MEETING OF THE DELEGATES. 497 



Peel down, and wollop Wetherall, and go to parliment ourselves 

 (hear, hear!) an play hell with hem and knock him down. (Hear, 

 hear !)" He had long been shifting his position on the table, when, 

 just as he repeated the words "knock him down/' the table tipped over 

 and down fell the orator, with his hand in the boiler, that had been left 

 open, and filled with water, which, if not quite boiling, was hot 

 enough to be more than unpleasant. Upon recovering himself he 

 perceived mine host laughing at his warm bath, and, seizing the ale- 

 warmer, which was always standing in readiness on the grate, dipped 

 it in the boiler, and hurled its contents at the offender, who, being on 

 the alert, stooped down and avoided the reeking shower, which 

 alighted full in the face of the shoemaker, who immediately returned 

 the compliment with a pewter pot and contents in exchange, which 

 went crash through the window. " Order, order !" shouted the Chair- 

 man, " Union is strength ! ' vociferated the blacksmith. " Silence, 

 gentlemen, and conduct yourselves like men, on whom the eyes of all 

 Europe is ri vetted!" said Dick. " Chair, chair!" order!" and " silence!" 

 was alone heard, and formed the sole deafening confusion. Order 

 was at length restored, when Dick the player; who was our greatest 

 orator, arose, blowing his nose before he commenced, then, placing 

 one hand in his bosom, and the other upon the table, which he had 

 read somewhere was Canning's custom, he thus begun: 



"Englishmen, and fellow-countrymen ! the time has at length arrived 

 when we are to be slaves eternally, or for ever free ; already has the mut- 

 tering thunder of public opinion pealed through the hollow concaves of 

 echoing custom, and the scythe-winged lightning-glare of whirlwind- 

 treading liberty has flashed desolation on the nodding turrets of a castle- 

 girded aristocracy ! Freedom has drawn her blood-gilded sword and 

 hurled away the scabbard; the lionof British liberty has arisen from his 

 dormant slumber, and shaken the dew-drops from his mighty mane ; 

 the trumpet has sounded that cries ' be slaves no more !' America 

 first blew the battle blast, that flew, rolling down her deep shaking 

 cataracts. Greece caught the sound, and answered, with her heart- 

 stirring trumpet, along the mist-mantled mountains. Poland lifted 

 the massy instrument to her pale lips, and died ere the full-pealed 

 trumpet's blast was fully blown. France started up at the sound, and 

 blew the daring note that struck the Bourbon aghast. And shall Eng- 

 land, the vaunted land of liberty, shrink from the sound ? Never : 

 the unions have already lit a beacon light, whose glare shall flash con- 

 sternation upon a congregated world! We have already seen the 

 unfurled banner of liberty, with its golden letters flaunting in the 

 sunshine, and its silken folds rustling in the blue breeze as it waves 

 upon the mount of reform, and are determined never to rest satisfied 

 until we have grasped the sacred Standard I" 



The orator now resumed his pot and pipe, amid the deafening 

 plaudits of plough-boys, who had sat attentively listening to what no 

 one could ever understand. " My eyes, Bill," said one of. the yokels, 

 " that is a lamed man, is'nt he ? he does understand politics some." 

 Dick now took the pipe in his hand, and went outside the door ; but 

 before going out, he gave the old shoemaker a wink, who had consi- 

 derably sobered within the last hour. Dick could scarcely have ap- 



M.M. No. 101. 3 S 



