The same author tells us that, "To whip the cock is a piece of sport practised at wakes, horse-races, and fairs, in Leicestershire a cock being tied or fastened into a hat or basket, half a dozen carters, blindfolded, and armed with their cartwhips, are placed round it, who, after being turned thrice about, begin to whip the cock, which if any one strikes so as to make it cry out, it becomes his property; the joke is, that, instead of whipping the cock, they flog each other heartily." Drake tells us, in his Eboracum, p. 218, that "A fair is always kept in Mickle Gate (York), on St. Luke's day, for all sorts of small wares. It is commonly called Dish fair, from the great quantity of wooden dishes, ladles, &c., brought to it. There is an old custom used at this fair of bearing a wooden ladle in a sling on two stangs about it, carried by four sturdy labourers, and each labourer was formerly supported by another. This, without doubt, is a ridicule on the meanness of the wares brought to this fair, small benefit accruing to the labourers at it. Held by charter, Jan. 25, an. Reg. Regis Hen. VII. 17.”

There is an annual fair held in the Broad Gate at Lincoln on the 14th of September, called Fools fair, for the sale of cattle, so called on that authority, as follows: "King William and his Queen, having visited Lincoln while on their tour through the kingdom, made the citizens an offer to serve them in any manner they liked best. They asked for a fair, though it was harvest, when few people can attend it, and though the town had no trade nor any manufacture. The king smiled, and granted their request; observing that it was a humble one indeed."

In the Statistical Account of Scotland, vii. 622, parish of Dundonald, Ayreshire, we read: "An ancient practice still continues in this parish and neighbourhood, of kindling a large fire, or tawnle as it is usually termed, of wood, upon some eminence, and making merry around it, upon the eve of the Wednesday of Marymass fair in Irvine (which begins on the third Monday of August, and continues the whole week). As most fair-days in this country were formerly popish holydays, and their eves were usually spent in religious ceremonies and in diversions, it has been supposed that tawnles were first lighted up by our Catholic fathers, though some derive their origin from the Druidical times." Ibid. xiii. 77, parish of

Kenethmont, co. Aberdeen: "Fair at Christ's Kirk in the month of May. This fair was kept on the green, and in the night; hence it was by the people called Sleepy-market. About thirty-five or thirty-six years ago, the proprietor changed it from night to day; but so strong was the prepossession of the people in favour of the old custom, that, rather than comply with the alteration, they chose to neglect it altogether."

In the same work, xviii. 612, parish of Marykirk, co. Kincardine, we read: "On the outside of the church, strongly fixed to the wall, are the joggs. These were made use of, when the weekly market and annual fair stood, to confine and punish those who had broken the peace, or used too much freedom with the property of others. The stocks were used for the feet, and the joggs for the neck of the offender, in which he was confined, at least during the time of the fair." Though the worthy minister who drew up this account has omitted the etymology of joggs, I should think it a very obvious one-from jugum, a yoke.

Ray has preserved two old English proverbs that relate to fairs: "Men speak of the fair as things went with them there;" as also, "To come a day after the fair." The first seems intended to rhyme.

PANTOMIME.

PAOL CINELLA-
PUNCHINELLO.

66

[IN the times of the inimitable and lamented Grimaldi, Joey Grimaldi," how eagerly did the pantomime lovers look forward every Christmas to the new pantomime of the year. In our boyhood we were lost in wonder at the magical power of Harlequin, the beauty of Columbine, the simplicity and folly of the Clown (whom we were frequently inclined to assist, by exposing the tricks which we saw were about to be practised on him), and the imbecility and peevishness of the Pantaloon. Everything was thought genuine; even the laughter was tempered with fear for the ultimate safety of Harlequin and Columbine. Peace to thee, Grimaldi! Thousands, and tens of thousands, in their days of childhood and youth, hast thou made happy, for many a joyous hour, by thy

drollery. Thousands, and tens of thousands, of their careworn elders hast thou relieved from many a weary hour, and charmed by thine unrivalled humour.

The Genius of Pantomime seems to have taken his departure with him, or at least to have nodded very considerably since; whether to revive or not, is a problem to be worked out. The theory of our modern Pantomime does not seem well understood. D'Israeli has collected some interesting materials on the various characters. He considers the Italian harlequin to have represented the ancient Mime, but he seems to have been the clown, or butt of the performance, until Goldoni took a fancy to him, and turned him into a wit. A great deal of amusing and valuable information on the subject may also be found in the History of Punch and Judy, with George Cruikshank's capital illustrations, 1828. Harlequin, on the French stage, became a wit and improvisatore, somewhat perhaps in the style of our Tarlton and Kempe. Tiberio Fiurilli, who invented the character of Scaramouch, was the companion of the boyhood of Louis XIV., and Dominic, the celebrated harlequin, was also occasionally admitted to the table of that monarch. The story is well known of Louis directing some partridges that were on a silver dish, to be given to him. "Give Dominic that dish." "And the partridges, too?" said the wily actor. Dr. Clarke, in his Travels, viii. 104-7, gives a mythological origin to harlequin, considering him to have descended, with his sword and cap, from Mercury, the clown from Momus, the pantaloon from Charon, and columbine from Psyche; and their adventures therefore alegorical. It may not be generally known that when harlequin puts on his cap he is supposed to be invisible; the various wishing and invisible caps of romance would hence appear to have some connexion with him. His sword, however, must have some relation to the dagger or lath of the vice in the old moralities, and perhaps to the staff or bauble of our fools, as his variegated dress might also have, though in richer style, to their parti-coloured attire. These fools, however, had occasionally rich apparel, as for instance, in the Christmas revels at court, 5th Edward VI., the principal one had "a long fooles coat of yellow cloth of gold, all over figured with velvet, white, red, and green, seven yards and a half, at 40s., garded with plain yellow cloth of gold, at 33s. 4d.; a hood and a pair of

buskins of the same, figured gold, and a girdle of yellow sarsnet." The clown's dress evidently has great similarity to the fools, and according to Dr. Clarke, the painted face and wide mouth were taken from the ancient masks. It may be added that the mimes wore the paniculus centumculus, or coat of different coloured pieces. In a note to Rabelais (ed. 1823, iii. 493, note), the writer also derives harlequin from Mercury, adducing his patchwork dress in proof, and then discourses on the origin of his name; amongst other things stating it to be a diminutive from harle or herle, a river-bird, and gives examples of it as far back as 1521. Though Harlequin was not introduced on our stage till about the beginning of the last century, yet his fame was known long before. Bianca, in Marston's Malcontent, about 1604, says, "The French harlequin will instruct you." Heywood, in his Apology for Actors, 1612, introduces him with other characters, thus: "To omit all the doctors, zawnyes, pantaloons, harlakeenes, in which the French, but especially the Italians, have beene excellent." Dryden refers to him also: "But I speak no Italian; only a few broken scraps, which I picked from scaramouch and harlequin at Paris." Limberham, act i. sc. 1.

About the time of Queen Anne, harlequin was probably introduced to the English stage, and he appears, together with punchinello, who also was naturalized about the same time, in some of the exhibition bills of that date, of which examples may be found in MS. Harl. 5931. Among these, for example, at Mat Heatly's booth, at Bartholomew fair was presented a little opera, called the Old Creation of the World, newly reviv'd; with the addition of the glorious battle obtained over the French and Spaniards, by his Grace the Duke of Marlborough completed with the merry humours of Sir John Spendall and Punchinello." James Miles (from Sadler's Wells, at Islington), at the Gun Music booth, in Bartholomew fair, among other dances advertises, "a New Entertainment between a Scaramouch, a Harlequin, and a Punchinello, in imitation of Bilking a Reckoning; and a new dance by four Scaramouches after the Italian manner," &c. One does not quite understand the "imitation of bilking a reckoning," but some pretty strong imitations may be found in the present day. The subject, however, must have been somewhat of a favorite, as the first pantomime performed by grotesque cha

racters in this country, is said to have been at Drury Lane Theatre, in 1702, composed by Mr. Weaver, and called the Tavern Bilkers. Harlequin, however, was not admitted without some opposition by the regulars; just as of late years we have objected to dramatic elephants, dogs, and horses. Listen, as a specimen, to a skit at him by Southerne:

"We hoped that art and genius had secur'd you,
But soon facetious Harlequin allur'd you;
The muses blush'd to see their friends exalting
Those elegant delights of jigg and vaulting."

Prologue to the Spartan Dame, about 1704.

In 1717, the celebrated Rich, who acted under the name of Lun, brought out his first harlequinade, called Harlequin Executed, at the theatre of Lincoln's Inn Fields. He was distinguished for his skill as a harlequin, and his talent for these compositions, and established them firmly in the public favour. He flourished till 1761, all his productions having succeeded.

With respect to Punchinello or Punch, he is mentioned in the Tatler and Spectator; but we must refer the Punchophilists to his History, before mentioned, adding, however, an origin of his name, with which the writer of that work and other writers on the subject were not acquainted. Silvio Fiorillo, a comedian, is stated to have invented the character of Pulcinella about the year 1600. An Italian friend, of considerable literary acquirements, gives the following version, which seems to supersede the various fancied derivations of the name. There was an old custom in Italy of keeping buffoons as waiters at inns, to attract and amuse travellers. Paolo, or Paol Cinella, was a buffoon or waiter of this description at an inn at Acerra, when Silvio Fiorillo, called Captain Matamoros, saw him, and was so pleased with his humour, that he induced him to join his troop of travelling comedians, and hence came the name to the character of Paol Cinella or Pulcinella. Silvio Fiorillo, he states, was called Captain, from being chief conductor of the troop; and Matamoros, from his acting the primo amoroso, or, as he was called in the Neapolitan dialect, the mat amoros (the madly in love), that being the first character in the comedies then in vogue.— JAN. T. in the Literary Gazette.]