世界名著Little Britain.docx
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世界名著Little Britain.docx
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世界名著LittleBritain
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LittleBritain
byWashingtonIrving
WhatIwriteismosttrue...Ihaveawholebookeofcases
lyingbymewhichifIshouldsettefoorth,somegraveauntients
(withinthehearingofBowbell)wouldbeoutofcharitywithme.
NASHE.
INthecentreofthegreatcityofLondonliesasmall
neighborhood,consistingofaclusterofnarrowstreetsand
courts,ofveryvenerableanddebilitatedhouses,whichgoes
bythenameofLITTLEBRITAIN.ChristChurchSchooland
St.Bartholomew'sHospitalbounditonthewest;Smithfieldand
LongLaneonthenorth;AldersgateStreet,likeanarmofthe
sea,dividesitfromtheeasternpartofthecity;whilstthe
yawninggulfofBull-and-MouthStreetseparatesitfrom
ButcherLane,andtheregionsofNewgate.Overthislittle
territory,thusboundedanddesignated,thegreatdomeofSt.
Paul's,swellingabovetheinterveninghousesofPaternoster
Row,AmenCorner,andAveMariaLane,looksdownwithan
airofmotherlyprotection.
Thisquarterderivesitsappellationfromhavingbeen,in
ancienttimes,theresidenceoftheDukesofBrittany.As
Londonincreased,however,rankandfashionrolledofftothe
west,andtrade,creepingonattheirheels,tookpossessionof
theirdesertedabodes.ForsometimeLittleBritainbecamethe
greatmartoflearning,andwaspeopledbythebusyand
prolificraceofbooksellers;thesealsograduallydesertedit,
and,emigratingbeyondthegreatstraitofNewgateStreet,
settleddowninPaternosterRowandSt.Paul'sChurchyard,
wheretheycontinuetoincreaseandmultiplyevenatthe
presentday.
Butthoughthusfallingintodecline,LittleBritainstillbears
tracesofitsformersplendor.Thereareseveralhousesready
totumbledown,thefrontsofwhicharemagnificentlyenriched
witholdoakencarvingsofhideousfaces,unknownbirds,
beasts,andfishes;andfruitsandflowerswhichitwould
perplexanaturalisttoclassify.Therearealso,inAldersgate
Street,certainremainsofwhatwereoncespaciousandlordly
familymansions,butwhichhaveinlatterdaysbeensubdivided
intoseveraltenements.Heremayoftenbefoundthefamilyof
apettytradesman,withitstrumperyfurniture,burrowing
amongtherelicsofantiquatedfinery,ingreat,rambling,time-
stainedapartments,withfrettedceilings,gildedcornices,and
enormousmarblefireplaces.Thelanesandcourtsalsocontain
manysmallerhouses,notonsograndascale,but,likeyour
smallancientgentry,sturdilymaintainingtheirclaimstoequal
antiquity.Thesehavetheirgableendstothestreet;greatbow-
windows,withdiamondpanessetinlead,grotesquecarvings,
andlowarcheddoor-ways.
InthismostvenerableandshelteredlittlenesthaveIpassed
severalquietyearsofexistence,comfortablylodgedinthe
secondfloorofoneofthesmallestbutoldestedifices.My
sitting-roomisanoldwainscotedchamber,withsmallpanels,
andsetoffwithamiscellaneousarrayoffurniture.Ihavea
particularrespectforthreeorfourhigh-backedclaw-footed
chairs,coveredwithtarnishedbrocade,whichbearthemarks
ofhavingseenbetterdays,andhavedoubtlessfiguredinsome
oftheoldpalacesofLittleBritain.Theyseemtometokeep
together,andtolookdownwithsovereigncontemptupon
theirleathern-bottomedneighbors:
asIhaveseendecayed
gentrycarryahighheadamongtheplebeiansocietywithwhich
theywerereducedtoassociate.Thewholefrontofmysitting-
roomistakenupwithabow-window,onthepanesofwhich
arerecordedthenamesofpreviousoccupantsformany
generations,mingledwithscrapsofveryindifferent
gentlemanlikepoetry,writtenincharacterswhichIcanscarcely
decipher,andwhichextolthecharmsofmanyabeautyof
LittleBritainwhohaslong,longsincebloomed,faded,and
passedaway.AsIamanidlepersonage,withnoapparent
occupation,andpaymybillregularlyeveryweek,Iamlooked
uponastheonlyindependentgentlemanoftheneighborhood;
and,beingcurioustolearntheinternalstateofacommunityso
apparentlyshutupwithinitself,Ihavemanagedtoworkmy
wayintoalltheconcernsandsecretsoftheplace.
LittleBritainmaytrulybecalledtheheart'scoreofthecity;
thestrongholdoftrueJohnBullism.Itisafragmentof
Londonasitwasinitsbetterdays,withitsantiquatedfolks
andfashions.Hereflourishingreatpreservationmanyofthe
holidaygamesandcustomsofyore.Theinhabitantsmost
religiouslyeatpancakesonShroveTuesday,hot-cross-bunson
GoodFriday,androastgooseatMichaelmas;theysendlove-
lettersonValentine'sDay,burnthepopeonthefifthof
November,andkissallthegirlsunderthemistletoeat
Christmas.Roastbeefandplumpuddingarealsoheldin
superstitiousveneration,andportandsherrymaintaintheir
groundsastheonlytrueEnglishwines;allothersbeing
consideredvile,outlandishbeverages.
LittleBritainhasitslongcatalogueofcitywonders,whichits
inhabitantsconsiderthewondersoftheworld:
suchasthe
greatbellofSt.Paul's,whichsoursallthebeerwhenittolls;
thefiguresthatstrikethehoursatSt.Dunstan'sclock;the
Monument;thelionsintheTower;andthewoodengiantsin
Guildhall.Theystillbelieveindreamsandfortune-telling,and
anoldwomanthatlivesinBull-and-MouthStreetmakesa
tolerablesubsistencebydetectingstolengoods,andpromising
thegirlsgoodhusbands.Theyareapttoberendered
uncomfortablebycometsandeclipses;andifadoghowls
dolefullyatnight,itislookeduponasasuresignofadeath
in
theplace.Thereareevenmanyghoststoriescurrent,
particularlyconcerningtheoldmansion-houses;inseveralof
whichitissaidstrangesightsaresometimesseen.Lordsand
ladies,theformerinfullbottomedwigs,hangingsleeves,and
swords,thelatterinlappets,stays,hoopsandbrocade,have
beenseenwalkingupanddownthegreatwastechambers,on
moonlightnights;andaresupposedtobetheshadesofthe
ancientproprietorsintheircourt-dresses.
LittleBritainhaslikewiseitssagesandgreatmen.Oneof
themostimportantoftheformerisatall,dryoldgentleman,of
thenameofSkryme,whokeepsasmallapothecary'sshop.He
hasacadaverouscountenance,fullofcavitiesandprojections;
withabrowncircleroundeacheye,likeapairofhorned
spectacles.Heismuchthoughtofbytheoldwomen,who
considerhimakindofconjurer,becausehehastwoofthree
stuffedalligatorshangingupinhisshop,andseveralsnakesin
bottles.Heisagreatreaderofalmanacsandnewspapers,and
ismuchgiventoporeoveralarmingaccountsofplots,
conspiracies,fires,earthquakes,andvolcaniceruptions;which
lastphenomenaheconsidersassignsofthetimes.Hehas
alwayssomedismaltaleofthekindtodealouttohiscustomers,
withtheirdoses;andthusatthesametimeputsbothsouland
bodyintoanuproar.Heisagreatbelieverinomensand
predictions;andhasthepropheciesofRobertNixonand
MotherShiptonbyheart.Nomancanmakesomuchoutofan
eclipse,orevenanunusuallydarkday;andheshookthetailof
thelastcometovertheheadsofhiscustomersanddisciples
untiltheywerenearlyfrightenedoutoftheirwits.Hehas
latelygotholdofapopularlegendorprophecy,onwhichhe
hasbeenunusuallyeloquent.Therehasbeenasayingcurrent
amongtheancientsibyls,whotreasureupthesethings,that
whenthegrasshopperonthetopoftheExchangeshookhands
withthedragononthetopofBowChurchSteeple,fearful
eventswouldtakeplace.Thisstrangeconjunction,itseems,has
asstrangelycometopass.Thesamearchitecthasbeenengaged
latelyontherepairsofthecupolaoftheExchange,andthe
steepleofBowchurch;and,fearfultorelate,thedragonand
thegrasshopperactuallylie,cheekbyjole,intheyardofhis
workshop.
"Others,"asMr.Skrymeisaccustomedtosay,"maygostar-
gazing,andlookforconjunctionsintheheavens,buthereisa
conjunctionontheearth,nearathome,andunderourowneyes,
whichsurpassesallthesignsandcalculationsofastrologers."
Sincetheseportentousweathercockshavethuslaidtheirheads
together,wonderfuleventshadalreadyoccurred.Thegood
oldking,notwithstandingthathehadlivedeighty-twoyears,
hadallatoncegivenuptheghost;anotherkinghadmounted
thethrone;aroyaldukehaddiedsuddenly,--another,in
France,hadbeenmurdered;therehadbeenradicalmeetingsin
allpartsofthekingdom;thebloodyscenesatManchester;the
greatplotofCatoStreet;andaboveall,thequeenhadreturned
toEngland!
AllthesesinistereventsarerecountedbyMr.
Skryme,withamysteriouslook,andadismalshakeofthe
head;andbeingtakenwithhisdrugs,andassociatedinthe
mindsofhisauditorswithstuffedsea-monsters,bottled
serpents,andhisownvisage,whichisatitle-pageof
tribulation,theyhavespreadgreatgloomthroughthemindsof
thepeopleofLittleBritain.Theyshaketheirheadswhenever
theygobyBowChurch,andobserve,thattheyneverexpected
anygoodtocomeoftakingdownthatsteeple,whichinold
timestoldnothingbutgladtidings,asthehistoryof
WhittingtonandhisCatbearswitness.
TherivaloracleofLittleBritainisasubstantial
cheesemonger,wholivesinafragmentofoneoftheoldfamily
mansions,andisasmagnificentlylodgedasaround-bellied
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