635

THE LINKMAN.

BY ALBANY POYNTZ.

"The first Link in the scale of creation."-Occasional Sermon.

WE are told that there is but a step from the sublime to the ridiculous. It may be observed, with equal truth, that between the mobs of the great world and the swell mob there is only a LINK! A Linkman is, bona fide, the beggar defined by Hamlet, as "galling the courtier's kibe;"- -a moral parody on the lady's page of the days of chivalry ;— in spite of his rags, the only favoured mortal permitted to approach so near the Lady Dulcibella as she steps into her carriage after a ball, that his begrimed face and tattered garments are fanned by the fragrant breath and oriental perfumes of the court-beauty!

Like the heralds of old, the Linkman is a privileged person; - nay, he enjoys higher privileges than even the herald, whose office consisted in bearing the words of others, while the Linkman is allowed to give utterance to sentiments wholly his own. A court-jester or my Lord Mayor's fool is scarcely more sanctioned in the freedom of speech which tramples on all distinctions of rank and station, than the professional Link.

The Linkman may, in fact, be considered the public orator of the kennel. His knowledge of the men and manners that be, amounts almost to omniscience; and, saving my Lord Brougham, there scarcely exists a man, either in private or official life, who excels him in the manly frankness of telling people personal truths to their faces.-Not a dandy of Crockford's,-not a dowager of Grosvenor Square,-whose name is not familiar in the mouth of the Linkman as household words ;—so much so, that he uses them as cavalierly as his goods and chattels, by superadding cognomens more appropriate than acceptable to the owners. Posterity might obtain considerable insight into the characters of many whom the Herald's Office styles "illustrious," and history is preparing to call "great," were it to employ reporters to stenograph, during a single evening, the ex-official debates among the henchmen of the flambeau at the door of the House of Commons, the Opera, and Almacks.-The Linkmen of the day, or night, would throw considerable light upon the subject.

Unlike other popular representatives, the Linkman sees with unbiassed eyes, and declaims with unblushing enunciation. The Linkman is never inaudible in the gallery. He is not only initiated into the secrets of the prison-house, per privilege of place, as auditor of the few last words drawled between the Premier and the Home Secretary, as they separate at the door of their parliamentary den; or the few last whispers interchanged between the young Duchess and the idol of her soul, as he hands her into her chariot, after a third waltz at some fête in Berkeley Square; but he has not the slightest motive for rounding their periods or qualifying their expressions, after the fashion of the chartered fabricators of parliamentary eloquence or fashionable intelligence.

The Linkman nothing extenuates, and sets down nought in malice. "The old chap told the Markis that for all his palaver, the Irish ques

tion was all my eye!"-is his literal interpretation of a ministerial colloquy ; — and "The Capp'n swore to my lady as 'ow her eyes had pitched it into 'im strong,"-is his equally faithful transcript of a declaration of love, couched in all the flowery generalities of Lalla Rookh or the Life Guards.-The Linkman is consequently an accusing angel, who inscribes in his black books all the aristocratic indiscretions of the

season.

What a singular destiny! A very slight stretch of imagination might transform the ragged caitiff stationed with his link at the gates of some lordly palace, into a Spirit stationed with his flaming sword at the gates of Paradise! Celestial odours exhale upon him from those open portals. The music of a heavenly choir resounds in faint echoes from the distance. Emanations of ambrosial food deride his lips. He hears the flageolet of Collinet,—he savours the garnished chickens of Gunter, he beholds the tripsome feet of Lady Wilhelmine or Lady, Clementina flit by him; - and lo! he returns to the gnawing of his mutton bone and the twanging of his Jew's harp,-mocked by a Barmecide's feast of the imagination.

So far, however, from complaining of his destinies, he feels that it is something to have enjoyed even this "bare imagination of a feast ;”— something to have fed on the crumbs falling from the table of beauty; -something to have been sanctified by a touch from the hem of the garments of those superhuman creatures. His brethren of the puddle are divided by a vast abyss from such angelic company. It is only the filthy torch he carries in his hand that entitles him to accost the shrinking beauty with, "Take your time, my lady!— please to take your time-Only your ladyship's poor linkman! Rainy night, my lady; may I ask the servant for sixpence?"-so disposing his link during his apostrophe, that he is enabled to decide whether my lady's silken hose are laced or plain; and whether her ladyship's white slippers be of silk or satin-Not one of her adorers have approached her more familiarly in the course of the evening, than" her ladyship's poor linkman!"

It is astonishing the tact evinced by these fellows in ferreting out everything in the shape of an entertainment, from Pin:lico to Whitechapel. Provided half a dozen carriages and hack cabs be gathered together, thither crowd the linkmen,-varying their oration from “Take your time, my lady," to "Take your time, Mrs. Smith!" or "Shall I call up your lordship's people?"-to" Please to want a cab,

sir?"

At the more brilliant balls, they are as inevitable as the cornet à piston, or D—— M—! One knows them, like the cuckoo, by their most sweet voices," rather than by their outward presentment, albeit revealed to view by the flaring of their links, as the ugliness of the imps of darkness in Don Juan, by the fishing of their torches These winged voices," these

"Aury tongues that sy alle men's tames,"

connect themselves as intimately with the grieties of Almacks' as if the Linkman beld his patent of cfce from the Patroness's BenchThere is a peculiar hoarseness in their accents as if the larynx. Larassed by an eternal calling of carriages, had imided some mysterious distemper. They speak as through a speaking-trumpet; nay, some times like Demosthenes, trying to entrour the surges of the chang

ocean!

Much discussion has arisen of late years concerning the origin of the slang phrases of the day. Nothing can exceed the universality of these axioms of street eloquence. But a commonplace cannot always have been a commonplace; and to originate a commonplace, is an effort of creative genius. The first man who said, "Does your mother know you're out?" uttered that which has been repeated by an enlightened population of at least a million of souls. If not witty himself, he has been the cause of wit in others, by inducing many an apt appropriation of a platitude. Some assert that these cant words and slang phrases have their origin in the police reports; others, that they spring to light and life in the galleries of the minor theatres. It is my firm belief that they are the legitimate and indisputable offspring of the Linkmen of the West End! Ask the policemen,-inquire of the standard footmen, and they will inform you that the first time they were ever pestered with interrogations concerning their mamma's mangle or pianoforte, was by the Linkmen attending some fashionable assembly.

A few minutes' attention to their notes explanatory and commentatorial upon the carriages, as they successively drive up to a door, would suffice to prove that their humour is worthy the illustration of Cruikshank or Leech. A few years ago, when the Church, if not in danger, was in disgrace with the street orators of the metropolis, it was a favourite jest with the Linkmen to go bawling round the Opera House, in the thick of the crush of carriages after the opera, every Sunday morning," The ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY'S carriage! ""The BiSHOP OF LONDON's carriage stops the way!"

The BISHOP OF EXETER coming out!"-thereby impressing the multitude with a firm conviction of the levity, if not demoralisation, of those eminent prelates. At the time of the Reform Bill, their vocabilities had a still more personal tendency; and to this day, all the biting truths inflicted upon the French ministers by the Charivari, are lavished viva voce on our English legislators, by the sarcasms of the linkboys.

In former times, before London was paved and lighted as becomes a civilized metropolis, every footman was his own linkman. The lackeys clustered behind a nobleman's carriage, or escorting a lady's sedan, carried each his torch, like Pages on the stage in the old plays. Beside the entrance of many of the old-fashioned mansions in London may still be seen appended a huge iron funnel for extinguishing the flambeau or link.

But since the introduction of gas the Linkman's "occupation's gone," as regards the livery of London.-The flambeau is in desuetude; the link has retrograded to St. Giles's; nay, it now simply constitutes a badge to distinguish from the common herd the privileged callers-up of carriages. The noisy, officious, troublesome, roaring, boring rapscallions, who visit the pavement wherever a goodly mansion is lighted up for the reception of company, would be severally consigned to the station-house and Penitentiary, as disturbers of the public peace, did they not bear in their hands an ensign of impunity. As the herald was protected by his wand,-as the Chancellor by his mace,—as the Archbishop by his crosier,-as Majesty itself is dignified by its sceptre, the interjectional portion of the mobility who call the coaches of the nobility, are sanctified by their links; thereby entitled to vex the dull ear of night with their

Linked sweetness long drawn out.

The Liniemen of London are usualy nates of the sister stand. vinen meiles that they are pour, lean, aangery, trak, and know -?a x pang or taking offence A Five Pac-ms might be e tei fum teir well-known repartees; and a whole seres TÉ

es compiled from the inected menors of these mugitening members of socery. Dodsley, the man så etter, tega die is a jetruz. I tare not say how high certam of our mantenganes me mien, to sommenced it as imaboys. Let 1 sagie stance suffice Swine ive-and-tirty years ago,

Tere me, unpry ither mecimens of L-să starvation. from the Cave TS. The Mereton of a tanner-amber zung fellow, who, after the ang f es de guise of grains fever. fumine, und Balance ar. at ante vether die Iving which he find max 17 a la count, vere to be fund, on any terms, Vale wg-toting and tarf-cutting in

le in te ndrous fury tales of the city qui vise houses are tied with punuse pse † war safe, cackling for the spit Je A mu was arcselingir fisappointed when be the Tree with 1 argo of Esh butter. Irish AAVUTEN DHA at permie must work for their & LETTER that wirs was not always to be Tri 1 heavy her da te new-comer seat himself on the ames of the London Bridge. In be lessation of his so he wept He had nowhere to read that night. But for the epertuse et parations of some letter mouise, such as that which ingated Whittington to "turi anf the miestame, and aspire we are mar of London, Corner Inga waid terhaps have sought ha reat in the bed of the rive that new Hate whispered to 1.1 en vin sun nyanis af lights, and runn dung via se dovana u emmys, i munter face must be in Eve ár him that and the wing muling irgery of his own pour

Even the ardent temperment; if a Zsómun., Iowever, all but give vig Luder the fence of a vet & Suricum ami a veek's mockery, —the bouton sé an alien in a unit of sanges -The skeleton besme si more guns at a riinat ens mat brighter in their scleta, muter the extement if vant and desperation. From bis VRCI TOVITÍ UČhing lat ene priemerei vin Cimey The cherry

es vim which he had been postei si ime swit the birds, were sure to be mure pecked than ice des The field he was enciomed 31 sv. pričuced the scntest Crios: the hay he was exTURAL SI NOW. Vas never known to by. And now, the same evil descay seemed su pre ima is dev setterment” If he asked for engiorment, ins sinny creatines vis sentet: f be asked for chacity, he was rebuket is 2m vil fred for a berrir: my, when be attempted to put its the je vre the ears if the banane.

ver Fietsen inti huset viti affruence." as the advertisements

fit the zeiness if is trigue mi so powerfil a efect upon Audioics, tinc des very sure to me im ter eves tears arising laughter rather than from emicVES JÉ STEZEŠT.

All this was much worse

Poor Corney's heart was ready to break. than starving in Ireland. In Ireland people are used to starve, till like the eels, they think nothing of it! But to starve in goodly streets abounding in cooks' shops, amid men and women who looked as if fed to compete for Smithfield prizes, was a realization of the pains of Tantalus! As he passed by the areas of the fashionable squares, and imbibed the aroma of stews and ragoûts issuing from the offices, it was not wonderful that he should conceive some mistrust concerning the text which talks of " filling the hungry with good things, and sending the rich empty away.”

One summer afternoon, about the time when London sends forth its brightest equipages, adorned with the brightest human faces, to disport in the brightest sunshine of Hyde Park, poor Corney tottered his way from the miserable cellar in St. Giles's, where he rented a bed at the price of twopence a night, and the succeeding day's worth of rheumatism, towards the fashionable quarter of the town; leaning against the railings, the better to support his exhausted frame, and feeling that, if hunger could eat through stone walls, it was a shame that Providence sent him only brick ones to devour. The strong man was now a weakling, the cheerful one a misanthrope. Vainly had he addressed himself to the fair inmates of more than one showy carriage for the sorry dole of a halfpenny. Though something in the picturesque wildness of his appearance for a moment captivated their attention, no sooner did his extended hand convince them that he was in need of charity, than they became shocked and frightened, muttered something about "wild Irishman," or "horrid Irishman,”—and desired the laced footmen in attendance to drive him away.

"Sorrow take thim thin, for hearts as black as the faces iv 'em is fair!"-was the only ejaculation of poor Corney as he turned doggedly away; and lo! when he applied in the same pitiful terms to passersby of his own sex, he found himself threatened with the Mendicity Society, or affronted with mention of a constable. If the poor man had only had strength enough to be indignant, he would have fired up at all the insults put upon his country in his person.

Sauntering onward and onward, with a vague hope, proceeding from the increasing purity of the atmosphere, that he should reach green fields and blue skies at last, Corney traversed the brilliant tumults of Bond Street, crossed Berkeley Square, and at length took refuge on the doorstep of a handsome house in a street somewhat more secluded than the rest. Though it was Seamore Place, poor Corney Cregan knew not that only a row of houses divided him from the pleasant pastures of Hyde Park. Resting his head upon his hands to relieve the dizziness arising from weakness and want, he began to indulge in visions of a brighter kind; soothing his pangs in England by hopes of heaven, just as in old Ireland he had assuaged them by hopes of England, prosperity, and peace. In the extremity of his woe he still pursued the instincts of a sanguine nature, and looked forward :

He was roused from his reverie by the approach of a horse entering the quiet street. All Irishmen are born with a weakness for horseflesh. Miserable as he was, he could not look without a feeling of satisfaction at the fine animal and its handsome young rider so well-fitted for each other, who appeared before him,

A stately apparition, sent

To be a moment's ornament,