" JOHN BULL ET SON ILE " IN THE SIXTEENTH
CENTURY.
THE popularity of Mr. Max O'Rell's pamphlet on English life and manners has shown once again how eagerly we seek to " see ourselves as others see us." Our ancestors were probably not above this natural instinct, but it is unlikely that they ever became acquainted with the criticism passed upon them by one Stephen Perlin, a French ecclesiastic who visited England about the „year 1553- As an instance of how much and how little we have advanced during the last three hundred years, it may be interesting to give some extracts from M. Perlin's sketch, which was published at Paris in the year 1558, and dedicated to the Duche,sse de Berri. For London M. Perlin
has nothing but praise A very beautiful and excellent city, . and, after Paris, one of the most beautiful, largest, and richest places in the whole world • This city is rich in grocery, in cloth, linens, fisheries, and has one of the most beautiful
bridges in the world There • are beautiful suburbs, which are even greater than the city itself. Their princi- pal church is dedicated to St. Paul, which they call in their. language Paules ;' and when they would say, Which is the way to St. Paul's Church ?' they say, On es ou est gaud ad. Paules.' " It is to be observed, both here and later on, that M. Perlin gives his countrymen some curious specimens of the English, "as she" was "spoke," of the period. "In this city are many beautiful mansions and palaces, which are the dwellings of the milors or chief nobility." We have a sad account of the English people :— " One may say of the English, they are neither valiant in war nor faithful in peace ;" and, when spehking of Calais, so soon to be
• French again, he says :—" That the common people are proud and seditious, of an evil conscience and unfaithful to their promiies, is apparent by experience.. These villains hate all sorts of strangers, and although they are placed in a good soil and a good country, as I have before alleged, they are wicked and extremely fickle; for at one moment they will adore a prince, and the
next moment they would kill or crucify -him It -displeases me that these 'villains, in their own country, spit in our faces ; although, when they are in France, we treat them like little divinities,—in which the French demonstrate themselves to be of a noble and generous • spirit." These severe strictures may be accounted for when we read :—" The people of this country have a mortal hatred for the French as their ancient enemies, and in common call us France Chenesve, Prance Vogue, which is to say, French knaves and French dogs." M. Perlin was no prophet, for he says, "The people of this country scarcely ever travel, or but little ;" but perhaps not so far wrong when he adds, "And are not much given to letters, but only to vanity and ambition, and to all
sorts of merchandise." -
M. Perlin visited us in troublons times, and he gives us a quaint account of "Milor Notombellant's " insurrection, prefaced by the remark, " Good Lord, what a sedition was I witness to !" This is followed by a graphic description of the Queen's entry into London, when we hear of her as " Madame Mary, Queen of England, mounted on a small, white, ambling nag." The Princess Elizabeth receives a compliment which would have saved its author from the penalty-of his religion, had he been caught in England a few years later,." In truth, a beautiful Princess." M. Perlin was no bigot :—" The Queen made use of such horrible punishments, and by the effusion of human. blood so established her authority, that everybody was astonished and
terrified at remaining in the kingdom All the English preachers left England and then the Canons of St.
Paul's might be seen saying their vespers and mattins as in France." After this the sketch deals only with the manners and customs of the country and • the author's reflections thereon :—" In this kingdom are many beautiful ships, so handsome are hardly to be seen elsewhere in the whole world.
The people of this country make good cheer, and dearly love junketting ; and you will see many rich taverns, and the tavern-keepers have commonly large purses, in which are three or four smaller ones full of money, whence you may gather that this country is very rich, and that people in trade gain more is one week than those in Germany or Spain do in a month ; for here you may commonly see artisans, such as hatters and joiners, play at tennis for a crown, which is not often seen elsewhere, particularly on a working day, and continually feast- ing in a tavern upon rabbits,-hares, and all kinds of meat. Both fish and butter are, cheap, for I once bought nine plaice for a denier ; but you must understand that the denier is worth nine
tournois French money, or thereabouts, and is called a peni The men. are large, handsome, and ruddy, with flaxen hair, being in a Northern latitude. Their women, of any estimation, are the greatest beauties in the world, and as fair as alabaster, without offence to those of Italy, -Flanders, and Germany be it spoken. They are also cheerful and courteous, and of a good address. The English in general are cheerful, and great lovers of music; for there is no church, however small, but has musical service performed in it. They are likewise great drunkards, for if an Englishman would treat you, he will say, in his language,' Vis dring a quarks rim Gasguim oim Hespaignol oim that is, Will you drink a quart of Gascoigne wine, another of Spanish, and another of Malmsey ?' In drinking or eating, they will say to you above a hundred times, Drind ion, which is, I am going to drink to you ;-' and you should answer them in their language, Iplaigu, which means, ' I pledge you.' If you would thank them in their language, you must say, God tangue artelay which is to say, I thank you with all my heart.' When they are drunk, they will swear blood and death that you shall drink• all that is in your cup, and will thus say to you, Bigod, sol drind iou agoud oin It is to be noted that in this excellent kingdom there is, as I have said, no kind of order. The people are reprobates, and thorough enemies to good manners and letters, for they sdon't know whether they belong to God or the Devil,—which St. Paul has reprehended in many people; saying, Be not transported with divers sorts of winds, but be constant and steady to your belief.' In this country all the shops of every trade are open, like those of the barbers in France, and have many glass windows. In the windows, as well in cities as villages, are plenty of flowers, and at the taverns plenty of hay upon their wooden floors, and many cushions of tapestry, on which travellers seat themselves. England is remarkable for all sorts of fruits, as apricots, peaches, and quantities of nuts. ... . . . The country is covered and very shady, for the lands are all enclosed with hedges, oaks, and many other sorts of trees, so that in travel- ling you seem to be in one continued wood. But you will find many little flights of steps, which are called amphores.' Over these foot-passengers go, by little paths, into the grounds ; here horsemen cannot come, but are obliged to keep the high road, among trees and bashes The English con- same great quantities of beer, double and single, and do not drink it out of glasses; but from earthenware pots with silver handles and covers, and this even in houses of middle fortune ; for as to the poor, the covers of their pots are only pewter, and in some places, such as villages, their pots for beer are made only of wood. The houses of the people of this country are as well furnished as any in the world."
The insecurity of life and property seems to have impressed M. Perlin deeply :—" Likewise, in this country you will scarcely find any nobleman some of whose relations have not been beheaded. For my part (with reverence to my reader), I had rather be a hog- driver and keep my head, for this disorder falls furiously on the heads of great lords. For a while you may see these great lords in vast pomp and magnificence, and the next instant you behold them under the hands of the executioner." In drawing a brilliant, and perhaps flattering, picture of his native land, which seems, from his account, to have been in the golden age at that period, he contrasts the justice of the two countries :—" Its " (France's) "justice is well administered, not tyrannically, as in England, which is the pest and ruin of a country, for a kingdom ihonld be governed not by shedding human blood in such abundance as to make it run into rivulets, thereby disturbing the good people." Criminal reform appears to have been as much needed then as now :—" In England, the legal punishments are very cruel, for a man is put to death for a trifling offence. For a crime which in France would be only punished with a whipping, a man would here be sentenced to death. It is true they have here but two sorts of executions, hanging and beheading, and by this means a man is as severely punished for a trifling as a more heinous offence, which ought not to be, and is better regulated in 'France, for there are several aorta of torments,
according to the crime." M. Perlin is kinder to our climate than those who have come after him, his only remark on the subject being,—" In the seaports of this country, it rains fre- quently, on account of storms at sea." On the whole, it is to be hoped that our visitor enjoyed himself, for he concludes the account of his travels with,—" It is good living liere, as I found it in my time. Let this suffice for England."
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