第 1 节
作者:冷如冰      更新:2021-02-19 19:50      字数:9322
  The Complete Works of Artemus Ward; Part 5
  by Charles Farrar Browne
  With a biographical sketch by Melville D。 Landon; 〃Eli Perkins〃
  PART V。
  The London Punch Letters。
  5。1。  Arrival in London。
  5。2。  Personal Recollections。
  5。3。  The Green Lion and Oliver Cromwell。
  5。4。  At the Tomb of Shakespeare。
  5。5。  Introduction to the Club。
  5。6。  The Tower of London。
  5。7。  Science and Natural History。
  5。8。  A Visit to the British Museum。
  PART V。  THE LONDON PUNCH LETTERS。
  P。S。June 16th。Artemus Ward really arrived in London yesterday。
  He has come to England at last; though; like 〃La Belle Helene at
  the Adelphi Theatre; he 〃has been some time in preparation。〃
  JOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN; Piccadilly; W。  Jan。 30; 1865。
  5。1。  ARRIVAL IN LONDON。
  MR。 PUNCH:  My dear Sir;You prob'ly didn't meet my uncle Wilyim
  when he was on these shores。  I jedge so from the fack that his
  pursoots wasn't litrary。  Commerce; which it has been trooly
  observed by a statesman; or somebody; is the foundation stone
  onto which a nation's greatness rests; glorious Commerce was
  Uncle Wilyim's fort。  He sold soap。  It smelt pretty; and redily
  commanded two pents a cake。  I'm the only litrary man in our
  fam'ly。  It is troo; I once had a dear cuzzun who wrote 22 verses
  onto 〃A Child who nearly Died of the Measles; O!〃 but as he
  injoodiciously introjudiced a chorious at the end of each stansy;
  the parrents didn't like it at all。  The father in particler wept
  afresh; assaulted my cuzzun; and said he never felt so ridicklus
  in his intire life。  The onhappy result was that my cuzzun
  abandined poetry forever; and went back to shoemakin; a shattered
  man。
  My Uncle Wilyim disposed of his soap; and returned to his nativ
  land with a very exolted opinyon of the British public。  〃It is a
  edycated community;〃 said he; 〃they're a intellectooal peple。  In
  one small village alone I sold 50 cakes of soap; incloodin
  barronial halls; where they offered me a ducal coronet; but I
  said nogive it to the poor。〃  This was the way Uncle Wilyim
  went on。  He told us; however; some stories that was rather too
  much to be easily swallerd。  In fack; my Uncle Wilyim was not a
  emblem of trooth。  He retired some years ago on a hansum
  comptency derived from the insurance…money he received on a
  rather shaky skooner he owned; and which turned up while lyin at
  a wharf one night; the cargo havin fortnitly been removed the day
  afore the disastriss calamty occurd。  Uncle Wilyim said it was
  one of the most sing'ler things he ever heard of; and; after
  collectin the insurance money; he bust into a flood of tears; and
  retired to his farm in Pennsylvany。  He was my uncle by marriage
  only。  I do not say that he wasn't a honest man。  I simply say
  that if you have a uncle; and bitter experunce tells you it is
  more profitable in a pecoonery pint of view to put pewter spoons
  instid of silver ones onto the table when that uncle dines with
  you in a frenly wayI simply say; there is sumthun wrong in our
  social sistim; which calls loudly for reform。
  I 'rived on these shores at Liverpool; and proceeded at once to
  London。  I stopt at the Washington Hotel in Liverpool; because it
  was named after a countryman of mine who didn't get his living by
  makin' mistakes; and whose mem'ry is dear to civilized peple all
  over the world; because he was gentle and good as well as trooly
  great。  We read in Histry of any number of great individooals;
  but how few of 'em; alars! should we want to take home to supper
  with us!  Among others; I would call your attention to Alexander
  the Great; who conkerd the world; and wept because he couldn't do
  it sum more; and then took to gin…and…seltzer; gettin' tight
  every day afore dinner with the most disgustin' reg'larity;
  causin' his parunts to regret they hadn't 'prenticed him in his
  early youth to a biskit…baker; or some other occupation of a
  peaceful and quiet character。  I say; therefore; to the great men
  now livin; (you could put 'em all into Hyde Park; by the way; and
  still leave room for a large and respectable concourse of
  rioters)be good。  I say to that gifted but bald…heded Prooshun;
  Bismarck; be good and gentle in your hour of triump。  _I_ always
  am。  I admit that our lines is different; Bismarck's and mine;
  but the same glo'rus principle is involved; I am a exhibiter of
  startlin' curiositys; wax works; snaix; etsetry (〃either of
  whom;〃 as a American statesman whose name I ain't at liberty to
  mention for perlitical resins; as he expecks to be a candidate
  for a prom'nent offiss; and hence doesn't wish to excite the rage
  and jelisy of other showmen〃either of whom is wuth dubble the
  price of admission〃); I say I am an exhibiter of startlin
  curiositys; and I also have my hours of triump; but I try to be
  good in 'em。  If you say; 〃Ah; yes; but also your hours of grief
  and misfortin;〃 I answer; it is troo; and you prob'ly refer to
  the circumstans of my hirin' a young man of dissypated habits to
  fix hisself up as A real Cannibal from New Zeelan; and when I was
  simply tellin the audience that he was the most feroshos Cannibal
  of his tribe; and that; alone and unassisted; he had et sev'ril
  of our fellow countrymen; and that he had at one time even
  contemplated eatin his Uncle Thomas on his mother's side; as well
  as other near and dear relatives;when I was makin' these simple
  statements the mis'ble young man said I was a lyer; and knockt me
  off the platform。  Not quite satisfied with this; he cum and trod
  hevly on me; and as he was a very muscular person and wore
  remarkable thick boots; I knew at once that a canary bird wasn't
  walkin' over me。
  I admit that my ambition overlept herself in this instuns; and
  I've been very careful ever since to deal square with the public。
  If I was the public I should insist on squareness; tho' I
  shouldn't do as a portion of my audience did on the occasion jest
  mentioned; which they was employed in sum naberin' coal mines。
  〃As you hain't got no more Cannybals to show us; old man;〃 said
  one of 'em; who seemed to be a kind of leader among 'ema tall
  dis'greeble skoundril〃as you seem to be out of Cannybals; we'll
  sorter look round here and fix things。  Them wax figgers of yours
  want washin'。  There's Napoleon Bonyparte and Julius Caesarthey
  must have a bath;〃 with which coarse and brutal remark he
  imitated the shrill war…hoop of the western savige; and; assisted
  by his infamus coal…heavin companyins; he threw all my wax…work
  into the river; and let my wild bears loose to pray on a peaceful
  and inoffensive agricultooral community。
  Leavin Liverpool (I'm goin' back there; thoI want to see the
  Docks; which I heard spoken of at least once while I was there) I
  cum to London in a 1st class car; passin' the time very agreeable
  in discussin; with a countryman of mine; the celebrated
  Schleswig…Holstein question。  We took that int'resting question
  up and carefully traced it from the time it commenced being so;
  down to the present day; when my countryman; at the close of a
  four hours' annymated debate; said he didn't know anything about
  it himself; and he wanted to know if I did。  I told him that I
  did not。  He's at Ramsgate now; and I am to write him when I feel
  like givin him two days in which to discuss the question of negro
  slavery in America。  But now I do not feel like it。
  London at last; and I'm stoppin at the Greenlion tavern。  I like
  the lan'lord very much indeed。  He had fallen into a few triflin
  errers in regard to Americahe was under the impression; for
  instance; that we et hay over there; and had horns growin out of
  the back part of our headsbut his chops and beer is ekal to any
  I ever pertook。  You must cum and see me and bring the boys。  I'm
  told that Garrick used to cum here; but I'm growin skeptycal
  about Garrick's favorit taverns。  I've had over 500 public…houses
  pinted out to me where Garrick went。  I was indooced one night;
  by a seleck comp'ny of Britons; to visit sum 25 public…houses;
  and they confidentially told me that Garrick used to go to each
  one of 'em。  Also; Dr。 Johnson。  This won't do; you know。
  May be I've rambled a bit in this communycation。  I'll try and be
  more collected in my next; and meanwhile; b'lieve me;
  Trooly Yours;
  Artemus Ward。
  5。2。  PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS。
  You'll be glad to learn that I've made a good impression onto the
  mind of the lan'lord of the Green Lion tavern。  He made a speech
  about me last night。  Risin' in the bar he spoke as follers;
  there bein over 20 individooals present:
  〃This North American has been a inmate of my 'ouse over two
  weeks; yit he hasn't made no attempt to scalp any member of my
  fam'ly。  He hasn't broke no cups or sassers; or furnitur of any
  kind。  (〃Hear; hear。〃)  I find I can trust him with lited
  candles。  He eats his wittles with a knife and a fork。  People of
  this kind should be encurridged。  I purpose 'is 'elth!〃  (〃Loud
  'plaws。〃)
  What could I do but modestly get up and express a fervint hope
  that the Atlantic Cable would bind the two countries still more
  closely together?  The lan'lord said my speech was full of
  orig'nality;