ROBERT BLOOMFIELD.

[Born at Honington, Suffolk, 1766; died in 1823. He was the son of a tailor; worked at first with a farmer, and afterwards as a shoemaker. Having a turn for verse, he published some compositions in a newspaper; and next wrote The Farmer's Boy, a poem of some length which ran through various editions. He tried one or two occupations, as a change from shoemaking, but without commercial success, and at last his sight failed almost entirely].

THE HORKEY.1

A PROVINCIAL BALLAD.

WHAT gossips prattled in the sun,
Who talked him fairly down,
Up, memory! tell; 'tis Suffolk fun,
And lingo of their own.

Ah! Judie Twitchet! though thou'rt dead,
With thee the tale begins;

For still seems thrumming in my head

The rattling of thy pins.

Thou Queen of knitters! for a ball
Of worsted was thy pride;

With dangling stockings great and small,
And world of clack beside!

"We did so laugh; the moon shone bright;
More fun you never knew ;

'Twas Farmer Cheerum's Horkey night,

And I, and Grace, and Sue

"But bring a stool, sit round about,—

And boys, be quiet, pray;

And let me tell my story out;
'Twas sich a merry day!

"The butcher whistled at the door,

And brought a load of meat ;

Boys rubbed their hands, and cried 'there's more,'
Dogs wagged their tails to see't.

1 In Suffolk husbandry the man who (whether by merit or by sufferance I know not) goes foremost through the harvest with the scythe or the sickle is honoured with the title of Lord," and at the Horkey, or harvest-home feast, collects what he can, for himself and brethren, from the farmers and visitors, to make a "frolic" afterwards, called "the largess spending." By way of returning thanks, though perhaps formerly of much more or of different signification, they immediately leave the seat of festivity, and with a very long and repeated shout of "a largess," the number of shouts being regulated by the sums given, seem to wish to make themselves heard by the people of the surrounding farms. And, before they rejoin the company within, the pranks and the jollity I have endeavoured to describe usually take place.

"On went the boilers till the hake1
Had much ado to bear 'em ;

The magpie talked for talking sake,
Birds sung;-but who could hear 'em?

"Creak went the jack; the cats were scared,
We had not time to heed 'em ;
The owd hins cackled in the yard,
For we forgot to feed 'em!

"Yet 'twas not I, as I may say,
Because as how, d'ye see,
I only helped there for the day;
They couldn't lay't to me.

"Now Mrs. Cheerum's best lace cap
Was mounted on her head;
Guests at the door began to rap,
And now the cloth was spread.

"Then clatter went the earthen plates-
'Mind, Judie,' was the cry;

I could have cop't 2 them at their pates;
'Trenchers for me,' said I,-

666

"That look so clean upon the ledge,
And never mind a fall,

Nor never turn a sharp knife's edge ;-
But fashion rules us all.'

"Home came the jovial Horkey load,
Last of the whole year's crop;

And Grace amongst the green boughs rode
Right plump upon the top.

"This way and that the waggon reeled,
And never queen rode higher;

Her cheeks were coloured in the field,
And ours before the fire.

"The laughing harvest-folks, and John,
Came in and looked askew;
'Twas my red face that set them on,
And then they leered at Sue.

"And Farmer Cheerum went, good man,

And broached the Horkey beer;

3

And sich a mort of folks began

To eat up our good cheer.

1 A sliding pot-hook.

2 Thrown.

3 Such a number.

"Says he, "Thank God for what's before us; That thus we meet again;'

The mingling voices, like a chorus,
Joined cheerfully, Amen.'-

"Welcome and plenty, there they found 'em ; The ribs of beef grew light;

And puddings-till the boys got round 'em, And then they vanished quite.

"Now all the guests, with Farmer Crouder, Began to prate of corn;

And we found out they talked the louder,
The oftener passed the horn.

"Out came the nuts; we set a-cracking,
The ale came round our way;

By gom, we women fell a-clacking
As loud again as they.

"John sung Old Benbow' loud and strong,

And I, The Constant Swain;'

'Cheer up, my Lads,' was Simon's song,

'We'll conquer them again.'

"Now twelve o'clock was drawing nigh,

And all in merry cue;

I knocked the cask: 'O ho!' said I, 'We've almost conquered you.'

"My Lord begged round, and held his hat ;-Says Farmer Gruff, says he,

'There's many a Lord, Sam, I know that,

Has begged as well as thee.'

"Bump in his hat the shillings tumbled

All round among the folks;

Laugh if you wool,' said Sam, and mumbled,

'You pay for all your jokes.'

"Joint stock, you know, among the men,

To drink at their own charges;

So up they got full drive, and then
Went out to halloo largess.

"And sure enough the noise they made !—
-But let me mind my tale;

We followed them, we wor'nt afraid,

We had all been drinking ale.

"As they stood hallooing back to back,
We, lightly as a feather,

Went sideling round, and in a crack

Had pinned their coats together.

"'Twas near upon't as light as noon;
'A largess,' on the hill,

They shouted to the full round moon,—
I think I hear 'em still!

"But when they found the trick, my stars!
They well knew who to blame;

Our giggles turned to ha ha ha's,
And arter us they came.

"Grace by the tumbril made a squat,

Then ran as Sam came by;

They said she could not run for fat,—
I know she did not try.

"Sue round the neathouse 1 squalling ran,
Where Simon scarcely dare;

He stopped, for he's a fearful man-
'By gom there's suffen 2 there!

"And off set John, with all his might,
To chase me down the yard,
Till I was nearly graned 3 outright;
He hugged so woundly hard.

"Still they kept up the race and laugh,
And round the house we flew ;

But hark ye! the best fun by half
Was Simon arter Sue.

"She cared not, dark nor light, not she;
So, near the dairy door

She passed a clean white hog, you see,
They'd kilt the day before.

"High on the spirket1 there it hung,-
'Now Susie what can save ye?'
Round the cold pig his arms he flung,
And cried Ah! here I have ye !'

"The farmers heard what Simon said,
And what a noise! good lack!

Some almost laughed themselves to dead,
And others clapped his back.

1 Cow-house.

2 Something.

3 Strangled.

4 An iron hook.

U

"We all at once began to tell

What fun we had abroad;
But Simon stood our jeers right well
-He fell asleep and snored.

"Then in his button-hole upright

Did Farmer Crouder put

A slip of paper twisted tight,

And held the candle to't.

;

"It smoked, and smoked, beneath his nose,
The harmless blaze crept higher;
Till with a vengeance up he rose,

Grace, Judie, Sue! fire, fire!'

"The clock struck one-some talked of parting, Some said it was a sin,

And hitched their chairs; but those for starting Now let the moonlight in.

"Owd women, loitering for the nonce,1

Stood praising the fine weather; The menfolks took the hint at once To kiss them all together.

"And out ran every soul beside,
A shanny-pated 2 crew;

Owd folks could neither run nor hide,
So some ketched one, some tew.

3

"They skriggled 3 and began to scold, But laughing got the master;

4

Some quackling cried, 'let go your hold ;'
The farmers held the faster.

"All innocent, that I'll be sworn,
There wor'nt a bit of sorrow;
And women, if their gowns are torn,
Can mend them on the morrow.

"Our shadows helter skelter danced
About the moonlight ground;

The wondering sheep, as on we pranced,
Got up and gazed around.

"And well they might-till Farmer Cheerum

Now with a hearty glee

Bade all good morn as he came near 'em,'

And then to bed went he.

1 For the purpose.

3 To struggle quick.

2 Giddy, thoughtless.

4 Choking.