THE SHOEMAKER WHO WROTE “THE FARMER’S BOY.”
“Crispin’s sons
Have from uncounted time, with ale and buns,
Cherished the gift of song, which sorrow quells;
And, working single in their low-built cells,
Oft cheat the tedium of a winter’s night
With anthems.”
—Charles Lamb: Album Verses, 1830, p. 57.
“I have received many honorable testimonies of esteem from strangers; letters without a name, but filled with the most cordial advice, and almost parental anxiety for my safety under so great a share of public applause. I beg to refer such friends to the great teacher, Time; and hope that he will hereafter give me my deserts, and no more.”—Robert Bloomfield, Preface to “Rural Tales,” Sept. 29, 1801.
“No pompous learning—no parade