6 THE BRIGHTON ROAD 



for if he had not pitched into their cart he would 

 certainly have broke his neck ; which being complied 

 with, though reluctantly, he regained his saddle, and 

 proceeded a little more cautiously along the remainder 

 of the road, while groups of pedestrians of all ranks 

 and appearances lined each side." 



On their way they pass Hyde Park Corner, where 

 they encounter one of a notorious trio of brothers, 

 friends of the Prince Regent and companions of his in 

 every sort of excess — the Barrymores, to wit, named 

 severally Hellgate, Newgate, and Cripplegate, the last 

 of this unholy trinity so called because of his chronic 

 limping ; the two others' titles, taken with the 

 characters of their bearers, are self-explanatory. 



Dashall points his lordship out to his companion, who 

 is new to London life, and requires such explanations. 



" The driver of that tilbury," says he, " is the 

 celebrated Lord Cripplegate,* with his usual equipage ; 

 his blue cloak with a scarlet lining hanging loosely 

 over the vehicle gives an air of importance to his 

 appearance, and he is always attended by that boy, 

 who has been denominated his Cupid : he is a nobleman 

 by birth, a gentleman by courtesy (oh, witty Dashall !), 

 and a gamester by profession. He exhausted a large 

 estate upon odd and even, seven's the main, etc., till, 

 having lost sight of the main chance, he found it 

 necessary to curtail his establishment and enliven his 

 prospects by exchanging a first floor for a second, 

 without an opportunity of ascertaining whether or not 

 these alterations were best suited to his high notions 

 or exalted taste ; from which, in a short time, he was 

 induced, either by inclination or necessity, to take a 

 small lodging in an obscure street, and to sport a gig 

 and one horse, instead of a curricle and pair, though 

 in former times he used to drive four-in-hand, and was 

 acknowledged to be an excellent whip. He still, 

 however, possessed money enough to collect together 

 a large quantity of halfpence, which in his hours of 

 relaxation he managed to turn to good account by the 



* Henry Barry, Earl of Barrymore, in the peerage of Ireland. 



