It represents the letters J. H. c. in the centre, surrounded by this legend, viz. "An harte that is wyse wyll obstine from As this legend reads backward, and all the carving is incuse, it was evidently intended to give impression to something; I imagine pastry. An original letter is now before me, from lord chancellor Thurlow, to a Norfolk farmer, who had sent him a hare, and two and a half brace of partridges, enclosed in a large turnip of his own growth. The farmer had not any personal knowledge of his lordship, but, being aware he was a Norfolk man, he rightly conceived that his present would be looked upon with more interest on that account. The following is a copy of the chancellor's letter: Bath, Dec. 31, 1778. Your most obliged Having transcribed his lordship's answer, you are at liberty to do with that, and the drawing of my carving, as you please; with this "special observance," The gradual disappearance of many singular traces of our ancestors, renders it necessary to call attention to the subject. Apostle Spoons," of which there is an engraving in vol. i. p. 178, have been dropping for the last thirty years into the refiner's melting-pot, till sets of them are not to be purchased, or even seen, except in cabinets. Any thing of interest respecting domestic manners, habits, or customs, of old times, is coveted by the editor for the purpose of recording and handing them down to posterity. NATURALISTS' CALENDAR. April 9. AN APRIL DAY. Some verses in the "Widow's Tale," are beautifully descriptive of the season. All day the lowhung clouds have dropt Their garnered fulness down; I could have half believed I heard The rain's continuous sound, Down straight into the ground. For leafy thickness is not yet Earth's naked breast to screen, Though every dripping branch is set With shoots of tender green. Art, as well as nature, is busily occupied in providing for real wants or natural desires. To gratify the ears and eyes of the young, we have more street organs and shows in spring than in the autumn,and the adventures of that merry fellow "Punch in the Puppet-show," are represented to successive crowds in every street, whence his exhibitors conceive they can extract funds for the increase of their treasury. A kind hand communicates an article of curious import, peculiarly seasonable. PUNCH IN THE PUPPET SHOW. To the Editor of the Every-Day Book. Sir, I do not know, whether in the absence of more interesting matter, a few remarks on an old favourite may be allowed. The character I am about to mention, has I am sure at one time or another delighted most of your readers, and I confess to be still amused with his vagariesI mean "that celebrated wooden Roscius, Mister Punch." It is very difficult to trace accurately the origin and variation of any character of this description; and I shall, therefore, only offer some unconnected notices. In some of the old mysteries, wherein you are so well read, "the devil" was the buffoon of the piece, and used to in dulge himself most freely in the gross indecencies tolerated in the earlier ages. When those mysteries began to be refined into moralities, the vice gradually superseded the former clown, if he may be so designated; and at the commencement of such change, frequently shared the comic part of the performance with him. The vice was armed with a dagger of lath, with which he was to belabour the devil, who, sometimes, however, at the conclusion of the piece, carried off the vice with him. Here we have something like the club wielded by Punch, and the wand of harlequin, at the present time, and a similar finish of the devil and Punch, may be seen daily in our streets. About the beginning of the sixteenth century the drama began to assume a more regular form, and the vice, in his turn, had to make way for the clown or fool, who served to fill up the space between the acts, by supposed extemporaneous witticisms; holding, occasionally, trials of wit with any of the spectators who were bold enough to venture with him. The last play, perhaps, in which the regular fool was introduced, was "The Woman Captain" of Shadwell, in the year 1680. Tarleton, in the time of Shakspeare, was a celebrated performer of this description. The fool was frequently dressed in a motley or party-coloured coat, and each leg clad in different coloured hose. A sort of hood covered his head, resem. bling a monk's cowl: this was afterwards changed for a cap, each being usually surmounted with the neck and head of a cock, or sometimes only the crest, or comb; hence the term cockscomb. In his hand he carried the bauble, a short stick, having at one end a fool's head, and at the other, frequently a bladder with peas or sand, to punish those who offended him. His dress was often adorned with morris-bells, or large knobs. We may observe much similarity to this dress, in the present costume of Punch. He degenerated into a wooden performer, about the time that the regular tragedy and comedy were introduced, i. e. in the beginning of the sixteenth century. Strolling players were prohibited a few years afterwards, and some of those performers who had not skill or interest enough to get a situation in any established company, went about the country with puppet shows, or "motions," as they were then called, wherein Punch was a pro minent character, though not by that name, which was a subsequent importation, originally Policinello, or Punchinello; and when this name was introduced from the continent, some modifications were made also in the character to whom the name was attached. The civil wars, and subsequent triumph of puritanism, depressed theatrical proceedings, and Punch with other performers was obliged to hide himself, or act by stealth; but in the jovial reign of Charles II., he, and his brother actors, broke out with renewed splendour, and until the time of George I. he maintained his rank manfully, being mentioned with considerable respect even by the "Spectator." About this time, however, harlequinades were introduced, and have been so successfully continued, that poor Punch is contented to walk the streets like a snail, with his house on his back, though still possessing as much fun as ever. Pantomime, in its more extended sense, was known to the Greek and Roman stages, being introduced on the latter by Pylades and Bathyllus, in the time of Augustus Cæsar. From that time to the present, different modifications of this representation have taken place on the continent, and the lofty scenes of ancient pantomime, are degenerated to the bizarre adventures of harlequin, pantaloon, zany, pierrot, scaramouch, &c. The first pantomine performed by grotesque characters in this country, was at Drury-lane theatre, in the year 1702. It was composed by Mr. Weaver, and called "The Tavern Bilkers." The next was performed at Drury-lane in 1716, and it was also composed by Mr. Weaver, in imitation of the ancient pantomime, and called "The Loves of Mars and Venus." In 1717, the first harlequinade, composed by Mr. Rich, was performed at the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, called, "Harlequin Executed." This performer, who acted under the name of Lun, was so celebrated for his taste in composing these entertainments, and for his skill, as a harlequin, that they soon became established in the public favour. He flourished until the year 1761, and all his productions succeeded. The harlequin on the French stage differed from ours, for he had considerable license of speech, somewhat similar to the theatric fools of the sixteenth century. Many of the witticisms of Dominique, a celebrated harlequin in the time of Louis XIV, are still on record; it is said, indeed, that before his time, harlequin was but a grotesque ignorant character, but that he being a man of wit, infused it into his representation, and invented the character of Pierrot as a foolish servant, to fill up the piece. The old character of zany was similar to our modern clown, who now is generally the possessor of all the wit in the performance. The name of pantaloon is said to have been derived from the watch-word of the Venetians, pianta leone; if so, (which is doubtful) it must have been applied in derision of their fallen state, as compared with their former splendour. A more doubtful origin has been given of the name of harlequin; a young Italian actor of eminence in this style of character, came to Paris in the time of Henry III. of France, and having been received into the house of the president, Achilles de Harlai, his brother actors, are said to have called him harlequino, from the name of his master. There was a knight called Harlequin, an extravagant dissipated man, who spent his substance in the wars of Charles Martel, against the Saracens, and afterwards lived by pillage. Tradition says he was saved from perdition in consequence of his services against the infidels, but condemned for a certain time to appear nightly upon earth, with those of his lineage. But, as to derivations, some have derived the term merry-andrew, from the time of the Druids, an Drieu, i. e. ArchDruid, others, from the celebrated Andrew Borde, the writer and empiric. The merry-andrew used at fairs to wear a patched coat like the modern harlequin, and sometimes a hunch on his back. It has been remarked that the common people are apt to give to some well-known facetious personage, the name of a favourite dish; hence, the jack-pudding of the English; the jean-potage of the French; the macaroni of the Italians, &c. A word or two more about Punch, and I have done. There are some hand-bills in the British Museum, of the time of queen Ann, from whence I made a few extracts some time ago. They principally relate to the shows at Bartlemy fair, and I observe at "Heatly's booth," that "the performances will be compleated with the merry humors of sir John Spendall and Punchinello;" and James Miles, at "the Gun-Musick booth," among other dances &c., exhibited 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. The famous comedian Edwin, (the Liston of his day) acted the part of Punch, in a piece called "The Mirror," at Coventgarden theatre: in this he introduced a burlesque song by C. Dibdin, which obtained some celebrity; evidently through the merit of the actor, rather than the song, as it has nothing particular to recommend it. Can't you see by my hunch, sir, I am master Punch, sir, Fiddeldy, diddeldy, faddeldy, daddeldy, Ribery, bibery, bino. That merry fellow Dancing here, you see, sir, Itself can quell He's ever in such glee, sir, Niddlety, noddlety, niddlety, noddlety, Then let me pass, old Grecian, Fiddledy, diddledy, faddledy, daddledy, My ranting, roaring Pluto, Will, laughing o'er his cup roar, And play the devil, And set all hell in an uproar, I therewith conclude this hasty communication, begging you to shorten it if you think proper. I am, &c. W. S Edwin's song in the character of Punch is far less offensive than many of the songs and - in "Don Juan," which see this ticket-"printed from a copper plate," ten inches high, by seven inches wide-as large as a lord mayor's ticket, and looking much better, because engraved by Toms, a fine firm artist of "the good old school," which taught truth as an essential, and prohibited refinements, not existing in nature or sensible objects, as detraction of character. It would do the reader's heart good, I say, to see the dinner ticket I am now looking at. First, above the invitationwhich is all that the lover of a dinner first sees and therefore, because nothing |