Sore, here

means

much,

Away went Gilpin out of breath,

And sore * against his will,
Till at his friend the calender's

His horse at last stood still.

160

time.

*

The calender, amazed to see
Trim, state, position. His neighbour in such trim,*

Laid down his pipe, flew to the gate,
Accost, to speak to And thus accosted * him :-
any one.

“What news ? What news! Your tidings tell! 165

Tell me you must and shall-
Say why bareheaded you are come,

Or why you come at all.”

Now Gilpin had a pleasant wit, Timely, at the right And loved a timely * joke;

170 And thus unto the calender, Guise, manner. In merry guise * he spoke :

“I came because your horse would come; Forebode, foretell.

And, if I well forebode, *
My hat and wig will soon be here-

175 They are upon the road.”

The calender, right glad to find
Pin, humour. His friend in merry pin,

Returned him not a single word,
But to the house went in.

180 Whence straight he came with hat and wig,

A wig that flowed behind,

A hat not much the worse for wear,
Comely, good-look- Each comely * iu its kind.
He held them up, and in his turn

185
Thus showed his ready wit:
“My head is twice as big as yours,

They therefore needs must fit.
“But let me scrape the dirt away
That hangs upon your face ;

r90 And stop and eat, for well you may Case, state or con- Be in a hungry case. Wedding-day, it was Said John, “It is my wedding-day,* the anniversary of And all the world would stare, his wedding. If wife should dine at Edmonton

ing.

66

200

*

Bootless, useless, without success.

So turning to his horse, he said,

“I am in haste to dine;
'Twas for your pleasure you came here,
You shall

go

back for mine."
Ah, luckless speech ! ah, bootless * boast !

For which he paid full dear;
For, while he spake, a braying ass

Did sing most loud and clear ; 205 Whereat his horse did snort, as he *

Had heard a lion roar,
And galloped off with all his might,

As he had done before.

As he, as if he.

210

*

Posting, travelling in great haste.

220

Away went Gilpin, and away

Went Gilpin's hat and wig;
He lost them sooner than at first

For why? they were too big.
Now Mrs. Gilpin, when she saw

Her husband posting * down 215 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.”
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 :
225 But not performing what he meant,

And gladly would have done,
The frighted * steed he frighted more,

And made him faster run.

Away went Gilpin, and away 230 Went postboy * at his heels,

The postboy's horse right glad to miss

The lumb’ring * of the wheels.
Six gentlemen upon the road

Thus seeing Gilpin fly,
235 With postboy scampering in the rear,

They raised the hue and cry:

*

Amain, with all his
might.
Trice, in an instant.

Frighted, frightened.

Postboy, one who
rides and drives a
carriage-horse.
Lumb'ring, noise,
rattle.
Rear, after him.
Hue and cry, loud
cries to give the
alarm when in pur-
suit of an offender.

*

*

“Stop thief! stop thief! a highwayman !” *

Not one of them was mute ;
And all and each that passed that way-
Did join in the pursuit.*

240 And now the turnpike-gates again

Flew open in short space;
The tollmen thinking as before

That Gilpin rode a race.
And so he did, and won it too,

245
For he got first to town;
Nor stopped till where he had got up,

He did again get down.
Now let us sing, “ Long live the king,”
And Gilpin long live he;

250 And, when he next doth ride abroad,

May I be there to see !

ODE TO THE NORTH-EAST WIND.-Kingsley.

*

a

*

THE REV. CHARLES KINGSLEY (1819–1875) was born in Devonshire. He distinguished himself as a poet, historian, novelist, &c. From 1859 till 1870 he was Professor of Modern History at Cambridge. He was the author of Alton Locke, Westward Ho, Town Geology, The Roman and the Teuton, Madam How and Lady Whý, &c.

WELCOME, wild North-easter!

Shame it is to see Ode, a song, a poem

Odes* to every zephyr;* written to be set to

Ne'er a verse to thee. music. Zephyr,

gentle breeze, Welcome, black North-easter!

5 German foam, North

O’er the German foam ; Sea or German Ocean,

O'er the Danish moorlands,

From thy frozen home.

Tired we are of summer,
Gaudy glare, the
Tired of gaudy glare,

IO bright dazzling rays

Showers soft and steaming, of the sun.

Hot and breathless air. Listless, indolent,

Tired of listless * dreaming, careless.

Through the lazy day :
Jovial, joyous, full of
Jovial * wind of winter,

15 mirth.

Turn us out to play!

20

*

Sweep the golden reed-beds;

Crisp the lazy dyke, *
Hunger into madness

Every plunging pike.*
Fill the lake with wildfowl;

Fill the marsh with snipe ;
While on dreary moorlands

Lonely curlew * pipe.
Through the black fir-forest

Thunder harsh and dry,
Shattering down the snowflakes

Off the curdled sky.
Hark! The brave North-easter!

Breast-high lies the scent,
On by holt * and headland,*

Over heath * and bent.*

Dyke, a ditch con. taining

stagnant water. Pike, a fresh-water fish, with a pointed snout, Snipe, a bird which frequents marshy places, so called from the length of its bill. Curlew, wading bird with long legs and short tail.

a

25

30

*

35

Holt, a wood. Headland, a point of land running out into the sea. Heath, a barren open country. Bent, a place which is winding or crooked; sloping land. Dappled, marked with spots. Dappled darlings, the bounds.

40

Chime, ye dappled * darlings,

Through the sleet and snow.
Who can override you u ?

Let the horses go!
Chime, ye dappled darlings, *

Down the roaring blast :
You shall see a fox die

Ere an hour be past.
Go! and rest to-morrow,

Hunting in your dreams,
While our skates are ringing

O'er the frozen streams.
Let the luscious * South wind

Breathe in lovers' sighs,
While the lazy gallants

Bask* in ladies' eyes.
What does he but soften

Heart alike and pen ?
'Tis the hard grey winter

Breeds hard Englishmen.*
What's the soft South-wester ? *

'Tis the ladies' breeze,
Bringing home their true loves

Out of all the seas :

45

*

50

Luscious, delightful,
very sweet indeed.
Gallant, a man of
fashion,
Bask, to lie in the
sunshine.
Hard Englishmen.
In temperate climates
like ours, the people
are, general far
more active

and
hardy than the inha-
bitants of hot coun.
tries.
South-wester, south-
west wind,

55

D

the

ZARA'S EAR-RINGS.—Lockhart, JOHN GIBSON LOCKHART (1794-1854) was born in Lanarkshire, and married the eldest daughter of Sir Walter Scott in 1820. In early life he wrote several tales and biographies and published his translations of the Spanish Ballads. He also wrote the Lives of Burns, Napoleon, and Theodore Hook. His Life of Scott is one of the finest biographies we possess.

“My ear-rings ! my ear-rings ! they've dropped

into the well,

And what to say to Muça, I cannot, cannot tell.” Granada, a city in 'Twas thus Granada's * fountain by, spoke the south of Spain Albuharez' daughter,formerly in possession of the “ The well is deep, far down they lie, beneath Moors.

the cold blue water-
To me did Muça give them, when he spake his 5

sad farewell,
And what to say when he comes back, alas ! I

cannot tell.
Pearl, a shining “My ear-rings ! my ear-rings! they were pearls *
gem, chiefly found

in silver set, in the mother-ofpearl oyster. That when my Moor *

away,

I ne'er Moor, à native of

should him forget, Morocco, a country That I ne'er to other tongue should list, nor Smile, &c., she smile* on other's tale, should not heed

But remember he my lips had kissed, pure as lo the avowals of love made by others

those ear-rings palewhen Muça

When he comes back, and hears that I have gway.

dropped them in the well,
Oh what will Muça think of me, I cannot, can.

was far

was