Today we reprint our offering of 24 November 2013, with comments by Ira Maine Esq, Poetry Editor.
A Description of the Morning
BY JONATHAN SWIFT
Now hardly here and there a hackney-coach
Appearing, show’d the ruddy morn’s approach.
Now Betty from her master’s bed had flown,
And softly stole to discompose her own.
The slip-shod ‘prentice from his master’s door
Had par’d the dirt, and sprinkled round the floor.
Now Moll had whirl’d her mop with dext’rous airs,
Prepar’d to scrub the entry and the stairs.
The youth with broomy stumps began to trace
The kennel-edge, where wheels had worn the place.
The small-coal man was heard with cadence deep;
Till drown’d in shriller notes of “chimney-sweep.”
Duns at his lordship’s gate began to meet;
And brickdust Moll had scream’d through half a street.
The turnkey now his flock returning sees,
Duly let out a-nights to steal for fees.
The watchful bailiffs take their silent stands;
And schoolboys lag with satchels in their hands.
Our Poetry Editor, Ira Maine, comments thus:
Jonathon Swift, Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, famous pisser-offer of Lords and Ladies, Kings and Queens to the point where preferment was regularly denied him. One of the shining lights, the bright jewels of English Literature. Swift was born in Dublin, went to school with Congreve, was the lifelong friend of John Gay and and Alexander Pope, and who famously proposed , considering how many children were found either abandoned or dead every day in 18th century streets, that they be gathered up and butchered for food. This satire was an attempt by Swift to bring this disgraceful state of affairs to public attention.
The title of this piece?. ‘A Modest Proposal’.
If it’s not on your shelves already, seek it out and settle down, a good glass of claret by your side, but remember; this is a slower paced, 18th century English, a prose intended to be relished by people with enough time to savour it. Do not expect to read this quickly. This is an 18th century jewel. It will not reward haste.
Now, to the matter in hand; How was the early morning in 18th century London or Dublin?
First, the rattle on cobbled streets of a ‘Hackney-Coach’ heralds the ‘..Ruddy Morn’s Approach…’
Then, as we’ve all experienced, the half asleep and headlong dash from one bed to another before some Nosey-Parker notices, (or, God help us, a spouse!)
Whilst this flurry proceeds another ‘…slipshod ‘prentice…’ has cleared the accumulated rubbish from ‘…his Master’s Dore…’ and then lazily goes about his tidying duties, sprinkling the floor (with water, sawdust, rushes, or herbs?)
Moll prepares to scrub her entry (I regularly have my entry scrubbed and always feel the benefit afterwards)
The ‘…Kennel Edge..’ is the drain at the side (or edge) of the road.
Kennel comes from the Old French or Middle English canel meaning channel and is where we get our modern ‘canal’ from.. TV channels in French are described as “Canal A B or C’ etc.
Kennel on the other hand, as in dog kennel, has more in common with the Latin word ‘canis’ meaning dog, but I digress.
The morning is becoming brighter, the streets noisier
‘…The Smallcoal-Man…’ and the ‘Chimney-sweep, add their cries to the general din. The Sweep’s cry was’…shriller..’ because only children could get into the narrow chimney spaces.
‘Smallcoal’ is literally small bits of coal, like coarse gravel.
‘…Duns at his Lordship’s Gate began to meet. This is ominous. ‘Duns’ are debt collectors. All is not well at the Great House.
‘Brickdust Moll’*. The lady was ‘screaming…’ her wares. Not sure on this one, perhaps selling brickdust as an abrasive cleaner? PUBLISHER”S NOTE more of Brickdust Moll has come to light. All that we have will be revealed this week – look for it.
And now for something absolutely unfamiliar. Can this possibly be true?
‘…The Turn-key [jailer] now his Flock returning sees…’ who apparently have been let out ‘…to steal for Fees…’
In Swift’s time, the incarcerated were required to pay for their food and lodgings. Failure to meet these obligations could mean you might remain indefinitely locked up. It seems almost incomprehensible to us that prisoners would be released like this and encouraged to steal to pay off their ‘Fees’. The very idea that they would come back at all seems unimaginable.
‘…the watchful Bayliffs take their silent stand;..’
To all intents and purposes,this refers to cops, either in private or public employment, whose job it is to guard particular premises, or particular persons against thieves and robbers. A type of security guard rather than a police officer. There was no national police force then, not in the modern sense of the term..
And the morning has now advanced sufficiently for school children to be abroad, and dragging their feet on the way to class..
Here’s history in a nutshell, a detailed description of London waking up and going about it’s early morning business, in the first years of the 18th century. Worth a guinea a box!
I hope my rambling additions did not make the journey too tedious.
