to London, he, being brought before the horns, had a mock oath
administered to him, to the effect that he would never drink small beer
when he could get strong, unless he liked it better; that he would
never eat brown bread when he could get white, or water-gruel, when he
could command turtle-soup; that he would never make love to the maid
when he might to the mistress; and so on . according to the wit of the
imposer of the oath, and simplicity of the oath-taker."

_Face p. 369._]

In these days a man like Forrester would be almost at a discount, but at
the time when he started there was less competition, and a useful,
clever man, like he undoubtedly was, was fortunately not lost. His
hands, in fact, were always full, and a list of some of the books to
which his pen and his pencil contributed will be found in the Appendix.
One of the best of his designs was a title-page he executed for a work
published by Kent & Co., under the title of "Merry Pictures by the Comic
Hands of Alfred Crowquill, Doyle, Meadows, Hine, and Others" (1857), a
_rechauffage_ of cuts and illustrations which had previously done duty
for books of an ephemeral character, such as "The Gent," "The Ballet
Girl," and even of the superior order of "Gavarni in London."[183] Some
excellent designs executed by him on wood will be found in Messrs.
Chambers' "Book of Days." In his dual character of a writer and comic
artist, Crowquill was an inveterate punster. Leaves from his "Memorandum
Book" (1834) will give us a good idea of his style. In "Tea Leaves for
Breakfast," _Strong Black_ is represented by a sturdy negro carrying a
heavy basket; a tall youth with a small father personating _Hyson_; a
housemaid shaking a hall mat, to the discomfort of herself and the
passers-by, is labelled _Fine dust_; a cockney accidentally discharging
his fowling-piece does duty for _Gunpowder_; while _Mixed_ is aptly
personified by a curious group of masqueraders. The vowels put in a
comical appearance: _A_ with his hands behind him listens to _E_, who
points to _I_ as the subject of his remarks, which must be of a
scandalous character, as the injured vowel looks the picture of anger
and astonishment. _E_ finds a ready listener in _O_, who opens his mouth
and extends his hands in real or simulated amazement and horror.

Crowquill was a clever caricaturist, and began work when he was only
eighteen. We have seen some able satires of his executed between the
yea