And there he threw the wash about At Edmonton his loving wife From the balcony spied Her tender husband, wondering much To see how he did ride. Stop, stop, John Gilpin-Here's the house, They all at once did cry; The dinner waits, and we are tired: Said Gilpin-So am I! But yet his horse was not a whit For why?-his owner had a house So like an arrow swift he flew, Away went Gilpin out of breath, Till at his friend the calender's The calender, amazed to see His neighbour in such trim, 163 John Gilpin. What news? what news? your tidings tell; Tell me you must and shallSay why bareheaded you are come, Or why you come at all? Now Gilpin had a pleasant wit, I came because your horse would come, My hat and wig will soon be here, The calender, right glad to find But to the house went in; Whence straight he came with hat and wig; A wig that flowed behind, A hat not much the worse for wear, He held them up, and in his turn But let me scrape the dirt away Said John, It is my wedding-day, So turning to his horse, he said, 'Twas for your pleasure you came here, You shall go back for mine. Ah, luckless speech, and bootless boast! Whereat his horse did snort, as he And galloped off with all his might, Away went Gilpin, and away Now Mistress Gilpin, when she saw Into the country far away, She pulled out half a crown; And thus unto the youth she said, That drove them to the Bell, This shall be yours when you bring back My husband safe and well. John Gilpin. The youth did ride, and soon did meet John coming back amain; Whom in a trice he tried to stop, By catching at his rein; But not performing what he meant, Away went Gilpin, and away Went postboy at his heels, The postboy's horse right glad to miss The lumbering of the wheels. Six gentlemen upon the road, Thus seeing Gilpin fly, With postboy scampering in the rear, Stop thief! stop thief!-a highwayman! And all and each that passed that way Did join in the pursuit. And now the turnpike gates again Flew open in short space; The toll-man thinking as before, That Gilpin rode a race. And so he did, and won it too, For he got first to town; Nor stopped till where he had got up 165 Now let us sing, long live the king, And Gilpin, long live he; And when he next doth ride abroad, May I be there to see! Cowper. A TALE.* N Scotland's realms, where trees are few, But where, however bleak the view, Some better things are found. For husband there and wife may boast Their union undefiled, And false ones are as rare almost In Scotland's realm, forlorn and bare, This history of a wedded pair, A chaffinch and his mate. The spring drew near, each felt a breast With genial instinct filled; They paired, and would have built a nest, But found not where to build. *This tale is founded on an article which appeared in the Buckinghamshire Herald, for Saturday, June 1, 1793 :-Glasgow, May 23. In a block, or pulley, near the head of the mast of a gabert, now lying at the Broomielaw, there is a chaffinch's nest and four eggs. The nest was built while the vessel lay at Greenock, and was followed hither by both birds. Though the block is occasionally lowered for the inspection of the curious, the birds have not forsaken the nest. The cock, however, visits the nest but seldom, while the hen never leaves it, but when she descends to the hull for food. |