The annual celebration of St. Andrew's day was, in days of yore, conducted with considerable show, the generality of Scotsmen resident in London walked in procession, with a singed sheep's head borne by a man in front. But this is all past and forgotten; and, in the present enlightened age, there are few holidays kept, compared with old times, when every calendar was marked with a profusion of rubrick characters, denoting such days were to be reserved for some particular sport, festival, or ceremony.

BOROUGH ENGLISH.

THE origin of the custom of Borough English, still observed at the Manor of Woodford, Essex, and other parts of the same county (see No. 41, of this work), where the youngest son inherits, has been a subject of much dispute, but it appears to have prevailed greatly in the kingdom of the east Saxons. Dr. Plot has conjectured that it was introduced by the lord of the manor's claiming the right of enjoying the bride-daughter of his tenant on the wedding night: therefore the villain or slave, doubting whether the eldest son was his own, made the youngest his heir; but as there seems not to be sufficient evidence that this ever was an established practice, the doctor's conjecture has been supposed not to be well founded. E.

Anecdotiana.

NEW REGULATIONS.

A clerk in Chancery, in the time of Oliver Cromwell, had seen, with great indifference, all the alterations that had been made in the constitution, both in church and state; but when he was told there were to be some new regulations in the Six Clerk's-office-" Nay," says he, "if they begin once to strike at fundamentals, nobody knows where they will stop,"

ROYAL CONDESCENSION.

When the King of Sweden arrived at Manheim in November, 1783, he alighted at the city-gate, and walked up to the house where he was to lodge; on calling for the host, he asked him for the apartments intended for the king and his suite. Being informed of the price, "You ask too little," said he;" kings do not come every day to lodge with you." The host replied, The honour done me by the monarch, fills my heart sufficiently; why should I make him pay more than another."

Some persons who occupied the first and second floor of that house were prepairing to quit them; which the king perceiving, prevented, saying, that his

majesty had good legs, and could get up to the third story very well. At the same time the monarch's retinue arrived, and honest Albert (the host) found with surprise, that he had been talking to the king in person.

The king went to the play, the host gave a ball at which were present 200 persons. The king spoke, with great affability to the widow of the learned Costervelt, who was present. On his departure, his 'majesty made a present to Albert of a gold watch and chain, besides twenty-four ducats, with leave to put up for a sign a painting of himself.

FAMILIARITY.

When the late venerable president was sitting to Mr. Nollekens for a bust, which the members of the British Institution had requested to have, his Royal Highness the Duke of York arrived, accompanied by his brother the Duke of Cumberland. The Duke of York, at that time, was also sitting for his bust, when Mr. West heard Nollekens inquire" how's your father?” on which the Duke with his usual condescension, smilingly informed him that the king was better. The Duke of Cumberland then asked Mr. Nollekens, why a man of his years wore so high a toupee to his wig? Mr. Nollekens, instead of answering, wished to know why his Royal Highness wore those mustaquies? The Duke of York smiled and said, "You have it now, Cumberland."

Nollekens' Life and Times.

His ail was too much ale, and so the bier Was beer, they said, that brought Tom Evill here.

His Evill name, too, caused full many a jest-
They said, Alas! we've lost an Evil one,
Frothy or flat, the dead ones were the best :
Who ne'er did harm but to himself alone!
When he was praised, a but too oft was named,

But for that butt he never had been blamed.
October killed him, though the month was
May-
By moisture turned to dust-O, well-a-day!

For. Rev

IN the reign of the weak and pusilanimous King Henry the Sixth, before the commencement of those unhappy differences between the rival roses, there stood, by the road-side leading to Blackheath, a lonely inn, before which, from a rough unhewn post, hung a board on which was painted the rude representation of a drinking measure then much in use; viz. the Black Jack. This vessel, as most of our readers are no doubt aware, was formed of leather, so that it could be VOL. II.

X

trusted with safety in the hands of those, who, from a too long acquaintance with its contents, might be rendered incapable of protecting a vessel of a more brittle quality.

Mine host was a jolly, portly fellow, and had once possessed a comely figure, but his daily exercise having been, for some years past, confined to the limits of his own house, he had grown somewhat corpulent. Walter Quantock, (for such was his name,) had been a soldier in his youth, and had fought in France, when Henry the Fifth invaded that country: On his return he found himself possessed of a sum sufficient to establish the beforenamed inn. Such was mine host of the "Black Jack." The house of Master Quantock was much visited on holidays, and the many trials of skill which took place on the heath added not a little to the number of his customers, as almost all Greenwich was oft-times emptied to behold the feats of archery, wrestling, &c. which even the rich merchants of London did not disdain to attend.

Towards the close of a dull evening in the spring of the year, the house of mine 47

host contained only three customers, who sat over their cups, listening to the storm without, which had obliged them to seek the roof of honest Walter on their way to Greenwich.

"A rough night this, my masters," said one of the guests, who had with him a small bag of serge containing a bason and a pair of forceps, with several other articles appertaining to the then joint profession of barber and man-midwife; "à rough night and a stormy; a man need ha' some matter o' courage to venture out alone, an' he had much to lose; thieves and night-walkers are abroad."

Marry, thou speakest verity, neighbour Sylvester," replied one of the men, "I would not venture out by myself on such a night, an' I had as many lives as a cat; what say you, goodman pedlar?" and he turned to the third person. This man had placed his pack in one corner of the room, and was sitting by the fire in deep thought, occasionally raking with his staff the unconsumed embers of the sticks into the large wood fire which blazed cheerfully, while the smoke escaped through an aperture in the roof, for the luxury of a chimney was then only known

By the rood!" exclaimed the second speaker, "it likes me not, goodman pedlar; what say you, Master Shaver?" The barber was about to reply, when mine host entered the room.

My friends," said he, "take my advice, and tarry here to-night, the road is somewhat dangerous, and there are those abroad who would take your life for the value of your hose and doublet. I can bestow ye all three here."

"Tut! tut! mine host," interrupted the barber, "fear not, there are three of us, all sturdy men and proper." Quan tock smiled at this idle vaunt from the barber, who was in person very diminutive.

"Ye may be all prompt and waliant

men,” said he, “an' if ye were attacked manfully and fairly, may return a blow or so, but your true thief gives ye not such 'vantage; ye may be trudging merrily on, and the next moment a broad arrow may quiver in your heart; no man, be he ever so valiant, can guard against an ambuscade. I well remember when I followed the army in the time of our late King Harry, (whom God assoilize,) when on the march and near Falaise, we came upon an ambush of the enemy. Many of our stoutest men-at-arms bit the dust, for the Frenchmen fell upon us 'ere we had time to form 'twas there I got this hurt, and a fearful one it was too;" here he bared his arm, on which was perceived the mark of a deep scar. The barber stretched out his neck to view it, and shrugged up his shoulders, while mine host continued,

"Ah, there was sharp work then, and the valley rung like a smithy with the clang of their armour, but we soon cleared the way of them, and continued the march. I got this hurt in my arm from a French bill-man, who was killed by one of our archers. Ah, my masters, there was sharp whistling of bolt and shaft, and loud clang of axe, and bill, and partizan; but the glorious day was at Agincourt; 'twould have gladdened your hearts to have heard our brave King Hall speaking to us as though we were his fellows."Here mine host was interrupted in his narrative by a loud knocking at the door, accompanied by the gruff voice of a man who desired admittance.

On its being opened, a man abruptly entered, and seating himself on a bench, called for a measure of sack. The barber, who had before spoken so valiantly, now shrunk and quailed beneath the fierce glance of the stranger, whose whole appearance bespoke the hardened and determined ruffian. He was clad in a leathern doublet, soiled with grease and dirt. He wore a small thrum cap, in which was stuck a tuft of cock's feathers; round his neck hung a heavy steel chain, from which was suspended a small gold cross; his legs were covered with hose of blue serge, and his feet were protected by leather sandals, the thongs of which crossed his legs, and fastened at his knees. From a broad belt with which he was girted, hung a heavy, iron-handled sword," and he wore a dudgeon-dagger on his right side. In stature, he was about the middle height, square-built, and muscular. His broad and coarse features were over-shadowed by a profusion of black hair, and his untrimmed beard and mustachios were of the same colour. With such an addi

tion to their company, it cannot be supposed that the guests were much pleased. They stared at the stranger, and then at each other, not liking to begin a conver sation with such a ruffialny-looking personage, when mine host entered with a measure of sack and placed it before his customer, at the same time holding out his hand for the money.

"What dost thou thrust out thy paw for, old Boniface?" said the ruffian, in a tone which made the barber shake in his shoes. Mine host answered him carelessly.

"Good master Will," said he, " if thy memory does not play thee false, thou wilt remember that the last flask thou did'st empty at this mine house is still owing for, since which I have forsworn credit to any one."

"Now a murrain on thee, Quantock," replied the ruffian, looking fiercely round at the guests, and then scowling on mine host. "Dost thou think I mean to bilk thee, thou hungry knave?"

"No, master Will," replied Quantock, "but such trifles may escape your memory, therefore you must not refuse to pay me at once." As he said this, he turned away with the sack, when the ruffian, swearing a grisly oath, took from his neck the chain we have just described, and detaching the small cross of gold, he threw it on the table.

"There," said he, "take that in pledge and look that ye keep it safely till I redeem it." Mine host took the cross, and after looking at it, placed the measure of sack on the table, and left the room to put his pledge in a place of security, After tasting his liquor, the ruffian endeavoured to get into conversation with the other guests, who shrunk from him as though he had been the plague, particularly the barber, who a thousand times wished himself at home in his shop at Greenwich. He then addressed himself to the pedlar, who sat eyeing him with a suspicious look.

Are ye for the town, my friend ?" said

he.

Ay," " replied the pedlar, "if the storm should clear up in time."

Then you will hardly do that tonight, for the townspeople are, methinks, snoring soundly by this time."

"I must e'en trudge it at once, then," said the pedlar, shouldering his pack,when the barber spoke,

"My friend," said he, " you had better tarry here to-night, the road's unsafe, and--"

"Never fear," interrupted the pedlar, no one will care to disturb me; and if