The Washington herald., 1913-10-24
Court Gossip OF Interesting
Epents on TlvO Continents
: iCopTrirht isl, ~ A n Jacob,on.1


fcspgught. isls. by A. u. Jacobson,
The Fountain" in Canterbury, the
oldest inn in England. which is TO be
razed, to make room for modern Inn
provement, lays claim to the title of be-
ing the oldest tavern in that country. II
was here that the wife OF Earl Goodwin
stopped. when she went to meet her hus-
band upon his return from Denmark in
1923. This is some antiquity, indeed.
Also, 1t is recorded that the Archbishop
Lanfranc resided there temporarily dur
ing the rebuilding OF his palace in 100
Furthermore. II IS told that the four
knights who assassinated Thomas a
Beckett. met at THE Fountain" Later.
in 1898. that inn was the scene Of much
gayetT when the marriage OF King Ed
ward I to Margaret OF France was SOL
emDized at Canterbury Cathedral.
Some chroniclers claim that the
Romans, who occupied Britain from A.
d. 43 to 26. established inns there Anti
quarians declare that official posting
houses were dotted along the main
highway. But IL this was the case, no
trace remains of them, and take It that
with the coming OF the Anglo-Saxons
they were destroyed when the land was
rudely devastated. England must have
been innless for centuriess but chance
travellers were Hospitality received at the
numerous monasteries. AS travel grew
larger these monasteries were Obliged to
establish inns, which were patronized
mostly by pilgrims on their way 40 and
from local shrines.
Next TO ''The Fountain" the oldest inn
perhaps is THE Ostrich" at Colnbrook,
said TO be 200 odd years in existence.
The George and Dragon" at Speedhurst,
.1lr 81
days of Henry III. and '"The Running
Horse at Leatherhead. is mentioned in
chronicles OF the reign OF Henry VIII.
Signs of the "Saracen's Head" in Lon
don streets used TO be as common as
The Red Lion" or "The Kings Arms
in later centuries These inns are to be
traced back to the crusades. But their
number diminished gradually until by
the middle of the eighteenth century
only two hostelries with this. sign were
left:
As the sanccn's head tour poured ale and wine
Untl his head was like the sign.
One OF these inns was without New
gate" on the steep ascent, now known as
Snow Hill. while the other was between
Leadenhall Street and Allgate. Both have
disappeared long ago.
London once boasted two "devil' tav-
erns. At one of them the society of
Antiquaries was started. The other was
more famous still owing to its associa-
tons with Ben Jonson and his gang"
The latter was the original Devil" inn
and stood opposite st. Dunstan's Church.
II was named in honor of the sainted
blacksmith in the act of taking the devil
by the nose. Next TO the Mermaid II
was the favorite rendezvous of the wits
OF the Elizabethan age. II was demolished
in lISS, and on its site stands now Childs
Bank.
At the Devil Inn Ben Jonson's ceIe-
brated club met in the Apollo room. for
the gatherings of WHICH he composed the
'Leges Convivales" One of these COM
manded that ''Insipida poemata null
recitantur' CNo insipid verses are to be
read here. His word was law in the
Devil:
4 Scot will fght for Christ's kirk O. the green
And each true Briton is 10 Ben - civil
In -She eighteenth century the Apollo
became a public hail. where great adde's
auctioned OF their Jewels and laureates
reheaFsed their court odes:
When laureates make odes do you ask Of what sort'
You 70 @1y 5aals-fTsn the De'ir tAsy came to the
And so from the court to the "Deri!'
Less famous, perhaps. but more motor
ious, was the Rose. Tavern. in Russell
Street. Covent Garden, next door to the
old Drury Lane. 1t was demolished in
I776, when GaTrick enlarged his theater,
upon the new front of which the sign of
the Rose was enclosed in an oval medal
lion. Actors, authors. wits. and royster-
eTS frequented that inn and from its
hOspitable tables sailed forth to COM
nit all sorts of nocturnal depredations.
These titled bullies and ruffians had
distinct organizations, the leading among
them being the Mohock Society. Its
rival was the 'Scowrer' gang, whose
headquarters. was the Rose Inn:
Who has not heard the ScowreT's fame!
Who has not trembled at the Mohock 5 name.
Was there a Watchman on his hourly rounds
Safe from their blows or new-inyented woundsg
Not so well known is the fact that at
the Rose" in November, 1712, the
tragedy had its beginning. when Lord
Mehun met the Duke of Hamilton and