“When Leechfield was a market town,
Chesterfield was gorse and broom;
Now Chesterfield’s a market town,
Leechfield a marsh is grown.”
Respecting Nertoun, a Somersetshire village, near Taunton, is this couplet:—
“Nertoun was a market-town
When Taunton was a furzy down.”
A Scottish rhyme says:—
“York was, London is,
And Edinburgh will be
The biggest of the three.”
Says a popular English rhyme:—
“Lincoln was, London is,
And York shall be
The fairest city of the three.”
In the days of old it was the practice to allow the wives of the Lord Mayors of York to retain by courtesy the title Lady for life, and this custom gave rise to the following couplet:—
“The Lord Mayor’s a lord but a year and a day;
But his Lady’s a lady for ever and aye.”
Few English towns have made greater progress than the thriving port of Hull. Its prosperity was predicted long ago:—