Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

66

And still, as fast as he drew near,
'Twas wonderful to view,

How in a trice the turnpike men
Their gates wide open threw.

And now, as he went bowing down
His reeking head full low,
The bottles twain behind his back
Were shatter'd at a blow.

Down ran the wine into the road,
Most piteous to be seen,

Which made his horse's flanks to smoke,
As they had basted been.

But still he seem'd to carry weight,
With leathern girdle braced;
For all might see the bottle necks
Still dangling at his waist.

Thus all through merry Islington
These gambols he did play,
Until he came unto the Wash
Of Edmonton so gay;

And there he threw the wash about
On both sides of the way,
Just like unto a trundling mop,
Or a wild goose at play.

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:"

[blocks in formation]

So like an arrow swift he flew,
Shot by an archer strong!
So did he fly-which brings me to
The middle of my song.

Away went Gilpin out of breath,
And sore against his will,
Till at his friend's the calend'rer's
His horse at last stood still.

The calend'rer, amazed to see
His neighbour in such trim,
Laid down his pipe, flew to the gate,
And thus accosted him:

"What news? what news? your tidings tell;
Tell me you must and shall—
Say why bareheaded you are come
Or why you come at all?”

Now Gilpin had a pleasant wit,
And loved a timely joke!
And thus unto the calend'rer
In merry guise he spoke :

"I came because your horse would come,
And, if I well forbode,

My hat and wig will soon be here,
They are upon the road."

The calend'rer, right glad to find
His friend in merry pin,
Return'd him not a single word,

But to the house went in;

Whence straight he came with hat and wig,
A wig that flow'd behind,

A hat not much the worse for wear,
Each comely in its kind.

He held them up, and in his turn
Thus show'd his ready wit:

"My head is twice as big as yours,
They therefore needs must fit.

66

But let me scrape the dirt away
That hangs upon your face;
And stop and eat, for well you may
Be in a hungry case."

Said John, "It is my wedding-day,
And all the world would stare,
If wife should dine at Edmonton,
And I should dine at Ware."

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, and bootless boast!
For which he paid full dear;
For, while he spake, a braying ass
Did sing most loud and clear;

Whereat his horse did snort, as he

Had heard a lion roar,

And gallop'd off with all his might,
As he had done before.

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 mistress Gilpin, when she saw

Her husband posting down

Into the country far away,

She pull'd 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;

F

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
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,
They raised the hue and cry :-

"Stop thief! stop thief!-a highwayman!"
Not one of them was mute;
And all and each that pass'd that way
Did join in the pursuit.

And now the turnpike gates again
Flew open in short space;
The toll-men thinking as before,
That Gilpin rode a race.

And so he did, and won it too,
For he got first to town;
Nor stopp'd till where he had got up
He did again get down.

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,

[blocks in formation]

AN ignorant mind is incapable of noticing a vast number of the curious things that surround it; whilst a little information gives a person an observing eye; and with some observation, a man may find amusing company everywhere. It signifies not whether he be in the house or in the garden, in the fields or in the road, by ditches, by ponds, or rambling over the glittering wet sea-beach, still something is generally at hand to delight the awakened mind. All naturalists, that is, men who study the life and habits of animals, have divided the hosts of animals that exist into sets or groups, in order to assist their powers of observation, and to help their memories. Cuvier, a very clever French naturalist, has made four excellent divisions, which are generally adopted.

In the first division or group of animals, he put all those which have back-bones, and called this the VERTEBRATED division: in it are men, beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes.

In the second division he put all animals with shells over their soft bodies, and called this the MOLLUSCOUS division; in it are snails and shell-fish.

In the third division he put all animals that have hard coverings, made of rings on the outside of their bodies, and called this the ARTICULATED division; it contains worms, insects, spiders, lobsters, and crabs.

In the fourth division he put all animals that are almost like plants, and called this the ZOOPHYTE or RADIATED division; this contains the sponges, and corals, star-fishes, and sea anemones.

Amongst these sponges, corals, and star-fishes, Cuvier

« AnteriorContinuar »