AN EXTRAORDINARY WAGER.

Marlborough Express, Volume XVII, Issue 270, 18 November 1882, Page 2

AN EXTRAORDINARY WAGER.

(" Licensed Victuallers' Gazette.") Five-and-fifty years ago there was at St Peter's College, Cambridge — commonly called Peterhoiiae— one of the most eccentric and extraordinary Dons that the University has ever produced. And that, be it remembered, is Baying a good, deal, for even

m recent days the " most; graye^aud £3 tevecendsignors " of Alma Matey H^ive 'vti numbered ii'th'eir'ranks'sdms unicorn-, a monfejueer'oharjHjters. > TJiereJis howi $ livirigf'in tljo' prime ioflif.e a certain i DonfoljTritfifa HaU,/ at present 'editor 1 of qhejof btfeleadin'g magazine^ whoml v I have seen' perform some remarkably. \ eccentric feafs. For example, I have' t seen him walk two miles against an c undegraduate funning three, and part t without his clothing, as he tore along : so recklessly that ladies present were alarmed at the last stage lest he should 'divest himself of his scanty* drawers—the only article of attire left to him. I also once saw the same Don jump into the Cam well-nigh up to his armpits, to shake hands individually with each member of the crew which had jjist, placed Trinity Hall m - the proud position of j'' Head of the River." But even this eccentric gentleman was "ethereal 'mildness" itself, compared wM'the Rev' Joseph Blizzard, D.D., Fellow. , and .Tutor . Vice-Master of Peterlio'use m the year 1825. This worthy divine was as good-natured Mid jovial a gentleman as ever stepped ; he 'was immensely popular with the undergraduates,: and especially those of ; Ins . own .college, for there was nothing he would not do for. them. In fact, his one object m life was to secure the affection of his pupils by granting them every request they asked him, and rendering them any favor it was m his power to. confer. The young [men, jwould hardly) have been human had they not sometimes imposed, .on. the good ;nature of. the doctor, 5 tHo'ugh'i indeed/it] vrpiild have : been' difficult' to impose on' a good nature which had no limits so far as they were concerned. And so it passed into a proverb at Cambridge that there was nothing m the world that Dr Blizzard would not do to oblige ; a Peterhouse man, and the alumni,} of , tjiat { , college were , very proud .of the. fact, and given to boasting of it. ' Now one dafy a,t a hunt breakfast given by the' 'master of the Cambridgeshire hounds, a Mr Wilson, of Peterhouse, : having boasted of the influence which ' the undergraduates of that foundation had over the erratic doctor, a cele:brated,pautab.and sportsman, Mr J. jGod'dard," of Maida Hall," m the Isle ! of j Ely," offered; to bet that, he would name a request which Dr Blizzard ; would not. grant even to one.pf his favorite pupils? iMr'Wilson challenged him to mention the nature of the jrequesti 'Thereupdn Mr Gbddard offered to stake £500 to the £250 of any one member of Peterhouse, " that he, the said member, could not, with all his influence oyer that extraordinary personage, Dr Blizzard, prevail upon him to undertake the following interesting' feat — viz,' to ride from St. Mary's Church,. Cambridge, the village pprf r Melbourn, which is eight miles on the London road, upon manback, m the space of two hours, allowing .him a fresh man every half-mile, selected from any county, and stationed on the road for that purpose." The wager, t was, accepted by Mr, Wilson, and put down formally m writing m the precise words 1 have quoted above. Melbourn, a village dear to undergraduates ia my dayj— for who could help enjoying himself under the hospitable toot of old Joel King, and within range of the bright glances and beaming smiles of his pretty daughters, who made the Rose and Crown so attractive a hostelry — Melbourne, I say, was always judged to be ten miles from Cambridge m my day, and old Jack Lambert, of the Half Moon, always reckoned it a twenty-mile drive there and back, and charged accordingly. However, perhaps the road lias got stretched since Dr. Blizzard's time, and so let us back to our muttons. .. The very evening of the day on which .the wager was made the Doctor was apprised of the fact, and asked whether he would consent to be instrumental m winning the money, for the honor and credit of the College. To the intense satisfaction of the undergraduates, the Doctor joyously accepted the challenge, and entered most heartily and enthusiastically into the joke. As the great bell of St. Mary's chimed eight on the morning of Ftiday, October 8, 1825, the Rev. Dr Blizzard, m full puff-wig and clerical shovel hat, appeared m front of the Senate House, where an immense crowd was collected, which welcomed the eccentric Don with deafening acclamations, whereat he bowed m graceful and pleased ackno~w-< lodgment of the honor done him. Six- ' teen powerful youths had been selected by Mr Wilson from all quarters for the task, among them Sam Larkins, the prize-fighter, whose battle with Fuller was not long since described m the " Licensed Victuallers! Gazette 1 . I—and1 — and whom I think my worthy and esteemed confrire, the writer of the " Memoirs of the Prize Ring," then confounded with his brotherTimi yr\ip was "boots" at the Rutland Arms, Newmarket ; Sam was, if my memory, serves me rightly; a bricklayer. . However,; I am' again digressing. Goodman, of Chelsea, the noted runner and bruiser, was another of the selected ones, having been recommended by the celebrated White-headed Bob, residing at Cambridge. . The .first "horse I*-was1 * -was one Ned Nicholls, from Huntingdon, renowned for his muscular strength, and; his back the doctor quickly mounted, amid roars of laughter and applause. Fortunately, the Don was ;. spare man, and no great weight, and away went Sam Nicholls at a rare pace with his burden for the first half-mile. Just opposite Peterhouse Ned was promptly relieved by Goodman, and so on all along the Truragington road, through Harston, on to Melbourn ; the Earl of Hardwicke, and some other swells, including, of course, Mr Goddard, the maker of the bet, riding alongside, accompanied by a numerous and noisy crowd. A stranger and more grotesque sight was never seen than the Doctor m full clerical garb, mounted on the back of a sturdy youth, pelting away as hard a3 he could go, half mile after half mile, with that boisterous, laughloughing mob at his heels ! At first all went well enough, and it looked as if the allotted task would be easily accomplished. But by-and-bye the Doctor got tired, and had to rest a few minutes between each mount, so that at the close it became a very near thing indeed. For the last half mile Sam Gill, of St Neots, a famous runner and athlete, had been selected, and Sam, m his anxiety to get the doctor to gaol m time, stumbled and fell heavily, breaking his own nose and severely shaking his reverend rider. The accident happened about a quarter of a mile from Melbourne, and was nearly proving fatal to the Peterhouse hero's chance of success. However, Sam Gill managed to get on his feet, and though the blood was streaming from his broken nose, the plucky fellow bore the doctor into

fc lbottVne m triumph with just half a itinuta to spare ! A narrow shave with freugeauce ! The excitement among life crowd during the last half mile was ntense. When, however, it was cnown that the Doctor had won the yager Jthe enthusiasm of all knew no >oundss; he was cheered and cheered ;o the echo. After drinking a horn )f ale at the Rose and Crown the vicioriousriderin company with Mr Wilson md some other members of Peterhouse irove back to Cambridge m a yellow post-chaise and a pair of greys, which iad been^ordered'tfrom^the^BoH'e-afc Roys ton, and at five minutes past 11 pulled up at the' gates of fit. Peter's College, where a large and enthusiastic srowd was.^ assembled to greet the winner, the news of whose victory had ulrcady readied the town! i Tho sixteen athletic ' youths who had "acted as horses on the occasaion were intertained that- m sumptous style at tlie Bull, -m Tfumptogton street — onoe the ; , crack inn of Cam? bridge; but since, .1. bel ieve, superseded by the Hoop— and finished up with a rare spree. As for the eccentric doctor he was chaired round and ; round the " quad"'of Peterhouae by the 'exoited undergraduates, and the college was illuminated m the evening m, honor of his achievement. So ended one of .the most grotesque and comical exploits. I have ever heard of. . Verily there is much truth m the old' Latin' 'verse which tells us that times are' changed, and we' are changed with "theni. Fancy the horror with which the Dons of Cambridge nowadays would view such an extravagant and unseemly joke ! And as for T>s Blizzard, they would certainly clap him into : Fulbourn Asylum without a moment's hesitation.