me taste your ware.’ Says the Pieman unto Simon, ‘First give me a penny;’ Says Simple Simon to the Pieman, ‘I have not got any.’” |
But history is silent as to the birth, parentage, or, even place and date of the death of the said Simple Simon, or of this very particular pieman. Halliwell informs us, through one of the “Nursery Rhymes of England,” that on one occasion:—
| “Punch and Judy Fought for a pie; Punch gave Judy A sad blow on the eye.” |