New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-16
MR.. BESANTS "LONDON."
HIS ENTERTAINING ESSAYS GATHERED INTO
A VOLUME.

book. 1t shows all the way tmoush "'ao "'
author has no wish TO appear wiser as 10 the IN
terests of given age than the people OF .iia'
age were in their own behalf. Not little modern
philosophy seems TO have for basis the assump-
ton. If we had lived then things would have
been different The human individual is too
ready to appropriate as matter of personal merit
the improvements in the machines of civilization
which have made him what he is. Mr.. Besant is
strongly persuaded that people in themselves are
much what they have always been, and he quotes
with approval the remark of Alphonse karr, " the
more we change the more VIC remain the same
So he SAYS OF Londoners in Saxon and Norman
times 1.-THE indoor amusements of the time were
very much like our own. We have little music
in the evening, 80 did our forefatheS; we some
times have little dancing, so did they, but the
dancing was done for them, we go to the thea
tres to see the mime in their days the mime
made his theatre II the great mans hall. lie
played the fiddle and the harp; he sang songs; he
brought his daughter, who walked on her hands
and executed astonishing capers the gleeman,
minstrel, jongleur was already as disreputabie
as when we find him later Oh with his ribauderle
Again, we play chess, so did our ancestors; we
gamble with dice, so did they; we feast and drink
together, so did they; pass the time in talk,
did they"
After calling attention TO the fact that from
the conquest OF Britain by the Saxons London
was inhabited by a mixed race in which the East
Saxons predominated, he adds Strangely, it is
Essex which has always prevailed in London
The modern Cockney dialect which says lady
and baby for lady and baby, and whoy and
hoigh' for why and high is pure Essex; you can
hear it spoken all the country districts OF
that little visited county; it is dialect SO strong
~ II.
the burr of Cumberland and the broad drawl Of
DevOnshire." That Is to say, so little has human
nature been modified in thirteen hundred years
of London life by the inflow of foreign blood,
which has been great, by the effect Of foreign
customs, and by the notifications within the
nation itself, that the earliest influences are not
merely discoverable, but protrusive not merely
limited in sounds hard TO fix, but vociferous at
every street corner. Again, as TO vice familiar
all around the globe he says Of Pantagenet Lon
don One more amusement must he mentioned,
because it is the only one Of which the honest
Londoners have never wearied. IL is mentioned
by the worthy Fftz Stephen. II still continues
TO afford joy to millions. The craftsman of the
fourteenth century found it at the Mermaid in
Cornhill, the Three Tuns Of Ncwgate, or the
Swan of Dowgate, the Salutation Of Billings
gate, the Bears Head OF London Stone. He
found it in company with his fellows, and whether
he took it out Of glass or a silver mazer, or
black jack he took it joyfully, and he took it
abundantly Tosspots and swinkcrs were they
then; tosspots and swinkers are they still
Within the last week the delight OF human
nature in more or less harmonious noises -har
mony might be an accident, but noise was indispcn-
been exemplified TO the fullest extent
in Ncw-York. Mr.. Hsant cleverly introduces the
trait by an alusion 10 Rabeais's hooking ccnsurc
on the iingle-jange emitted by medieval bel frics
" In truth" says our author, every medieval city
lie Sonnantc and the greater, the richer the
more populous. the more powerful was the city, tho
louder and the more frequent were the iinglings
and the ianglings, the sonorous cang and the meo-
dious peal, the chimings and the strkings. the
music and the Earring of tho thousand bells They
rang all day long they rang from the great cathc-
dral and from the little parish church; from the
stately monastery, the nunnery, the college of
priests, the spta, the chantry. the chapel and the
hermitage. They rang for festivals for fasts, for
pagcants for proceTscns for births. for marriages
and funerals; for the election of city officers for
coronntons, for victories and for daily service:
they rang to mark the day and the hour; they
rang in the baby; they rang out the passing soul
they rang for the bride; they rang in memory of
the dead they rang for work TO begin and for
work TO cease With their ringing the city
was never quiet. So in this. our later dav.
the multitudinous tripper or the IIalcluah Lad is
not happy unless he can make, rs he goes music
loud music-in the train and on the sands So
again those who march in procession do not feel
complete without n braying hand with drums great
ana small. banging and beating and roaring an ac-
compartment TO the notices on thc. banners. and
uplifting the souls Of the champions who arc about
to harangue the multitude" Scratch a Russian
and you raise Cossack. TitiIlate the average
civilized man and YOU get a savage with undi,nin
ishcd affection for the tom-tom
Still dealing with the Phntagcnet ero Mr.
lfsant turns TO the administration of Justice and
Is again struck by the want of change in human
nature The cases before the Mayors Court ="
SAYS he, remind ia OF the remarkable resemblance
we bear 10 our ancestors. They are monotonous
because they read like the cases in n modern
Police Court. Giles Pykcman goes in terror Of
his life because certain persons threaten him.
but they find surety for good behavior John
Edmond Commonger, convicted Of passing off
bad oats for good-pillory. John William. for
passing OIL rings Of lattcn as rings Of god-piory
Nicholas Mollere, for spreading false news-pil-
Tory, with milestone round his neck 10 mark
the offence Heavens If this offence were again
made penal John Mayn, indicted for being a
eper-banished out OF the city. Robert Brc
bason, stocISfsh-monger charged with assault
in the presence of the Mayor. Not case for
the pillory. this; let him be imprisoned for a
year and day in Newsate. Alice ShcItoir
charged with being common scod-to the thew
John Rykorre, cordwainer, for forging a bond
pilory." The only thing strange about these
cases il the form Of punishment, and even that
would be familiar in the State of Delaware
The vivaciOus essayist pauses for a moment in
astOnshment at the waDt0n and wholesale de-
struction in Tudor times of magnificent build
ings, which time, if not religion should have
rendered sacred. Once only" he ex-
claims, the citizens demonstrated. II
was in the hope Of saving from
destruction the lofty and most beautiful
spire of Austin Frars, but in vain IL seems 70