70 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 195. 



a fanciful picture of Chai-ity supported by angels ; 

 second, a view of Higligate Charity Schools (Dor- 

 chester House) ; third, Time with his scythe and 

 hour-glass*; and the fourth, in three compart- 

 ments, the centre containing butterflies ; the 

 smaller at top and bottom, sententious allusions 

 to the value of time — " Time drops pearles from 

 Lis golden wings," &c. These are respectable en- 

 gravings, but by whom executed 1 know not. 

 After these, and before coming to the Silver Drops, 

 which are perhaps something akin to Master 

 Brooks' Apples of Gold, the book begins abruptly : 

 "The Ladies' Charity School-house Roll of Iligh- 

 gate, or a subscription of many noble well-disposed 

 ladies for the easie carrying of it on." " Being 

 well informed," runs the Prospectus, " that there 

 is a pious, good, commendable work for main- 

 taining near forty poor or fatherless children, 

 born all at or near Ilighgate, Ilornsey, or Ham- 

 sted : we, whose names are subscribed, do engage 

 or promise, that if the said boys are decently 

 cloathed in blew, lined with yellow ; constantly 

 fed all alike with good and Avholsom diet ; taught 

 to read, write, and cast accompts, and so put out 

 to trades, in order to live another day ; then we 

 will give for one year, two or three (if we well 

 like the design, and prudent management of it,) 

 once a year, the sum below mentioned," &c. The 

 projector of this good work was the subject of my 

 present note ; and after thus introducing it, the 

 worthy " woollen-draper, at the sign of the Golden 

 Boy, Maiden Lane, Coven t Garden," for such he 

 was, goes on to recommend and enforce its im- 

 portance in a variety of caj oiling addresses, or, as 

 he calls them, "charity-school sticks," to the gi-eat 

 and wealthy ; ostensibly the production of the 

 boys, but in reality the concoctions of Mr. Blake, 

 and in which he pleads earnestly for his liohby. 

 In An Essay, or Hiimhle Guess, how the Noble 

 Ladies may be inclined to give to and encourage 

 their Charity-school at Highgate, Mr. Blake farther 

 humorously shows up the various dispositions of 

 bis fair friends : — "And first," says he, " my lady 

 such-a-one cryed, Come, we will make one purse 

 out of our family;" and "my ludy such-an-one 

 said she would give for the fancy of the Roll and 

 charity stick. My lady such-an-one cryed by her 

 troth she would give nothing at all, for she had 



[* It appears, from the following advertisement at 

 the end of Silver Drops, that the plates of Time and 

 Charity were used as receipts: — "It is humbly de- 

 sired, that what you or any of you, most noble Ladies, 

 Gentlewomen, or others, are pleased to bestow or give 

 towards this good or great design, that you would be 

 pleased to take a receipt on the backside of Time or 

 Charity, sealed with three scales, namely, the Trea- 

 surer's, Housekeeper's, and Register's ; and it shall be 

 fairly recorded, and hung up in the school-house, to be 

 read of ail from Time to Time, to the world's end, we 

 hope." — Ed,] 



wales enough for her money ; while another would 

 give five or six stone of beef every week." Again, 

 in trying to come at the great citizen-ladies, he 

 magnifies, in the following characteristic style, the 

 city of London ; and, by implication, their noble 

 husbands and themselves : — " There is," says Mr. 

 Blake, " the Tower and the Monument ; the old 

 Change, Guild-Hall, and Blackwall-Hall, which 

 some icouldfain hum again ; there is Bow steeple, 

 the Holy Bible, the Silver Sells of Aaron, the godly- 

 outed ministers ; the melodious musick of the 

 Gospels ; Smithfield martyrs yet alive ; and the 

 best society, the very best in all the world for 

 civility, loyalty, men, and manners ; with the 

 greatest cash, bulk, mass, and stock of all sorts of 

 silks, cinnamon, spices, wine, gold, pearls, Spanish 

 wooU and cloaths ; with the river Nilus, and the 

 stately ships of Tarshish to carry in and out the 

 great merchandizes of the world." In this the city 

 dames are attacked collectively. Individually, he 

 would wheedle them thus into his charitable plans : 

 — " Now pray, dear madam, speak or write to my 

 lady out of hand, and tell her how It is with us ; 

 and If she will subscribe a good gob, and get the 

 young ladies to do so too ; and then put In alto- 

 gether with your lordship's and Sir James's also : 

 for it is necessary he or you in his stead should do 

 something, now the great ship is come safe in, and 

 by giving some of the first-fruits of your great bay, 

 or neio plantation, to our school, the rest will be 

 blessed the better." The scheme seems to have 

 offered attractions to the Highgate gentry: — 

 " The great ladles do allow their house-keeper," 

 he continues, " one bottle of wine, three of ale, 

 half a dozen of rolls, and two dishes of meat 

 a- day ; who is to see the wilderness, orchard, great 

 prospects, walks, and gardens, all well kept and 

 rolled for their honours' families ; and to give 

 them small treats according to discretion when 

 they please to take the air, which is undoubtedly 

 the best round London." NotAvithstandIng the 

 eloquent pleadings of Mr. Blake for their assist- 

 ance and support. It is to be feared that the noble 

 ladies allowed the predictions of his friends to be 

 verified, and did " suffer such an inferlour meane 

 and little person (to use his own phraseology) to 

 sink under the burden of so good and great a 

 work : " for we find that Gough, in allusion thereto, 

 says {Topographical Anecdotes, vol. i. p. 644.) : — 



" This Hospital at Highgate, called the Ladies' 

 Charity School, was erected by one W. Blake, a 

 woollen-draper in Covent Garden ; who having pur- 

 chased Dorcliester House, and having fooled away his 

 estate in building, was thrown into prison." 



Even here, and under such circumstances, our 

 subject was nothing daunted ; for the same 

 authority Informs us, that, still full of his philan- 

 thropic projects, he took the opportunity his lei- 

 sure there admitted to write another work upon 

 bis favourite topic of educating and caring for the 



