Punch or The London charivari: Punch or The London charivari (2.1842)

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PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

PUNCH'S ANCIENT COSTUMES.

THE HACKNEY COACHMAN of the FOURTEENTH CENTURY.

In examining the pages of history, we find that the Fourteenth century
was a proud one for the class whom it is our present object to speak of ;
and, indeed, the knights of the whip may be said to have held a high posi-
tion in the time when the second and third Edwards, and the second
Richard, held the reins of government. The first mention we have of the
coachman in the 14th century is in 1318, when we are told that the Scots,
having passed into Ireland, were driven out of the country. It must be pre-
sumed that if the party was large, there must have been several coachmen
who shared the honour of driving them, but their names have not been
handed—on a brass or any other plate—to posterity. The art of driving
was evidently in great repute at about this period, for, in 1326, on the
22d of September, the Queen having landed at Orwell, " drives the King
into Wales," from which it is clear that Isabella of France perfectly un-
derstood the art of "handling the ribbons." But, perhaps, the most
remarkable fact connected with the coachman's art is, that in 1352, the
flagellants, or whippers, first made their appearance in England. They
had a notion that sin might be whipped out of them by their own or each
other's hands. They came from Hungary in 1352, and were probably sent
to Coventry shortly afterwards. They are believed to be the ancestors of
the present race of whipper-snappers, who carry whips, with the fond and
foolish notion that owning a whip may cause them to be mistaken for
horsemen.

Though it lias little to do with coachmen, properly so called, yet, as we
have devoted much historical research to this subject, we may as well dis-
play the whole of our learning, and we, therefore, intimate the fact, that,
in 1306, the Pope absolves the King from his oath for maintaining the
great c(1i)arter. This clearly alludes to some distinguished wagoner or
carter, (for the h in charter is mute,) whom the King had sworn to sup-
port, but who was found in some way troublesome to his royal patron.

A SUMMER AT KNIGHTSBRIDGE.

"We left the White Bear on a beautiful afternoon in May, and
arrived on the very same afternoon of the same day of the same
month at Knightsbridge. We enjoyed the journey greatly, and were
much struck by the magnificent scenery on our right, which presents
a vast level of green, intersected here and there by roads, and
bounded by the buildings which break the uniformity of the horizon
of Bayswater.

We took with us no guide, preferring to trust to our own resources,
and arrived safely in Trevor-square, where we had taken a floor, the
front of which commanded a full view of the houses opposite, while
from the back, through a local chasm formed by an opening between
the houses, we were enabled to catch a glimpse of Smith and Baber's.

Having resolved on remaining at Knightsbridge the whole summer,
we were not much disappointed at the weather, which confined us to
our lodgings during the whole of May and a considerable portion of
June ; for having had the precaution to put a pack of cards amongst
our luggage, we found no difficulty in getting through our time with
" beggar my neighbour," " cribbage," and other games of a similarly
pleasing character.

Our dealings with the natives, however, enabled us to form some
I idea of the manners and customs of the place ; and we found that
there is a very curious superstition prevalent among some of the
tradesmen, that if their first week's bills are not paid by strangers, it
is better not to continue to supply them with articles. From this
senseless infatuation we were very near experiencing some inconve-
nience ; but a remittance from the exterior enabled us to set our-
selves right with the natives, and we afterwards went on with them
very pleasantly.

The month of August had commenced before we could cany into
full execution our grand project of seeing Knightsbridge ; but this we
ultimately accomplished, and we were fully repaid for our trouble.

We looked in vain for the Bridge of the Knight, which is believed
to have given its name to the place ; and indeed, the " oldest inha-
bitant" had no recollection of either one or the other. As the foot-
path is greatly elevated above the road, it is not unlikely that an arm
of the Serpentine formerly ran along the latter ; and indeed, the de-
clivity from the park at the barrack-opening gives every credibility
to the ingenious hypothesis.

Presuming that there was at one time water, it is surely not a too
violent assumption to conclude that there was a bridge, and supposing
the bridge to have been in existence, why may not a Knight have
passed over it ? This chain of reasoning, every link of which throws
a strong lieht on the subject, gives us Knightsbridge at once, and
having so far established our position, we are unwilling to damage it
by further argument.

The people of Knightsbridge are generally of a warlike and
ferocious habit, which may be attributed to their contact with the
horse guards with whom they associate at the numerous taverns that
abound in the district. The arts of peace are, however, not neglected,
aud there is a tranquil traffic in vegetables, carried on to a great
extent along the boundary line, which flanks Knightsbridge on the
left, dividing it from Brompton. The pass from the metropolis was
formerly strongly barricaded, and a marauder was in the habit of
issuing from his fastness for the purpose of exacting a tax from
vehicles and horsemen, but this barbarian custom has, within the last
few years been abolished, and nothing now remains on the spot where
formerly stood the obnoxious toll-bar.

Knightsbridge, like Hamburgh, is an independent place, but it has
neither Mayor, Bishop, Prefect, nor Seneschal. The resident lurghers
pay taxes to the general exchequer, and are not subjected to any
fiscal imposts that can be considered as badges of slavery.

OUR NATIONAL OPERA.

My dear Punch,

When I state that I am a professor of the big drum and
mouth-organ, and have a certificate from the late Mr. Richardson of
my excellence on the triangle aud cymbal, I am sure you will admit
that I am as equally well qualified for the office of a musical critic as
thegenerality of gentlemen who " are nothing—if they are not critical."

The two large theatres of the metropolis being closed, let us con-
sider what has been done for that important branch of public amuse-
ment—English music. Your own Italian extraction may lead you to
favour the sickly compositions of Bellini and Mercadante, and to think
none the worse of the brilliant and talented Adelaide Kemble foj
selecting those operas most likely to display her own excellencies