Punch (94.1888)

April 7, 1888.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHAKIVARI._157_

STUDIES FROM MR. PUNCH'S STUDIO.

■No. SXSL—The Gay Gondolier.
Oh, yes, he is always gay. Yes, even when he is "on strike."
Yes, certainly, gay. It is his business. The Inglesi expect it.

To attend the patron who
comes with his broad laugh and
his deep pocket is the Gondo-
lier's chief ambition in life: so
he sings in his native tongue:—

" Erer gay and free, boys,
Ever gay and free;
That's the style for me, boys;
That's the style for me!"

The words are classic in the
Italian, and roll from the
singer's mouth in pleasant
liquid cadence. _ Alas, our pro-
saic language is apt to vulga-
rise the sentiment of Italian
poetry.

The Venetian Gondolier is not
only merry, he is wise; not
only gay but learned. His
name is Beppo, and in the
gentle undulating navigation
of the canals and lagoons he
prefers to have a comrade.
The rich English visitors pre-
fer it also, it costs more
money and is distingue, don't
you know—il primo gondolero and il secondo. Merry and wise I
said advisedly. You shall never find Beppo without his ready
smile, his polite grazie! la ringrazio! Similarly you shall find
nim. deeply learned in certain Shakspeare plays, not that he
«iows anything of the bard, who he was, or what he was, but he is
sceptical as to the authorship of Othello, The Merchant of Venice.

does not venture to imply that Bacon wrote them, as some other
equally learne(i commentators do, but when you suggest to him that
an iinglishman wrote the stories of Othello and Shyloch, he knows it
is one of your jokes, and he laughs and sings accordingly for your
omertimento which is the breath of your life. At the same time he
j^nows exactly what you want to see, you laughing Inglesi, who only
Become serious for a moment over the woes of Desdemona or the
palace and the Prison. He knows the tragic history of Desdemona, and
can dwell with enthusiasm upon the thwarted vengeance of Shyloch.
5 t £,UP before a battered-looking house in a back canal, he will
extend his right arm as if he were posing for a picture and exclaim,
utello, Signore, Otello the great general, where he live, riguar-

" f7-^v Statue at the door-"

Did he place it there himself ? " you ask, for being Inglese, you
are necessarily witty.

JNo, after," the smiling Gondolier replies, and thereupon you
encourage him to tell the story, which he does very much on the
familiar Shakspearian lines.

rh ?am jOU fire ofia little joke as to the authorship, and he tells you
'• A § uy is really Venetian and true, written in the histories.
And there, Signore ! " he exclaims, before you have time for your

Cassio lived "*' Iti3uardate ci° ' Ec00' The hou3e wnere signore
Je3°1v,are,near the Rialto now, and you ask if the gentleman in the
unH + jerdine £oiD£ over tne bridg^ is Mr. Ieving. He does not
vm,i ' tut y°u fina yourself suddenly a trifle sentimental as
i™ ™nk, of the Othellos, the Shylochs. the Portias, the Desdemonas
Well 6j own ia your time. The Vic, the Princess's, Saddler's
thoii \+ other happy hunting-grounds of Shakspeaee, fill your
conli^ for a little wflile you make no j°kes> y°u risk no more
stori ft' Tlle Gay Gondolier knows your symptoms. His
smV A i unhappy Desdemona, the brave Othello committing
is iivl al??ys make his noble English patron a trifle triste. Beppo
heawi *ui.■ with suppressed force; in some occult way he may have
BW ii Mlk Coghian as Shyloch. Alert intellectually as well as
few hT 17?PP0 fits himself to your humour. He begins to hum a
his voTl %Ganoaldi's Hymn. He has a good voice, you encourage
havo i? ettorts- It is evening, in fact the moon has risen while you

av\°een. smoking and dreaming,
the field £,?ore>" it reminds him of his gallant padrone who died on
fouehth a * ^ere, Signore, here is my comrade Castello, he
y°u caa you^t'":BAXB1'S side'te iS covered witu wounds more than
p<*eri^;,P°]gnAero secondo, nods and smiles and whispers "Ah
theti0 to' a eln& an Englishman away from home, you are sympa-
speak ofnf n8^ nationalities, to the Italian in particular. You
UTst out '6+ ' °^ La belle Alliance. Primo and Secondo

__^into wild praises of the brave Inglesi, and are both

▼01. XOTV.

supremely happy; for have they any other idea than to please the
noble patron P Does he sigh, they are sad unto tears; does lie laugh,
they overflow in song:—

"Ever gay and free, boys! "

Do not be surprised if in the midst of your reverie, Beppo and his
Secondo have what seems to be a violent quarrel with a rival crew
who come suddenly upon them round a corner without sufficient
warning ; not that the incident has endangered the safety of their
navigation, but it has given all parties an opportunity for one of
those tremendous disturbances, which on a first experience you con-
clude will end in the use of that ready dagger which you. feel sure is
in the belt of every Beppo and Garibaldini in Italy.

" What is the matter ? " you ask excitedly, when the feud is at
its height, or that there shall be no mistake, you speak in Italian (for
being English you are naturally a linguist) " Che cosa c'e ? "

Beppo will turn to you gay and smiling to remark there is nothing
the matter, or out of politeness to your choice Italian, he will reply,
" Non c'e niente," at the same time returning to the fray of words
with renewed zest until the foe is out of hearing, the foe doing like-
wise until Beppo is out of sight. He is ready to laugh the next
moment at your lightest joke, he will even smile upon the new steam-
boat, for he knows the gondola will last his time, and that no Inglesi
will ever patronise a vessel that is common to all the city ; yet he is
free to confess that they were glorious days when the palaces were
occupied with the grand old families, each family with its company
of Gondoliers, and there were intrigues and assassinations and affairs
and great holidays, and captives from over the seas, and Venice was
queen of the world. "Ah, Signore, those days are past, but Inglese
they come to Venezia, they love the Grand Canal, the Palazzio Pizarro,
Saint Marco, Otello, Desdemona, and they have large heart and much
la buonamano ! "

" Addio, Beppo 1"

His hat is in his hand. There is a tear in his eye. Secondo watches
and imitates his chief. They are a picture. Beppo tall, erect, in
blue cloth, vest open at the neck, embroidered sash, broad sailor-hat.
Secondo, short, broad of chest, wrinkled face, crimson sash, and cut-
throat grin; but equally sincere in his regrets at your departure,
equally appreciative of your drink-money, both thinking of the
polento and fish, and. chianti, and cigars they will enjoy while you
are pelting away homewards on the hot railway in the stuffy car-
riages. You take home some pleasant memories, you have bought
the right to be critical about studies of Venice at the Academy and
the Grosvenor ; and when you examine your banking account, you
find that you have paid nobly for your privileges.

OUR BOOKING-OFFICE.

" This Time." Not any Time, but now or never; that is, Time
for this month. If no one has yet put you up to Time, I will do so
now. Time was made for slaves, by those
who can make Time, and this Magazine—I
forgot to say that I am speaking of Time,
the Magazine—was made for those who have
Time to spare, and of such persons, Time
being money, you can borrow Time, though
if you buy it, This Time, you will have made
an excellent Time bargain, and if you can't
buy it, then in the meantime, get Time
somehow, in order to read Mr. Chables
Wyndham's diary of his travels abroad.
He appears never to have been so much at
home as when abroad, and he has returned
decore, and decorous, with Miss Moobe the
Merrier, to his own native land. That his notes are entertaining
you may take your little Davy—Gabbice:, of course—and perhaps be
may continue them next Time.

There are some very interesting reminiscences of the late Mr. John
Clayton, in The Theatre; also a portrait of him in All for Her—
the play in which he most distinguished himself as a serious actor.

I hear there is to be a new Military monthly publication. I should
suggest the title of The Hyde Park Magazine. It's a little late in
the year, but the first number might date from the " March Past."
There would be plenty of Reviews, and Pictures could be inspected
by distinguished Royal Artillery-men. The Chaplain-General's
Charges, that is, if he charges" like a Bishop, would find an
appropriate place m these military columns. Yours, ever,

The Babon be Book Wobms.

The Queen's Chasibeelain. — Her Gracious and Imperial
Majesty would have preferred presenting the Right Hon. Joseph
with an Indian shawl. But what could he have done with it ? So
the Queen made it a photo, which, whatever its positive or negative
value originally, must now be considered as not exactly priceless,
but well worth " a Joey."