Then passing by Stretton to Wigstone he went, and at Ailstone we thought that the rogue must be spent, But for crossing the river he found a good place, and changing at Enderby finished the chase; Derry Down. Scotch, Welsh, Irish, and English, together set out, and each thought his horse than his neighbour's more stout; You must judge by the nags which were in at the end, which riders to judge and which to commend ; Derry Down. Lorraine and Lord Maynard were there, and could tell who in justice's scale held the balance so well, As very good judges and justices too, the state of each horse, and what each man could do ; Derry Down. But if any one thinks he is grieved in the song, and fancies his case stated legally wrong, To Enderby Hall let him go and complain, but he wont mend his cause if he meets with Lorraine ; Derry Down. Germaine, the most gallant, was first at the river; like a spaniel dashed in; how he made our hearts quiver! And as Albion as bold he gave Mellon a pull, and beat through the stream like Europa's famed bull; Derry Down. Jack Musters delighted at this bright example, close on the dun's heels in the water did trample; He held by the tail and got safe to the bank, though the water ran over his grey horse's flank ; Derry Down. Cox stood on the brink and would fain have gone arter, but the hydrophobia made him turn at the water, So he scrambled away as fast as he could, and got up with the hounds at Enderby Wood; Derry Down. We have not much to say of Morpath or Shelley; they at Skeffington stopped, I suppose for a jelly ; It is true they ride hard, and are said to be keen; but yet in this run they never were seen; Derry Down. What came of Bob Grosvenor no poet can tell; not long with the pack did the gay bishop dwell; He met brother South, and 'twas said by the people, that the parsons were perched up on Skeffington steeple; Derry Down. There they sat quite contented like parson and clerk, and talked over things until very near dark, Till the bishop began to take fright at the weather, and their nags being fresh they reached Melton together; Derry Down. As 'twas late in the day the gallant Lord Craven, finding matters grow serious, kept his eye on Jack Raven, But the old Raven croaked when his horse was near done, so he changed with Ben Roland and finished the run; Derry Down. In this state of distress my lord Maddock saw, who just in his nag had discovered a flaw; Together they joined and took leave of the pack; Maddock trudged home a-foot, but the peer got a hack; Derry Down. Of Bobby Montgomery, Messrs. Waddle and Cuff, as they say they can ride, I would fain say enough; Their riding displayed a spread eagle complete, and to those who were near must have proved a great treat; Derry Down. Charles Meynell got in, but how he got there, no sportsman could tell, for he made them all stare; We heard that the waggon had just passed the road; why did not the waggoner stop with his load? Derry Down. Of Joey Pantigious 'tis said in a burst, he finds it quite easy being second or first, We'd a chase on the pike, and he drove in his gig, I then bet two to one on the little Pound Pig; Derry Down. Of a mighty great king how it lowered the pride, to be walking on foot when his subjects did ride! Though they passed by in numbers, to no one he spoke, but like Charley the Second got up in the oak; Derry Down. Though late in the song, yet perish the thought, that our gallant friend Villiers should e'er be forgot, Some disaster I fancy his lordship befell, as he did not get in, tho' he rides very well; Derry Down. Lord Charles rode on Marquis, so famed for his blood, and shared in all dangers except in the flood; Charles Hellis came up, but he got a fresh horse, and we saw by the change that he was not the worse; Derry Down. By-the-bye, I forgot to name Lawley of Quorn, tho' forward at first, lamed his horse with a thorn; And losing a shoe is sometimes the reason, why a gentleman's beat at the end of the season; Derry Down. Tom Smith in the contest maintained a good place, and tho' not first, at last made a famous good race, I'm sure he'd no cause for his horse to abuse, and I wish he'd persuade him to keep on his shoes; Derry Down. Mr. Saville and Nat dropped in at the end; which the best of the nags I cannot contend, For though they breathe high, they are still full of fire, for he says they're so stout that they never do tire ; Derry down. I think now I've bored you enough with the chase, and like Meynell's hounds I have run a good race, Then a bumper, my boys, to Meynell we'll fill, and to those that ride hard may they never stand still; Derry Down. THE CRICKET MATCH. BY CECIL. It was a splendid morning in June-one of those charming daybreaks which delighted an early riser, so frequently, during the last month, when my slumbers were broken by a loud and incessant ringing at the bell. What could be the reason of this disturbance at the early hour of five, I was at a loss to conjecture, as I raised myself from my pillow to make certain that I was not labouring under some somnian delusion. More wakeful than the other inmates I speedily arose, and opening the window, called to the assailant of my rest, when a sturdy youth of the hybrid genus, something between a rustic and a stable-boy, presented himself among the shrubs, and informed me he had brought a letter from his master. By this time a servant had been aroused by the unusual disturbance, and proceeded to the door. At such a crisis divers imaginations flash across the mind-curiosity is excited; hopes and fears occur in rapid succession. Who can it be from? for I did not recognize the messenger as having been in the service of any of my acquaintances, and was about to address him in the words of Hamlet on the appearance of his father's ghost. But it was not the favourite period for apparitions or housebreakers: it was broad daylight; and the sun, considerably above the horizon, was shining brilliantly. What on earth can it mean? was my soliloquy, as I paced to the door of my bedroom to meet my servant with the important missive. Has some generous mortal departed this life, and left me a fortune? no such luck; or has some intimate friend engaged in deadly combat, and requires my attendance as his second? No; that cannot be, for duelling is out of fashion; and all such thoughts were banished on reading the superscription the moment the note came into my hands, when I immediately recognized the hieroglyphics of one of the best-tempered fellows in the world, and the last likely to be engaged in such an unpleasant affair. The crumpled envelope indicated the rural character of the messenger. The contents soon ended my suspense. "My dear Cecil, "Oakshade House, June 24th. "I am engaged to play in the match to-morrow between the Markwell and the Scoreall elevens, and hope you will accompany me. At any rate, I shall call and break my fast with you at nine. I could not give you earlier intelligence, from reasons which I will explain when we meet. "Yours ever, "JACK Early enough in all conscience! thought I-breakfast at nine, and now it is only five! whatever can I do with myself all this time? I can commence my toilet at eight. I like to enjoy myself on that occa sion, especially in hot weather-take a cold bath-have a deliberate shave in the cool of the morning-compare one's thoughts, and lay a quiet foundation for the day; whereas, if you rise from bed in haste, dress in haste, and commence with confusion, the temper and the temperature both become excited, and nothing goes kindly. But there were nearly three hours during which some occupation must be devised. It soon occurred to me that I would sit down and indite something to these pages incidental. May, par excellence, is styled the "merrie month." Wherefore should it take precedence of June in any other sense than the order in which it stands in the calendar? Poets and compilers of almanacs of olden days characterised May as the period of flowers and rural perfumes; but they must have gained their experience in a climate warmer, less fickle, and earlier than this; or, peradventure, when the brains of our forefathers became inspired with such phantasies, the seasons were more precocious. The modest blossom of the hawthorn, the poetical decoration of the Mayday queen, is very seldom in flower till the end of the month; and if our gardens are luxuriant with gay decorations, most assuredly the president of the horticultural department has availed himself of the assistance of the hot-house. Of all the months of the year-those of the hunting-season, when the cheering notes of hounds and horn dispel all cares and gloom, being excepted-June is the most enchanting. Nature has finished her toilet, put on her best attire, and every adornment she is capable of sustaining, and the fairest of her creation following so excellent an example, have been to London to replenish their wardrobes. Antecedent to this, the gay flower that one day looks blooming, on the next looks drooping from the effects of a nocturnal frost. And there is another apt comparison. The delicate, lovely woman, induced by the faithless attraction of a Mayday sun, goes forth in her lightest habiliments; when the evening becomes overcast and chilly; she takes a cold, and like the beauteous flower, she droops, perchance she fades and dies. In June the garments of the fair sex and the garments of Nature are truly harmonious: there is not a tree that is not in full foliage. The aristocratic horse-chestnut, crowded with gay blossoms, imparts an air of dignity and stately pride; of more humble growth, the lilac and laburnum present an agreeable variety: beneath these the rosy rhododendron, the prince of evergreens, expands its graceful flowers; "The sweet syringa, yielding but in scent sends forth on the morning breeze its delightful fragrance. The ancient oak, sovereign of the woods, patriarch of the parks, and when afloat the guardian of our shores, which a few weeks before presented a heterogenous complication of sombre stalwart limbs and knotty branches, has now assumed a full costume of staple green. The elm, the greatest rival of the oak, is in fine vigour; while the larch and pine, having shot out their new wood, shed a refreshing tint over the copse, as the morning sun rises, to give a glowing effect to the surrounding scenery. Nearer home the new-shorn lawn appears like a carpet of green velvet, and the well-arranged flower beds in various fantastic devices bespeak the enchanting taste of the fair hand which presides over them, inspiring the heart with admiration and respect for one whose anxious care is to impart happiness to all around. The unassuming sweet-scented mignonette is just coming into blossom, and, aided by the morning dew, emits a freshness and a fragrance unequalled by any other flower. The deep crimson carnation also shows its petals, and the honeysuckle almost rivals the perfume of the mignonette; the sweet-pea too, if fostered with care, begins to effuse its odour; roses of various hues, from the delicate white to the deep crimson, grace the flower-beds and lawn, pouring forth their share of sweetness. The heartsease-may it surround every dwelling, rich and poor-adds charms by variety. The snap-dragon is gorgeous and graceful; and the sweet-william, emblematic perhaps in name of some favoured swain, is cherished with the greatest care. "Far from the busy haunts of men," there is a quietude reigning early on a summer's morning, quite inspiring; and yet all Nature appears to be on the alert, ushering in the day, and preparing for her avocations. The shrill clink of the whetsone on the scythe proclaims the mowers at their work; and when three or four of them are whetting their scythes with measured cadence, a sound by no means displeasing falls upon the ear. This is the effect of combination; a tone which in itself is harsh and grating, becomes "a concord of sweet sounds." . . Such it is As are those dulcet sounds in break of day, That creep into the dreaming bridegroom's ear, The landrail screeching in the growing corn or mowing grass tempts a removal of the gun from its resting place, and try if old Carlow can find him at all times a very difficult task, and generally a vain endeavour; for although he has proclaimed his hiding-place, by the time you have hastened to the spot he has run a hundred yards and left but a transient scent upon his track. The only chance is to circumvent him, and that is not easily accomplished; but he is really delicious eating when he can be bagged. Nightingales are silent at this season of the year, and indeed at every other season after break of day. How many sonnets have been written on this sweet songster! Like many other subjects when once brought to notice by the ebullitions of poetical effusions, the exordiums oftentimes exceed the merit. Not that I would detract from the applause due to these welcome songsters of the spring; but there are others equally deserving of admiration, which surely cannot be forgotten. The woodlark claims especial regard; and so thought the ancients, as we find the name "acredula" used to signify either of these accomplished warblers. The song of the skylark is scarcely less imposing: there is a vivacity in his notes surpassing those of the pensive nightingale"Morens philomela," as Virgil terms him. Whenever I hear any of them, it reminds me of a very jovial evening I spent in Herefordshire the summer before last. So agreeably had the time run on, that none of the party had the slightest conception of the hour; and on emerging from the house, the break of day had but the semblance of bright moonlight. That luminary being a few days past the full, was |