I beg it may be remembered, that I do not pledge myself for the
authenticity of this anecdote, though it is well known that the
churchyards and by-corners of this old metropolis are very much
infested with perturbed spirits; and every one must have heard of
the Cock Lane ghost, and the apparition that guards the regalia
in the Tower which has frightened so many bold sentinels almost
out of their wits.
Be all this as it may, this Robert Preston seems to have been a
worthy successor to the nimbletongued Francis, who attended upon
the revels of Prince Hal; to have been equally prompt with his
"Anon, anon, sir;" and to have transcended his predecessor in
honesty; for Falstaff, the veracity of whose taste no man will
venture to impeach, flatly accuses Francis of putting lime in his
sack, whereas honest Preston's epitaph lands him for the sobriety
of his conduct, the soundness of his wine, and the fairness of
his measure.* The worthy dignitaries of the church, however, did
not appear much captivated by the sober virtues of the tapster;
the deputy organist, who had a moist look out of the eye, made
some shrewd remark on the abstemiousness of a man brought up
among full hogsheads, and the little sexton corroborated his
opinion by a significant wink and a dubious shake of the head.
Pages:
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199