RED HAIR A REPROACH
I do not know the why or the wherefore, but in every part of England I have visited, there appears to be a deep-rooted prejudice in the eyes of the million against people with red hair. Tradition, whether truly or not must remain a mystery, assigns to Absalom's hair a reddish tinge; and Judas, the traitorous disciple, is ever painted with locks of the same unhappy colour. Shakspeare, too, seems to have been embued with the like morbid feeling of distrust for those on whose hapless heads the invidious mark appeared. In his play of As You Like It, he makes Rosalind (who is pettishly complaining of her lover's tardiness coming to her) say to Celia:
"Ros. His very hair is of the dissembling colour.
Celia. Something browner than Judas'."
It will be apparent from this quotation, that in England, at any rate, the prejudice spoken of is not of very recent development; and that it has not yet vanished before the intellectual progress of our race, will, I think, be painfully evident to many a bearer of this unenviable distinction. It seems to be generally supposed, by those who harbour the doctrine, that red-headed people are dissemblers, deceitful, and, in fact, not to be trusted like others whose hair is of a different colour; and I may add, that I myself know persons who, on that account alone, never admit into their service any whose hair is thus objectionable. In Wales, pen coch (red head) is a term of reproach universally applied to all who come under the category; and if such a wight should by any chance involve himself in a scrape, it is the signal at once for a regular tirade against all who have the misfortune to possess hair of the same fiery colour.
I cannot bring myself to believe that there is any really valid foundation for this prejudice; and certainly, if not, it were indeed a pity that the superstitious feeling thus engendered is not at once and for ever banished from the memory.
EXTRACTS FROM NEWSPAPERS, 1714
Daily Courant, Jan. 9, 1714:
"Rome, Dec. 16.—The famous painter, Carlo Maratta, died some days ago, in the ninetieth year of his age."
The Post Boy, Jan. 12-14, 1714.—Old MSS. relating to Winchester.—In the Post Boy, Jan. 12-14, 1714, appears the following curious advertisement:
"Winchester Antiquities, written by Mr. Trussell, Dr. Bettes, and Mr. Butler of St. Edmund's Bury, in one of which manuscripts is the Original of Cities; which manuscripts were never published. If the person who hath either of them, and will communicate, or permit the same to be copied or perused, he is earnestly desired to give notice thereof to Mr. Mathew Imber, one of the aldermen of the city of Winchester, in the county of Southampton, who is compleating the idea or description of the ancient and present state of that ancient city, to be speedily printed; together with a faithful collection of all the memorable and useful things relating to the same city."
Gough, in his Topography, vol. i. p. 387., thus notices these MSS.:
"Wood says (Ath. Ox., vol. i. p. 448.) that Trussell the historian, who was alderman of Winchester, continued to Bishop Curll's time, 1632, an old MS. history of the see and bishops in the Cathedral library. He also wrote A Description of the City of Winchester; with an Historical Relation of divers memorable Occurrences touching the same, and prefixed to it A Preamble of the Original of Cities in general. In a catalogue of the famous Robert Smith's books, sold by auction, 1682, No. 24. among the MSS. has this identical title, by J. Trussell, fol., and was purchased for twelve shillings by a Mr. Rothwell, a frequent purchaser at this sale. The Description, &c., written by Trussell about 1620, is now in the hands of John Duthy, Esq.; and from it large extracts were made in The History and Antiquities of Winchester, 1773. Bishop Nicolson guesses that it was too voluminous, and Bishop Kennett that it was too imperfect to be published.
"The former mentions something on the same subject by Dr. Bettes, whose book is still in MS.
"Dr. Butler, of St. Edmund's Bury, made observations on the ancient monuments of this city under the Romans."
[Trussell's MSS. are now in the library of Sir Thomas Phillipps.—Ed.]
Minor Notes
Last Suicide buried at a Cross Road.—I have reason to believe that the last person subjected to this barbarous ceremony was the wretched parricide and suicide Griffiths, who was buried at the cross road formed by Eaton Street, Grosvenor Place, and the King's Road, as late as June, 1823. I subjoin the following account from the Chronicle:
"The extreme privacy which the officers observed, as to the hour and place of interment, increased in a great degree the anxiety of those that were waiting, and it being suspected that the body would have been privately carried away, through the back part of the workhouse (St. George's) into Farm Street Mews, and from thence to its final destination, different parties stationed themselves at the several passages through which it must unavoidably pass, in order to prevent disappointment. All anxiety however, on this account, was ultimately removed, by preparations being made for the removal of the body through the principal entry of the workhouse leading into Mount Street, and about half-past one o'clock the body was brought out in a shell supported on the shoulders of four men, and followed by a party of constables and watchmen. The solitary procession, which increased in numbers as it went along, proceeded up Mount Street, down South Audley Street into Stanhope Street, from thence into Park Lane through Hyde Park Corner, and along Grosvenor Place, until its final arrival at the cross road formed by Eaton Street, Grosvenor Place, and the King's Road. When the procession arrived at the grave, which had been previously dug, the constables arranged themselves around it to keep the crowd off, upon which the shell was laid on the ground, and the body of the unfortunate deceased taken out. It had on a winding-sheet, drawers, and stockings, and a quantity of blood was clotted about the head, and the lining of the shell entirely stained. The body was then wrapped in a piece of Russia matting, tied round with some cord, and then instantly dropped into the hole, which was about five feet in depth: it was then immediately filled up, and it was gratifying to see that that disgusting part of the ceremony of throwing lime over the body, and driving a stake through it, was on this occasion dispensed with. The surrounding spectators, consisting of about two hundred persons, amongst whom were several persons of respectable appearance, were much disgusted at this horrid ceremony."
Imagine such scene in the "centre of civilisation" only thirty years ago!
Andrew's Edition of Freund's Latin Lexicon.—A singular plan seems to have been pursued in this valuable lexicon in one point. Wherever the meaning of a word in a certain passage is disputed, all reference to that place is omitted! Here are a few examples of this "dodge" from one book, Horace:
Subjectus. Car. 1. 12. 55.
Divido. 1. 15. 15.
Incola. 1. 16. 5. Vertex. 3. 24. 6.
Pars. 2. 17. 18. Tormentum. 3. 21. 13.
Laudo. Ep. 11. 19.
Offendo. Ep. 15. 15.
Octonus. S. 1. 6. 75.
Æra. Ib.
Duplex. S. 2. 4. 63.
Vulpecula. Epist. 1. 7. 29.
Proprius. A. P. 128., &c.
Slang Expressions.—It would be curious to investigate farther how some odd forms of expression of this kind have crept into, if not the English language, at least into every-day parlance; and by what classes of men they have been introduced. I do not of course mean the vile argot, or St. Giles' Greek, prevalent among housebreakers and pick-pockets; though a great deal of that is traceable to the Rommany or gipsy language, and other sufficiently odd sources: but I allude more particularly to phrases used by even educated men—such as "a regular mull," "bosh," "just the cheese," &c.