And Farmer Cheerum went, good man, And broach’d the horkey-beer, And sich a mort of folks began To eat up our good cheer.
When supper was finished the horkey-beer was freely sent about the board, with the effect noticed by old Lydgate in his Story of Thebes:—“They were in silence for a tyme tyl good ale gan arise.”—Slow tongues are loosened, and the time is passed in songs and mirth.
The following extracts are taken from old Suffolk songs which have descended from father to son for generations. They are typical of many more that might be given:—
Here’s a health to our master, The founder of the feast! God bless his endeavours And send him increase. {257} Now our harvest is ended And supper is past, Here’s our mistress’ good health In a full flowing glass! She is a good woman,— She prepared us good cheer; Come all my brave boys, And drink off your beer.
Drink, my boys, drink until you come unto me, The longer we sit, my boys, the merrier shall we be!
In yon green wood there lies an old fox, Close by his den you may catch him, or no; Ten thousand to one you catch him, or no. His beard and his brush are all of one colour,—
(Takes the glass and empties it off.)
There is another version of these concluding lines:—
Down the red lane there lives an old fox, There does he sit a-mumping his chops: Catch him, boys, catch him, catch if you can; ’Tis twenty to one if you catch him or Nan.
The red lane is the throat, and the fox is the tongue.