Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 1.djvu/9

Rh umbrella under his arm and goblet in his left hand; and on the extreme right is the same actor, as Grojan, a character in a long since forgotten farce, which seems never to have been printed, called 'Quite Correct,' adapted from the French by Joseph Ebsworth, and first produced at the Haymarket, July 29, 1825. There can be no doubt about Listen's features or the characters, because he is saying to Elliston, who with his left hand is giving a slice of cake to the monkey, "That's not correct," which is a catch-phrase of Grojan's, just as "I hope I don't intrude" is of Paul Pry's. It seems curious that Liston should be twice represented, but he was so popular that he frequently acted both these parts on the same night.

The monkey figure is intended for little George Wieland as the Chimpanzee in 'La Perouse,' a part which he had acted at Drury Lane, and which Edmund Kean is said to have played when he began, about 1809, but which had, no doubt, been completely forgotten. Wieland acquired a unique position as a representative of monkeys and sprites, and continued on the stage almost to the time of his death, which occurred on Nov. 6, 1847, at the age of 35. He was a member of the Acting Committee of the Theatrical Fund. One of West's best sets of characters is to be found in "The grand historical ballet called La Perouse, or the desolate Island, as performed at the English Opera House, published 25 October, 1819." T. P. Cooke was La Perouse, and Miss Leonora Pincott, afterwards Mrs. Alfred Wigan, is representing the chimpanzee.

The figures of Punch on the left and Judy on the right, holding their goblets in their left hands, are simply allegorical. It only remains to mention the figure holding the goblet in his left hand immediately above Elliston, which may be intended for John Charles Hughes, an actor of humorous parts, and for some years Secretary to the Drury Lane Theatrical Fund.

Ebsworth, who is mentioned above, married an elder sister of Miss Fairbrother, afterwards Mrs. Fitzgeorge, the wife of the late Duke of Cambridge. The late Rev. J. Woodfall Ebsworth was the son of this Joseph Ebsworth.

The artist who drew this Twelfth Night print was William Heath. He did hundreds of prints for West. Heath was quite aware of the fact that for a figure to come out right-handed he must draw it left-handed on the copper, since a proof taken from a copperplate represents everything the reverse of what it is in the drawing on the copper. Any one who wishes to see these prints can do so, at the Students' Print Room at the British Museum, where, for an occasional visit, no ticket is required.

It is quite clear that this copperplate engraving represents the cutting of the Drury Lane Baddeley Twelfth Night cake, well known in theatrical circles. I presume it was intended as a Twelfth Night card, of which at that time great numbers were issued every year. There is a good article 'On Twelfth Night as a Religious Period,' commenting on the decay of the custom of celebrating the twelfth night after Christmas, in Household Words for Dec. 26, 1896, p. 156.

a good many years past the Rector of Long Marston, that Master John Schorne, "gentleman born," who conjured the devil into a boot and was canonized by the voice of the people, if not by the authority of Rome, has been a standing subject of interest to readers of 'N. & Q.' The late Dr. Sparrow Simpson, in particular, was assiduous in collecting any tiling relating to the Buckinghamshire worthy, and there is but little known upon the subject which is not included in his articles in vols. xxiii., xxv., and xli. of the Journal of the British Archæological Association. Of later date there is a good summary in the number of The Reliquary for January 1901, not, however, adding anything fresh to what was already known, about this saint.

During the last few months I have been so fortunate as to come across a second copy of the Office for Sir John Schorne which was printed by Dr. Sparrow Simpson in the Journal of the British Archæological Association for 1885 (vol. xli. p. 262). Dr. Simpson's version was taken from Sloane MS. No. 389, folio 92, and was obviously the work of an illiterate person whose bad hand- writing made some passages quite unintelligible. The new version which has come to light is contained in a fifteenth-century collection of prayers, offices, &c., of English origin, belonging to Robert Berkeley, Esq.,