University of Virginia Library

A POETICAL LETTER.

TO MASTER BENJAMIN ------

My dear Cousin Ben,

With infinite pleasure this letter I pen,
To beg you will come, like a very good friend,
Six days of delight in the country to spend.
Pray ask your papa, and on Monday I'll wait
(You can come by the Nelson) beside the park-gate;
And, there's a good fellow, bring with you your bow,
And your new bat and ball;—if the reason you'd know,
I can tell you, because there's great work to be done—
At shooting and cricket a match to be won:
And to make it a pleasure the less to be slighted,
Eight other young gentlemen have been invited.
Their names are as follow—all promise they'll come—
First, merry Tom Wilmot, we call him Tom Thumb;
The two Master Nortons, and witty Dick Hall,
And clever George Nugent, so famous at ball;
Ned Stevens, the sailor, and gay Herman Blair,
And lastly Frank Thurlow, the great cricket-player.
And now if you'll count them you'll find there are ten;
So come, as I pray you, my dear cousin Ben.
And to give you some notion of how we're to spend
These six days of triumph, dear cousin, attend;—
But first I must tell you, papa is so good
As to lend for our service the lodge in the wood!
He has had it repaired, and from Cornwall to Fife
You ne'er saw such a snug little place in your life;
With a low, rustic roof, and a curious old door,
With a dozen straw chairs, and new mats on the floor:
And there we're to live, jovial fellows indeed,
With good store of poultry, and fruit for our need;
And there the old housekeeper, blithe Mrs Hay,
Is to cook us a capital dinner each day;
And mamma has provided us dainties enow—
Tarts, jellies, and custards, and syllabubs too;
So come, my dear fellow, and with us partake
These six days of triumph—fine sport we shall make!
And now I'll go on telling what's to be done:—
Imprimis, on Monday begins all the fun;
All ready, in order the guests will arrive—
Half-a-score of the merriest fellows alive!
Then on Tuesday we all must be up with the dawn,
For a great match of cricket we have on the lawn!
The prize will be hung up aloft on a tree—
A new bat and ball—as complete as can be.
On Wednesday, a pleasant excursion we make,
Each equipped à la Walton, to fish in the lake;
And all that we catch, whether minnow or whale,
Will be cooked for our supper, that night, without fail.
On the morning of Thursday, gay archers are we,
The target is ready, nailed up on a tree;
And the prize—such a bow and such arrows!—my word,
But the twang of that bow fifty yards may be heard!
And the king of all archers, even bold Robin Hood,
Had been proud of such arrows to speed through the wood.
That over, dear cousin, we all must be dressed—
'Tis our sister Bell's birthday—quite spruce, in our best;
Dancing-shoes on our feet, à la mode, very fine,
And mamma has invited us that day to dine;
And Bell has invited nine friends of her own—
Just a partner apiece—they are all to you known;
Miss Paget, Miss Ellis, Miss White, and the rest,
And that beautiful dancer, the pretty Miss West:
But I won't stop to tell you the names of them all,
But the archery victor will open the ball.
On Friday, betimes, has been fixed for our going,
Five miles down the river, a grand match of rowing.
Two boats are got ready, and moored in our view,
And each is as light as an Indian canoe;
The Sylph and the Swallow—the loveliest things
That e'er skimmed the water, dear Ben, without wings!
And, lest that the water our boats should o'erwhelm,
Papa and my uncle will each take a helm;
And my uncle, you know, an old sailor has been,
And papa's the best helmsman that ever was seen.
So tell your mamma there's no danger at all—
We shall not be o'erset or by shallow or squall.
The prize for that day has not yet been decided,
But before it is wanted it will be provided.
On Saturday, Ben, is a great day of sorrow,
'Twill half spoil the rowing to have such a morrow;
But papa has determined that morning to spend
In chemical wonders that scarce have an end—
Among waters and fires, and vapours and smoke—
On my word, cousin Ben, how you'll laugh at the joke.
And a lunch will be ready at one—and what then?
Why each one must go to his home back again.
So, good-bye, my dear cousin; be sure and come down
By the Nelson on Monday—the fare is a crown—
And more than a crown's worth of pleasure you'll get—
And the lodge in the forest you'll never forget.

[Memorandum.]

I went down to Broom Hall, according to my cousin's invitation, by the Nelson. My cousin, and three young gentlemen who lived near, and had ridden over on ponies, were waiting for me at the park-gate—it was then eleven o'clock. By three all had arrived. The weather was very fine; the lodge in the forest one of the sweetest, most picturesque places I ever saw; and Mrs Hay was in a good-humour all the time, though I am sure we gave her a great deal of trouble;—I have bought two yards of green satin ribbon for Mrs Hay's cap, which I shall send by Thomas this afternoon; but now to go on with the six days. The matches were kept up with a great deal of spirit. Frank Thurlow, as everybody expected, won at cricket. I—I am proud to say, got the bow and arrows— the finest things that ever were seen; and they have won me, since then, the prize-arrow at Lady---'s archery meeting. The prize for rowing was gained by the young gentlemen of the Sylph, and was a set of models of the progress of ship-building, from the Egyptian raft of reeds, up to an English man-of-war. The young gentlemen of the Sylph drew for it, and it fell by lot to George

Nugent; and with this every one was satisfied; for he is a general favourite.

All this I would have told in rhyme, that it might have matched my cousin's letter, but I am a bad hand at verse-making.