Bracebridge Hall

Ready Money Jack

The first place where he attracted my attention was in the churchyard on

Sunday; where he sat on a tombstone after service, with his hat a little

on one side, holding forth to a small circle of auditors, and, as I

presumed, expounding the law and the prophets, until, on drawing a

little nearer, I found he was only expatiating on the merits of a brown

horse. He presented so faithful a picture of a substantial English

yeoman, such as he is often described in books, heightened, indeed, by

some little finery peculiar to himself, that I could not but take note

of his whole appearance.

He was between fifty and sixty, of a strong muscular frame, and at least

six feet high, with a physiognomy as grave as a lion's, and set off with

short, curling, iron-gray locks. His shirt-collar was turned down, and

displayed a neck covered with the same short, curling, gray hair; and he

wore a coloured silk neckcloth, tied very loosely, and tucked in at the

bosom, with a green paste brooch on the knot. His coat was of dark-green

cloth, with silver buttons, on each of which was engraved a stag, with

his own name, John Tibbets, underneath. He had an inner waistcoat of

figured chintz, between which and his coat was another of scarlet cloth

unbuttoned. His breeches were also left unbuttoned at the knees, not

from any slovenliness, but to show a broad pair of scarlet garters. His

stockings were blue, with white clocks; he wore large silver

shoe-buckles; a broad paste buckle in his hatband; his sleeve buttons

were gold seven-shilling pieces; and he had two or three guineas hanging

as ornaments to his watch-chain.

On making some inquiries about him, I gathered that he was descended

from a line of farmers that had always lived on the same spot, and owned

the same property; and that half of the churchyard was taken up with the

tombstones of his race. He has all his life been an important character

in the place. When a youngster, he was one of the most roaring blades of

the neighbourhood. No one could match him at wrestling, pitching the

bar, cudgel play, and other athletic exercises. Like the renowned Pinner

of Wakefield, he was the village champion; carried off the prize at all

the fairs, and threw his gauntlet at the country round. Even to this day

the old people talk of his prowess, and undervalue, in comparison, all

heroes of the green that have succeeded him; nay, they say that if

Ready-Money Jack were to take the field even now, there is no one could

stand before him.

When Jack's father died, the neighbours shook their heads, and predicted

that young Hopeful would soon make way with the old homestead; but Jack

falsified all their predictions. The moment he succeeded to the paternal

farm he assumed a new character; took a wife; attended resolutely to his

affairs, and became an industrious, thrifty farmer. With the family

property he inherited a set of old family maxims, to which he steadily

adhered. He saw to everything himself; put his own hand to the plough;

worked hard; ate heartily; slept soundly; paid for everything in cash

down; and never danced except he could do it to the music of his own

money in both pockets. He has never been without a hundred or two

pounds in gold by him, and never allows a debt to stand unpaid. This has

gained him his current name, of which, by the by, he is a little proud;

and has caused him to be looked upon as a very wealthy man by all the

village.

Notwithstanding his thrift, however, he has never denied himself the

amusements of life, but has taken a share in every passing pleasure. It

is his maxim, that "he that works hard can afford to play." He is,

therefore, an attendant at all the country fairs and wakes, and has

signalised himself by feats of strength and prowess on every village

green in the shire. He often makes his appearance at horse-races, and

sports his half-guinea and even his guinea at a time; keeps a good horse

for his own riding, and to this day is fond of following the hounds, and

is generally in at the death. He keeps up the rustic revels, and

hospitalities too, for which his paternal farm-house has always been

noted; has plenty of good cheer and dancing at harvest-home, and above

all, keeps the "merry night,"[A] as it is termed, at Christmas.

[Footnote A: MERRY NIGHT; a rustic merry-making in a farm-house about

Christmas, common in some parts of Yorkshire. There is abundance of

homely fare, tea, cakes, fruit, and ale; various feats of agility,

amusing games, romping, dancing, and kissing withal. They commonly break

up at midnight.]

With all his love of amusement, however, Jack is by no means a

boisterous jovial companion. He is seldom known to laugh even in the

midst of his gaiety; but maintains the same grave, lion-like demeanour.

He is very slow at comprehending a joke; and is apt to sit puzzling at

it, with a perplexed look, while the rest of the company is in a roar.

This gravity has, perhaps, grown on him with the growing weight of his

character; for he is gradually rising into patriarchal dignity in his

native place. Though he no longer takes an active part in athletic

sports, yet he always presides at them, and is appealed to on all

occasions as umpire. He maintains the peace on the village-green at

holiday games, and quells all brawls and quarrels by collaring the

parties and shaking them heartily, if refractory. No one ever pretends

to raise a hand against him, or to contend against his decisions; the

young men having grown up in habitual awe of his prowess, and in

implicit deference to him as the champion and lord of the green.

He is a regular frequenter of the village inn, the landlady having been

a sweetheart of his in early life, and he having always continued on

kind terms with her. He seldom, however, drinks anything but a draught

of ale; smokes his pipe, and pays his reckoning before leaving the

tap-room. Here he "gives his little senate laws;" decides bets, which

are very generally referred to him; determines upon the characters and

qualities of horses; and indeed plays now and then the part of a judge,

in settling petty disputes between neighbours, which otherwise might

have been nursed by country attorneys into tolerable lawsuits. Jack is

very candid and impartial in his decisions, but he has not a head to

carry a long argument, and is very apt to get perplexed and out of

patience if there is much pleading. He generally breaks through the

argument with a strong voice, and brings matters to a summary

conclusion, by pronouncing what he calls the "upshot of the business,"

or, in other words, "the long and short of the matter."

Jack once made a journey to London, a great many years since, which has

furnished him with topics of conversation ever since. He saw the old

king on the terrace at Windsor, who stopped, and pointed him out to one

of the princesses, being probably struck with Jack's truly yeoman-like

appearance. This is a favourite anecdote with him, and has no doubt had

a great effect in making him a most loyal subject ever since, in spite

of taxes and poor's rates. He was also at Bartholomew-fair, where he had

half the buttons cut off his coat; and a gang of pick-pockets, attracted

by his external show of gold and silver, made a regular attempt to

hustle him as he was gazing at a show; but for once they found that they

had caught a tartar, for Jack enacted as great wonders among the gang as

Samson did among the Philistines. One of his neighbours, who had

accompanied him to town, and was with him at the fair, brought back an

account of his exploits, which raised the pride of the whole village;

who considered their champion as having subdued all London, and eclipsed

the achievements of Friar Tuck, or even the renowned Robin Hood himself.

Of late years the old fellow has begun to take the world easily; he

works less, and indulges in greater leisure, his son having grown up,

and succeeded to him both in the labours of the farm and the exploits of

the green. Like all sons of distinguished men, however, his father's

renown is a disadvantage to him, for he can never come up to public

expectation. Though a fine, active fellow of three-and-twenty, and

quite the "c**k of the walk," yet the old people declare he is nothing

like what Ready-Money Jack was at his time of life. The youngster

himself acknowledges his inferiority, and has a wonderful opinion of the

old man, who indeed taught him all his athletic accomplishments, and

holds such a sway over him, that I am told, even to this day, he would

have no hesitation to take him in hands, if he rebelled against paternal

government.

The squire holds Jack in very high esteem, and shows him to all his

visitors as a specimen of old English "heart of oak." He frequently

calls at his house, and tastes some of his home-brewed, which is

excellent. He made Jack a present of old Tusser's Hundred Points of good

Husbandrie, which has furnished him with reading ever since, and is his

text-book and manual in all agricultural and domestic concerns. He has

made dog's ears at the most favourite passages, and knows many of the

poetical maxims by heart.

Tibbets, though not a man to be daunted or fluttered by high

acquaintances; and though he cherishes a sturdy independence of mind and

manner, yet is evidently gratified by the attentions of the squire,

whom he has known from boyhood, and pronounces "a true gentleman every

inch of him." He is also on excellent terms with Master Simon, who is a

kind of privy councillor to the family; but his great favourite is the

Oxonian, whom he taught to wrestle and play at quarter-staff when a boy,

and considers the most promising young gentleman in the whole county.