Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

inaccessible to his opponent, and waiting for the critical instant, when he can spring in upon his impatient adversary."

The murder of the young King Edward V. himself in such a way, that his legs are
and his brother, in the Tower.
The landing of the Earl of Richmond,
And the death of King Richard in the
memorable battle of Bosworth Field,
Deing the last that was fought between the
Houses of York and Lancaster.
With other true historical passages.
The part of KING RICHARD by a Gen-

tleman.

many

(Who never appeared on any stage.)

lor ;

King Henry, by Mr. Giffard; Richmond, Mr. Marshall; Prince Edward, by Miss Hippisley; Duke of York, Miss NayDuke of Buckingham, Mr. Peterson; Duke of Norfolk, Mr. Blades; Lord Stanley, Mr. Pagett; Oxford, Mr. Vaughan; Tressel, Mr. W. Giffard; Catesby, Mr. Marr; Ratcliff, Mr. Crofts; Blunt, Mr. Naylor; Tyrrell, Mr. Puttenham; Lord Mayor, Mr. Dunstall; The Queen, Mrs. Steel; Duchess of York, Mrs. Yates;

And the part of Lady ANNE,

By Mrs. GIFFARD.
With Entertainments of Dancing
By Mons. Fromet, Madam Duvall, and

the two Masters and Miss Granier.

To which will be added a Ballaa Opera of

one act, called

[blocks in formation]

A writer in a journal of this month, 1826,* gives the following account of several wrestling matches between men of Devonshire and Cornwall, on the 19th 20th and 21st of September preceding, at the Eagle-tavern-green, City-road. He says, "the difference in the style of wrestling of these two neighbouring shires, is as remarkable as that of the lineaments of their inhabitants. The florid chubbyfaced Devon-man is all life and activity in the ring, holding himself erect, and offering every advantage to his opponent. The sallow sharp-featured Cornwall-man is all caution and resistance, bending

• The London Magazine.

The account of the matches at the Eagle-tavern then proceeds in the following manner :

The contest between Abraham Cann and Warren, not only displayed this difference of style, but was attended with a degree of suspense between skill and strength, that rendered it extremely interesting. The former, who is the son of a Devonshire farmer, has been backed against any man in England for 500%. His figure is of the finest athletic propor tions, and his arm realizes the muscularity of ancient specimens: his force in it is surprising; his hold is like that of a vice, and with ease he can pinion the arms of the strongest adversary, if he once grips them, and keep them as close together, or as far asunder, as he chooses. He stands with his legs apart, his body quite upright, looking down good humouredly on his crouching opponent.-In this instance, his opponent Warren, a miner, was a man of superior size, and of amazing throughout his frame; his arms and body strength, not so well distributed however, being too lengthy in proportion to their bulk. His visage was harsh beyond measure, and he did not disdain to use a little craft with eye and hand, in order to distract his adversary's attention. But he

had to deal with a man as collected as ever entered the ring. Cann put in his hand as quietly as if he were going to seize a shy horse, and at length caught a slight hold between finger and thumb of Warren's sleeve. At this, Warren flung away with the impetuosity of a surprised horse. But it was in vain; there was no seized his adversary in his turn, and at escape from Cann's pinch, so the miner length both of them grappled each other by the arm and breast of the jacket. In the toe in a most scientific but ineffectual a trice Caun tripped his opponent with manner, throwing him clean to the ground, second heat began similarly, Warren but not on his back, as required. The stooped more, so as to keep his legs out of Cann's reach, who punished him for it by several kicks below the knee, which been on, according to his county's fashion. must have told severely if his shoes had They shook each other rudely-strained knee to knee-forced each other's shoulders down, so as to overbalance the body

--but all ineffectually. They seemed to be quite secure from each other's efforts, as long as they but held by the arm and breast-collar, as ordinary wrestlers do. A new grip was to be effected. Cann liberated one arm of his adversary to seize him by the cape behind at that instant Warren, profiting by his inclined posture, and his long arms, threw himself round the body of the Devon champion, and fairly lifted him a foot from the ground, clutching him in his arms with the grasp of a second Anteæus.-The Cornish men shouted aloud, 66 Well done, Warren!" to their hero, whose naturally pale visage glowed with the hope of success. He seemed to have his opponent at his will, and to be fit to fling him, as Hercules flung Lycas, any how he pleased. Devonshire then trembled for its champion, and was mute. Indeed it was a moment of heart-quaking suspense.-But Cann was not daunted; his countenance expressed anxiety, but not discomfiture. He was off terra-firma, clasped in the embrace of a powerful man, who waited but a single struggle of his, to pitch him more effectually from him to the ground. Without straining to disengage himself, Cann with unimaginable dexterity glued his back firmly to his opponent's chest, lacing his feet round the other's kneejoints, and throwing one arm backward over Warren's shoulder, so as to keep his own enormous shoulders pressed upon the breast of his uplifter. In this position they stood at least twenty seconds, each labouring in one continuous strain, to bend the other, one backwards, the other forwards.-Such a struggle could not last. Warren, with the weight of the other upen his stomach and chest, and an inconceivable stress upon his spine, felt nis balance almost gone, as the energetic movements of his countenance indicated. -His feet too were motionless by the coil of his adversary's legs round his; so to save himself from falling backwards, he stiffened his whole body from the ankles upwards, and these last being the only liberated joints, he inclined forwards from them, so as to project both bodies, and prostrate them in one column to the ground together.-It was like the slow and poising fall of an undermined tower. -You had time to contemplate the injury which Cann the undermost would sustain if they fell in that solid, unbending posture to the earth. But Cana ccased bearing upon the spine as soon as

he found his supporter going in an adverse direction. With a presence of mind unrateable, he relaxed his strain upon one of his adversary's stretched legs, forcing the other outwards with all the might of his foot, and pressing his elbow upon the opposite shoulder. This was sufficient to whisk his man undermost the instant he unstiffened his knee-which Warren did not do until more than half way to the ground, when from the acquired rapidity of the falling bodies nothing was discernible. At the end of the fall, Warren was seen sprawling on his back, and Cann whom he had liberated to save himself, had been thrown a few yards off on allfours. Of course the victory should have been adjudged to this last. When the partial referree was appealed to, he decided, that it was not a fair fall, as only one shoulder had bulged the ground, though there was evidence on the back of Warren that both had touched it pretty rudely.-After much debating a new referree was appointed, and the old one expelled; when the candidates again entered the lists. The crowning beauty of the whole was, that the second fall was precisely a counterpart of the other. Warren made the same move, only lifting his antagonist higher, with a view to throw the upper part of his frame out of play. Cann turned himself exactly in the same manner using much greater effort than before, and apparently more put to it, by his opponent's great strength. His share, however, in upsetting his supporter was greater this time, as he relaxed one leg much sooner, and adhered close to the chest during the fall; for at the close he was seen uppermost, still coiled round his supine adversary, who admitted the fall, starting up, and offering his hand to the victor. He is a good wrestler too -so good, that we much question the authority of "The Times," for saying that he is not one of the crack wrestlers of Cornwall-From his amazing strength, with common skill he should be a firstrate man at this play, but his skill is much greater than his countrymen seemed inclined to admit.-Certain it is, they destined him the first prize, and had Cann not come up to save the honour of his county, for that was his only inducement, the four prizes, by judiciously matching the candidates, would no doubt have been given to natives of Cornwall.

BLACKFORD, THE BACKSWORD PLAYER. To the Editor of the Every-Day Book. Sir,-Your correspondent C. T. p. 1207, naving given a description of "Purton Fair," my grandmother and father born there, the birth-place of Anne Boleyn, I feel interested in the spot of my progenitors. C. T., speaking of old " Corey Dyne," the gipsy, says a man named Blackford was the most noted Backswordplayer of his day. He bore off the prizes then played for in London, Bath, Bristol, and Gloucester. When very young, at Lyneham grammar-school, I recollect this frontispiece despoiler broke fourteen heads, one after another; in the fifteenth bout, however, he pretty nearly found his match in the person of Isaac Bushel, a blacksmith of this place, who could bite a nail asunder, eat a shoulder of mutton with appendages, or fight friend or foe for love or money. It was a saying, "Bushel could take enough to kill a dozen men;" nor was his head unlike his name: he was the village Wat Tyler.

When the Somerset youths played with the Wiltshire on a stage on Calne-green, two years since, one of Blackford's descendants gave a feeling proof of headbreaking with other heads of this bloodletting art, in which stratagem is used to conceal the crimson gush chiefly by sucking. Like fencing, attitude and agility are the great assistants to ensure success in backsword-playing; the basket is also of great service to the receiving of blows, and protecting the muscles of the wrist. The greatest exploits remembered at Pur

[merged small][merged small][graphic][merged small][merged small]

AUTUMNAL FEELINGS.

For the Every-Day Book.

The flowers are gone, the trees are bare,
There is a chillness in the air,

A damp that in the spirit sinks,

Till the shudd'ring heart within me shrinks:

Cold and slow the clouds roll past,

And wat'ry drops come with the blast
That moans, amid the poplars tall,
A dirge for the summer's funeral.

Every bird to his home has gone,
Save one that loves to sing alone
The robin;-in yon ruin'd tree
He warbles sweetly, mournfully
His shrill note comes upon the wind,
Like a sound of an unearthly kind;
He mourns the loss of his sunny bowers,
And the silent haunts of happy hours.

There he sits like a desolate thing,

With a dabbled breast and a dripping wing,
He has seen his latent joys decline,

Yet his heart is lighter far than mine;
His task is o'er-his duty done,

His strong-wing'd race on the wind have gone,
He has nothing left to brood upon;

He has still the hope of a friendly crumb
When the wintry snow over earth shall come,
And a shelter from the biting wind,

And the welcome looks of faces kind.

I wander here amid the blast,

And a dreary look I backward cast;
The best of my years I feel are fled,

And I look to the coming time with dread
My heart in a desert land has been,

Where the flower of hope alone was green;
And little in life's decline have I

To expect from kindred's sympathy.

Like the leaves now whirl'd from yonder spray,
The dreams I have cherish'd day by day,
On the wings of sorrow pass away.

Yet I despair not-time will bring
To the plumeless bird a new bright wing,

A warmer breeze to the now chill'd flower,
And to those who mourn a lighter hour;
A gay green leaf to the faded tree,

And happier days, I trust, to me.

'Twas best that the weeds of sorrow sprung

With my heart's few flowers, while yet 'twas young,
They can the sooner be destroy'd,
And happiness fill their dreary void.

[blocks in formation]

October 21.

BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR.

In a dreadful engagement off Cape Trafalgar, on the 21st of October, 1805, between the English fleet, consisting of twenty-seven sail of the line and four frigates, and the combined fleets of France and Spain, consisting of thirty-three sail and seven frigates, which lasted four hours, twenty sail of the enemy were unk or destroyed, and the French commander-in-chief, (admiral Villeneuve,) with two Spanish admirals, were made prisoners. The gallant Nelson was wounded about the middle of the action, and died nearly at its close." Thus terminated the brilliant career of our peerless NAVAL HERO, who was, beyond dispute, preeminent in courage, in a department of the British. service where all our countrymen are proverbially courageous: who, to unrivalled courage, united

S. R. J.

skill equally conspicuous and extraor dinary; who, in consequence of these rare endowments, never led on our fleets to battle that he did not conquer; and whose name was a tower of strength to England, and a terror to her foes."*

NATURALISTS' CALENDAR.
Mean Temperature ... 50 62.

October 22.

CHILD PLAYED FOR.

In October, 1735, a child of James and Elizabeth Leesh, of Chester-le-street, in the county of Durham, was played for at cards, at the sign of the Salmon, one game, four shillings against the child, by Henry and John Trotter, Robert Thomson, and Thomas Ellison, which was won by the latter, and delivered to them accordingly.†

NATURALISTS' CALENDAR.

Mean Temperature... 49 · 97.

Butler's Chronologicai Exercises,
+ Sykes's Local Records,,. 79,

[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]
« ZurückWeiter »