minfter, dated 852. The manner of its being told by Mr. Southey, finely ridicules the fuperftition in which our forefathers were involved, and it will afford our readers fome amusement. A BALLAD, SHEWING HOW AN OLD WOMAN RODE DOUBLE, AND WHO RODE BEFORE HER. "The raven croak'd as the fate at her meal, And ficken'd and went to her bed. Now fetch me my children, and fetch them with fpeed, The monk my fun, and my daughter the nun, The monk her fon, and the daughter the nun, And they have brought with pious thought The old woman shriek'd as they entered her door, 'Twas fearful her fhrieks to hear, Now take the facrament away For mercy, my children dear! Her lip it trembled with agony, Away they fent the facrament, The fit it left her weak, She look'd at her children with ghaftly eyes All kind of fin I have rioted in I have I have fuck'd the breath of fleeping babes, And the fiend will fetch me now in fire And I who have rifled the dead man's grave Blefs I intreat my winding sheet, And with holy water fprinkle my shroud, And let me be chain'd in my coffin of stone, With three chains to the church floor. And blefs the chains and fprinkle them, And let fifty chorifters be there Who day and night by taper's light Let the church bells all both great and small To drive from thence the fiends who come And ever have the church door barr'd After the even fong, And I beseech you, children dear, Let the bars and bolts be strong. And let this be three days and nights My wretched corpfe to fave, Preferve me fo long from the fiendish throng The The old woman of Berkeley laid her down Short came her breath and the struggle of death They bleft the old woman's winding sheet With holy water they sprinkled her shroud And they chain'd her in her coffin of stone And in the church with three ftrong chains And they bleft the chains and fprinkled them, And fifty chorifters were there And a hallowed taper blazed in the hand Of all the facred throng. To fee the priests and choristers Each holding, as it were a staff, A taper burning bright. And the church bells all both great and small And they have barr'd the church door hard After the even fong. And the first night the taper's light Burnt fteadily and clear, But they without a hideous rout Of angry fiends could hear; A hideous roar at the church door Like a long thunder peal, And the priests they pray'd and the chorifters fung Loud Loud toll'd the bell, the priests pray'd well, The monk her son, and her daughter the nun, The cock he crew, away they flew The fecond night the taper's light And every one saw his neighbour's face And yells and cries without arife That the ftoute heart might shock, And a deafening roaring like a cataract pouring The monk and nun they told their beads As faft they could tell, And aye as louder grew the noife The fafter went the bell. Louder and louder the chorifters fung The cock he crew, away they flew The third night came, and the tapers flame And they burnt as though they had been dipt In the burning brimstone lake. And the loud commotion, like the rushing of ocean, And ftrokes as of a battering ram: The 6 The bellmen they for very fear The monk and nun forgot their beads, And the choristers fong that late was fo strong For the church did rock as an earthquake shock And a found was heard like the trumpet's blaft The ftrong church door could bear no more, And the taper's light was extinguish'd quite, And the priests difmay'd, panted and prayed And in he came with eyes of flame The fiend to fetch the dead, And all the church with his prefence glowed He laid his hand on the iron chains And like flax they moulder'd afunder, And he bade the old woman of Berkeley rife And the cold fweat flood on the cold cold corpfe, She rofe on her feet in her winding sheet, Her dead flesh quivered with fear, And a groan like that which the old woman gave VOL. VII. I She |