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the Venetian, pronouncing the Englishman's downfal. Whitaker, however, took no more time than was necessary to get up again; and being now sensible of his error in standing out to the length of his opponent's arm, he with a little stoop, ran boldly in beyond the heavy mallet whose weight he had so severely felt, and with one English peg in the stomach, quite new to the foreigner, threw him on his back. The Venetian got up again, but after scrambling with him a few minutes about the stage-gave in.

The excellent audience this contest had attracted to the amphitheatre, could not fail to excite in Figg an anxious desire for a repetition of their visit; he, therefore, as soon as the battle was over, came forward and informed the gentlemen, that however highly they might think of the man whom he had fixed on to beat the Venetian, he was far from being the best boxer in London, and to convince them he was serious, he said, if they would come on that day se'nnight, he would produce a man who should beat Whitaker in less than ten minutes, by fair hitting. The day came, and the performance proved as attractive as the week before.

The man pitched upon by Figg was one Nat Peartree, who knowing well the others mode of fighing, and his deadly way of flinging, took a most judicious style of beating him, by closing his eyes. His judgment directed his arm so well, that in about six minutes, both Whitaker's eyes were close shut up: after having groped about awhile for his man, and not finding him, he with great prudence gave up the contest,

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contest, saying, "Damme, I'm not beat; but what "signifies my fighting, when I cannot see my man."

The principal champions after this time, during the life of Figg, were Greeting and Thomas Pipes; the latter was the neatest and best boxer of his time; he mostly fought at the face, and put in his blows with surprising agility and judgment. His strongest antagonist was his cotemporary Greeting; they contended hard together for some time, being each alternately victors, Greeting was much stronger than Pipes, and dealt the hardest projectile blow of all his competitors; but what made Pipes a match for him, was his rare bottom, which enabled him to bear a deal of beating, and with this Greeting was not so well furnished, for after he was beat twice by Pipes, Hammersmith Jack, a mere blundering boxer, beat him by dint of hard blows.

Besides the highly patronised theatre of Figg, there were several rings and booths very strongly supported-One in Smithfield, over which Mr. Andrew Johnson (uncle to the celebrated lexicographer, Dr. Johnson) presided. There was also a ring and booth at Moorfields for boxing matches, the former kept by Old Vinegar, a very eccentric character, and the latter by Rimmington, better known by the name of Long Charles, and had for its sign, Death's head and the cross bones, emblazoned with the motto of "Death or Victory."

In the year 1740, after the decease of Figg, George Taylor succeeded as proprietor of the Amphitheatre in Tottenham-court-road, where he invited the pro

fessors

fessors of the art to display their skill, by advertisements in the public papers; and such was then the emoluments of the pugilists, that they shared the entrance money, which often amounted to £100 or £150. The usual plan of division was two-thirds to the winning champion, and the remaining third to the loser; though sometimes by agreement, the conqueror and vanquished shared equal.

Amongst the celebrated bruisers on his list was Broughton, who beat all who opposed him, particularly Taylor himself, Jack James, Field, a sailor, &c. but his first battle most deserving notice, was with Stevenson, a coachman. ƒ

This battle was contested for a very considerable sum, on the 24th of April, 1741, at the amphitheatre, and lasted 40 minutes. The success was various, until after about 35 minutes, being both against the rails towards the pit, scrambling for a fall, Broughton got such a lock upon Stevenson, that no mathematician could have devised a better; he there held him, deprived of all power of rising or falling, while he rested his head for three or four minutes on his back, when finding himself recover, he loosed his hold, and on setting too again, hit Stevenson as hard a blow as any he had given him during the battle. Stevenson not being any longer able to stand, was forced to yield.

The next battle of any import was between Tom Smallwood and Dimmoks, a carman; the former, though inferior to none with respect to bottom, was, after a contest of three quarters of an

hour severe fighting, obliged to submit to the superior strength and skill of his opponent.

On the 16th of June, 1741, George Taylor beat the notorious Prince Boswell, a gipsey, and son to the king of that wandering people. The latter was remarkable for a particular blow with his left hand, aimed at the angle of the jaw, which several times had produced a fracture; notwithstanding he possessed judgment, he had no bottom, through which Taylor gained an easy conquest.

On the 19th of the following month, a severe though short battle. was fought between Jack James and a noted fellow called Chicken Harris, a poulterer, who was beaten.

On the 23d of November, one of the severest boxing matches was contested, that had taken place for many years before, between Tom Smallwood and Richard Harris, a back maker, for £50. This fight was contested with alternate success, with the greatest hardiness and intrepidity for an hour, when victory was decided in favour of Smallwood.

On the same day a very good bye-battle was fought between Buckhorse and Harry Gray, the clog maker.

Buckhorse, whose real name was Smith, is recorded to have first drew breath in a publican's house in Newtener's-lane, near Drury-lane; but very shortly after, the merciless landlord COMPASSIONATELY turned him and mother out of doors, to seek refuge from more charitable hands.

As to his education, it was the best his mother and her associates could bestow on him, for they taught

him all sorts of tricks, and rendered him by example capable of displaying great volubility in the MOTHER tongue. At first they endeavoured to initiate him in the art of PICKING POCKETS, but the genius of our hero soared above a profession so contemptible; his ruling passions were LOVE and BOXING, in both of which he was equally formidable; time matured the beauties nature had implanted, and at this time neither nymph or bruiser could withstand the violence of his attack, for it was generally allowed he conquered both by the strength of his members, and the rigour of his parts.

As the advertisements and challenges of the bruisers at that period will probably be looked upon as curiosities by amateurs, and the judicious observers of customs and manners, the insertion of the following, taken from the public prints, can hardly he considered a digression:

Daily Advertiser, April 26, 1742.

"At the Great Booth, Tottenham-court, on Wednesday next, the 28th inst. will be a trial of manhood between the following champions:

"Whereas I William Willis, commonly known by the name of the FIGHTING QUAKER, have fought Mr. Smallwood about twelvemonths since, and held him the tightest to it, and bruised and battered him more than any one he ever encountered, though I had the ill fortune to be beat by an accidental fall; the said Smallwood, flushed with the success blind Fortune then gave him, and the weak attempts of a few vain Irishmen and boys, that have of late fought him

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