"Not an hundred miles from the delightful vicinity of Salcombe Regis, a rev. gent., after preaching a sermon to the Friendly Society, was to be seen, standing, with hurdle in hand, superintending the rural sports of Whit-Monday and dispatching the young urchins for a prize with the following exhortation - "Go - go - you young beggars, if you break your necks the doctor's here to mend them." Afterwards figuring in the capacity of ring keeper, master of the dancing ceremonies, course clearer for the wheel-barrows, and assistant to certain ladies whilst running for a bonnet, and last, though not least, was busilly engaged in putting money into a tub of water, for the young 'uns to extract therefrom with their mouths, during which operation one of the competitors was nearly stifled by keeping too long under the water. The whole was finished up with a fight, to the evident satisfaction of that stately personage who adorns the white gown on a Sunday morning and according to his own account is the only person in the parish suited for the cure of souls."
This is an attack on the jolly rev. gent. by The Western Times of 30th May, 1845, not, as these days one might imagine, a laudation, the clue to which is the white gown that he wears of a Sunday. He is clearly a beastly Puseyite wearing the much despised, by The Times, surplice. As such nothing he says or does can be to his credit.
This year the celebrated Country Fair at, still delightful, Salcombe Regis (16 miles to the east of Exeter) will be the afternoon of 29th May. (there's tradition for you!) There will be none of the events of 181 years ago, no ladies running for a bonnet, no healthy sports, but lots of fun and, for the active, usually, at least a coconut shy.
I ask myself how an hundred was pronounced.
No comments:
Post a Comment