The liquor’s drinked up, and the bowl is turned over,
while ill success was greeted by—
The liquor’s drinked up, and the bowl ain’t turned over.
Another Sussex custom practised not many years ago, and perhaps still, at harvest-home suppers consisted in a harvester sticking a lighted candle in a glass of beer and drinking the beer while he held the candle in position with his nose. The company meantime sing a song, of which the chorus runs—
Your nose’s alight, your nose’s alight, Your hair’s alight, your hair’s alight, Your hair’s alight, afire. {259}
Frequently the greasy candle would slip from between the nose and the rim of the glass, really bringing about a conflagration of hair or eyebrows.
In Scotland a dish always to be met with at harvest home, or Kirn-suppers, as they are called, is composed of porridge, strong ale and whisky. Had such dish as this been found at Sabine harvest-homes, well might Horace have exclaimed, “O dura messorum ilia!” Much the same course of feasting, strong-ale drinking, and singing is observed as at the English festival—
—the frothing bickers,[58] soon as filled, Are drained, and to the gauntrees[59] oft return.
[58] The beakers.
[59] The frame supporting the barrel.