The fiddler's elbow wagg'd a' neet,
He thought he wad dropt off his seat,
For deil a bit they'd let him eat,
They were sae keen o' dancin'-o.
Some had to strip their coats for heet,
And sarks and shifts were wet wi' sweet!
They cramm'd their guts, for want o' meat,
Wi' ginger-breed and scranchim-o.
Now cocks had crawn an hour or more,
And ower the yell-pot some did snore;
But how they luikt to hear the roar
Of Matt, the King Pit caller-o!
'Smash him!' says Ned, 'he mun be rang,
He's callin' through his sleep, aw's war'n;'
Then shootin' to the door he ran—
'Thou's asleep, thou rousty bawler-o!'
Now they danc'd agyen till it was day,
And then went hyem—but, by the way,
Some of them had rare fun, they say,
And fand it nine months after-o:
Such tricks are play'd by heedless youth;
And though they're common, north and south,
That's nae excuse for breach of truth,
Nor food for wit and laughter-o.
Suen Wreckenton will bear the sway,
Two Members they'll put in, they say;
Then wor Taxes will be duen away,
And we'll a' sing now or never-o:
Backey and Tea will be sae cheap,
Wives will sit up when they sud sleep,
And we'll float in yell at wor Pay-week,
Then Wreckenton for ever-o.
ON RUSSELL THE PEDESTRIAN,
Who walked 101 miles in 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 30 seconds, on the 25th & 26th of July, 1822, on the Newcastle Race course.
Men's talents vary—for wise ends design'd,
This man has strength of body, that, of mind;
Each his peculiar art assiduous plies,
And every maxim of improvement tries,
Till he attain perfection by degrees,
And learns to execute his task with ease.
Wilson,[19] desist! and Simpson,[20] take your rest!
Ease and retirement now will suit ye best;
Your brief excursions will excite no more
That admiration which they did before;
Though doubtless ye have both endeavour'd hard,
Perhaps without an adequate reward;
But such laborious journies lay aside,
And if ye can, instead of walking, ride.
"Hide your diminish'd heads!" nor vainly talk,
Among your friends, how rapidly you walk:
First in the annals of Pedestrian fame,
Historians now will enter Russell's name;
Where he will most conspicuously shine,
And long be hail'd—The Hero of the Tyne.
Upon this art he has so much refin'd,
That he leaves all competitors behind.
With buoyant step we've seen him tread the plain,
And hope, ere long, to see him walk again.
[19] George Wilson, the Blackheath Pedestrian, walked 90 miles in 24 successive hours, on the same ground, on Easter Monday and Tuesday, 1822.