An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 51 somewhat savage letter to the "Athenreum,'' showing up a mistaken statement he had made, but so far from being annoyed at it he came at once and saw me, and we remained fast friends to his death. On the 7th February I lithographed and issued a tabular statement as to what was known about Chaucer's family-and this i now extremely rare, in fact, I doubt if I have a copy myself. In March was I the great row about the disqualification of Coston 1 by the /buffoon, W. Waddell, which caused me to resign the Lon4on Athletic Club. On May 3rd, 1881, my eldest daughter Mary Muriel was born at Selhurst. All this year I was experimenting with tricycles, and I in March bought an "Excelsior," and in May rode about )37 miles with W. J. Winthrop. We each boug.µt a "Delta," well made but extremely heavy machines, and on them we rode by Brentwood~ Bury St. Edmund's, Thetford, and to Norwich and back after attending th 7 Bank Holiday sports there. In the July sports at Erith and Belvedere I was in the winning tug-of-war, and indeed was fairly good at that game, as my strength of leg and great weight made me a useful mem1;fir of a team. In _A_y,gust I went on a tour with Winthrop, starting from I.Jncoln. By Sleaford he ran into a four-wheel cab~ breaking the backbone of his machine and buckling his wheel, so we had to rail on a fish train to Peterborough for repairs. I left him at Ely and rode on by Littleport, by the banks of the Ouse to Downham, where I slept, meeting him next day at Lynn. This was a very wet ride (very tiring to my companion) of about 40 miles along the coast, and was diversified by W. J. Winthrop's adventures with two :fishermen at Sberingham~ and a young lady at "Tucker's," Crvmer. I had ~ot the machine (a heavy one, about 80 lbs.) to move a bit, and rode the 15½ miles from North Walsham to Norwich in I hour 30 minutes. On the 30th August I first met General Bulwer at Dr. J essopp's. At one time he did good genealogical work 1 Coston was a Norfolk man-from Lynn-and was one of the very fastest and fairest walkers ever known, and was most unfairly treated by W. Waddell, who could uot himself walk the least little bit, but was unluckily the referee.