Poems :: :: University of Virginia Library

Only half a century since,
Fifty years or so,
Safely, through our London streets
At night, you couldn't go;
Oil lamps and Charlies
Strove with thieves and night;
The public got the worst of it,
And called for better light;
When straight a cry was heard,
“No Popery—no Mass—
“Our glorious Constitution—
No Gas!—no Gas!”

“Murdoch, sirs, at Birmingham,
“Gas has tried,” they say;
“Soho Watt and Boulton
“Night have turn'd to day;
“Why be robb'd and murder'd,
“Stirring out at night?
“Gas will save us all this—
“Light—give us light.”
But still there rose the cry,
“No Popery—no Mass—
“Our glorious Constitution—
“No Gas!—no Gas!”

“Light!” roared the public:
Louder still from those
Living by the darkness,
Shrieks and howls arose:
Linkboys and oilmen
Loud were heard to cry,
“Have gas, good people!
“Why, good folks, why?

264

“Oil-lights are bright enough—
“No Popery—no Mass—
“Our glorious Constitution—
“No Gas—no Gas!

“Safety, can you talk of?
“Blind are you quite?
“Gas through our very streets!
“Could we sleep for fright?
“Blowings up—explodings—
“Such would be your fate;
“Streams of fire 'neath us!—
“Bless us, what a state!
“Burnt—blown to shivers!
“Safety!—by the mass,
“Make your bed on Hecla
“Rather than on Gas!

“The Pope, he'll come among us;
“He can't come by day;
“Now, if he'd come by night,
“He couldn't find the way;
“But only light your ways up,
“And see what will befal!
“Some night your gas will show him in,
“And he'll convert us all.
“Old lights for ever—
“No Popery—no Mass—
“Oil lamps and darkness—
“No Gas—no Gas!

“Only let the gas in—
“Bring but in the light—
“See what will become of us!
“Nothing will be right;
“Why, the Constitution,
“We shouldn't wonder at
“People seeing faults then
“Even, ay, in that!

265

“Gas will give too much light—
“No Popery—no Mass—
“Our glorious Constitution—
“No Gas—no Gas!

“You never think of oilmen—
“Of link-boys—not you;
“Only bring the gas in—
“They—what will they do?
“Do away with darkness,
“With links you do away;
“Use—what will be their use,
“When night is turn'd to day?
“Old lights for ever—
“No Popery—no Mass—
“Roar, British Lion, roar—
“No Gas—no Gas!

“Mind what you're about, pray;
“Aladdin's folks, you know,
“Couldn't bear their old lamps,
“A long while ago:
“They were mad for new ones,
“Like yourselves, we're told;
“'Twasn't long before they found
“They'd best have kept their old.
“Oil lights for ever—
“No Popery—no Mass—
“Our glorious Constitution—
“No Gas—no Gas!”

The public heard these croakers,
Half stupified with fright,
But at the last they ventured
To try if they were right;
No blowings up—no burnings—
No bursts of flaming streams;
The Thames wasn't fired—
All proved but dreams.

266

No Pope in London—
No martyrdoms—no mass—
No robberies, and, last, no cries
Of “Gas!—no Gas!”