Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 1.djvu/249

 II

S. I. MAR. 26, '98.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

241

LONDON, SATVEDAY, MARCH 96, 1898.

CONTENTS. -No. 13.

N3TES .'The Recruiting Officer,' 241-Manchester Exhi- bition, 242 -"Twibil"- Highland Dress, 243-M.P.s- Amerizo Vespucci Ann Cateley John Nicks' March to Finchley,' 244 Restoration of Heraldry " Settle Cheltenham, 245 T. Flatman "For time immemorial Southey " Outis" Mangan, 246.

O (JERIES -. " Hilary Term " " Hoast ": " Whoost " - " Hobby-horse " Author of Poem " Dain " Horace Walpole Undergraduate Gowns" Castlereagh Wales, 247 Victor Hugo " Bull-doze" BrummellDu Plessy Carmichael Egyptian Meal " Keg-meg "Rev. J. B. Smith - Tod - Orford - Lord Rancliffe - Valentines - Bicycles Marquis de Miremont Mortar and Pestle, 248 Wine-press Monastic Records Source of Quotation R. Raikes-Rev. Mr. Marriot, 249.

REPLIES Superstitions, 249 Epitaph Olney, 250 Anne May F. W. Newman Cound Remembrance of Past Joy " Table de Communion," 251 " Trunched "Heraldic- Lady Smyth-Tyrawley=Wewitzer, 252-General Wade, 253 Rev. J. Hicks, 254 Napoleon's Invasion of England- Tom Matthews Donne's ' Poems,' 255 Foundation Stone of Bt. Paul's-Cromwell R. W. Buss, 256 Church Dedi- cations -Hammersley's Bank, 257 Short a v. Italian a Social Life in the Time of Queen Anne' Old English Letters, 258.

NOTES ON BOOKS : Bruun's 'Art of the Illuminated Manuscripts of the Middle Ages' Addison's Graduates of Glasgow University ' Woodhouse's 'jEtolia 'The Antiquary West Ham Library Notes The Sandwith Pedigree'' Aitken's 'Spectator' White on 'Wordsworth's Apostasy' 'Willing's Press Guide ' Newbolt's 'Con- solidation.'

Notices to Correspondents.

' THE RECRUITING OFFICER.' IN olden days one of the most picturesque inns in Shrewsbury was that which bore for its sign the black raven of the Corbets. I The original house, which was a black-and- white building of the class typified by "The I Feathers" at Ludlow, was pulled down, -I have been told, between forty and fifty years ago, and the present structure, which re- minds us in some of its features of the I palaces that line the Grand Canal at Venice, was reared upon its site, and worthily maintains its traditional renown. It was at "The Raven," as we learn from his Diary,' that Sir William Dugdale alighted yn. 21 Feb., 1663, when conducting the Visitation of Shropshire, and he enjoyed its hospitality until the 26th. At the beginning of the next century a name which is stiL more distinguished in the literary annals ol England became connected with the olc lostelry. It was probably some time in the winter of 1704-5 that Capt. George Far- quhar, then employed upon Her Majesty's recruiting service, took up his quarters a1 "The Haven," and, his fancy being ticklec with the humours of the place, began to place on paper his impressions of the " entertain- ment which he found in Shropshire." In

rder to testify his gratitude, he inscribed his }lay " To all Friends round the Wrekin," and , few quotations from his dedication may be if interest to those readers of ' N. & Q.' who lail from the Border county. He says :

" 'Twas my good fortune to be ordered some time ago into the' place which is made the scene of this comedy; I was a perfect stranger to everything in Salop, but its character of loyalty, the number of ts inhabitants, the alacrity of the gentlemen in ecruiting the army, with their generous and lospitable reception of strangers.

"This character I found so amply verified in very particular, that you made recruiting, which s the greatest fatigue upon earth to others, to be
 * he greatest pleasure in the world to me.

" The kingdom cannot show better bodies of men, setter inclinations for the service, more generosity, more good understanding, nor more politeness, than ,s to be found at the foot of the Wrekin.

"Some little turns of humour that I met with almost within the shade of that famous hill, gave bhe.rise to this comedy; and people were appre- hensive that, by the example of some others, I would make the town merry at the expense of the country-gentlemen. But they forgot that I was to write a comedy, not a libel ; and that whilst I held to nature, no person of any character in your country could suffer by being exposed. I have drawn, the justice and the clown in their puri* naturalibus: the one an apprehensive, sturdy, brave blockhead ; and the other a worthy, honest, generous gentleman, hearty in his country's cause, and of as good an understanding as I could give him, which I must confess is far short of his own."

' The Recruiting Officer ' was first produced on 8 April, 1706, at Drury Lane Theatre, and we may be sure that many Shropshire squires were among the "first-nighters" on that occasion, and that they heartily joined in the applause with which the play was re- ceived. Sylvia was represented by the dainty and accomplished Mrs. Oldfield, Melinda by Mrs. Rogers, and Rose by Mrs. Mountfort ; Wilks and Gibber were the two recruiting officers, and the part of the immortal Ser- jeant Kite fell to the lot of Estcourt. Many attempts have been made to identify the characters in the play with personages who were living at the time in Shrewsbury and its neighbourhood. The fullest account is that given by Archdeacon Owen and the Rev. J. B. Blakeway in their ' History of Shrewsbury,' i. 501, which was based on information derived from Anne, relict of Thomas Blakeway, of Shrewsbury, attorney - at-law. This laay, who died in February 1766, communicated the information to her husband's nephew, the Rev. Edward Blake- way, and as "Owen and Blakeway " is not a common book, I venture to reproduce the passage here :

"Justice Ballance was Francis Berkeley, Esq., barrister-at-law, and recorder of Shrewsbury and Bridgenorth ; he died 1710.