XLVI § 2. Litteratur des Cant und Slang. Jerry Juniper's Chant. In a box of the stone jug I was born And my father, as I've heard say Was a merchant of capers gay, Who cut his last fling with great applause. Who cut his last fling with great applause. The knucks in quod did my schoolmen play And put me up to the time of day, Fogles and fawnies soon went their way To the spout with the sneezers in grand array, Nix my doll, pals, fake away! No dummy hunter had forks so fly, No slourd hoxter my snipes could stay, None knap a reader like me in the lay, Soon then I mounted in swell-street high, Fake away! Fainly resolved I would make my hay, While Mercury's star shed a single ray; And ne'er was there seen such a dashing prig, With my fawnied famms and my onions gay, My thimble of ridge, and my driz kemesa, But my nuttiest blowen, one fine day, Fake away! To the beaks did her fancy man betray, And into the jug for a lay was cast, Fake away! But I slipped my darbies one morn in May Ainsworth. Jerry Juniper's Chant. And gave to the dubsman a holiday. XLVII In einer Zelle (des Zuchthauses) von Newgate kam ich zur Welt, Immer zu! Und mein Vater, wie ich sagen gehört, Der hatte am Galgen lustig getanzt; Die Diebe im Zuchthause lehrten mich gern. Und zeigten mir, was die Glocke geschlagen; Tücher und Ringe verschwanden gar bald. Ins Leihhaus die Dosen in großem Pomp, Kein Taschenknopf meiner Scher' widerstand, Brieftaschen konnt' keiner so maufen wie ich, Entschlossen, mein Schäfchen ins Trockne zu bringen, So lange Merkurius'* Stern mir nur blinkte; Mit Ringen an den Händen und Uhrenbehang, Meiner goldenen Uhr, meinen Spigen am Hemde, Doch eines Tages mein liebster Schaß Immer zu! Ihren Herzallerliebsten den Spizeln verriet, * Merkurius: Schußgott der Diebe. XLVIII § 2. Litteratur des Cant und Slang. Und so ward ich endlich doch geschnappt, Doch entschlüpft' ich den Ketten eines Morgens im Mai Und hier bin ich, Zungens, fröhlich und frei, Ein echter, fideler Zigeunerbursch. Für AINSWORTH's genaue Bekanntschaft mit der älteren Gaunerlitteratur zeugt auch der folgende, aus Rookwood entlehnte Eidschwur: Oath of the Canting Crew. I, Crank Cuffin, swear to be Serve them truly and no other, Rogue or rascal, frater, maunderer, 8 No jarkman, be he high or low, No ballad-basket, bouncing buffer, Nor any other will I suffer, But stall-off 11 now and for ever All outliers 12 whatsoever; And as I keep to the fore-gone, Aus Jack Sheppard, einem der berühmtesten Gaunerromane der Neuzeit teilen wir (der jüdischen Ausdrücke wegen) ein Bruchstück aus dem Kapitel "The Well Hole" (Epoch the Third 3 4 1724) mit: 6 1 Rufflers (im Harman'schen Katalog) Erzgauner, die sich für verwundete Soldaten ausgeben. 2 Über Hookers or Anglers siche ebenfalls den Harman’schen Katalog. toyle Landstreicher. - dancer Dieb, der sich auf den Dächern umbertreibt und auf Gelegenheiten zum Einbruche lauert. 5 curtal eigentlich: zum Hofe gehörig; hier vielleicht statt: curtal friar Klosterpförtner. curmudgeon Geizhals. Wegen palliard siehe pallyards im Harman'schen Katalog. man Skribent einer Gaunerbande, der Bettelbriefe u. s. w. abfaßt. dummerar siehe im Harman'schen Katalog dommerars. 10 family bande. 11 stall-off abwehren. 12 outliers fremde, Unbekannte. 7 8 jark9 Über Gauner Ainsworth. Jack Sheppard. XLIX Jack Sheppard. The Well Hole. On his return to the room, Jonathan purposely left the door of the Well Hole ajar. Unlocking a cupboard, he then took out some cold meat and other viands, with a flask of wine, and a bottle of brandy, and began to eat and drink voraciously. He had very nearly cleared the board, when a knock was heard below, and descending at the summons, he found his two janizaries. They had both been unsuccessful. As Jonathan scarcely expected a more satisfactory result, he made no comment; but, ordering Quilt to continue his search, and not to return until he had found the fugitive, called Abraham Mendez into the house, and shut the door. "I want you for the job I spoke of a short time ago, Nab", he said. "I mean to have no one but yourself in it. Come up stairs, and take a glass of brandy." Abraham grinned, and silently followed his master, who, as soon as they reached the audience-chamber, poured out a bumper of spirits, and presented it to him. The Jew swallowed it at a draught. "By my shoul!" he exclaimed, smacking his lips, „dat ish goot very goot." "You shall finish the bottle when the job 's done,' replied Jonathan. "Vat ish it, Mister Vild?" inquired Mendez. "Shir Rowland Trenchard's affair eh ?" "That's it", rejoined Jonathan; "I expect him here every minute. When you 've admitted him, steal into the room, hide yourself, and don't move till I utter the words, 'You 've a long journey before you'. That's your signal." *And a famoush goot shignal it ish", laughed Abraham. "He hash a long journey before him ha! ha!" in. "Peace!" cried Jonathan. "There 's his knock. Go, and let him And mind you don't arouse his suspicions." "Never fear never fear", rejoined Abraham, as he took up the link, and left the room. Sir Rowland then fell. A hollow plunge, echoed and re-echoed by the walls, marked his descent into the water. "Give me the link", cried Jonathan. Holding down the light, he perceived that the wounded man had risen to the surface, and was trying to clamber up the slippery sides of the well. "Shoot him! shoot him! Put him out of hish mishery", cried the Jew. "What's the use of wasting a shot?" rejoined Jonathan, savagely. "He can't get out." After making several ineffectual attempts to keep himself above water, Sir Rowland sunk, and his groans, which had become gradually fainter and fainter, were heard no more. "All's over", muttered Jonathan. BAUMANN, LONDINISMEN, EINLEITUNG. IV L § 2. Litteratur des Cant und Slang. "Shall we go back to de other room?" asked the Jew. "I shall breathe more freely dere. Oh! Christ! de door 's shut! It musht have schwung to during de schuffle!" "Shut!" exclaimed Wild. "Then we're imprisoned. The spring can't be opened on this side." "Dere's de other door!" cried Mendez, in alarm. "It only leads to the fencing crib", replied Wild. "There's no outlet that way." "Can't we call for asshistanche?" "And who 'll find us, if we do?" rejoined Wild, fiercely. "But they will find the evidences of slaughter in the other room, the table upset, the bloody cloth, the dead man's sword, the money, and my memorandum, which I forgot to remove. Hell's curses! that after all my precautions I should be thus entrapped. It's all your fault, you shaking coward! and, but that I feel sure you'll swing for your carelessness, I'd throw you into the well, too." Doch überragt Bulwer und Ainsworth als Kenner der unteren Volksschichten und ihrer Sprache in unseren Tagen der Humorist James GReenWOOD (auch als "One of the Crowd" bekannt). Der Leser wird die Titel seiner anziehenden Romane, darunter Almost lost, A little Ragamuffin, Tag, Rag & Co., im Wörterbuche öfters erwähnt finden. Es folgt als Stilprobe Greenwood's ein von ihm im Daily Telegraph veröffentlichter Artikel: Opinions of an Ex-"P.P." It will interest the London pedestrian public to learn that a member of the pocketpicking fraternity has voluntarily retired from the business. He ceases to be a thief simply and solely, because it is no longer necessary that he shall remain one. He was serving a term of nine months; but within a fortnight of his being entitled to his discharge, there came to the prison a communication that completely altered the prisoner's future prospects. The lawyer's letter apprised John Mobbs that his godmother, who resided in Liverpool, and had not set eyes on John since, nine years before, he ran away from school at that seaport to seek his fortune in London, had died and made him heir to the tune of £ 2600 invested in Consols. "The old gal," said Mr. Mobbs, alluding thus disrespectfully to his godmother, "never knew the truth about me going wrong and being put away so many times, I mean. She always behaved stunning well to me while I was at school, and when I ran away I didn't have any mother or father although I dropped into queer company straight off, I used to write proper letters to her, pretending that I was struggling to get a honest living, and squeezing her for a bit of money. I wanted to keep well with her because I was aware that she had plenty of pieces, and when she 'kicked the bucket', I hoped she |