A POSTURE-MASTER.
Posture-masters, as the acrobats were then called, abounded, and one of the chief among them was Higgins, successor to the famous Clark, who could dislocate and deform himself at pleasure. But he must have found a worthy imitator in 'The young Posture Master from Exeter, who performs those Postures of Body, that none never yet did; he extends his Body into all deform'd Shapes of Stature; he makes his Hip and Shoulder Bones meet together; he stands upon one Leg and extends the other in a direct Line half a Yard above his Head; he drinks her Majesty's Health on his Head; he lays his Head on the Ground, and turns his Body round twenty Times, without stirring his Face from the Place; he sucks all his Bowels into his Breast, making a pack Saddle on his Back, that he will bear the lustiest Man that will be pleas'd to sit upon his Rump; he will sit in a Posture as if his Body was split, and so divides his Legs that his Toes are separated Six Foot ten Inches from Toe to Toe; he stands on a Table and turns his Head backwards below his Heels; he likewise dances any Dance upon his Knees with his Toes in his Hands, and dances true to the Musick.' But even all these accomplishments do not seem to have been sufficiently attractive of themselves, for with him was 'a Child of Five Years of Age, who does the Activity of Tumbling to the greatest Perfection. After which Mr. Cornwall takes an empty Bag, and turns it twenty times, and stamps on it, if requir'd, and then commands several Eggs out of it, and at last the live Hen.'
Children then, as now, had to go through acrobatic performances. There was 'a Boy that walks upon a Slack Rope no thicker than a Penny Cord, and a little Girl that vaults on the high Rope;' but, even in our time, we should hardly like to see 'a little Child about two Years and a half old perform such wonderful things on the Stiff Rope, as is surprising to all that behold him.' We hear more of this poor little thing. 'Whereas it has been industriously and falsely reported that the little Child that is under 3 years old, that danced on the Rope and tumbled, is dead; Mr. Francis thought it proper to certify all People, that the Child is living and well; and he challenges all Europe to produce a Child of his Age to perform what he does, both for Dancing and Tumbling. Likewise the little Girl about 7 Years old, that danced the Rope, vaulted the Slack Rope, and tumbled to the Admiration of all who saw her.'
There was a curious entertainment that lasted nearly the whole of Anne's reign; of which the first notice I can find is in the Daily Courant, November 27, 1704. By degrees Clench enlarged his répertoire until he did all described in the accompanying handbill. 'These are to give Notice to all Gentlemen, Ladies and Others, that Mr. Clench of Barnet who imitates the Horn, Huntsman and Pack of Hounds, the Sham Doctor, Old Woman, Drunken Man, the Bells, Flute, Double Curtell,[353] the Organ with three Voices, by his own Natural Voice, to the greatest Perfection; (being the only man that ever could Attain to so great an Art,) will perform,' etc. Clinch is mentioned in the Tatler (No. 51): 'A good company of us were this day to see, or rather to hear, an artful person do several feats of activity with his throat and windpipe. The first thing wherewith he presented us, was a ring of bells, which he imitated in a most miraculous manner; after that, he gave us all the different notes of a pack of hounds, to our great delight and astonishment.' Thoresby went to see him, and reports:[354] 'Evening to hear the memorable Mr. Clench, whose single voice, as he has learned to manage it, can admirably represent a number of persons, at sport and in hunting, and the very dogs and other animals, but none better than a quire of Choristers chanting an anthem, &c.'
Waxwork figures have always been a popular exhibition, and then was living a Mrs. Salmon, whose fame was as great as Madame Tussaud's. Her handbills were curiosities in their way, but they are so long that one only can be transcribed. The Royal Off Spring: Or, the Maid's Tragedy Represented in Wax Work, with many Moving Figures and these Histories Following. King Charles the First upon the Fatal Scaffold, attended by Dr. Juxon the Bishop of London, and the Lieutenant of the Tower, with the Executioner and Guards waiting upon our Royal Martyr. The Royal Seraglio, or the Life and Death of Mahomet the Third, with the Death of Ireniæ Princess of Persia, and the fair Sultaness Urania. The Overthrow of Queen Voaditia, and the Tragical Death of her two Princely Daughters. The Palace of Flora or the Roman superstition. The Rites of Moloch, or the Unhumane Cruelty, with the manner of the Canaanitish Ladies, Offering up their First-born Infants, in Sacrifice to that ugly Idol, in whose Belly was a burning Furnace, to destroy those Unhappy Children. Margaret Countess of Heningberg, Lying on a Bed of State, with her Three hundred and Sixty-Five Children, all born at one Birth, and baptized by the Names of Johns and Elizabeths, occasioned by the rash Wish of a poor beggar Woman. Hermonia a Roman Lady, whose Father offended the Emperor, was sentenced to be starved to Death, but was preserved by Sucking his Daughters Breast. Old Mother Shipton that Famous English Prophetess, which fortold the Death of the White King; All richly dress'd and composed with so much variety of Invention, that it is wonderfully Diverting to all Lovers of Art and Ingenuity. All made by Mrs. Salmon, and to be seen near the Horn Tavern in Fleet Street. Vivat Reginæ (sic).'
Of the miraculous accouchement of Margaret, Countess of Heningberg, Thoresby says[355]: 'After, walked to Gray's Inn to Mr. Smith, who most courteously entertained me, and gave me some inscriptions he had taken for me in his travels, particularly that for the memorable Countess who had 365 children at a birth; he saw the two basins they were baptized in.'
Nor was this the only exhibition of the kind; there was yet another similar show. 'The Effigies of his late Majesty King William III., of Glorious Memory, is Curiously done in Wax to the Life, Richly Drest in Coronation Robes, standing by the Effigies of his late Royal Consort, Queen Mary in the like Dress; likewise the late Duke of Gloucester in his Garter Robes. Together with the Effigies of several Persons of Quality and Others, all which are Alive, or have been so of late Years, whereby the Spectators may Judge of Likeness. They are to be seen every Day at Mr. Goldsmith's in Green Court in the Old Jury.'[356] This is the same artist who is spoken of in a newspaper paragraph. 'On Wednesday last Mrs. Goldsmith, the famous Woman for Waxwork, brought to Westminster Abbey the Effigies of that celebrated Beauty the late Duchess of Richmond, which is said to be the richest Figure that ever was set up in King Henry's Chapel.'[357]
'To be seen in Exeter Change in the Strand, as well in Christmas and other Holidays, as at all other times, tho' the Change be shut, only then you must go in at that end towards Charing Cross.
Just
finish'd
and to be
seen. The present
Court of England
in Wax, after (and as
big as) the Life, in the
Inner Walk of Exeter Change
in the Strand, much exceeding that
which was at the New Exchange tho'
both made by the most deservedly famous
Mrs. Mills, whom in that Art, all ingenuous
Persons own, had never yet an equal: The names
of the chief Persons are, The Queen, his Royal
Highness Prince George, the Princess Sophia, his Grace
The Duke of Marlborough, the Countess of Manchester,
the Countess of Kingstone, the Countess of Musgrave &c.
As likewise the Effigies of Mark Anthony, naturally
acting that which render'd him remarkable to
the World; Cleopatra his Queen, one of her
Egyptian Ladies, Oliver Cromwell in
Armour, the Count Tallard: with many
others too tedious here to mention.
To be seen from 9 in the
Morn, till 9 at Night. You
may go in at any of the
Doors in the Change,
and pass thro' the
Hatter's Shop in
the Outward
Walk.
Persons may have their Effigies made, or their deceased Friends on reasonable Terms.