Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II. Egan Pierce
customer,
303. A public character, 304.
Chapter xx.
The Tower of London, 305. Confusion of titles, 306. Interior
of the Trinity House, 307. Rag Fair commerce, 308. Itinerant
Jews and Depredators, 309. Lamentable state of the Jews,
310. Duke's Place and Synagogue, 311. Portuguese Jews, 312.
Bank of England, 313. An eccentric character, 314.
Lamentable effects of forgery, 315. Singular alteration of
mind, 316. Imaginary wealth, 317. Joint Stock Companies,
318. Auction Mart-Courtois, 319. Irresistible arguments,
320. Wealth without pride, 321. Royal Exchange, 322. A
prophecy fulfilled, 323. Lloyd's-Gresham Lecture, etc., 324.
The essential requisite, 325. Egress by storm, 326.
Chapter XXI.
Incident “ad infinitum,” 327. A distressed Poet, 328.
Interesting calculations, 329. Ingenuity in puffing, 330.
Blacking maker's Lauréat, 331. Miseries of literary
pursuits, 332. Suttling house, Horse Guards, 333. Merits of
two heroes, 334. Hibernian eloquence, 335. A pertinacious
Disputant, 336. Peace restored-Horse Guards, 337. Old
habits-The Miller's horse, 338. Covent Garden-Modern Drury,
339 A more than Herculean labour, 340. Police Office scene,
341. Bartholomew Fair, 342. A Knight of the Needle, 343.
Variance of opinion, 344. A visit to the Poet, 345. Produce
of literary pursuits, 346. Quantum versus Quality, 347.
Publishing by subscription, 348. Wealth and ignorance, 349.
Mutual gratification, 350.
Chapter XXII.
Symptoms of alarm, 351. Parties missing, 352. A strange
world, 353. Wanted, and must come, 354. Expectation alive,
355. A cure for melancholy, 356. Real Life a game, 357. The
game over, 358. Money-dropping arts, 359. Dividing a prize,
360. The Holy Alliance broke up, 361. New method of Hat
catching, 362. Dispatching a customer, 363. Laconic
colloquy, 364. Barkers, 365. A mistake corrected, 366.
Pawnbrokers, 367. The biter bit, 368. Miseries of
prostitution, 369. Wardrobe accommodations, 370. New species
of depredation, 371.
Chapter XXIII.
The Lock-up House, 372. Real Life with John Doe, etc., 373.
Every thing done by proxy, 374. Lottery of marriage, 375.
Sharp-shooting and skirmishing, 376. A fancy sketch, 377.
The universal talisman, 378. Living within bounds, 379. How
to live for ten years, 380. An accommodating host, 381. Life
in a lock-up house, 382.
Chapter XXIV.
A successful election, 383. Patriotic intentions, 384.
Political dinner, 385. Another bear-garden, 386. Charley's
theatre, 387. Bear-baiting sports, 388. The coronation, 389.
Coronation splendour, 390.
Chapter XXV.
Fancy sports, 392. Road to a fight, 393. New sentimental
journey, 394. Travelling chaff, 395. Humours of the road,
396. Lads of the fancy, 397. Centre of attraction, 398. A
force march, 399. Getting to work, 400. True game, 401. The
sublime and beautiful, 402. All's well-good night, 403.
Chapter XXVI.
Promenading reflections, 404. Anticipation, 405. Preliminary
observations, 406. Characters in masquerade, 407. Irish
sympathy, 408. Whimsicalities of character, 409. Masquerade
characters, 410. The watchman, 411. New characters, 412. The
sport alive, 413. Multifarious amusements, 414. Doctors
disagree, 415. Israelitish honesty, 416.
Chapter XXVII.
Ideal enjoyments, 417. A glance at new objects, 418. Street-
walking nuisances, 419. Cries of London-Mud-larks, etc.,
420. The Monument, 421. London Stone, 422. General Post-
Office, 423. Preparations for returning, 424. So endeth the
volume, 425.
REAL LIFE IN LONDON
CHAPTER I
Triumphant returning at night with the spoil,
Like Bachanals, shouting and gay:
How sweet with a bottle and song to refresh,
And lose the fatigues of the day.
With sport, wit, and wine, fickle fortune defy,
Dull 'wisdom all happiness sours;
Since Life is no more than a passage at best,
Let's strew the way over with flowers.
"THEY order these things better in London,” replied the Hon. Tom Dashall, to an old weather-beaten sportsman, who would fain have made a convert of our London Sprig of Fashion to the sports and delights of rural life. The party were regaling themselves after the dangers and fatigues of a very hard day's fox-chace; and, while the sparkling glass circulated, each, anxious to impress on the minds of the company the value of the exploits and amusements in which he felt most delight, became more animated and boisterous in his oratory—forgetting that excellent regulation which forms an article in some of the rules and orders of our “Free and Easies” in London, “that no more than three gentlemen shall be allowed to speak at the same time.” The whole party, consisting of fourteen, like a pack in full cry, had, with the kind assistance of the “rosy god,” become at the same moment most animated, not to say vociferous, orators. The young squire, Bob Tally ho, (as he was called) of Belville Hall, who had recently come into possession of this fine and extensive domain, was far from feeling indifferent to the pleasures of a sporting life, and, in the chace, had even acquired the reputation of being a “keen sportsman:” but the regular intercourse which took place between him and his cousin, the Hon. Tom Dashall, of Bond Street notoriety, had in some measure led to an indecision of character, and often when perusing the lively and fascinating descriptions which the latter drew of the passing scenes in the gay metropolis, Bob would break out into an involuntary exclamation of—“Curse me, but after all, this only is Real Life; “—while, for the moment, horses, dogs, and gun, with the whole paraphernalia of sporting, were annihilated. Indeed, to do justice to his elegant and highly-finished friend, these pictures were the production of a master-hand, and might have made a dangerous impression on minds more stoical and determined than that of Bob's. The opera, theatres, fashionable pursuits, characters, objects, &c. all became in succession