173.33 Caxton] William Caxton (ca. 1422-1491) set up the first printing press in England in 1476. Among his best productions are the Morte d’Arthur and Canterbury Tales.
173.33 Wynkin de Worde] See note 103.20.
175.24 ... Theophilus of Cesarea] It is not at all clear which Theophilus Irving is referring to. The most likely candidate is Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria (385-428).
175.24 St. Cyprian] (ca. 200-258), bishop of Carthage.
175.24 St. Chrysostom] (345?-407), archbishop of Constantinople; the most famous Greek father.
175.25 St. Augustine] (354-430), bishop of Hippo. The greatest of the Latin fathers of the Church. Author of the City of God and Confessions.
175.25 a cloud more] See Heb. 12:1: “a cloud of witnesses.”
176.8 Prynne] William Prynne (1600-1669), Puritan pamphleteer who compiled an enormous book attacking the theater, entitled Histrio-Mastix.
176.9 round heads] That is, Puritans.
176.40-42 *“Ule! Ule! / Three puddings in a pule; / Crack nuts and cry ule!”] Unidentified.
177.18-23 Poor Robin ... catch ’em] See note 157.39.
177.22 duke Humphry] To dine with Duke Humphrey meant to fast.
177.23 Squire Ketch] Usually “Jack Ketch,” meaning the hangman, after a famous one of the seventeenth century.
177.37 black jacks] Large leather beer cups or jugs, coated with tar.
177.41 Round about our Sea-coal Fire] The quotation is from Round about our Coal Fire, or Christmas Entertainments (chap. 1, p. 1), an eighteenth-century pamphlet.
178.35 a Christmas box] An earthenware box in which apprentices and others collected contributions at Christmas. The box was later broken and the contents shared.
179.23 oil and wine] A frequently repeated biblical phrase.
THE CHRISTMAS DINNER
180.14 WITHER’S JUVENILIA] George Wither or Withers (1588-1667), poet and pamphleteer. This is the first stanza of “A Christmas Carol,” Juvenilia, 1622, pt. 3.
180.21-26 Just in this nick....] Stanza 15 of “A Ballad upon a wedding,” published in Fragmenta Aurea (1646). Sir John Suckling (1609-1642), royalist poet and playwright.
181.8-9 Belshazzar’s parade of the vessels....] The incident, but not the quotation, is found in Dan. 5:1-4.
181.22 Holbein’s portraits] Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543), German painter who painted the portraits of many of the chief men of England, including King Henry VIII.
181.22 Albert Durer’s prints] Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), German painter and graphic artist.
182.8-13 Caput apri defero ... convivio] One of at least four known versions of the “Boar’s Head Carol.” This one was first printed in Wynkyn de Worde’s Christmasse Carolles (1521). Translation: “The boar’s head I bring, giving praises to the Lord ... who are present at the feast.”
183.5 full of expectation] Henry IV, Part I, II, iii, “a good plot, good friends, and full of expectation.”
183.25 servire cantico] Serve with a song.
183.30 In Reginensi Atrio] In the king’s hall.
183.38 ... ancient oath, used by Justice Shallow, “by cock and pye.”] Henry IV, Part II, v, i, and Merry Wives of Windsor, I, i, “Cock” is a corruption of “God,” and “pye” is the service book of the pre-Reformation church.
183.39 Massinger in his City Madam] Philip Massinger (1583-1640), the dramatist. The quotation is from City Madam, II, i.
184.37-42 Next crowne ... a swinger] From Herrick’s “Twelfe night, or King and Queen,” lines 19-24. F. Max Patrick’s Complete Poetry of Robert Herrick annotates “Lamb’s Wool” as “apple pulp,” and “a swinger” as “a whopper.”
185.5-18 The brown bowle, / The merry brown bowle, /..../ And sound a lusty laugh-a.*] The second stanza of a poem for June beginning “The Black Jack, / The merry Black Jack,” in Tutin’s Poor Robin’s Almanack: Selected Verses (n.d.) (see note 157.39).
185.24 slow hound] sleuth hound.
185.38 ARCHAEOLOGIA] Archaeologia: or, Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, Published by the Society of Antiquaries of London, was first published in 1773.
186.31-32 an “alphabet of faces,”] Thomas Nashe, Pierce Penilesse His Supplication to the Divell (1592); R. W. McKerrow, ed., The Works of Thomas Nashe, I, 167, line 35.
186.42-187.1 “Cupid’s Solicitor for Love;”] The verse is from “Song upon the wooing of a Widow,” in Cupid’s Solicitor of Love (ca. 1640), by Richard Crimsall.
187.8 Joe Miller] (1684-1738) was a comic actor at Drury Lane, but Joe Miller’s jests, or the Wit’s Vade Mecum, published after his death, was a collection of jokes by John Motley, a dramatist.
187.26 mock fairies about Falstaff] Merry Wives of Windsor, V, v.
187.40 STOW] The note is from Stow’s Survey of London, 1603 edition, p. 98. See note 92.41.
189.34 Covenanters] Those who supported the Scottish National Covenant of 1638, or the English Parliament’s Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, which were directed toward the extirpation of Catholicism and Episcopacy.
190.37 Sir John Hawkins] (1719-1789). His General History of the Science and Practice of Music appeared in 1776.
191.25-30 At the time of ... Newstead Abbey.] Irving spent Christmas of 1831 at Barlborough Hall, Derbyshire, and then visited at Newstead Abbey, formerly Byron’s home.
LONDON ANTIQUES
192.2-6—————I do walk ... FLETCHER] I cannot find which of the many poets named Fletcher wrote this verse. “Guido Vaux” is Guy Fawkes, a chief conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot, which almost succeeded in blowing up both houses of Parliament and King James I on November 5, 1605. “William o‘the Wisp” (or Will-o’-the-wisp) is a malicious sprite who misled travelers; Robin Goodfellow (Puck) is a mischievous elf.
192.39 Knights Templars] The most famous of the three great military orders founded in the twelfth century. They originated in the Holy Land after the first crusade, and took their name from the so-called Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem where they were quartered.
195.27 Sir Thomas Sutton] (1532-1611). He made a fortune from coal mines.
195.35-196.5 Stow ... brotherly love.“] Stow died six years before the hospital was founded. The quotations are not from Stow but from John Strype’s edition of Stow’s Survey (London, 1754), bk. 1, chap. 27. See note 92.41.
LITTLE BRITAIN
197.2-5 What I write.... NASHE] From Thomas Nashe’s prose work, Christ’s Tears Over Jerusalem. Whereunto is annexed a comparative admonition to London, published in 1593. See also note 94.35.
198.29 eat pan cakes on Shrove Tuesday] Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, on which, in the middle ages, sins were confessed in preparation for Lent. The eating of pancakes derives from the need to use up eggs and fat, which were prohibited during Lent.
198.30 Michaelmas] The feast of the archangel Michael, September 29.
198.31-32 bum the Pope on the Fifth of November] November 5 is Guy Fawkes Day, celebrating the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. See note 192.2-6.
198.38-39 the figures that strike the hours at St. Dunstan’s clock] One of London’s most popular sights were the two savages (or Hercules) which struck the hours of the clock of St. Dunstan’s-in-the-West. When the church was razed in 1630, the figures were sold to the marquis of Hertford and taken to his villa at Regent’s Park, still known as St. Dunstan’s.
198.39 the Monument] See note 93.22.
198.39; 199.1 lions in the Tower] Stow’s Survey of London says: “Henry I build his manor of Woodstock.... He placed therein ... divers strange beasts ... such as ... lions, leopards, lynxes ... and such other.” Since the time of Henry III “these lions and others have been kept in a part of this bulwark, now called the Lion Tower....” For Stow see note 92.41.
199.1 the wooden giants in Guildhall] See note 92.34-35.
199.27-28 Robert Nixon] Known as the Cheshire prophet, he was apparently an idiot who at intervals delivered oracles. His dates and even his existence are in doubt.
199.28 Mother Shipton] She was a supposed witch and prophetess who, according to tradition, lived in the late fifteenth century in Yorkshire.
199.34-35 the grasshopper on the top of the Exchange] The grasshopper was the crest of Sir Thomas Gresham, who founded the Royal Exchange, and a figure of one stood on top of the building.
199.38-40 repairs ... workshop] These took place in 1820. On the church of St. Mary le Bow, see note 94.35.
200.4-6 The good old king ... had all at once given up the ghost; another king had mounted the throne] George III died January 29, 1820, and his son was crowned George IV.
200.6 a royal duke had died suddenly] Edward, duke of Kent, fourth son of George III, and father of Queen Victoria, died January 23, 1820.
200.6-7 another, in France, had been murdered] The Duc de Berri, son of Charles X, was murdered as he left the Paris Opera House on February 14, 1820.
200.7 there had been radical meetings] Agitation for reform, on such issues as universal suffrage and annual parliaments, led to frequent radical meetings between 1816 and 1819, especially in northern England.
200.8 the bloody scenes at Manchester] The Manchester or “Peterloo” massacre of August 16, 1819, when a huge meeting of wording people, held to demand Parliamentary reform, was charged by cavalry. A dozen people were killed and hundreds were injured.
200.8-9 the great plot in Cato Street] The foiled conspiracy of Arthur Thistlewood and twenty-three other Radicals to assassinate the members of the English Cabinet, while they were at dinner on February 23, 1820, resulted in the hanging of Thistlewood and four others.
200.9 the Queen had returned to England] Caroline, wife of George IV, had been excluded from court while her husband was regent, and had been living in Italy. On George’s accession to the throne in 1820 she returned to England to claim her rights as queen.
200.17-18 that steeple ... Wittington and his Cat] Richard Whittington (d. 1423) was an extremely wealthy man, and several times mayor of London. Popular legend has him a poor orphan who makes his fortune by capitalizing on the rat-catching abilities of his cat, and by heeding the sound of Bow bells. See note 94.35.
200.26 Gentleman’s Magazine] Founded by its publisher, Edward Cave, in 1731. Samuel Johnson later joined the staff. The bulk of the magazine, which appeared monthly until 1907, consisted of excerpts and condensations from the newspapers.
200.26 Rapin’s History of England] Paul de Rapin (1661-1725) wrote a History of England (1723-1725) to the time of William and Mary.
200.27 Naval Chronicle] A history of the Royal Navy, containing original papers on nautical matters. It appeared between 1799 and 1818.
201.1 Margate] A seaside report on the Isle of Thanet, in Kent.
201.25-26 “Truman, Hanbury, and Co’s. Entire,”] “Entire” or “Entire butt” was a mixture of ale, beer, and twopenny, similar to what is now referred to in England as “Porter.”
201.26 Old Tom] A strong English gin.
201.27 Bacchus and Momus] In classical mythology Bacchus is god of wine and intoxication while Momus is god of mockery and censure.
202.7 trowle] Now spelled troll. A round. “Trowle” in the third stanza of the song means “pass.”
202.7 Gammer Gurton’s Needle] One of the earliest English comedies, written probably by William Stevenson about 1559, and performed at Christ’s College, Cambridge. The “Confession of Faith” opens act 2.
202.18-25; 203.28-41 I cannot eate....] Nut browne toste: “nut browne and tost: ale”; crab: crab apple; mault-worme: “malt worm: one who loves malt liquor.” (Definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary.)
203.8 St. Bartholomew’s Fair] King Henry I granted a charter to Royer or Rahere, the king’s minstrel, founder and first prior of the Priory and Hospital of St. Bartholomew, Smithfield, to hold an annual fair and use the proceeds for his institution. In the early eighteenth century the Fair became notoriously immoral. Ben Jonson’s comedy, Bartholomew Fair, gives a fine picture of the event. The following notes on shows at the Fair come from H. Morley’s Memoirs of Bartholomew Fair (1859).
203.8-9 Lord Mayor’s day] November 9, the date of inauguration of the Lord Mayor of London.
203.21 the Flying Horses] Horse shows were quite popular at such fairs, but this particular act is unidentified. See, for example, Dickens’ Hard Times.
203.22 Signior Polito] The owner of a famous menagerie or Wild Beast Show.
203.22 the Fire Eater] Madame Josephine Girardelli, the “Fireproof Lady” or the “Female Salamander,” was a well-known “fire-eater” at the Fair in the years before Irving wrote “Little Britain.”
203.22 the celebrated Mr. Paap] The Dutch dwarf, Sampoeman, known as Simon Paap. He was shown at the Fair in 1815, and later presented to the Royal Family. At the time, he was 26 years old, weighed 27 pounds, and measured 28 inches in height.
203.22-23 the Irish Giant] Perhaps Patrick O’Brien, who was last exhibited in 1804.
204.5 Temple Bar] One of the gates of the city of London, at the junction of the Strand and Fleet Street. The last actual gateway was removed in 1878. The sovereign ceremonially halts there to receive permission from the Lord Mayor to enter the City.
204.17 train bands] See note 95.16.
204.34 All-Fours] a card game.
204.34 Pope-Joan] Unidentified.
204.34-35 Tom-come-tickle-me] Apparently a kind of a tag game.
204.38 Epping Forest] About 16 miles from Little Britain.
205.35 Kean] Edmund Kean (1787-1833), perhaps England’s greatest tragic actor. His portrayals of Shylock and Lear in particular are landmarks in theatrical history.
STRATFORD-ON-AVON
209.6 GARRICK] David Garrick (1717-1779), the famous actor. The quotation is the first stanza of Air VI of his “Ode” composed for the Stratford jubilee of 1769, which he was instrumental in organizing.
209.19-20 “Shall I not take mine ease in mine inn?”] Henry IV, Part I, III, iii.
209.31-32 the Jubilee, and David Garrick]
210.10 a garrulous old lady] Mrs. Mary Hornby, who lived at the birth-place from 1793 to 1820.
210.20 Shakespeare’s mulberry tree] This tree stood in the garden of Shakespeare’s house, New Place, though there is no proof that he himself planted it. It was cut down in 1758 and numerous artifacts made from the wood.
210.36-37 the Santa Casa of Loretto] See note 78.6-7.
210.37 the flying chair of the Arabian enchanter] Possibly a reference to King Housain’s magic Persian carpet in the Arabian Nights.
210.38 sold ... to a northern princess] Known as Shakespeare’s chair, the original relic was sold in 1790 to Princess Czartoryska, who took it to Poland. But there were at least three other oak chairs for sale among Mrs. Hornby’s relics.
211.8 a play of her own composition] The Battle of Waterloo, a tragedy (Stratford-upon-Avon, 1819)
212.1 grand daughter] Sally Kite (afterward Trinder).
212.3 John Ange] Joseph Ainge, an almsman of the borough.
213.7-10 Good friend....] The spelling is modernized here.
213.36-37 Mrs. Hall] His first child. She was actually buried in the churchyard, not in the church.
213.38 John Combe, of usurious memory] The charge of usury probably derives from John Aubrey (1626-1697), collector of anecdotes, and appears to be unfair. John Combe, a wealthy Stratford bachelor, died in 1614 and left Shakespeare £5 in his will. The “ludicrous epitaph” supposedly written by Shakespeare can be found in Aubrey’s Brief Lives.
214.17-18 Sir Thomas Lucy] (1532-1600), owner of Charlecote Hall. The Lucys did not own a deer park during Shakespeare’s youth, though they did much later. The legend owes most to Nicholas Rowe’s biography of Shakespeare prefaced to his six-volume edition of the plays (1709).
214.31 revenged himself in his writings] This supposed revenge is in The Merry Wives of Windsor, I, i. See 220.12.
214.34-42 A parliament member ....] Although these lines were attributed to the poet by an
old man who lived near Stratford and died in 1703, they are probably not authentic.
215.32-33 a traditionary anecdote ... Avon.“] Picturesque Views on the Warwickshire Avon was published in 1795 by Samuel Ireland after a visit to Stratford to gather material for the book. His escort, John Jordan, Stratford poet and forger of Shakespeariana, apparently invented numerous village customs for his benefit, such as this one.
216.21-27; 217.1-2 song in Cymbeline ... lady sweet arise!] II, iii.
217.9-11 “to sit round the fire . . . goblins, and friars.”] Unidentified.
217.35 *Scot, in his “Discoverie of Witchcraft,”] Published in 1584, this scholarly work was written by Reginald Scot (d. 1599) to reveal the folly of persecuting witches. Shakespeare’s witches in Macbeth in part derive from it. The passage is from bk. 7, chap. 15.
218.19 meditations of Jaques] See As You Like It, II, vii.
218.30—37 Under the green wood tree ... winter and rough weather.] As You Like It, II, v. The second and third lines should read: “And turn his merry note / Unto the sweet bird’s throat.”
219.18-20 “Falstaff ... good air.”] Henry IV, Part II, V, iii.
220.38-39 a portrait by Sir Peter Lely] The portrait is actually by Sir Godfrey Kneller, a native of Holstein, who was invited to England in 1674. He was court painter from 1680 until his death in 1723. For Lely, see note 67.25.
221.16 as Master Slender would say, “a cane-coloured beard.”] It is Simple, not Slender, who, in The Merry Wives of Windsor, I, iv, speaks of a “cane [or ‘Cain’] coloured beard.”
221.41 *Bishop Earle] John Earle (1601-1665), chaplain to Charles II in exile, wrote Micro-cosmographie, or, A Peece of The World Discovered; In Essayes and Characters (1628). The quotation is from Number 17, An Upstart Knight.
222.17 with that pity “that dwells in womanhood.”] Unidentified.
222.18-19 brief authority] “Man, proud man! dressed in a little brief authority.” Measure for Measure, II, ii.
Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories Page 44