Oa'd Jamie he was set in t' ingle "-neuk,
Glooaring at t' fire wiv a hauf fond leuk;
Yah hand waz iv his britches pocket thrast,
While t'other picked his nooas '-end desprit fast1;
For him, thoo sees, Ah cared n't hauf a pin,
For dhrink had browt him te t' state he was in,
Bood mah heart warked te see t' poore bairns and t'
de'ame;

155

160

And se'a Ah moontedd t' meer and skelped off he'ame,
And there Ah teuk fahve poond, pairt ov a hoo❜ard,
Ah'd felt in t' bahblek te be out o't ro'ard 12
(For Ah's yan o' thor chaps at's ommust se'af"
To spend all t' bras at's handy te my ne'af"),
And sent it tiv him by our dowther Nance,
At he mood pay off t' bailiers at yance P.
Wad you believe, as se'an as t' brass he gat,
He off te t' public-hoose, and there he sat,
And sat and smeuk'd, and smeuk'd and dhrank away,
Fra two'alve o'clock, te two'alve o'clock next day,

165

1 The nose of an habitual drunkard (haud ignarus loquor) is always afflicted with a tickling and tormenting heat-in fact that member seems constantly itching to be in the flagon.

2 Country folks hide their money in strange places-old jars, bottles, bedsteads, and tea-pots have occasionally been the emporia of hidden treasure.-By Bob having hid his money in the Bible, to be out of the road, we may without much hesitation imply, that that worthy character did not often make the sacred volume the subject of his perusal. Sir Walter Scott makes one of his characters hide bank notes in a Bible, under the impression that it was the most unlikely place for a thief to pry into.

170

Just then Ah enthered t' hoose as Ah past by,
Te get a dhrink, for Ah was desprit dry,
And there Ah fand t' oad raggil, te be seer,
Stritched on his back, dea'd dhrunk, o't parlour-fleer.-
Ah thrast mah hand intiv his pocket-neuk,
And back agean mah fahve poond noo'ate Ah teuk,
For when Ah gav him't, it was mah intent,
That he sud de'a nowt weet bood pay his rent.
Just se'a, Ah think thoo had a reet to tak
T croon thoo subscrarbed, cud thoo ha' getten't back;
Since they te whom t'was geen had got ne'a reet
Te de'a owt else, bood what t'was geen for, weet. 180

175

MIKE. Thoo's reet, thoo's reet, Ah'd seaner had that

croon,

Te we'ast in blash and dhrink like Jamie Broon,
Than they ha' getten't, for then, mun, at le'ast,
Ah'd ple'ased mah oan, and noot anoother's te'ast.

BOB. Pray whe'ah belt minsther? for it se'ams te me
He kenned far best just whor this screen sud be; 186
What tho' theas chaps may talk a he'ap o' blash,
Ah wad'nt give a haup'ny for their trash,

e

d

Unless te pre'ave his joodgment good, some yan

Builds sike a spot as t' minsther here, and than, 190 And noot till than, thoo sees, a body may

Be called upon te heed what he may say.

MIKE. And noo Ah thinks Ah've telled thee all Ah' ken, And mead thee just as wise, mun, as mysen,

a rascal.

b given.

c trash.

d halfpenny.

prove.

Se'a coom thoo yama wi me and see t' o'ad lass,

And get a bite o' summut and a glass;

196

For Ah'se se'a hungered tonned Ah scarce can barde, Ah've getten quite a wembling in t' insarde.

с

BOB. Ah've ne'a objection, bood afore Ah wag
A single leg, Ah's tied te see mah nag.

200

MIKE. Thoo need n't, mun, in Moss's yard he's seaf;
Ah's warrant, he'll get hay and coorn eneaf,
His is'nt t' inn where rogueish hostlers che'at 1,
And grease t' hoss' mouths te set 'em past their

me'at.

e

Nay, Moss's man will tak mair tent o' t'be'ast 205
Than ony moother of her bairn, awmeʼast.

BOB. Nea doot, nea doot, he'll tent it weel, bood bonf!
Ah mood as weel just see how he gets on,
He may ha' slipped his helthers wiv a tug,
Or getten yah leg owr't te scrat his lug 2.

210

a home. I burn it.

b turned. g halter.

⚫ yearning.

d obliged.

e care.

1 A knavish hostler, in the presence of an inexperienced traveller, will give his horse a very large feed of oats, and, as soon as the gentleman's back is turned, he will subtract from the manger all the corn but a few handfulls, and then grease the horse's teeth with a candle, which will effectually prevent the animal, for some time at least, from touching his food. When the traveller returns and sees some oats still remaining in the manger, he liberally rewards the hostler for giving his horse more than he can eat!!-Printer's Devil.

2 Many a horse has got a leg over the halter in scratching his ears with the hind hoof, and hath thus hung himself. An ingenious farrier named Snowden, near Kirbymoorside, has invented a very clever halter to prevent such accidents.

MIKE. Aweel, leak sharp, and dean't be owr lang,
Or yam bedoot a thee Ah'se be foorced te gang.
BOB. Yah minnit for me, bairn, thoo need n't stop,
For Ah'll be back in t' cracking ov a lopb1.

214

1 Reader! didst thou ever behold thy dog Tray, suddenly starting from a sound nap on thy hearth-rug, curl himself up and begin to sniff and snap through his hide from head to tail; if so, thou hast seen the cracking of a lop.'

INDEX OF WORDS