Anecdotes of the Learned Pig

Anecdotes of the Learned Pig - With Notes, Critical and Explanatory, and Illustrations from Bozzy, Piozzi &c. &c.

THE Editor is indebted to mere accident for his acquaintance with the following prightly performance; and, as it eemed to have been the Authors intention to have written notes, from everal detached papers having reference to the text, the Editor has taken the liberty to introduce them as uch, and add ome trifling references by way of proof or illutration, which he hopes may not be deemed impertinent. THE great and learned Pig, of which it is our hap to peak, was produced in a ty belonging to an old Tory, [6] bookeller, in Moorfields. At that time Moorfields was ditinguihed by rails which fluttered with party writings and libels of every ort; and it is remarkable that his mother, during her pregnancy, tore down from thoe rails, and fairly devoured one whole volume of Filmer and all Sacheverells ermons at a meal; after which he was oberved to grunt more and louder, and to lie longer in the un, and deeper in the mire, than it had before been her cutom to do. She was delivered of our Pig on the morning of the tenth of June. He was trong and bony, but of an inelegant form, and betrayed a very uncommon roughnes in his queak; and it was oon after remarked by the neighbours, that his [7] trottings after his mother were made in zig-zags, and not in traight lines as is uual with other pigs. After his mother, however, he reolutely trotted, and one morning, as ill fortune would have it, into a garden which had belonged to the great Milton, and was now in the poeion of one of his daughters. Here he fed voraciouly upon white roes, whilt his lady mother was buily employed in rooting up all the red ones. He was in this place eized by the owner, and o everely whipped, that he thought no other than that he was whipping him to death in preparation for a luxurious meal. Of this whipping he retained through life the highet reentment, and bore ever after the mot inveterate hatred of the whole Miltonic line. On the fifth of November following he was taken up, without any warrant, by the rabble, for the ues of a Whig feat, and was very near being roated at the ame fire with the Pope, the Devil, and the Pretender; but this [8] being dicovered to be omething mealy, he was turned looe to be cured, as they deridingly aid, by the royal touch. Of this event he retained the tronget enibility, and conidered ever after his fellow ufferers, the Pope and the Pretender, with great complacence, if not affection; but as to the other party, though expoed to the ame dihonours, there was omething in his horns and his tail which he could never be brought [9] to endure. The touch already mentioned, though profanely neered at by the Whig rabble, was oon afterwards in good earnet applied; but o great an obliquity of head had by this time taken place, that it could never be perfectly retored. Upon this memorable occaion there was placed about his neck a ribband of true blue, to which hung a ilver coin, diplaying royal lineaments of the Stuart line, making o trong an impreion on his young fancy, that for that line he ever after retained the mot # paionate regard. Thus decorated, he conidered himelf, and was conidered by others, as a kind of Tantony, or St. Anthonys Pig, belonging to the Crown. Not long after this period he was [10] heard one morning as he lay in the un to grunt forth, portentouly the following rhymes: ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 51017
Author: Boswell, James
Release Date: Jan 23, 2016
Format: eBook
Language: English

Contributors

Contributor (Author): Piozzi, Hester Lynch, 1741-1821