 | The Ingoldsby Lyrics |  |
The Sheriff's Ball.
“Raphael, the sociable spirit.”—Milton.
“Here's glorious news!” cried Cousin Jack,
One Sunday, in a morning call
He made about a twelvemonth back—
“The Sheriff's going to give a Ball!”
One Sunday, in a morning call
He made about a twelvemonth back—
“The Sheriff's going to give a Ball!”
Up started Jane, and I, and Bess;
One general rapture seized us all;
“Pink satin shoes,”—“kid gloves,”—“lace dress,”—
“That angel, Raphael, gives a Ball!”
One general rapture seized us all;
“Pink satin shoes,”—“kid gloves,”—“lace dress,”—
“That angel, Raphael, gives a Ball!”
The ‘Sunday Times’ has got it in,
The ‘John Bull,’ too, in pica small,
The ‘Age,’ th' ‘Observer,’ all begin
To talk of Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
The ‘John Bull,’ too, in pica small,
The ‘Age,’ th' ‘Observer,’ all begin
To talk of Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
223
And Pa's a livery-man, you know,
Of Bassishaw by London Wall,
And so, of course, we all shall go
To Mister Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
Of Bassishaw by London Wall,
And so, of course, we all shall go
To Mister Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
Next day Ma sent our porter, Bill,
To call a coach to take us all
To Ellis's on Ludgate Hill,
To shop for Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
To call a coach to take us all
To Ellis's on Ludgate Hill,
To shop for Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
There she, resolving to look nice,
Bought for herself a Cashmere shawl,
A Toque, and Bird of Paradise,
To wear at Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
Bought for herself a Cashmere shawl,
A Toque, and Bird of Paradise,
To wear at Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
And Betsey bought the sweetest things,
The last consignment from Bengal,
All green-and-gold and beetles' wings,
To be the pride of Raphael's Ball!
The last consignment from Bengal,
All green-and-gold and beetles' wings,
To be the pride of Raphael's Ball!
And Jane, a new white satin slip,
And I, because I'm rather tall,
A sky-blue China crape, to trip
Away in at the Sheriff's Ball!
And I, because I'm rather tall,
A sky-blue China crape, to trip
Away in at the Sheriff's Ball!
And Cousin Jack, who's so genteel,
Before he went, engaged us all
To dance with him the new quadrille,
And waltz, at Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
Before he went, engaged us all
To dance with him the new quadrille,
And waltz, at Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
224
Oh how we teased Madame de Lolme,
And Ma'amselle Victorine St. Paul,
“—Pray don't forget to send all home,
In time for Sheriff Raphael's Ball!”
And Ma'amselle Victorine St. Paul,
“—Pray don't forget to send all home,
In time for Sheriff Raphael's Ball!”
'Twas all prepared—gloves, bouquets, shoes,
And dresses—Jane's a thought too small;—
But ah! no Jack announced the news,
“To-morrow's Sheriff Raphael's Ball!”
And dresses—Jane's a thought too small;—
But ah! no Jack announced the news,
“To-morrow's Sheriff Raphael's Ball!”
At length he comes! in eager haste
His stock and plaited frill we maul—
Never was man so close embraced—
O, Jack! when's Sheriff Raphael's Ball?”
His stock and plaited frill we maul—
Never was man so close embraced—
O, Jack! when's Sheriff Raphael's Ball?”
“Why, really—I—that is—the day
Precisely”—with his Bond Street drawl
Cries Jack—“I can't exactly say
What day is fixed for Raphael's Ball;
Precisely”—with his Bond Street drawl
Cries Jack—“I can't exactly say
What day is fixed for Raphael's Ball;
“But he who fills the civic chair,
I find, has promised him Guildhall,
So ten to one the new Lord Mayor
Will dance at Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
I find, has promised him Guildhall,
So ten to one the new Lord Mayor
Will dance at Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
For though my Lord's a Tory true,
And Raphael's but a Radi-cal,
Yet politics have nought to do,
You know, with any Sheriff's Ball!
And Raphael's but a Radi-cal,
Yet politics have nought to do,
You know, with any Sheriff's Ball!
225
And Mr. Pearson
will be there,
With Galloway from Codger's Hall,
And all the Lumber Troop,”—“Oh dear!
I long for Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
With Galloway from Codger's Hall,
And all the Lumber Troop,”—“Oh dear!
I long for Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
“For there will be Sir John,
whose son
At sixteen thought for place too small,
Grew up, in one night, to twenty-one,—
He'll come to Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
At sixteen thought for place too small,
Grew up, in one night, to twenty-one,—
He'll come to Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
“And Michael Scales will doff his steel,
And quit his snug Whitechapel stall,
Blue apron, block, and donkey veal,
To dance at Sheriff Raphael's Ball.”
And quit his snug Whitechapel stall,
Blue apron, block, and donkey veal,
To dance at Sheriff Raphael's Ball.”
At morn, at eve, that livelong week,
And e'en when night her sable pall
Had spread around, no tongue could speak
Of aught save Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
And e'en when night her sable pall
Had spread around, no tongue could speak
Of aught save Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
226
Nay, not our waking thoughts alone,
Our midnight dreams could we recall,
Ma, Jane, and Betsey, all would own,
They were of Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
Our midnight dreams could we recall,
Ma, Jane, and Betsey, all would own,
They were of Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
Time flies—three months are gone—again
Our Cousin Jack repeats his call—
“What news?” exclaims th' impatient train,
“What news of Sheriff Raphael's Ball?”
Our Cousin Jack repeats his call—
“What news?” exclaims th' impatient train,
“What news of Sheriff Raphael's Ball?”
Jack shakes his head—“Alack!” cries he,
—His tones our very hearts appal—
“He's striving to become M.P.,
And must perforce put off his Ball!”
—His tones our very hearts appal—
“He's striving to become M.P.,
And must perforce put off his Ball!”
Spring flies away—and summer, then
The autumn leaves begin to fall,
“O Jack! in pity tell us, when,
Oh when is Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
The autumn leaves begin to fall,
“O Jack! in pity tell us, when,
Oh when is Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
“O'er Jane's white slip a bilious hue
By slow degrees begins to crawl—
A yellowish tint invades my blue—
'Twill fade ere Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
By slow degrees begins to crawl—
A yellowish tint invades my blue—
'Twill fade ere Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
“And poor Mamma!—although her part
The philosophic Ma'am de Staël
Could not more firmly play—her heart
In secret yearns for Raphael's Ball.”
The philosophic Ma'am de Staël
Could not more firmly play—her heart
In secret yearns for Raphael's Ball.”
227
On leaden wings November flies,
And more disasters still befall.
In rushes Jack—“Alas!” he cries,
“No hopes of Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
And more disasters still befall.
In rushes Jack—“Alas!” he cries,
“No hopes of Sheriff Raphael's Ball!
“For oh! there has been such a breeze,
A breeze that, freshening to a squall,
Became a hurricane.—Agrees
A whirlwind with a Sheriff's Ball?
A breeze that, freshening to a squall,
Became a hurricane.—Agrees
A whirlwind with a Sheriff's Ball?
“Jane! Betsey! Sue!—that shocking man—
He with the tail—who loves a brawl!
That horrid, ranting, roaring Dan,
Has upset Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
He with the tail—who loves a brawl!
That horrid, ranting, roaring Dan,
Has upset Sheriff Raphael's Ball.
“The ‘blunt’—the ‘stuff’—the ‘rhino’—ay,
Two thousand pounds! a glorious haul!
A sum which had gone near to pay
The whole expense of Raphael's Ball!!”
Two thousand pounds! a glorious haul!
A sum which had gone near to pay
The whole expense of Raphael's Ball!!”
228
“But 'tis done—all words are idle!”
(So sang Byron in his yawl)
And we now perforce must bridle
Each fond wish for Raphael's Ball!
(So sang Byron in his yawl)
And we now perforce must bridle
Each fond wish for Raphael's Ball!
And yet the Gloves—the Crape—the Toque—
The spangled muslin from Nepaul!
—Oh, it would e'en a saint provoke
Thus diddled out of Raphael's Ball!
The spangled muslin from Nepaul!
—Oh, it would e'en a saint provoke
Thus diddled out of Raphael's Ball!
Shame on their heads! but Dan on thine
Our heaviest maledictions fall—
Pa's, Ma's, Jane's, Betsey's, Jack's, and mine,
Thou Thalaba of Raphael's Ball!!
Our heaviest maledictions fall—
Pa's, Ma's, Jane's, Betsey's, Jack's, and mine,
Thou Thalaba of Raphael's Ball!!
Sir John Key,—twice Lord Mayor of London,—who had recently fallen into some trifling error in the computation of his son's age.
An allusion to a practical joke (not generally appreciated) perpetrated by the worthy Alderman, who killed, dressed, and exposed in his shop a jackass, and pleasantly passed it off as veal.
In 1835, the elections for the county of Carlow having been declared void, Mr. Raphael bargained with O'Connell for a seat at the price of £2000; the latter assuring that he would never again meet with so safe a speculation. The particulars of the engagement were made public in consequence of a quarrel which took place between O'Connell and the candidate, who was unseated on petition, and whose defence was abandoned—contrary to the agreement, as he averred—by the “Liberator.”
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