South London . art and in everysituation. It is the same thing with the juggler, the tumbler,the posturer, the dancer on the rope and wire, the trainer andteacher of animals. Dogs, monkeys, bears, horses, were alltrained to perform tricks : women danced on the tight rope :jugglers tossed knives and balls : men fought with quarterstaff,single-sticks, rapier, or fist: there were exhibitions of strangemonsters: there were strange creatures. The nature of theshow was proclaimed by a large painted canvas hung outsidethe booth. Evelyn, writing on the 13th of September, 1660, says : Isaw in Southwark
South London . art and in everysituation. It is the same thing with the juggler, the tumbler,the posturer, the dancer on the rope and wire, the trainer andteacher of animals. Dogs, monkeys, bears, horses, were alltrained to perform tricks : women danced on the tight rope :jugglers tossed knives and balls : men fought with quarterstaff,single-sticks, rapier, or fist: there were exhibitions of strangemonsters: there were strange creatures. The nature of theshow was proclaimed by a large painted canvas hung outsidethe booth. Evelyn, writing on the 13th of September, 1660, says : Isaw in Southwark at St. Margarets Faire, monkies and assesdance and do other feates of activity on ye tight rope ; theywere gallantly clad d la mode, went upright, saluted the THE LADY FAIR I8i company, bowing and pulling off their hats ; they saluted oneanother with as good a grace as if instructed by a dancing-master. They turnd heels over head with a basket havingeggs in it without breaking any; also with lighted candles in. liOOTir, SOUlllWAKK FAIR their hands and on their heads without cxtinc;uisliiiu; thcro,and with vessels of water without spilling a drop. I also sawan Italian wench dauncc and pcrforme all the tricks of xctight rope to admiration ; all the Court went to see her. Like- i82 SOUTH LONDON wise here was a man who tookc up a piece of iron cannon ofabout 400 lb. weight with the haire of his head otiely. Pepys twice mentions Southwark Fair. The first occasionwas on September 11, 1660. He only says : Landing at theBear at the Bridge Foot, we saw Southwark Fair. Eightyears later he pays the Fair a second visit, of which he givesthe following account : 21 September, 1668. To Southwark Fair, very dirty,and there saw the puppet-show of Whittington, which ispretty to see ; and how that idle thing do work upon peoplethat see it, and even myself too ! And thence to JacobHalls dancing on the ropes, where I saw such action as Inever saw before, and mightily worth seeing ; and here tookac
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Keywords: ., bookauthorbesantwa, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookyear1912
