Part 6

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:--