Punch And Judy

Generations of cbildren have found pleasure in witnessing the antics of Punch and Judy, and after nearly a century of popularity the mimic theater in which their adventnres are displayed still gives amusement to both young and o]d. The origin of this always at'tractive entertainment is not English, as many wto have enjoyed it may suppose ; but, according to an old book, Punch and Judy are of Italian ancestry. In the district of Acezza, near Naples, the people are very much addieted to the inaking of wine f rom grapes, and it is curions that from antiquity they have been famous for their love of droll wit and comic fun. Many years ago, iu the season of the vintage, which is a time when everybody seems to be full of fun and frolic, some comic players came along through Acezza. They began to poke fun at the vintagers, and in the war of wit the players got the worst of it. Now, there was among the vintagers a fellow with an enormous red nose, long and crooked like a powder horu, and he was the very drollest and wittiest of the whole company. The players were so tickled with bis witty sayings, all set off by his odd faee and very queer air and marnier, that they almost went into hysterics with laughter. After they went away they began to ihinlï that this droll fellow would be a great accession to their company; so they went back and made offers to him. These hfi acoepted, and snch waa th:_ success of bis efforts that the compaïiy acquired great fame and a great deal of money. Éverybody went to see this witty buffoon, and all were delightccL This example led to the estiibliKhinent of a riroll or buffoon in all cumpanios of comedians, and he was always called after the original one, whose name was Pucco d'Auiello. This was in the course of time softened into Polecenello. The French made it Polichenel, and the Engli&h Punchinello. After a time the ËngJish, for the sake of brevity, left off the latter part of the word and called it plain Punch. How Judy originated history does not record, but it is very easy to surmise her story. Such a merry fellow as Punch bad as good a right to a wife as anybody, if he could got one. Why not? One migbt think that his beetlike nose would have stood in the way of bis findiug a woman willing tomarry bim, but bis wit was an offset to this. Women are fond of wit, and Punch wonld have played his part iil if ho could not have made it cover his nose. Now that we have supposed Punch to have bad a wife, and also supposed her uarue to have been Judy, what more natural than for this amiable couple aow and then to have had a bit of a breeze? Tbey lived a wandering life, and, like other people in their station, took a little liquor toraise their spirits. After the effect was over, feeling a little peevish, they feil to calling each other bard nanies, and hard blows followed ; so this is their whole bistory.