Thomas Gough

“ This grant was accomplished by letters patent which passed the great seal on the 26th of June, within a shorter time of king Edward's death than that which had elapsed between the former grant and the death of king Henry. By these letters patent [49] it was directed that the three hospitals should in future be called "the hospitals of king Edward the Sixth, of Christ, Bridewell, and Saint Thomas the Apostle."
It is the pleasure of those who celebrate the origin of the school now called Christ's Hospital, to designate king Edward the Sixth as its special founder. ”

“ Gough's public addresses, carved upon his monument in Hope Cemetery, Worcester, shows the strength of his conviction and illustrates the directness and force of his style:
"I can desire nothing better for this great country than that a barrier high as heaven be raised between the unpolluted lips of the children and the intoxicating cup; that everywhere men and women should raise strong and determined hands against whatever will defile the body, pollute the mind, or harden the heart against God and His truth." ”

“ Gough is tall and slim, with black hair, which he usually wears too long. As an orator, he is considered among the first in the United States. Having once been an actor, he throws all his dramatic powers into his addresses. He has a facility of telling strange and marvellous stories which can scarcely be surpassed; and what makes them still more interesting, he always happens to be an eyewitness. While speaking, he acts the drunkard, and does it in a style which could not be equalled on the boards of the Lyceum or Adelphi. No man has obtained more signatures to the temperance pledge than he. ”

“ Peele, who was an admirable boxer for his age, regarded Gough with particular contempt.
"Squinnige would be at us before I'd blackened the other eye," he said to Gough. "Name your weapons. We'll fight this thing out like gentlemen."
Gough was staggered. If he did not assert himself his ascendency was gone forever.
"I'd like to punch your head," he said; "but, as you say, when gentlemen fight about a woman they don't do it with fists. Swords and pistols are common. I'd like something worse."
Gough's followers crowded to the support of their chief with a thrill of delight. ”

“ Happily few human beings sink to the depths in which John B. Gough found himself at the age of twenty-five years. By sheer force of will he raised himself from the slough in which he wallowed, till he attained a position honored among men, and performed a service of exceptional usefulness to society. ”

“ We should judge Gough has a large share of the true elixir vitæ—animal spirits. His voice is one of great power and pathos, and he speaks without an effort. The first sentence, as it falls gently and easily from his lips, tells us that Gough has that true oratorical power which neither money, nor industry, nor persevering study, can ever win. Like the poet, the orator must be born. ”

“ Item the xiiij.day of May was the monday in Wytsone weke and thene the mayer, aldermen, goldsmythes and fyshemongeres [40] came a procession un-to Powlles as they were wonte to doo, but there was no sensynge; and dyvers other pariches came alle the iij. dayes as they ware wonte.
Item the xviij. day of May was draune from the tower of London Thomas a Vane [41] unto Tyborne, and there put to execucion. ”

“ In the evening of the 27th of April I heard, at the Tabernacle, New York, the celebrated Gough deliver a lecture on Temperance. It was to commence at 8 o'clock; but we had to be there an hour before the time, in order to get a comfortable place. That hour was a dreary one. The scraping of throats and the spitting were horrible. It seemed as if some hundreds of guttural organs were uttering the awfully guttural sentence, "Hwch goch dorchog a chwech o berchill cochion."
At last Gough made his appearance on the platform. He is a slender young man of three or four and twenty. ”

“ And thys yere was the battelle of Shrewysbery, in the wyche was slayne Henry Percy and Thomas Percy taken, and two dayes kepte, and after was honged and be-heddyd and hys hede with one qwarter of Henry Percy set on London brygge. And in this battelle was slayne the erle of Stafforde under the kynges banner. And this battelle was on Mary Mawdlyne evyn. And in the lent afore was the blasynge sterre that clarkes callyd it Stell.. cemate. [5] And William Serle that was cheffe yomane with kynge Richard was drawne and honged and heddyd at Tyborne, and the qwarters saltede. ”

“ Gough's extraordinary platform powers I need not speak while there are so many now living that sat under the enchantment of his eloquence. A man who could crowd an opera house in London to listen to so unpopular a theme as temperance while a score or more of coroneted carriages were waiting about the door must have been no ordinary master of oratory. As an actor he might have been a second Garrick; as a preacher of the Gospel he would have been a second Whitefield. ”

“ And for over half a century he has affectionately remembered John B. Gough, who, in the height of his own power and success, saw resolution and possibilities in the ardent young hill-man, and actually did him the kindness and the honor of introducing him to an audience in one of the Massachusetts towns; and it was really a great kindness and a great honor, from a man who had won his [Pg 120] fame to a young man just beginning an oratorical career. ”

“ Fytzgarrard, and sir Watter Fytzgarrard—ware draune from the tower un to Tyborne, and there alle hongyd and heddyd and qwarterd, save the lorde Thomas, for he was but hongyd and heddyd and hys boddy buryd at the Crost Freeres in the qwere, and the qwarteres with their heddes set up abowte the citte.
Also this yere beganne the Corte of Augementacion in Westmyster above by sent Stephens, the wych was now made for the Augmentacion corte, wher as mr. Rich [35] was made chaunceler.
Also the xix. day of Februarij was hongyd at Tyborne x. women and iij. men. ”

“ Bewly, being well read in natural philosophy, gained Gough's attention. He made good progress in Latin, but preferred books dealing with natural history. At the age of eight he began studying plants by touch. When thirteen he had recourse to the ‘Synopsis of British Plants,’ by John Wilson of Kendal, and afterwards to the works of Gerard, Parkinson, Hudson, Withering, and Smith, which he had read to him until he knew them by heart. ”

“ It was not until the end of Elizabeth's reign, as is well known, that the parochial system of relief to the poor became the law of the land. ↑ Stowe's Chronicle. ↑ Ibid. An early account of the moneys collected is printed by Strype in his edition of Stowe's Survey, 1720, vol. i. p. 175, from the MSS. of archbishop Parker. The "whole Benevolence" of the citizens had amounted to 2,476l.; and the erection and furniture of the two houses (that is, St. Thomas and Christ's Hospitals) had been 2,479l. 10s. 10d. ↑ Stowe: see also the present Chronicle, p. 76. ”

“ What must be the feelings of your respectable father when he learns that you have joined a gang of pirates; how intense must be the grief of your amiable mother when she hears that you have paid the penalty that must sooner or later overtake you for embracing so lawless a life.”
“Come, Mr Evelyn,” exclaimed Gough, though with a tremulousness in his voice that betrayed the state of his feelings, “you have no right to preach to me. I have done as much as I could for you all. ”

“ Heiwas thus the first officer who ever received brevet rank for services performed in the field at the head of a regiment. He was next engaged at the battle of Barrosa, at which his regiment captured a French eagle. At the defence of Tarifa the post of danger was assigned to him, and he compelled the enemy to raise the siege. At Vitoria, where Gough again distinguished himself, his regiment captured the baton of Marshal Jourdan. He was again severely wounded at Nivelle, and was soon after created a knight of St Charles by the king of Spain. ”

“ So, my dear John Dough, please accept your fate, and permit me to eat you at once."
"That I cannot do," said John, firmly; "for if I am eaten, that is the end of me."
"How selfish!" exclaimed the Arab. "Who are you, to be considered before Ali Dubh, son of a mighty Shiek, and chief of an ancient Tribe of the Desert? Remember, sir, that when I have eaten you I shall gain for myself the priceless powers of that Great Elixir contained in your gingerbread, and will thus become the most powerful and most intelligent man in the world, besides living forever! ”

“ Gough and a friend of his were on their way to Florida from New York by steamer, and, as funds were low, had perforce to travel steerage. Among their fellow-passengers was a man whose appearance clearly denoted the cowboy, and who, although of rough exterior and manners, was evidently in some respects fastidious in his tastes.
He took occasion, early in the voyage, to find fault with the drinking water supplied in the steerage, which was contained in a huge tin tank. Calling the steward, he remarked:—
"That there tank isn't fit for a dog to drink out of, let alone a man." ”

“ It was Margaret, leaning, pale and spent and breathless, against the trunk of a tree, looking and shuddering at the dread object in the road.
I bounded up to her and touched her on the arm. "All's well, Mistress Waynflete," said I. "I am as yet no gallows-bird."
"But--" Her eyes were still staring wide on the road, and she trembled violently, so I stepped between her and the ghastly sight, and said, "Courage, dear lady. The dead man is your father's worst enemy, Major Tixall, and yon horse killed him, not I."
By this, Master Freake had come nearer to us, and I turned to greet him. ”

“ To my surprise I caught him looking so meaningly at the pimple-faced Major, that I felt sure something was going to happen, and I was right.
"God rot the man," said the Major thickly. "Does he say that I'm sprawling about in somebody's belly?" He staggered to his feet, hand on sword, and made to cross to the stranger, shouting, "Damnation to you, I'll thrust something into your belly!"
Brocton, not in the least to my surprise, made no attempt to interfere. Jack couldn't, for I was in the way. His father began to splutter helplessly. ”

“ This gallant soldier appeared to have a charmed life, for he always turned up at the right time and place, to have the lion’s share of the fighting. He had a good share of fights in India, as Colonel Campbell, under Lord Gough. It was he who decided the doubtful field of Chillianwallah by leading the 61st regiment on to a rapid, though prolonged and headlong, bayonet charge. He was wounded, but kept his post, as he had often done before. Again, on the field of Goojerat he fought with the same dauntless courage, which elicited the highest applause from the hero of Barrosa, Lord Gough. ”

“ What is more remarkable is that he lived for ten years after The Excursion was printed; and Wordsworth must have written the passage in the Seventh Book referring to Gough in anticipation of his death, probably 13 years before he died.
Mr. John Watson of Kendal tells me that he has had put into his hands a MS. autobiography of Gough. Mr. Watson has himself written an interesting sketch of the blind botanist. ”

“ I am not a man of words, and what you call 'em--broblems."
"Very good," said I.
"Indeed it is goot," said he. "To hell with your words and your broblems. They are of no use whatefer, whatefer. Our good friend, Sir James, is up to his neck in broblems like a man in a bog, and he cannot move. Now I have not your broblems. To hell with your broblems. My Cousin Wynne is full of 'em, and he's still gaping up at the cloud on Snowdon, while I'm here, ready. I say plain: if the Prince cross south of the Trent I will join him." ”

“ Outwardly he was as unlike Margaret as the haft of a pike is unlike a lily, but I already saw her spirit in him.
"Sir," said I, "when I am fortified by a good supper, I will venture to indicate my preferences on the subject."
He took out his snuff-box, tapped it carefully, opened it, and held it out to me.
"You have begun well, sir. I hear you are a great scholar, Latin and all that, quite pat. Damme, sir, those ancients understood things. They knew how to honour the gods, for they made soldiers of 'em and set 'em fighting in the clouds. There's divinity for you! ”

“ GOUGH, JOHN BARTHOLOMEW (1817–1886) , American temperance orator, was born at Sandgate, Kent, England, on the 22nd of August 1817. He was educated by his mother, a schoolmistress, and at the age of twelve was sent to the United States to seek his fortune. He lived for two years with family friends on a farm in western New York, and then entered a book-bindery in New York City to learn the trade. ”

“ GOUGH, HUGH GOUGH, Viscount (1779–1869) , British field-marshal, a descendant of Francis Gough who was made bishop of Limerick in 1626, was born at Woodstown, Limerick, on the 3rd of November 1779. Having obtained a commission in the army in August 1794, he served with the 78th Highlanders at the Cape of Good Hope, taking part in the capture of Cape Town and of the Dutch fleet in Saldanha Bay in 1796. ”

“ Gog had been above a mile elevated from the earth when he began to fall, and as he advanced the rapidity increased, so that he went like a ball from a cannon into the morass, and his nose striking against one of the iron-capped hands of his brother Magog, just then rising from the depths, he began to bleed violently, and, but for the softness of the morass, would have lost his life. ”

“ In the autumn of 1766 Tyson accompanied Richard Gough [q. v.] in a tour, of which he kept an exact journal, through the north of England and Scotland; during the journey he was made a burgess of Glasgow (12 Sept. 1766) and of Inverary (17 Sept.) He returned to residence at college, and devoted himself to etching and botany. Gough, however, in some verses on his friend, calls him ‘idlest of men on old Camus banks.’ With Israel Lyons the younger he made frequent peregrinations in search of rare plants around Cambridge, and often consulted Gray on botanical points. ”