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1 Cockchafer.

V.

An' I hallus coom'd to 's chooch afoor moy Sally wur deäd,

An' 'eärd 'um a bummin' awaäy loike a buzzard-clock1ower my 'eäd,
An' I niver knaw'd whot a meän'd but I thowt a 'ad summut to saäy,
An' I thowt a said whot a owt to 'a said an' I coom'd awaäy.

VI.

Bessy Marris's barne! tha knaws she laäid it to meä.
Mowt a beän, mayhap, for she wur a bad un, sheä.
'Siver, I kep 'um, I kep 'um my lass, tha mun understond;
I done moy duty boy 'um as I 'a done boy the lond.

VII.

But Parson a cooms an' a goäs, an' a says it eäsy an' freeä
'The amoighty's a taäkin o' you to 'issén, my friend,' says 'eä.

I weänt saäy men be loiars, thaw summun said it in 'aäste:

But 'e reäds wonn sarmin a weeäk, an' I 'a stubb'd Thurnaby waäste.

VIII.

D'ya moind the waäste, my lass? naw, naw, tha was not born then;
Theer wur a boggle in it, I often 'eärd 'um mysen;

Moäst loike a butter-bump,2 fur I 'eärd 'um about an' about,

But I stubb'd 'um oop wi' the lot, an' raäved an' rembled 'um out.

IX.

Keäper's it wur; fo' they fun 'um theer a-laäid of 'is faäce
Down i' the woild 'enemies 3 afoor I coom'd to the plaäce.
Noäks or Thimbleby - toäner 'ed shot 'um as deäd as a naäil.
Noäks wur 'ang'd for it oop at 'soize - but git ma my aäle.

4

X.

Dubbut loook at the waäste: theer warn't not feeäd for a cow;
Nowt at all but bracken an' fuzz, an' looök at it now-

Warnt worth nowt a haäcre, an' now theer's lots o' feeäd,
Fourscoor 5 yows upon it an' some on it down i' seeäd.

XI.

Nobbut a bit on it's left, an' I meän'd to 'a stubb'd it at fall,
Done it ta-year I meän'd, an' runn'd plow thruff it an' all,

If godamoighty an' parson 'ud nobbut let ma aloän,

Meä, wi' haäte hoonderd haäcre o' Squoire's, an' lond o' my oän.

XII.

Do godamoighty knaw what a's doing a-taäkin' o' meä?

I beänt wonn as saws 'ere a beän an' yonder a peä;
An' Squoire 'ull be sa mad an' all - a' dear a' dear!

And I'a managed for Squoire coom Michaelmas thutty year.

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XIII.

A mowt 'a taäen owd Joänes, as 'ant not a 'aäpoth o' sense,
Or a mowt 'a taäen young Robins a niver mended a fence:
But godamoighty a moost taäke meä an' taäke ma now
Wi' aäf the cows to cauve an' Thurnaby hoälms to plow!

XIV.

Loook 'ow quoloty smoiles when they seeäs ma a passin' boy,
Says to thessen naw doubt what a man a beä sewer-loy!

Fur they knaws what I beän to Squoire sin fust a coom'd to the 'All;
I done moy duty by Squoire an' I done moy duty boy hall.

XV.

Squoire's i' Lunnon, an' summun I reckons 'ull 'a to wroite,
For whoä's to howd the lond ater meä thot muddles ma quoit;
Sartin-sewer I beä, thot a weänt niver give it to Joänes,
Naw, nor a moänt to Robins - a niver rembles the stoäns.

XVI.

But summun 'ull come ater meä mayhap wi' 'is kittle o' steäm
Huzzin' an' maäzin' the blessed feälds wi' the Divil's oän teäm.
Sin' I mun doy I mun doy, thaw loife they says is sweet,
But sin' I mun doy I mun doy, for I couldn abeär to see it.

XVII.

What atta stannin' theer fur, an' doesn bring ma the aäle?
Doctor's a 'toättler, lass, an a's hallus i' the owd taäle;
I weänt breäk rules fur Doctor, a knaws naw moor nor a floy;
Git ma my aäle I tell tha, an' if I mun doy I mun doy.

NORTHERN FARMER.

NEW STYLE.

I.

DOSN'T thou 'ear my 'erse's legs, as they canters awaäy?
Proputty, proputty, proputty- - that's what I 'ears 'em saäy.
Proputty, proputty, proputty- Sam, thou's an ass for thy paains:
Theer's moor sense i' one o' 'is legs nor in all thy braaïns.

II.

Woa theer's a craw to pluck wi' tha, Sam: yon's parson's 'ouse -
Dosn't thou knaw that a man mun be eäther a man or a mouse?
Time to think on it then; for thou'll be twenty to weeäk.1
Proputty, proputty - woä then woä - let ma 'ear mysén speäk.

Q

1 This week.

III.

Me an' thy muther, Sammy, 'as beän a-talkin' o' thee;

Thou's beän talkin' to muther, an' she beän a tellin' it me.
Thou'll not marry for munny- - thou's sweet upo' parson's lass -
Noä - thou'll marry for luvv - an' we boäth on us thinks tha an ass.

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IV.

Seeä'd her todaäy goä by Saäint's-daäy

they was ringing the bells.

She's a beauty thou thinks-an' soä is scoors o' gells,

Them as 'as munny an' all-wot's a beauty?- the flower as blaws.
But proputty, proputty sticks, an' proputty, proputty graws.

V.

Do'ant be stunt: 1 taäke time: I knaws what maäkes tha sa mad.. Warn't I craäzed fur the lasses mysén when I wur a lad? But I knaw'd a Quaäker feller as often 'as towd ma this: ideaDoänt thou marry for munny, but goä wheer munny is!'

VI.

An' I went wheer munny war: an' thy muther coom to 'and,
Wi' lots o' munny laaïd by, an' a nicetish bit o' land.
Maäybe she warn't a beauty: I niver giv it a thowt
But warn't she as good to cuddle an' kiss as a lass as 'ant nowt?

VII.

Parson's lass 'ant nowt, an' she weänt 'a nowt when 'e's deäd,
Mun be a guvness, lad, or summut, and addle2 her breäd:
Why? fur 'e's nobbut a curate, an' weänt niver git hissén clear,
An' 'e maäde the bed as 'e ligs on afoor 'e coom'd to the shere.

VIII.

'An thin 'e coom'd to the parish wi' lots o' Varsity debt,

Stook to his taail they did, an' 'e 'ant got shut on 'em yet.

An' 'e ligs on 'is back i' the grip, wi' noän to lend 'im a shuvv,
Woorse nor a far-welter'd yowe: fur, Sammy, 'e married fur luvv.

IX.

Luvv? what's luvv? thou can luvv thy lass an' 'er munny too,

Maakin' 'em goä togither as they've good right to do.

Couldn I luvv thy muther by cause o' 'er munny laaïd by?
Naäyfur I luvv'd 'er a vast sight moor fur it: reason why.

X.

Ay an' thy muther says thou wants to marry the lass,

Cooms of a gentleman burn: an' we boäth on us thinks tha an ass.
Woä then, proputty, wiltha?-an ass as near as mays nowt* -

Woä then, wiltha? dangtha! - the bees is as fell as owt.5

1 Obstinate.

2 Earn.

Makes nothing.

3 Or fow-welter'd, - said of a sheep lying on its back. The flies are as fierce as anything.

XI.

Breäk me a bit o' the esh for his 'eäd, lad, out o' the fence!
Gentleman burn! what's gentleman burn? is it shillins an' pence?
Proputty, proputty's ivrything 'ere, an', Sammy, I'm blest

If it isn't the saäme oop yonder, fur them as 'as it's the best.

XII.

Tis'n them as 'as munny as breaks into 'ouses an' steäls,
Them as 'as coäts to their backs an' taäkes their regular meäls.
Noä, but it's them as niver knaws wheer a meäl's to be 'ad.
Taäke my word for it, Sammy, the poor in a loomp is bad.

XIII.

Them or thir feythers, tha sees, mun 'a beän a laäzy lot,
Fur work mun 'a gone to the gittin' whiniver munny was got.
Feyther 'ad ammost nowt; leästways 'is munny was 'id.
But 'e tued an' moil'd 'issén deäd, an' 'e died a good un, 'e did.

XIV.

Loook thou theer wheer Wrigglesby beck cooms out by the 'ill!
Feyther run oop to the farm, an' I runs oop to the mill;
An' I'll run oop to the brig, an' that thou'll live to see;
And if thou marries a good un I'll leave the land to thee.

XV.

Thim's my noätions, Sammy, wheerby I means to stick;
But if thou marries a bad un, I'll leave the land to Dick.
Coom oop, proputty, proputty - that's what I 'ears 'im saäy -
Proputty, proputty, proputty canter an' canter awaäy.

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