Chapter III: Part 3

It is not surprising to learn that the impromptu lines proved an effective introduction. The interview was the first of many pleasant meetings between the author of _The Caxtons_ and Mr. Paxton Hood.

Poetical Graces.

Literary by-paths furnish some singular specimens of poetical graces. We produce a few for the entertainment of our readers.

Robert Fergusson, the Edinburgh poet, was born in 1751, and was a student at St. Andrews' University from his thirteenth to his seventeenth year. It was the duty of each student, in turn, to ask a blessing at the dinner table. One day, to the consternation of all, the youthful bard repeated the following lines:

"For rabbits young, and for rabbits old,
For rabbits hot, and for rabbits cold,
For rabbits tender, and for rabbits tough,
Our thanks we render, for we've had enough."

The masters of the college deliberated how they should punish the graceless poet. It was finally resolved not to censure him, but to have in the future a more spare supply of rabbits. Poor Fergusson's sad career closed in a lunatic asylum at an early age, not, however, before he had enriched Scottish poetical literature with some important contributions.

Burns appears to have had a great admiration for this wayward son of song. He placed over his remains in the Canongate Churchyard, Edinburgh, a tombstone bearing the following inscription:--

"Here lies Robert Fergusson,
Poet, born September 5th, 1751,
Died October 16th, 1774.

No sculptured marble here, nor pompous lay
No storied urn, nor animated bust;
This simple stone directs pale Scotia's way
To pour her sorrows o'er her Poet's dust."

On the back of the stone it is stated:--

"By special grant of the Managers to Robert Burns, who erected this stone, this burial place is ever to remain sacred to the memory of Robert Fergusson."

More than one poetical grace is attributed to the facile pen of Burns. His grace before dinner is well known, and is as follows:--

"Oh Thou who kindly dost provide
For every creature's want!
We bless Thee, God of nature wide,
For all Thy goodness lent:
And if it please Thee, Heavenly guide,
May never worse be sent,
But whether granted or denied,
Lord, bless us with content."

It is said that at one of Burns's convivial dinners he was desired to say grace, and he gave the following, impromptu:

"O Lord we do Thee humbly thank
For what we little merit;--
Now Jean may tak' the flesh away,
And Will bring on the spirit."

On one occasion a rhymster, who had placed before him a supper small in quantity and poor in quality, invoked a blessing with the following lines:--

"O Thou who bless'd the loaves and fishes
Look down upon these two poor dishes;
And though the 'tatoes be but small,
Lord make them large enough for all;
For if they do our bellies fill,
'Twill be a wondrous miracle."

This reminds us of an epigram entitled "Dress v. Dinner:"--

What is the reason, can you guess,
Why men are poor, and women thinner?
So much do they for dinner dress,
There's nothing left to dress for dinner.

On a graceless peer an epigrammatist wrote:--

"'By proxy I pray, and by proxy I vote,'
A graceless peer said to a churchman of note;
Who answered,'My lord, then I venture to say,
You'll to heaven ascend in a similar way.'"

Here is a grateful grace:--

"Some hae meat that canna eat,
An' some cou'd eat that want it;
But we hae meat, an' we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit."

The Rev. Samuel Wesley, formerly vicar of Epworth, and another friend were entertained to dinner at Temple Belwood, by a host noted as a strange compound of avarice and oddity. Mr. Wesley returned thanks with the following impromptu lines:--

"Thanks for the feast, for 'tis no less
Than eating manna in the wilderness,
Here meagre famine bears controlless sway,
And ever drives each fainting wretch away.
Yet here, O how beyond a saint's belief,
We've seen the glories of a chine of beef;
Here chimneys smoke, which never smoked before,
And we have dined, where we shall dine no more."

In conclusion we give a vegetarian grace. The first four lines are to be said before the meal:--

"These fruits do Thou, O Father, bless,
Which Mother Earth to us doth give;
No blood doth stain our feast to day,
In Thee we trust, and peaceful live."

The next is a form of thanksgiving after a vegetarian meal:--

"We thank Thee, Lord, for these Thy fruits,
Which Mother Earth to us doth give;
No blood hath stained our feast to-day,
In Thee we trust, and peaceful live!"

Poetry on Panes.

In a variety of places, but more especially in old village inns, reflections in verse, good, bad, and indifferent, have been found scratched upon window-panes. We have carefully copied the best examples which have come under our notice, and present a batch herewith, believing that they may entertain our readers.

A genial old Yorkshire parson appears at the commencement of the present century to have been greatly pleased with an inn situated between Northallerton and Boroughbridge, for he visited it daily to enjoy his pipe and glass. On one of its window-panes he inscribed some lines, of which the following is a literal copy:--

"Here in my wicker chair I sitt,
From folly far, and far from witt,
Content to live, devoid of care,
With country folks and country fare;
To listen to my landlord's tale,
And drink his health in Yorkshire ale;
Then smoak and read the _York Courant_;
I'm happy and 'tis all I want.
Though few my tythes, and light my purse,
I thank my God it is no worse."

Here is another Yorkshire example, written towards the close of the last century; it is from an old wayside inn near Harewood-bridge, on the Leeds and Harrogate road:--

"Gaily I lived, as Ease and Nature taught,
And passed my little Life without a thought;
I wonder, then, why Death, that tyrant grim,
Should think of me, who never thought of him."

Under the foregoing, the following was written:

"Ah! why forget that Death should think of thee;
If thou art Mortal, such must surely be;
Then rouse up reason, view thy hast'ning end,
And lose no time to make God thy Friend."

In the old coaching days, the Dog and Doublet, at Sandon, Staffordshire, was a popular house. A guest wrote on one of its window panes the following recommendation:--

"Most travellers to whom these roads are known,
Would rather stay at Sandon than at Stone!
Good chaises, horses, treatment, and good wines,
They always meet with at James Ballantine's."

A penniless poet wrote on a tavern window-pane the lines:--

"O Chalk! to me, and to the poor, a friend,
On Thee my life and happiness depend;
On Thee with joy, with gratitude I think,
For, by thy bounty, I both eat and drink."

"Chalk" is a slang word for credit. Innkeepers kept their accounts on the back of a door, written with chalk.

The following epigram was written under a pane disfigured with autographs:--

"Should you ever chance to see,
A man's name writ on a glass,
Be sure he owns a diamond,
And his parent owns an ass."

On the accession of Her Majesty, this _jeu d'esprit_ was inscribed on an inn window:--

"The Queen's with us, the Whigs exulting say;
For when she found us in, she let us stay.
It may be so; but give me leave to doubt
How long she'll keep you when she finds you out."

The following lines dated 1793, were written on a window-pane at the Hotel des Pays Bas, Spa Belgium:--

"I love but one, and only one,
Ah, Damon, thou art he!
Love thou but one, and only one,
And let that one be me!"

Early in the present century, it was customary for the actors to write their names on the panes in one of the windows of the York Theatre. On the glass of the same window were found inscribed these lines.

"The rich man's name embellished stands on brass;
The player simply scribbles his on glass,
Appropriate tablet to the wayward fate--
A brittle shining, evanescent state:
The fragile glass destroyed--farewell the name;
The actor's glass consumed--farewell his fame."

Our next example, dated 1834, from Purwell Hall, Batley, Yorkshire, was composed by a Miss Taylor. It is generally believed that her heart was won by a lover who did not meet with the approbation of her friends, and that they made her prisoner in one of the rooms of the old Hall, and there, on a pane of glass, were written the lines which follow:--

"Come, gentle Muse, wont to divert
Corroding cares from anxious heart;
Adjust me now to bear the smart
Of a relenting angry heart.
What though no being I have on earth,
Though near the place that gave me birth,
And kindred less regard do pay
Than thy acquaintance of to-day:
Know what the best of men declare,
That they on earth but strangers are,
Nor matter it a few years hence
How fortune did to thee dispense,
If--in a palace thou hast dwelt,
Or--in a cell of penury felt--
Ruled as a prince--served as a slave,
Six feet of earth is all thou'lt have.
Hence give my thoughts a nobler theme,
Since all the world is but a dream
Of short endurance."

Robert Burns wrote several lines on tavern windows. On a pane of glass at the Queensberry Arms, Sanquhar, he inscribed the following.

"Ye gods! ye gave to me a wife
Out of your grace and favour,
To be a comfort to my life;
And I was glad to have her.
But if your providence divine
For other ends design her,
To obey your will at any time,
I'm ready to resign her."

Next may be quoted:--

"Envy, if thy jaundiced eye
Through this window chance to pry,
To thy sorrow, thou wilt find
All that's generous, all that's kind:
Virtue, friendship, every grace
Dwelling in this happy place."

Burns's lines written on the window-panes of the Globe Tavern, Dumfries, have frequently been quoted. The following inscription refers to the charms of the daughter of the factor of Closeburn estate, when the poet resided at Ellisland:--

"O lovely Polly Stewart,
O charming Polly Stewart,
There's not a flower that blooms in May,
That's half so fair as thou art."

In some editions of the poet's works, the following verse, stated to have been copied from a window of the same tavern, is given:--

"The graybeard, Old Wisdom, may boast of his treasures;
Grant me with gay Folly to live;
I grant him his calm-blooded, time settled pleasures;
But Folly has raptures to give."

Such are a few of the many rhymes scratched upon glass. Some of the panes on which they were inscribed may now be broken, and this may be the only means of preserving them.

English Folk-Rhymes.

English folk-rhymes are very numerous and curious. Characteristics of persons and places have given rise to not a few which are frequently far from complimentary. Weather-lore is often expressed in rhyme; the rustic muse has besides rendered historic events popular, and enabled persons to remember them who are not readers of books. The lines often lack polish, but are seldom without point.

Amongst the more ancient rhymes are those respecting grants of land. The following is a good example, and is from Derbyshire:--

"Me and mine
Give thee and thine
Millners Hay
And Shining Cliff,
While grass is green
And hollies rough."

The old story of the grant is thus related. Years ago, a member of the ancient family of Lowe had the honour of hunting with the king and his nobles. Lowe rode a splendid horse, the only one in at the death. The king admired the animal very much, and the owner presented it to His Majesty. The horse "mightily pleased the king." Some little time afterwards, Lowe waited upon the king to beg a brier bed and a watering-place, which were Shining Cliff and Millners Hay. The request was at once complied with. The tale does not end here. It is related that "an envious courtier told the king that he did not know what he was doing, for what he was giving away was a great wood with a large tract of land." Upon this, Lowe said to His Majesty: "King or no king?"--"Why, king, Lowe." Adding with prompitude: "The brier-bed and watering-place are thine:" the rhyme above quoted being given as the title for the grant.

It is asserted that Athelstan granted the first charter to the ancient borough of Hedon, Yorkshire, in these words:--

"As free make I thee
As eye see or ear hear."

It is said a similar charter was granted by the same king to the neighbouring town of Beverley.

An old, old Norfolk rhyme says:--

"Rising was a seaport town,
And Lynn it was a wash;
But now Lynn is a seaport town,
And Rising fares the worst."

It is said at Norwich:--

"Caistor was a city ere Norwich was none,
And Norwich was built of Caistor stone."

"About half-way between Curbar and Brompton, to the right of the turnpike leading from Barlow to Sheffield," writes William Wood, "there is, far on the moor, a very level flat piece of ground, near a mile square, most remarkable for its boggy nature, so much so that it is dangerous to cross, or at times to approach. Here, before the Roman invasion, says the legend, stood a town or village, the inhabitants of which lived, according to Diodorus Siculus, in small cots or huts built of wood, the walls of stakes or wattles, like hurdles, and covered with rushes or reeds. These dwellings, with their inhabitants, were swallowed up by one of those convulsions of nature so destructive at times to the habitations of mankind." Respecting Leechfield and Chesterfield are the following lines current in Derbyshire:--

"When Leechfield was a market town,
Chesterfield was gorse and broom;
Now Chesterfield's a market town,
Leechfield a marsh is grown."

Respecting Nertoun, a Somersetshire village, near Taunton, is this couplet:--

"Nertoun was a market-town
When Taunton was a furzy down."

A Scottish rhyme says:--

"York was, London is,
And Edinburgh will be
The biggest of the three."

Says a popular English rhyme:--

"Lincoln was, London is,
And York shall be
The fairest city of the three."

In the days of old it was the practice to allow the wives of the Lord Mayors of York to retain by courtesy the title Lady for life, and this custom gave rise to the following couplet:--

"The Lord Mayor's a lord but a year and a day;
But his Lady's a lady for ever and aye."

Few English towns have made greater progress than the thriving port of Hull. Its prosperity was predicted long ago:--

"When Myton is pulled down,
Hull shall become a great town."

As a matter of history, it may be stated that when the town was threatened by Charles I., a number of houses in Myton Lane, as well as the Charter-house, were laid in ruins by Sir John Hotham, governor of Hull, so that they might not give shelter to the Royalists. Ray refers to this couplet, and, in error, calls Myton, Dighton.

Selling church-bells has given rise to satirical rhymes. Here are three Lincolnshire rhymes on this topic:--

"The poor Hatton people
Sold the bells to build up the steeple."

The next says:--

"Owersby's parish,
Wicked people,
Sold their bells to Kelsey
To build a steeple."

It is stated in the third:--

"Poor Scartho people,
Sold their bells to repair the steeple."

About 1710, the spire of Arlesey Church, Bedfordshire, fell down, and it is believed the bells were broken. The metal was sold to a distant parish to raise money to rebuild the spire, and until the year 1877 only one small bell was suspended in the steeple to call the inhabitants to the house of prayer. The transaction gave rise to the saying:--

"Arlesey, Arlesey, wicked people,
Sold their bells to build their steeple."

About half a century later, a similar accident occurred at Welstead, and the bishop granted a license to sell three of the bells, to enable the parishioners with the proceeds to restore the tower. It gave rise to a taunting distich similar to the one at Arlesey.

On the walls of Newington Church, London, in 1793, was written a rhyme anent the rebuilding of the church without a steeple and selling the bells:--

"Pious parson, pious people
Sold the bells to build the steeple;
A very fine trick of the Newington people,
To sell the bells to build a steeple."

Rhymes on steeples are very common; perhaps the best known is the one on Preston, Lancashire:--

"Proud Preston, poor people,
High church and low steeple."

In a somewhat similar strain is the one on Bowness-on-Windermere:--

"New church and old steeple,
Poor town and proud people."

Lincolnshire rhymes are very numerous, and a complete collection would almost fill a book. Here are three:--

"Gainsbro' proud people
Built a new church to an old steeple."

According to the next:--

"Luddington poor people
Built a brick church to a stone steeple."

A question is put and answered thus:--

"Boston! Boston!
What hast thou to boast on?
High steeple, proud people,
And shoals that souls are lost on."

The village of Ugley, Essex, supplies a satirical couplet:--

"Ugley church, Ugley steeple,
Ugley parson, Ugley people."

An old triplet describes the characteristics of three church spires thus:--

"Bloxham for length,
Adderbury for strength,
King-Sutton for beauty."

Almost every district furnishes examples of bell rhymes. We give one example, and it is from Derbyshire:--

"Crich two roller-boulders,
Winfield ting-tangs,
Alfreton kettles,
And Pentrich pans,
Kirk-Hallam candlesticks,
Cossall cow-bells,
Denby cracked puncheons,
And Horsley merry bells."

It is very generally believed in Derbyshire that the town of Alfreton was once the stake at a game of cards--"put," and that the loser exclaimed on the cards being dealt out:--

"If I have not an ace, a deuce, and tray,
Farewell, Alfreton, for ever and aye."

There is a similar couplet respecting Carnfield Hall, near to Alfreton. It is related by Mr. E. Kirk, a Lancashire folk-lorist, that the owner of a large farm in Goosnargh, called Landscales, staked his land at a game of "put." He received his three cards, which were a tray, a deuce, and an ace, and he put--that is, struck the table with his fist, in proof of his resolution to abide by the issue of his cards. His opponent had two trays and a deuce. The farm was consequently lost, and its owner exclaimed:--

"Ace, deuce, and tray,
Landscales, go thy way."

A Derbyshire rhyme refers to the inhabitants of four places as follows:--

"Ripley ruffians,
Butterly blocks,
Swanwick bulldogs,
Alfreton shacks."

Equally severe is the following on the people of the villages between Norwich and Yarmouth:--

"Halvergate hares, Reedham rats,
Southwood swine, and Cantley cats,
Acle asses, Moulton mules,
Beighton bears, and Freethorpe fools."

Of Derbyshire folk it is said:--

"Derbyshire born and Derbyshire bred,
Strong in the arm, but weak in the head."

The next are two Kentish rhymes:--

"Sutton for mutton
Kerby for beef,
South Darve for gingerbread,
Dartford for a thief."

This is complimentary:--

"English lord, German count, and French marquies,
A yeoman of Kent is worth all three."

It is said of Herefordshire:--

"They who buy a house in Herefordshire
Pay three years' purchase for the air."

Says a Gloucestershire rhyme:--

"Blest is the eye
Betwixt Severn and Wye."

In the same shire is the next couplet:--

"Beggarly Birley, strutting Stroud,
Hampton poor, and Painswick proud."

Many more rhymes similar to the foregoing might be given, if space permitted; but we have only room for a few more examples, and they relate to the weather. An old distich says:--

"When clouds are on the hills,
They'll come down by the mills."

Another rhyme states:--

"When the mist comes from the hill,
Then good weather it doth spill.
When the mist comes from the sea,
Then good weather it will be."

In Worcestershire there is a saying:--

"When Bredon Hill puts on his hat,
Ye men of the vale, beware of that."

Says a Yorkshire rhyme:--

"When Oliver's Mount puts on his hat,
Scarbro' town must pay for that."

In the same broad shire is a similar couplet:--

"When Ingleboro' wears a hat,
Ribblesdale'll hear o' that."

The Poetry of Toast Lists and Menu Cards.

The public dinner-season in provincial England commences early in October and ends in the middle of March. During that period, at the slightest provocation, our countrymen are prepared to dine together, not with a desire of over-indulgence in eating, but to enjoy the pleasant company usually gathered round the festive board. It is an admitted fact that the men who are in the habit of attending banquets are generally most abstemious. Speech, story, and song form a pleasing part of the proceedings of literary-society dinners, masonic banquets, and the more homely but not less enjoyable suppers held in connection with the Burns' Clubs. The toast lists and menu cards are often very interesting; they are frequently artistic in design, and enriched with quotations from the poets, which renders them of more than passing interest. A few quotations from some of the best of those which have come under our notice seem worth reproducing. The authors represented cover a wide field, ranging from Shakespeare to Tennyson. The former is the most quotable poet, and he is most frequently drawn upon. Burns, however, runs him very closely.

In turning over a pile of toast lists, the first to attract our attention is the one prepared for the Hull Shakespearean Festival. On the front page is a portrait of the bard and the familiar line of "rare" Ben Jonson:--

"He was not of an age, but for all time."

Under the first toast--that of the Queen--are two lines from _Henry V._:--

"God and his angels guard your sacred throne,
And make you long become it."

The toast of the evening follows: "The Immortal Memory of Shakespeare"--Dr. Johnson's well-known verse beneath it:--

"Each change of many-coloured life he drew;
Exhausted worlds, and then imagined new;
Existence saw him spurn her bounded reign,
And panting Time toiled after him in vain."

The third speaker had for his topic "Shakespeare's Universality," with a motto from _Romeo and Juliet_:--

"Monarch of the universal earth."

Actors and actresses were next toasted under the heading of "Shakespearean Exponents," with a quotation from _Othello_:--

"Speak of me as I am: nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice."

The next theme was "Shakespeare and Tragedy," with a line from _Richard III._:--

"I live to look upon their tragedy."

Then followed "Shakespeare and Comedy," with two lines from the _Taming of the Shrew_:--

"Frame your mind for mirth and merriment,
Which bars a thousand harms."

Under the sentiment of "Shakespeare and History," is a line from _Henry IV._ (Part II.):--

"There is a history in all men's lives."

Lastly, "Shakespearean Women" were remembered, and under the toast are three lines as follow from the third part of _Henry VI._:--

"'Tis beauty that doth oft make women proud;
'Tis virtue that doth make them most admired;
'Tis modesty that makes them seem divine."

The programme of music is headed with a couple of lines from _Twelfth Night_:--

"If music be the food of love, play on;
Give me excess of it."

At the foot of the card is printed "Good Night," and a quotation from _Macbeth_, as follows:--

"At once good night:
Stand not upon the order of your going,
But go at once."

The toast list of a local literary society contains some happy quotations from Shakespeare. The speakers are reminded at the commencement of the programme, in the words from _Hamlet_, that "Brevity is the soul of wit." The two lines under the toast of "The Prince and Princess of Wales" are from _Pericles_:--

"As jewels lose their glory if neglected,
So princes their renown if not respected."

A line from _Richard III._:--

"Arm, fight, and conquer for England's sake."

was the motto to the toast of "The Army, Navy, and Auxiliary Forces." Under the toast of "The Officers of the Club" are words from _Othello_:--

"We cannot all be masters."

Two good lines from the _Taming of the Shrew_ are given with the toast of "Literature and Science":--

"My books and instruments shall be my company,
On them to look and practise by myself."

A line under the toast of "The Press" says, in the words of the _Merchant of Venice_:--

"There are some shrewd contents in your paper."

We have seen on several menu cards:--

"A good digestion to you all, and once more
I shower a welcome on you--welcome all."
--_Henry VIII._

A more general quotation (from _Macbeth_) is:--

"Now good digestion wait on appetite,
And health on both."

The bill of fare for the Tercentenary Banquet held in 1864, at Stratford-on-Avon, in honour of Shakespeare, is perhaps the best specimen of cuisine literature ever produced. The following are a few of the edibles and the quotations:--

Roast turkey:--

"Why, here comes swelling like a turkey-cock."
--_Henry V._

Roast fowls:--

"There is a fowl without a feather."
--_Comedy of Errors._

Ducks:--

"O dainty duck!"--_Midsummer Night's Dream._

Boar's head:--

"Like a full-acorned boar."--_Cymbeline._

York hams:--

"Sweet stem from York's great stock."
--_Henry VI._ (Part I.).

Tongues:--

"Silence is only commendable in a neat's tongue dried."
--_Merchant of Venice._

Mayonnaise of lamb:--

"Was never gentle lamb more mild."--_Richard II._

Braised lamb and beef:--

"What say you to a piece of beef and mustard?
A dish that I love to feed upon."
--_Taming of the Shrew._

Roast lamb:--

"Come you to seek the lamb here?"
--_Measure for Measure._

Lobster and mayonnaise salads:--

"Sallet was born to do me good."--_Henry IV._ (Part II.).

Dressed lobsters and crabs:--

"There's no meat like them: I could wish my best friend at such a
feast."--_Timon of Athens._

Desserts, cakes, jellies, and creams:--

"The queen of curds and cream."--_Winter's Tale._

Dressed potatoes:--

"Let the sky rain potatoes."--_Merry Wives of Windsor._

Bitter ale:--

"And here's the pot of good double beer, neighbour:
Drink, and fear not your man."--_Henry VI._ (Part II.).

In addition to the foregoing, many interesting and well-chosen quotations appear on the famous bill of fare.

The bill of fare of the Annual Dinner of the Norwich Saint Andrew Society, held in 1896, was headed, "Caird o' Guid Things":--

"KAIL BREE.
Maukin.
Cockie Leekie.

GUID CALLER FISH.
Sole-fleuks, baned an' stovit.
Caller Cod wi' Sauce o' Caller Ou.

THE HAGGIS.
"Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great Chieftain, o' the puddin' race!"

"A nip o' Fairntosh, an' it's no ower perjinkitie measure!"

ROAST AN' BILED.
Sheeps' Hurdies.
Sirloins o' Nowte.
Biled Chuckies an' Tongue.
Rostit Bubblyjock wi' Sausages.
Tatties Biled an' Champit.
Curly Kail.

"I'm thinkin', Sandy, we wadna be the waur o' a drappie."

Roastit Feesants wi' Raupit Tatties.

CONFECTOURI.
Figmaleerie o' Fruits.
Jeelies.
Plum Puddin'.
Mince Pies.
Apple Tairts and Cream.
Kebbuck wi' Celery an' guid Oat Farls.

DESSERT AN' COFFEE.
"Let them that wants Coffee, hae Coffee; I'm thinkin' I'll hae a dram!"

The birthday of Burns is celebrated in all parts of the world: wherever Scotchmen are located the bard is honoured. We have before us a number of Burns dinner toast lists, and several are headed "Should auld acquaintance be forgot?"

The following are from the toast lists of the Hull Burns' Club. Under the toast of "The Queen," two lines appear:--

"In the field of proud honour, our swords in our hand,
Our Queen and our country to save."

To the toast of "The Mayor, Sheriff, and Corporation" is this couplet:--

"How wisdom and folly meet, mix, and unite;
How virtue and vice blend their black and their white."

The toast of the evening, "The Memory of Burns," has under it the following verse from _The Cotter's Saturday Night_:--

"O Scotia! my dear, my native soil!
For whom my warmest wish to Heaven is sent!
Long may thy hardy sons of rustic toil
Be blessed with health, and peace, and sweet content."

We have seen inscribed with this toast a verse from one of Bennoch's beautiful poems:--

"With reverent silence we will fill
A cup whene'er this day returns,
And pledge the memory of the Bard,
The Bard of Nature--Robert Burns,
Immortal Burns."

Appended to the toast of "The Hull Burns' Club" are the noble lines:--

"It's coming yet, for a' that,
That man to man, the warld o'er,
Shall brithers be for a' that."

"The Visitors," "Kindred Societies," are included with suitable quotations. The verse under the toast of "The Press" is a happy selection:--

"Here's freedom to him that wad read,
Here's freedom to him that wad write,
There's nane ever feared that the truth should be heard,
But they whom the truth would indite."

We have seen the following quoted several times with this toast:--

"A chiel's amang you takin' notes,
And faith he'll prent it."

The concluding toast, that of "The Lassies," has the familiar lines:--

"The wisest man the warl' e'er saw,
He dearly loved the lassies, O!"

At a dinner of the Hull Literary Club the toast list was enriched with quotations from the works of the Poet Laureate. An excerpt from _The Princess_ on the first page says:--

"Hark the bell
For dinner, let us go!"

Two lines from a poem, _To the Rev. F. D. Maurice_, head the list:--

"You'll have no scandal while you dine,
But honest talk and wholesome wine."

To the toast of "The Queen" are four lines, as follow:--

"Her Court was pure; her life serene;
God gave her peace; her land reposed;
A thousand claims to reverence closed
In her as Mother, Wife, and Queen."

Five lines from _The Battle of Brunanburgh_ are given to the toast of "Our Brave Defenders":--

"Theirs was a greatness
Got from their grandsires--
Theirs that so often in
Strife with their enemies,
Struck for their hoards and their hearths and their homes."

Two quotations appear under the toast of "Success to the Hull Literary Club":--

"We rub each other's angles down."--_In Memoriam._

"Work in noble brotherhood."--_Exhibition Ode._

With the toast of "Literature and the Arts" is the line:--

"Let knowledge grow from more to more."

Under "The Press":--

"News from the humming city comes to it."

The line under the toast of "The Ladies" is brief and graceful:--

"Made to be loved."

Toasts and Toasting.

Toasting and drinking were more general half a century ago than they are at the present time. In the earlier years of the Queen's reign temperance, if not teetotalism, was, it is true, making headway, but in a great measure convivial customs were maintained, and toasting was popular. Books were published to supply suitable toasts, for public and private parties. Such compilations must have been extremely useful to those who attended social gatherings, and were not able to express graceful and pithy sentiments.

We have before us a little work issued in London in 1847, under the title of "The Social and Convivial Toast-Master; and Compendium of Sentiment." It consists of prose and poetry arranged under various headings, such as Loyal and Patriotic, Naval and Military, Masonic, Bacchanalian, Amatory, Sporting, Political, Sentimental, and lastly, Miscellaneous. It cannot be without interest to reproduce from this rare volume a few examples of the toasts of the earlier Victorian era.

The opening section of the book is devoted to loyal and patriotic toasts. The first toast is this:--

"Albert and Victoria; may their union be cemented by love and
affection, and their Royal offspring adorn the station they are
destined to fill."

A brief and popular toast was:--

"Church and Queen."

Another sentiment was:--

"Happiness to the Royal pair--Victoria and Albert."

A longer toast is as follows:--

"Here's a health to Her Majesty,
Conversion to her enemies,
And he that will not pledge her health
I wish him neither wit nor wealth,
Nor yet a rope to hang himself."

Another toast is to this effect:--

"Health to the Queen, prosperity to the people, and may the Ministry
direct their endeavours to the public good rather than engage in party
distinction."

A favourite sentiment was:--

"Great Britain's rising star, the Prince of Wales."

Many of the patriotic toasts ask for reforms:--

"A revision of the code of criminal laws."

At this period they were extremely severe.

"A speedy restoration of the rights of the people."

was another toast, and not a few related to Ireland.

"Truth for England and justice for Ireland"

is one, and another says:--

"The birthplace of wit, the home of hospitality--Ireland."

Patriotic toasts relating to Scotland are numerous, such as:--

"Scotland, the birthplace of valour--the country of worth."

"Scottish heroes; and may their fame live for ever."

A popular toast of the past was:--

"The independence of Greece and the memory of Byron."

The dislike to France by our fathers is plainly indicated in several sentiments:--

"May French principles never corrupt English manners."

It would appear from many of the toasts that the nation was weary of war and wanted peace and liberty. The plea for liberty occurs in many of the sentiments; it is the closing wish of the following:--

"May peace o'er Britain spread her wing,
And commerce fill her ports with gold;
May arts and science comfort bring,
And liberty her sons enfold."

The naval and military toasts, as befits a nation that has gained glory in battles on sea and land, are on the whole good. A few examples only must suffice. How out of date our first appears in this age of ironclads:--

"Old England's wooden walls."

Here is a punning toast:--

"Sir Home Popham--and pop-home to all our enemies."

A nautical toast is:--

"To Nelson's memory here's a health,
And to his gallant tars,
And may our British seamen bold,
Despite both wounds and scars,
Make France and Spain,
And all the main
And all the foes to know,
Britons reign o'er the main,
While the stormy winds do blow."

Says another toast:--

"May the deeds never be forgot that were done at Trafalgar and
Waterloo."

Wellington is not neglected in the toasts, but he is not so popular as Nelson. The feats of the Life Guards at Waterloo are remembered:--

"The Life Guards: that washed out in blood the blots of Piccadilly."

Another famous regiment is thus toasted:--

"The Scotch Greys: that made the Eagles look black."

Half a century ago was a toast which will find to-day a response in many hearts:--

"The Greeks: may they never fall under Turkish bondage."

Many of the masonic sentiments are fine; they are amongst the best in the book. Here is good teaching:--

"May we never condemn that in a brother which we pardon in ourselves."

"May the evening's diversions bear the morning's reflections."

"May every society instituted for the promotion of virtue--flourish."

Other toasts are equally good, but the masonic allusions make them more suitable for the perusal of members of the craft than for the public.

Next in order come Bacchanalian toasts. Some of the sentiments would not meet with favour in well regulated society at the present period, but we doubt not were hailed with delight in the hard drinking days of old. The first toast under this head is:--

"A friend and a bottle of wine to give him."

Wine and women find a place in not a few of the sentiments:--

"A full purse, a fresh bottle, and a pretty face."

"Beauty, wit, and wine."

"Wine, women, and wit."

The foregoing are brief, and are perhaps the best toasts which link women with wine. The next is not a bad toast:--

"May our love of the glass never make us forget decency."

Punning examples are included, such as the two following:--

"May good fellows be found in every port, and all bad ones obliged to
sherry out."

"May we never be out of spirits."

On the whole, the toasts under this heading are not equal in merit to many of the others in the volume.

We find amatory toasts next in order, and of this class quote three examples:--

"The fairest work of nature--women."

"The village maid, may she remain so till she gets a good husband."

"Love without deceit, and matrimony without regret."

Sporting sentiments are by no means numerous; only four pages are devoted to them. The following are specimens:--

"May the thirst of blood never disgrace a British sportsman."

"May the love of the chase never interrupt our attention to the
welfare of the country."

"The huntsman's pleasures--the field in the morning, the bottle at
night."

Some are in rhyme, and the following is a favourable example:--

"May jovial hunters in the morn
Prepare them for the chase;
Rise at the sounding of the horn,
And health with sport enhance."

Under the heading of political toasts are a number free from party sentiment, advocating more the glory of our country than the praise of a particular party. We can quite understand how favourably a toast like the following would be received:--

"The British Lion, may he never rise in anger and sit down in fear."

The next is brief:--

"Death or Liberty."

A popular toast is as follows:--

"Here's to England, the ruler and queen of the waves,
May she ever be found to give freedom to slaves.
May she always extend to the weak and oppressed,
Those blessings with which her own have been blessed.

Lastly, let us quote one that in our day might be taken to heart by those in office:--

"May Ministers while they are servants of the Crown never forget that
they are representatives of the people."

Next in order come sentimental toasts. Examples of these may almost be culled at random to represent the whole, for there is a great sameness about them:--

"May our great men be good and our good men great."

"May goodness prevail where beauty fails."

"May we never be lost to hope."

"Our friends, our country, our laws, home, love, and liberty."

Two pages are devoted to flash toasts, but as far as we are able to judge are without interest.

The work closes with a varied and interesting collection of toasts under the heading of "Miscellaneous," and contains excellent examples of the wit and wisdom of bygone times. The celebrated Roxburghe Club of book-lovers was founded in 1812, and has given to the world many valuable volumes. The social side of the society was well sustained, and the following are the ten bibliomania toasts which were honoured at the festive gatherings:--

1. "The immortal memory of Christopher Valdarfer, printer of the
Boccaccio of 1471."

2. "The memory of William Caxton, founder of the British Press."

3. "To the memory of Wynkyn de Worde, Pynson, and Notary, successors
of Caxton."

4. "The memory of John, Duke of Roxburghe."

5. "The memory of Lady Juliana Barnes and the St. Albans' Press."

6. "The memory of Gutenberg, Fust, and Schoeffer, fathers of the art
of printing."

7. "The Aldine family of Venice."

8. "The Giunti family of Florence."

9. "The prosperity of the Roxburghe Club, and in all cases the cause
of Bibliomania all over the world."

10. "The Society of the Bibliophiles Francais."

By-the-way, in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, is a memorial to the first English printer, bearing the following inscription:--

"To the memory of
William Caxton,
Who first introduced into Great Britain
The Art of Printing;
And, who, A.D. 1477 or earlier, exercised that art in the
Abbey of Westminster,
This Tablet,
In remembrance of one to whom the literature of this
country is so largely indebted, was raised
Anno Domini MDCCCXX
By the Roxburghe Club.
Earl Spencer, K.G., President."

Professional sentiments are rather plentiful. The surgeon's toast is:--

"The man that bleeds for his country."

The schoolmaster's toasts are rather numerous, but not without point:--

"Addition to patriots,
Subtraction to placemen,
Multiplication to the friends of peace,
Division to its enemies,
Reduction to abuses,
Rule of three to king, lords, and commons,
Practice to reformation,
Fellowship to Britons,
Discount to the National Debt,
Decimal fractions to the clergy."

Toasts of musicians are included:--

"May a crotchet in the head never bar the utterance of good notes."

A second sentiment is:--

"May the lovers of harmony never be in want of a note, and its enemies
die in a common chord."

Tradesmen's toasts are very plentiful, and several include puns. Here is the hatter's sentiment:--

"When the rogue naps it, may the lesson be felt."

Respecting the baker is the following:--

"May we never be done so much as to make us crusty."

The glazier's toast is:--

"The praiseworthy glazier who takes pains to see his way through
life."

A rather longer toast is that of the greengrocer:--

"May we spring up like vegetables, have turnip noses, reddish cheeks,
and carroty hair--and may our hearts never be hard like those of
cabbages, nor may we be rotten at the core."

The sentiment of the pawnbroker is:--

"When we lend our cash to a friend, may it be to his interest to pay
the principal, and his principle to pay the interest."

The shoemaker's toast is:--

"May the cobbler's lapstones never fail him."

In another toast we have an allusion to shoes:--

"May the enemies of Great Britain always have long corns and short
shoes."

Here we close this curious collection of toasts, feeling thankful that such a book is no longer required for the every-day use of the people. A great change for the better has come over the manners and customs of our countrymen. Turning over the pages of this publication has given us pleasure, and we trust the quotations culled from it may not fail to interest our readers.

Curious American Old-Time Gleanings.

"The only true history of a country," said Lord Macaulay, "is to be found in its newspapers." Sir George Cornewall Lewis expressed his conviction that the historian of the future will find all his materials in the _Times_. The American historian Mr. Bancroft seldom saw a newspaper without drawing from it materials for his works. The story-teller often obtains from the daily and weekly press suggestive notes. Charles Reade made excellent use of the romantic episodes recorded in the newspapers. His scrapbooks containing clippings from the papers were numerous and valuable, and amongst his most cherished treasures. Many modern men of letters might be mentioned who are alive to the importance of preserving facts drawn from the journals of the day.

Professor James Davie Butler, LL.D., a few years ago wrote an amusing and at the same time a valuable paper on Scrap-books. He related how he had corrected, through seeing in an old Connecticut newspaper an advertisement, statements made by the leading historians of America. It was respecting the horse of General Stark, a hero in the American War, who broke Burgoyne's left wing. Headley says, "Stark's horse sank under him." Everett states, "The General's horse was killed in the action." Irving writes, "The veteran had his horse shot under him." They were led to make the statement from a postscript of a letter the General wrote saying, "I lost my horse in the action." Here is the advertisement referred to:--

"TWENTY DOLLARS REWARD.--Stolen from me, the subscriber, in the time
of action, the 16th of August last, a Brown Mare, five years old; had
a star in her forehead. Also a doeskin seated saddle, blue housing
trimmed with white, and a curbed bridle.--It is earnestly requested of
all Committees of Safety, and others in authority, to exert themselves
to recover the said Mare, so that the thief may be brought to justice
and the Mare brought to me; and the person, whoever he be, shall
receive the above reward for both; and for the Mare alone, one-half
that sum. How scandalous, how disgraceful and ignominious, must it
appear to all friendly and generous souls to have such sly, artful,
designing villains enter into the field of action in order to pillage,
pilfer, and plunder from their brethren when engaged in battle!

JOHN STARK, B.D.G.

Bennington, 11th Sept., 1777."

The foregoing may be regarded as a good proof of the value of historical facts gleaned from newspapers.

In recent years several interesting works have been compiled from old newspapers. Perhaps the most important is a set of volumes entitled "The Olden Times Series," prepared by Mr. Henry M. Brooks, a painstaking antiquary, and published in Boston, Massachusetts. Not the least interesting of the volumes is one devoted to the _New England Sunday_. The opening page proves that neither the rich nor the poor were permitted to break the strict Sabbath regulations. In Connecticut, in 1789, General Washington was stopped by the officer representing the State authorities for riding on Sunday. The circumstances were reported in the columns of the _Columbian Centinel_ for December of that year. "The President," it is stated, "on his return to New York from his late tour through Connecticut, having missed his way on Saturday, was obliged to ride a few miles on Sunday, in order to gain the town, at which he had previously proposed to attend divine service. Before he arrived, however, he was met by a Tythingman, who, commanding him to stop, demanded the occasion of his riding; and it was not until the President had informed him of every circumstance, and promised to go no farther than the town intended, that the Tythingman would permit him to proceed on his journey."

In the old days, little attempt was made to render the places of worship attractive, or even to warm the rooms in which the preachers delivered their long sermons, although the people were obliged by law to attend the services unless they were sick. It was a serious matter not to be a "meeting-goer," it was, as Mr. Brooks says, to be ranged with thieves and other outlaws. Mr. Felt, the compiler of the _Annals of Salem_, has brought together some items of interest bearing on the introduction of stoves into the churches of the district. "For a long period," writes Mr. Felt, "the people of our country did not consider that a comfortable degree of warmth while at public worship contributed much to a profitable hearing of the gospel." He states that the first stove heard of in Massachusetts for a meeting-house was put up by the first Congregation of Boston in 1773. Two stoves were placed in the Friends' Society meeting-house at Salem in 1793, and one in the North Church, Salem in 1809. "Not a few remember," writes Mr. Brooks, "the general knocking of feet on cold days and near the close of long sermons. On such occasions, the Rev. Dr. Hopkins used to say now and then: 'My hearers, have a little patience, and I will soon close.'"

One of Mr. Brook's volumes deals with _Strange and Curious Punishments_, and it gives particulars of many harsh and cruel laws. It appears, from an address delivered before the Essex Bar Association in 1885, that the old-time punishments in America were much milder than the criminal laws of England at the time, and the number of capital offences was greatly reduced. Persons were frequently whipped. The following is an example drawn from the Essex County Court Records: "In 1643, Roger Scott, for repeated sleeping in meeting on the Lord's Day, and for striking the person who waked him, was, at Salem, sentenced to be severely whipped."

Whipping appears to have been a common means of punishing offenders who transgressed the laws. In the month of January, 1761, we see it stated that four men for petty larceny were publicly whipped at the cart's tail through the streets of New York. We gather from another newspaper report that a man named Andrew Cayto received forty-nine stripes at the public whipping-post for house-robbery--namely, for robbing one house, thirty-nine stripes; and for robbing the other, ten stripes. It appears in some instances prisoners had, as part of their sentence, to sit on the gallows with ropes about their necks. We read: "At Ipswich, Massachusetts, June 1763, one Francis Brown for stealing a large quantity of goods, was found guilty; and it being the second conviction, he was sentenced by the Court to sit on the gallows an hour with a rope round his neck, to be whipt thirty stripes, and pay treble damages." The man was a native of Lisbon, and described as a great thief. "We hear from Worcester," says the _Boston Chronicle_, November 20th, 1769, "that on the 8th instant one Lindsay stood in the pillory there one hour, after which he received thirty stripes at the public whipping-post, and was then branded on the hand; his crime was forgery." It appears that it was the custom to brand by means of hot iron the letter F on the palm of the right hand.

We find that at this period persons found guilty of passing counterfeit dollars were sentenced to have their ears cropped.

To illustrate his subject Mr. Brooks draws from Felt's _Annals of Salem_ not a few quaint items. It is stated that "in 1637, Dorothy Talby, for beating her husband, is ordered to be bound to and chained to a post." It is recorded that "in 1649 women were prosecuted in Salem for scolding," and probably in many cases whipped or ducked. The ducking-stool appears to have been frequently employed. Under date of May 15th 1672, we find it stated: "The General Court of Massachusetts orders that scolds and railers shall be gagged or set in a ducking stool, and dipped over head and ears three times."

We find particulars of one Philip Ratclif for making "hard speeches against Salem Church, as well as the Government," sentenced to pay "forty pounds, to be whipped, to have his ears cropped, and to be banished." The date of this case is 1631. In the _Annals of Salem_, under date for May 3rd, 1669, it is recorded that "Thomas Maule is ordered to be whipped for saying that Mr. Higgenson preached lies, and that his instruction was 'the doctrine of devils.'"

The Quakers were very severely dealt with. At Salem, for making disturbances in the meeting-house, etc., Josiah Southwick, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Buffum, and other Quakers, were whipped at the cart's tail through the town. After being banished, Southwick returned to Salem, and for this offence was whipped through the towns of Boxton, Roxbury, and Dedham.

In bygone times, hanging the remains of persons executed was general in England; in America it was an uncommon practice. Mr. Brooks, however, gives particulars of a few instances. At Newport, Rhode Island, on March 12th, 1715, a man named Mecum, was executed for murder; and his body hung in chains on Miantonomy Hill, where the bodies of some Indians executed three years previously were then hanging. A negro hanged at Newport in 1769 was gibbetted on the same hill.

A few lighter passages than those we have studied brighten up the records of American punishments, which were very severe. A prisoner in February, 1789, escaped through the jail chimney at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and wrote on the wall as follows: "The reason of my going is because I have no fire to comfort myself with, and very little provision. So I am sure if I was to stay any longer I should perish to death. Look at that bed there! Do you think it fit for any person to lie on?

"If you are well, I am well;
Mend the chimney, and all's well!"

To the gentlemen and officers of Portsmouth, from your humble servant,

WILLIAM FALL.

"N.B.--I am very sorry that I did not think of this before, for if I had, your people should not have had the pleasure of seeing me take the lashes."

_Curiosities of the Lottery_ is the title of another volume of Mr. Brooks's "Olden Time Series." Selling lottery tickets was regarded as a respectable calling. "The better the man," says Mr. Brooks, "the better the agent. Indeed, it was generally thought to be just as respectable to sell lottery tickets as to sell Bibles; and we have them classed together in the same advertisement." In England, we must not forget the fact that the business was conducted on the same lines in bygone times. The first lottery in this country was drawn day and night at the west door of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, from the 11th of January to May 6th, 1569. The profit, which was considerable, was devoted to the repair of harbours. The prizes consisted of pieces of plate.

In the United States, lotteries were instituted for a variety of objects, including building bridges, cleaning rivers, rebuilding Faneuil Hall, raising money to successfully carry on the work of Dartmouth College, Harvard College, and other seats of learning. The advertisements were extremely quaint, illustrated with crudely drawn but effective pictures, and supplied "a speedy cure for a broken fortune." Rhymes as well as pictures were largely employed in advertisements for lotteries. Much has been spoken and written against lotteries; but, nevertheless, in some of the States of the Union they are still lawful.