Now fee him mounted once again
Upon his nimble steed,

Full flowly pacing o'er the ftones,
With caution and good heed.
But, finding foon a smoother road
Beneath his well-thod feet,
The fnorting beaft began to trot,
Which gall'd him in his feat.
Sofair and foftly,' John did cry;
But John he cry'd in vain ;
That trot became a gallop foon
In fpite of curb or rein.

So ftooping down, as he needs must
Who cannot fit upright,

He grafp'd the mane with both his hands,
And eke with all his might.

Away went Gilpin, neck or nought,.
Away went hat and wig;

He little dreamt, when he fet out,.
Of running fuch a rig.

The horfe, who never had before.
Been handled in this kind,
Affrighted fled; and, as he flew,
Left all the world behind.

The wind did blow, the cloak did fly,
Like ftreamer long and gay;
Till, loop and button failing beth,
At last it flew away.

Then might all people well difcern
The bottles he had flung;

A bottle fwinging at each fide,

As has been faid or fung.

The dogs did bark, the children scream'd,

Up flew the windows all;

And ev'ry foul cry'd out, Well done!?
As loud as he could bawl..

Away

Away went Gilpin-who but he !

His fame foon spread around

He carries weight !—he rides a race !—
'Tis for a thousand pound!'

And ftill, as fast as he drew near,

'Twas wonderful to view,

How, in a trice, the turnpike-men

Their gates wide open

threw.

And now, as he went bowing down
His reeking head full low,
The bottles twain behind his back,
Were fhatter'd at a blow.

Down ran the wine into the road,
Moft piteous to be feen,

And made his horfe's flanks to smoke,
As he had bafted been.

But ftill he seem'd to carry weight,
With leathern girdle brac'd;
For still the bottle necks were left:
Both dangling at his waift.

Thus, all through merry Islington,
These gambols he did play,
And till he came unto the Wafh
Of Edmonton so gay.·

And there he threw the Wash about-
On both fides of the way;
Just like unto a trundling mop,
Or a wild goose at play.

At Edmonton, his loving wife,

From the balcony, fpied

Her tender husband, wond'ring much

To fee how he did ride.

Stop, ftop, John Gilpin! here's the houfe !*

They all at once did cry;

The dinner waits, and we are tir'd !'

Said Gilpin- So am I!'

U3:

But, ah! his horfe was not a whit
Inclin❜d to tarry there;

For why?-his owner had a houfe
Full ten miles off, at Ware.

So like an arrow fwift he flew
Shot by an archer strong;.
So did he fly-which brings me to
The middle of my fong.

Away went Gilpin, out of breath,
And fore against his will,
Till at his friend's, Tom Callender's,
His horfe at laft ftood ftill.

Tom Callender, furpriz'd to fee

His friend in fuch a trim,
Laid down his pipe, flew to the gate,

And thus accofted him

What news, what news!-the tidings tell}, Make hafte and tell me all ! Say, why bare-headed you are come,,

Or why you come at all?".

Now Gilpin had a pleafant wit,,
And lov'd a timely joke;
And thus unto Tom Callender,,
In merry trains, he fpoke-

◄ I come because your horfe would come,,
And if 1 well forebode,

My hat and wig will foon be here ;;
They are upon the road.?

Tom Callender, right glad to find i
His friend in merry pin,
Return'd him not a fingle word,

But to the houfe went in..

3

Whence firaight he came with hat and wigs
A wig that droop'd behind,

A hat not much the worfe for wear ¦
Each comely in its kind..

He held them up; and, in his turn,
Thus fhow'd his ready wit-
"My head is twice as big as yours,
They therefore needs must fit.

But let me fcrape the dirt away
That hangs about your face;
And stop and eat-for well you may
Be in a hungry case !?

Said John- It is my wedding day;
And folks would gape and ftare,
If wife should dine at Edmonton,,
And I fhould dine at Ware.

Then, fpeaking to his horfe, he said,.
"I am in hafte to dine;

'Twas for your pleasure you came here,
You fhall go back for mine.'

Ah! luckless word and bootlefs boast,
For which he paid full dear;
For, while he spoke, a braying afs
Did fing moft loud and clear: :

Whereat his horfe did fnort, as if
He heard a lion roar ;
And gallop'd off, with all his might
As he had done before..

Away went Gilpin-and away:
Went Gilpin's hat and wig;
He loft them fooner than at first:
For why? They were too big.

Now, Gilpin's wife, when fhe had feen.
Her husband pofting down

Into the country far away,

She pull'd out half-a-crown ::

And thus, unto the youth fhe faid
That drove them to the Bell,

This fhall be yours, when you bring back
My husband fafe and well?

A

The

The youth did ride, and foon they met.

He tried to ftop John's horfe

By feizing faft the flowing rein;:
But only made things worse :

For, not peforming what he meant:
And gladly would have done,
He, thereby, frighted Gilpin's horfe
And made him fafter run.

Away went Gilpin and away
Went poft-boy at his heels:
The poft-boy's horfe right glad to mifs
The lumber of the wheels.

Six gentlemen upon the road,
Thus feeing Gilpin fly,

With post-boy fcamp'ring in the rear,.
They rais'd the hue-and-cry.

6

Stop thief!-ftop thief!-a highwayman
Not one of them was mute,

So they, and all that pafs'd that way,

Soon join'd in the pursuit.

But all the turnpike gates again
Flew open in fhort space;
The men ftill thinking, as before,,
That Gilpin rode a race:

And fo he did, and won it too;

For he got first to town;

Nor ftopp'd till where he first got up
He did again get down.

す

}

Now let us fing Long live the king;

'And Gilpin, long live he:

And when he next does ride abroad,
May I be there to fee!

VII. The Greation of the World.

MEANWHILE the Son

On his great expedition now appear'd

Cirt with omnipotence, with radiance crown'd!
Of Majefty divine: fapience and love

Immente