DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16516#0121
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
117
Sultan ; and there the Lion-hearted King had the misfortune to find
that there was not a single chance for him ever to win it. His army,
by the number of glorious victories, was wasted away greatly. The
other kings, dukes, and potentates, his allies, grumbled sadly ; and
the end was, that he was obliged to march back to the sea again—
and you may fancy Sultan Saladin's looks as he went off.
So he quitted the country in disguise, and in disgust too—(as for
his army, never mind what became of that: if we lose our time pity-
ing the common soldiers, we may cry till we are as old as Methuselah,
and not get on)—Richard, I say, quitted the country in disguise
and disgust, and, in company with a faithful friend or two, made
for home.
But as he was travelling through Austria, he was recognised by
gome people in that country, and seized upon by the Duke of
Austria, who hated him, and clapped him without any ceremony into
prison. And, I dare say, while there he heartily regretted that, in-
stead of coming home over land, he hadn't at once taken the steamer
to Malta, and so got home that way.
Fancy, then, my beloved hearers, this great but unhappy monarch
in prison ;—
fancy him, in a prison-dress very likely, made to take his turn on the
mill with other offenders, and to live on a pint of gruel and a penny
loaf a-day ; he who had been accustomed to the best of victuals, and
was, if we may credit the late celebrated Sir Walter Scott, parti-
cularly partial to wine ! There he was—a king—a great warrior—
but lately a leader of hundreds of thousands of men, a captive in an
odious penitentiary ! Where was his army ? again one can't help
thinking. Oh, never mind them; they were done for long since, and.
out of their pain. So you see it is King Richard who is the object of
compassion, for he wasn't killed.
I am led to believe that the prison regimen in Austria was not so
severe as it is now-a-days with us, when if a prisoner were heard
singing, or playing the fiddle, he would be prettily tickled by the
gaoler's cane ; for it appears that King Richard had the command of
a piano, and was in the habit of playing upon the guitar. It is
probable that the Duke of Austria thought there could be no harm
in his amusing himself in the lonely place in which, unknown to all
the world, King Richard was shut.
As for his subjects, I don't know whether they missed him very
much. But I have remarked that we pretty speedily get accustomed
to the absence of our kings and royal families ; and though, for
instance, there is our beloved Duke of Cumberland gone away to be
King of Hanover, yet we manage to bear our separation from that
august prince with tolerable resignation.
Well, it was lucky for the King that he was allowed his piano ; for
it chanced that a poor wandering minstrel (or organ-grinder, we
should call him), who had no doubt been in the habit of playing
tnnes before the King's palace in St. James's-street—for, you know,
the new police wasn't yet invented, to drive him off,—I say the
organ-grinder Blundell happened to be passing by this very castle in
Austria where Richard was, and seeing a big house, thought he
might as well venture a tune ; so he began that sweet one " Cherry
npe, che-erry ripe, ri-ip I cry-y and the Austrian soldiers, who
were smoking their pipes, and are very fond of music, exclaimed,
' Potztausend was ist das fur ein herrliches Lied %''
When Richard heard that well-known melody, which in happier
days he had so often heard Madame Vestris sing*, he replied at once
tm the piano, with "Home, sweet Home."_
* This settles the great question mooted eveiy week in the Sunday Times as to
tfee uge of that lady.
" Hullo !" says Blondell, or Blundell, "there must be an Englishman
here, and straightway struck up " Rule Britannia "—" When Britain
feh-eh-eh-erst at He-evn's command," &c, to which the king an-
swered by " God save the King."
Can it be—is it possible—no—yes—is it really our august monarch!
thought the minstrel—and his fine eyes filled with tears as lie ground
the sweet air " Who are you f'
To which the King answered by a fantasia composed of the two
tunes " The King, God bless him," and " Dicky Gossip, Dicky Gossip
is the man "—for though his name wasn't Gossip, yet you see he had
no other way of explaining himself.
Convinced by these melodies, Mr. Blundell replied rapidly by
"Charlie is my Darling," "All's Well," "We only part to meet
again," and, in short, with every other tune which might, as he
thought, console the royal prisoner. Then (only stopping to make a
rapid collection at the gate) he posted back to London as fast as his
legs would carry him, and told the parliament there that he had dis-
covered the place where our adored monarch was confined.
Immense collections were instantly made throughout the country
—some subscribed of their own accord, others were made to sub-
j scribe; and the Emperor of Germany, who was made acquainted with
I the fact, now, though the Duke of Austria had never said a word about
it previously, caused the latter prince to give up his prisoner ; and I
believe His Imperial Majesty took a good part of the ransom to
himself.
Thus at last, after years of weary captivity, our gracious King
Richard was restored to us. Fancy how glad he must have been to
see Hyde Park once more, and how joyful and happy his people were!
—I dare say he vowed never to quit Buckingham Palace again, and
to remain at home and make his people happy.
But do you suppose men so easily change their natures ?—Fiddle-
stick !—in about a month King Richard was fighting in France as
hard as ever, and at last was killed before a small castle which he
was besieging. He did not pass six months in England in the whole
course of his four years' reign : he did more harm to the country than
many a worse king could do ; and yet he was loved by his people for
his gallantry ; and somehow, although I know it is wrong, I can't
help having a sneaking regard for him too.
My loves, it is time that you should go to play. (Immense
enthusiasm, in the midst of which Miss T. retires.)
THE GRAND AQUATIC PROGRESS.
(From our own Reporter.)
The determination of her Majesty to visit her Scotch dominions having
been made generally known, the sun turned out of its bed in the east and
the tide rose at an unusually early hour, for the purpose of facilitating the
views and promoting the objects of royalty. At about two in the
morning the ringing of the bedroom bell announced to the household that
the royal hot water for the princely shave was immediately wanted, and a
jug filled from the kitchen boiler was soon standing at the door of Prince
Albert's dressing-room. The Master of the Household, who had tied a
piece of string to his own great toe, and caused the other end of it to be
fastened to the thumb of the Lord in Waiting, was forcibly dragged from
his bed before daybreak, and was compelled to hop on one leg to the key-
hole, through which the twine had been passed, and %vas being mercilessly
tugged by Silver Stick, who was determined that the Master of the
Household should not go off into a second sleep, and thus be unprepared
for attendance at the proper hour on his royal mistress.
The Equerry in Waiting having been sprinkled with cold water at
117
Sultan ; and there the Lion-hearted King had the misfortune to find
that there was not a single chance for him ever to win it. His army,
by the number of glorious victories, was wasted away greatly. The
other kings, dukes, and potentates, his allies, grumbled sadly ; and
the end was, that he was obliged to march back to the sea again—
and you may fancy Sultan Saladin's looks as he went off.
So he quitted the country in disguise, and in disgust too—(as for
his army, never mind what became of that: if we lose our time pity-
ing the common soldiers, we may cry till we are as old as Methuselah,
and not get on)—Richard, I say, quitted the country in disguise
and disgust, and, in company with a faithful friend or two, made
for home.
But as he was travelling through Austria, he was recognised by
gome people in that country, and seized upon by the Duke of
Austria, who hated him, and clapped him without any ceremony into
prison. And, I dare say, while there he heartily regretted that, in-
stead of coming home over land, he hadn't at once taken the steamer
to Malta, and so got home that way.
Fancy, then, my beloved hearers, this great but unhappy monarch
in prison ;—
fancy him, in a prison-dress very likely, made to take his turn on the
mill with other offenders, and to live on a pint of gruel and a penny
loaf a-day ; he who had been accustomed to the best of victuals, and
was, if we may credit the late celebrated Sir Walter Scott, parti-
cularly partial to wine ! There he was—a king—a great warrior—
but lately a leader of hundreds of thousands of men, a captive in an
odious penitentiary ! Where was his army ? again one can't help
thinking. Oh, never mind them; they were done for long since, and.
out of their pain. So you see it is King Richard who is the object of
compassion, for he wasn't killed.
I am led to believe that the prison regimen in Austria was not so
severe as it is now-a-days with us, when if a prisoner were heard
singing, or playing the fiddle, he would be prettily tickled by the
gaoler's cane ; for it appears that King Richard had the command of
a piano, and was in the habit of playing upon the guitar. It is
probable that the Duke of Austria thought there could be no harm
in his amusing himself in the lonely place in which, unknown to all
the world, King Richard was shut.
As for his subjects, I don't know whether they missed him very
much. But I have remarked that we pretty speedily get accustomed
to the absence of our kings and royal families ; and though, for
instance, there is our beloved Duke of Cumberland gone away to be
King of Hanover, yet we manage to bear our separation from that
august prince with tolerable resignation.
Well, it was lucky for the King that he was allowed his piano ; for
it chanced that a poor wandering minstrel (or organ-grinder, we
should call him), who had no doubt been in the habit of playing
tnnes before the King's palace in St. James's-street—for, you know,
the new police wasn't yet invented, to drive him off,—I say the
organ-grinder Blundell happened to be passing by this very castle in
Austria where Richard was, and seeing a big house, thought he
might as well venture a tune ; so he began that sweet one " Cherry
npe, che-erry ripe, ri-ip I cry-y and the Austrian soldiers, who
were smoking their pipes, and are very fond of music, exclaimed,
' Potztausend was ist das fur ein herrliches Lied %''
When Richard heard that well-known melody, which in happier
days he had so often heard Madame Vestris sing*, he replied at once
tm the piano, with "Home, sweet Home."_
* This settles the great question mooted eveiy week in the Sunday Times as to
tfee uge of that lady.
" Hullo !" says Blondell, or Blundell, "there must be an Englishman
here, and straightway struck up " Rule Britannia "—" When Britain
feh-eh-eh-erst at He-evn's command," &c, to which the king an-
swered by " God save the King."
Can it be—is it possible—no—yes—is it really our august monarch!
thought the minstrel—and his fine eyes filled with tears as lie ground
the sweet air " Who are you f'
To which the King answered by a fantasia composed of the two
tunes " The King, God bless him," and " Dicky Gossip, Dicky Gossip
is the man "—for though his name wasn't Gossip, yet you see he had
no other way of explaining himself.
Convinced by these melodies, Mr. Blundell replied rapidly by
"Charlie is my Darling," "All's Well," "We only part to meet
again," and, in short, with every other tune which might, as he
thought, console the royal prisoner. Then (only stopping to make a
rapid collection at the gate) he posted back to London as fast as his
legs would carry him, and told the parliament there that he had dis-
covered the place where our adored monarch was confined.
Immense collections were instantly made throughout the country
—some subscribed of their own accord, others were made to sub-
j scribe; and the Emperor of Germany, who was made acquainted with
I the fact, now, though the Duke of Austria had never said a word about
it previously, caused the latter prince to give up his prisoner ; and I
believe His Imperial Majesty took a good part of the ransom to
himself.
Thus at last, after years of weary captivity, our gracious King
Richard was restored to us. Fancy how glad he must have been to
see Hyde Park once more, and how joyful and happy his people were!
—I dare say he vowed never to quit Buckingham Palace again, and
to remain at home and make his people happy.
But do you suppose men so easily change their natures ?—Fiddle-
stick !—in about a month King Richard was fighting in France as
hard as ever, and at last was killed before a small castle which he
was besieging. He did not pass six months in England in the whole
course of his four years' reign : he did more harm to the country than
many a worse king could do ; and yet he was loved by his people for
his gallantry ; and somehow, although I know it is wrong, I can't
help having a sneaking regard for him too.
My loves, it is time that you should go to play. (Immense
enthusiasm, in the midst of which Miss T. retires.)
THE GRAND AQUATIC PROGRESS.
(From our own Reporter.)
The determination of her Majesty to visit her Scotch dominions having
been made generally known, the sun turned out of its bed in the east and
the tide rose at an unusually early hour, for the purpose of facilitating the
views and promoting the objects of royalty. At about two in the
morning the ringing of the bedroom bell announced to the household that
the royal hot water for the princely shave was immediately wanted, and a
jug filled from the kitchen boiler was soon standing at the door of Prince
Albert's dressing-room. The Master of the Household, who had tied a
piece of string to his own great toe, and caused the other end of it to be
fastened to the thumb of the Lord in Waiting, was forcibly dragged from
his bed before daybreak, and was compelled to hop on one leg to the key-
hole, through which the twine had been passed, and %vas being mercilessly
tugged by Silver Stick, who was determined that the Master of the
Household should not go off into a second sleep, and thus be unprepared
for attendance at the proper hour on his royal mistress.
The Equerry in Waiting having been sprinkled with cold water at