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    LIVES OF ILLUSTRIOUS SHOEMAKERS.

    BY

    WILLIAM EDWARD WINKS.


    NEW YORK:
    FUNK & WAGNALLS, PUBLISHERS,
    10 AND 12 DEY STREET.




PREFACE.


Time out of mind _The Gentle Craft_ has been invested with an air of
romance. This honorable title, given to no other occupation but that of
shoemakers, is an indication of the high esteem in which the Craft is
held. It is by no means an easy thing to account for a sentiment of this
kind, or to trace such a title to its original source. Whether the
traditionary stories which have clustered round the lives of Saints
Anianus, Crispin and Crispianus, or Hugh and Winifred, gave rise to the
sentiment, or the sentiment itself is to be regarded as accounting for
the traditions, one cannot tell. Probably there is some truth in both
theories, for sentiment and tradition act and react on each other.

Certain it is, that among all our craftsmen none appear to enjoy a
popularity comparable with that of "the old Cobbler" or "Shoemaker."
Most men have a good word to say for him, a joke to crack about him, or
a story to tell of his ability and "learning," his skill in argument, or
his prominence and influence in political or religious affairs. Both in
ancient times and in modern, in the Old World and in the New, a rare
interest has been felt in Shoemakers, as a class, on account of their
remarkable intelligence and the large number of eminent men who have
risen from their ranks.

These facts, and especially the last--which has been the subject of
frequent remark--may be deemed sufficient justification for the
existence of such a work as this.

Another reason might be given for the issue of such a book as this just
now. A change has come over the craft of boot and shoe making. The use
of machinery has effected nothing short of a _revolution_ in the trade.
The old-fashioned Shoemaker, with his leathern apron and hands redolent
of wax, has almost disappeared from the workrooms and streets of such
towns as Northampton and Stafford in Old England, or Lynn in New
England. His place and function are now, for the most part, occupied by
the "cutter" and the "clicker," the "riveter" and the "machine-girl."
The old Cobbler, like the ancient spinster and handloom weaver, is
retiring into the shade of the boot and shoe factory. Whether or no he
will disappear entirely may be questionable; but there can be no doubt
that the Cobbler, sitting at his stall and working with awl and hammer
and last, will never again be the conspicuous figure in social life that
he was wont to be in times gone by. Before we bid him a final farewell,
and forget the traditions of his humble yet honorable craft, it may be
of some service to bring under one review the names and histories of
some of the more illustrious members of his order.

Long as is the list of these worthy "Sons of Crispin," it cannot be said
to be complete. Only a few examples are taken from Germany, France, and
the United States, where, in all probability, as many illustrious
Shoemakers might have been met with as in Great Britain itself. And even
the British muster-roll is not fully made up. With only a few
exceptions, _living men_ are not included in the list. Very gladly would
the writer have added to these exceptions so remarkable a man as Thomas
Edward, the shoemaker of Banff, one of the best self-taught naturalists
of our time, and, for the last sixteen years, an Associate of the
Linnaean Society. But for the Life of this eminent Scotchman the reader
must be referred to the interesting biography written by his friend Dr.
Smiles.

In writing the longer sketches, free and ample use has been made of
biographies already in existence. But this has not been done without the
kind consent of the owners of copyrights. To these the writer tenders
his grateful acknowledgments. To the widow of the Rev. T. W. Blanshard
he is indebted for permission to draw upon the pages of her late
husband's valuable biography of "The Wesleyan Demosthenes," _Samuel
Bradburn_; to Jacob Halls Drew, Esq., Bath, for his courtesy in allowing
a liberal use to be made of the facts given in his biography of his
father, _Samuel Drew_, "The Self-Taught Cornishman;" and to the
venerable _Thomas Cooper_, as well as to his publishers, Messrs. Hodder
& Stoughton, for their kind favor in regard to the lengthy and detailed
sketch of the author of "The Purgatory of Suicides." This sketch, the
longest in the book, is inserted by special permission of Messrs. Hodder
& Stoughton.

The minor sketches have been drawn from a variety of sources. One or two
of these require special mention. In preparing the notice of John
O'Neill, the Poet of Temperance, the writer has received kind help from
_Mr. Richard Gooch_ of Brighton, himself a poet of temperance. Messrs.
_J. & J. H. Rutherford_ of Kelso have also been good enough to place at
the writer's service--but, unfortunately, too late to be of much use--a
copy of their recently published autobiography of John Younger, the
Shoemaker of St. Boswells. In the all-too-brief section devoted to
American worthies, valuable aid has been given to the author by Henry
Phillips, Esq., jun., A.M., Ph.D., Corresponding Member of the
Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, U.S.A.

In all probability the reader has never been introduced to so large a
company of illustrious Sons of Crispin before. It is sincerely hoped
that he will derive both pleasure and profit from their society.

                                               WILLIAM EDWARD WINKS.

    CARDIFF, 1882.




CONTENTS.


    PREFACE

    CHAPTER I.

    Sir Cloudesley Shovel: The Cobbler's Boy who became an Admiral


    CHAPTER II.

    James Lackington: Shoemaker and Bookseller


    CHAPTER III.

    Samuel Bradburn: The Shoemaker who became President of the Wesleyan
      Conference


    CHAPTER IV.

    William Gifford: From the Shoemaker's Stool to the Editor's Chair


    CHAPTER V.

    Robert Bloomfield: The Shoemaker who wrote "The Farmer's Boy"


    CHAPTER VI.

    Samuel Drew: The Metaphysical Shoemaker


    CHAPTER VII.

    William Carey: The Shoemaker who Translated the Bible into Bengali
      and Hindostani


    CHAPTER VIII.

    John Pounds: The Philanthropic Shoemaker


    CHAPTER IX.

    Thomas Cooper: The Self-educated Shoemaker who "Reared his own
      Monument"


    CHAPTER X.

    A Constellation of Celebrated Cobblers


    ANCIENT EXAMPLES.

    The Cobbler and the Artist Apelles

    The Shoemaker Bishops: Annianas, Bishop of Alexandria, and
      Alexander, Bishop of Comana

    The Pious Cobbler of Alexandria

    "Rabbi Jochanan, The Shoemaker"


    EUROPEAN EXAMPLES: _France_.

    SS. Crispin and Crispianus: The Patron Saints of Shoemakers

    "The Learned Baudouin"

    Henry Michael Buch: "Good Henry"


    _Germany._

    Hans Sachs: "The Nightingale of the Reformation"

    Jacob Boehmen: The Mystic


    _Italy._

    Gabriel Cappellini: "il Caligarino"

    Francesco Brizzio: The Artist

    _Holland._

    Ludolph de Jong: The Portrait-Painter

    Sons of Shoemakers


    GREAT BRITAIN.

    "Ye Cocke of Westminster"

    Timothy Bennett: The Hero of Hampton-Wick


    _Military and Naval Heroes._

    The Souters of Selkirk

    Watt Tinlinn

    Colonel Hewson: The "Cerdon" of Hudibras

    Sir Christopher Myngs, Admiral


    _Astrologers and others._

    Dr. Partridge

    Dr. Ebenezer Sibly, F.R.C.P. 222

    Manoah Sibly, Short-hand Writer, Preacher, etc

    Mackey, "the Learned Shoemaker" of Norwich, and two other Learned
      Shoemakers

    Anthony Purver, Bible Revisionist


    _The Poets of the Cobbler's Stall._

    James Woodhouse, the Friend of Shenstone

    John Bennet, Parish Clerk and Poet

    Richard Savage, the Friend of Pope

    Thomas Olivers, Hymn-Writer

    Thomas Holcroft, Dramatist, Novelist

    Joseph Blacket, "The Son of Sorrow"

    David Service and other Songsters of the Shoemaker's Stall

    John Struthers, Poet and Editor

    John O'Neill, the Poet of Temperance

    John Younger, Fly-Fisher and Corn-Law Rhymer

    Charles Crocker, "The Poor Cobbler of Chichester"


    _Preachers and Theologians._

    George Fox, Founder of the Society of Friends

    Thomas Shillitoe, the Shoemaker who stood before Kings

    John Thorp, Founder of the Independent Church at Masboro'

    William Huntingdon, S.S.

    Robert Morrison, D.D., Chinese Scholar and Missionary

    Rev. John Burnet, Preacher and Philanthropist

    John Kitto, D.D., Biblical Scholar


    _Science._

    William Sturgeon, the Electrician


    _Politicians._

    Thomas Hardy, of "The State Trials"

    George Odger, Political Orator


    AMERICAN EXAMPLES.

    Noah Worcester, D.D., "The Apostle of Peace"

    Roger Sherman, the Patriot

    Henry Wilson, the Natick Cobbler

    John Greenleaf Whittier, "The Quaker Poet"




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.


    SIR CLOUDSLEY SHOVEL,

    JAMES LACKINGTON,

    REV. S. BRADBURN,

    ROBERT BLOOMFIELD,

    SAMUEL DREW, M.A.,

    WILLIAM CAREY,

    THOMAS COOPER,

    JOSEPH BLACKET,

    J. G. WHITTIER




CHAPTER I.

[Illustration: SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL]

Sir Cloudesley Shovel,

THE COBBLER'S BOY WHO BECAME AN ADMIRAL.

    "Honor and shame from no condition rise;
    Act well your part, there all the honor lies.
    Fortune in men has some small difference made,
    One flaunts in rags, one <DW42>s in brocade;
    The cobbler aproned and the parson gowned,
    The friar hooded, and the monarch crowned.
    "What differ more' (you cry) 'than crown and cowl?'
    I'll tell you, friend,--a wise man and a fool.
    You'll find, if once the monarch acts the monk,
    Or, cobbler-like, the parson will be drunk;
    Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow;
    The rest is all but leather or prunella."

    --POPE, _Essay on Man_.


SIR CLOUDESLEY SHOVEL.

On the south side of the choir of Westminster Abbey may be seen a very
handsome and costly monument, on which reclines a life-sized figure in
marble, representing a naval commander. The grotesque uniform and
elaborate wig are of the style of Queen Anne's time. The commander
himself has all the look of a well-bred gentleman and a brave officer.
He is a capital type of the old school of naval heroes, stout in person,
jolly in temper, but terrible in action, by whom our shores were
defended, our colonies secured to us, and the power and stability of the
British Empire were established for centuries to come. These men had, in
many instances, risen from the lowest social status, and had been
compelled to begin their nautical career in the humblest fashion,
accepting the most menial position the naval service could offer them.
When they came to hold positions of command, they had, perhaps, no
culture nor general education; the little knowledge they possessed was
confined to the arts of navigation and warfare, and this they had picked
up in actual service. Such knowledge served them well, and made them
equal to any emergency. It made them capable of deeds of valor and
enterprise, that brought renown to their own name and honor to their
country. They could sail round the world; they could, by their
discoveries, add new territories to the British crown, and open up
splendid fields for commercial enterprise; they could keep their vessels
afloat in a gale of wind, get to windward of the enemy if they wanted,
pour a broadside into him, board and capture his vessels or blow up his
forts; and, very often fighting against fearful odds, beat him by dint
of superior skill in seamanship and greater courage in action. Such a
commander was "old Benbow," whose name appears so often in the nautical
songs of the last century; and such a commander was his contemporary,
Sir Cloudesley Shovel, to whose memory the handsome monument just
referred to is erected. Let us pause for a moment to read the
inscription. It runs thus:

     "Sir Cloudesley Shovel, Knt., Rear-Admiral of Great Britain,
     Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet: The just reward
     of long and faithful services. He was deservedly beloved of
     his country, and esteemed though dreaded by the enemy,