to light their pipes, accidentally fell a discoursing of the groaning board, and what might be the cause of it. One in the company, having the fork in his hand to light his pipe, would needs make trial of a long dresser that stood there, which, upon the first touch, made a great noise and groaning more than ever the board that was shewed did, and then they touched it three or four times, and found it far beyond the other. They all having seen it, the house is almost filled with spectators day and night, and any company calling for a glass of wine may see it; which, in the judgement of all, is far louder, and makes a longer groan, than the other, which to report, unless seen, would seem incredible."

While the good people of London were listening with due astonishment to the various groaning boards, the Monarch varied his amusements by attending the races of Newmarket, where he betted at one time of the day, and hawked at another.

In the evening, he saw a play acted by his servants, as the performers were termed; nor was he too refined in his ideas to attend exhibitions of rope-dancers, and the brutal sport of bull-baiting. The Queen was still further entertained, as we are informed by Nat. Thompson in his Loyal Protestant, who says,

By a letter from New Market, we have an

account, that when the Court was there, her Majesty was pleased to divert her self with seeing a mare (which belongs to one of the gentlemen of her troop) shew several tricks: as telling of money; then turning her loose, she will walk upon three or four legs as he calls her; she will take up a glove in her mouth, and give it to her master as he sits on her back; when he pleases she will lie down, and he on her back; and if he alight off her, she will lie still till he gets on her again, though he go from her; and many more too tedi

ous to relate.

"His Majesty has likewise seen her, and ordered him to teach her what tricks he can, and if he can so teach her that she will do the same to any other, his Majesty will give him a great reward for her, intending (as is thought) to make a present of her beyond sea. During his Majesty's stay at New Market, the musitians of the towns thereabouts came and played to him as he was dressing.

"One morning Bury-men, another morning Cambridge-men, another Thetford, they all came with their cloaks and liveries very formally, which was much liked of by his Majesty, he giving to every company two guineas. His Majesty, at his coming home, was treated at Bishops-Stafford, in his coach, by a person of honour; and the Queen, at a place called Ry

fields,

fields, had a fine treat in the fields, there being tables and chairs placed, and a piece of tapstrey for her Majesty to tread upon.

"On Tuesday morning was a great match at tennis at Whitehall, where his Majesty and his Royal Highness were present. After which, his Majesty played himself, with one lord of his side, against two more of the nobility; and his Majesty had the better of it."

The London Mercury for October 28, 1682, mentions, that the Duke of Grafton amused himself by joining with Lord Dunblane and two other noblemen in the violent exertion of rowing a wherry to Erith.

As they were habited in white satin laced with gold, it may be supposed the novelty of the circumstance attracted many spectators; at Greenwich they run foul, in the sailor phrase, of a large boat which lay at anchor, and had nearly terminated their frolick by a complete ducking, if not more fatally; they, however, reached the place of their destination in safety, and dined on board Lord Dunblane's pleasure-boat, moored there.

The Duke was the second natural son of Charles II. by the Duchess of Cleveland, and his having been a naval commander sufficiently accounts for the eccentricity of this aquatic excursion. He died in consequence of a wound received at the siege of Cork in 1690.

A quack

A quack who exhibited upon a stage in CoventGarden the same year, amused his spectators with taking thirteen grains of some poisonous drug. The German operator, as he was termed, performed this experiment under the inspection of several surgeons and physicians; and retiring, contrived, by means best known to himself, to evacuate it, or prevent any visible ill effects from a dose that, Benskin says in his Domestic Intelligence, would have killed twenty men.

I quote the ensuing paragraph from the Loyal Protestant of November 14, 1682, to shew that the lawyers had not entirely discontinued the revels, which are more fully noticed in my history of the Inns of Court in "Londinium Redivivum."

"On Saturday last, at the revels in Gray's Inn, were several noble personages, as the Prince of Burgundy, an Italian Marquis, &c., where they were entertained with variety of dances; which being ended, there was a rich banquet prepared for them by Mr. Richard Gipps, a very worthy and ingenious gentleman, who is master of the revels, and has constituted a master of the ceremonies, eight revellers, and twelve comptrollers.”

A few days before, the King published a mandate forbidding the making of "any bonfires, or any other public fire-works, upon any festival day, or at any other time or times whatsoever, without particular direction or order first had from

his Majesty, or this board (the Council), or from the Lord Mayor of London, or by the Justices of Peace in their respective limits, upon pain of his Majesty's displeasure, and being prosecuted with the utmost severity of the law."

It might have been supposed, that the above notice was sufficient to prevent the disorders apprehended from the usual mode of public rejoicing; and yet we find that in November following another became necessary, in consequence of a brutal assault on the Sieur Citters, ambassador from the States General, who, passing with his lady through the streets on the evening of the fifth, was attacked with fire-brands, squibs, and stones, by which his lady was dangerously wounded.

The Gazette of April 14, 1684, contains another less important but curious order, similar to one in a preceding page.

"All persons concerned are hereby desired to take notice of and suppress all mountebanks, rope-dancers, ballad-singers, &c. that have not a licence from the master of his Majesty's revels (which, for this present year, are all printed with black letters, and the King's arms in red), and particularly Samuel Rutherford and Irish,

mountebanks, and William Bevel and Richard Olsworth; and all those that have licences, with red and black letters, are to come to the office

VOL. III.

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