1908] "The Bold Fisherman" Ballad 201 



He has tied his boat fast to a stump 

 And to the fair maid he went, 

 " I have come to kiss your lily white hand 

 For so it was my intent." 



He has unbuttoned his morning gown 



And laid it gay on the ground, 

 And she has seen a chain of gold 



On his body three times round. 



She has fallen down on her bended knees 

 And loud on his mercy called, 

 " I thought you was a bold fisherman 

 And I see you are a lord." 



" I will take you home to my father's house, 

 And married straight will we be, 

 And you shall have a bold fisherman 

 To row you on the sea." 



" Campbell Bannerman is dead, good old man, the last of the 

 Gladstone Liberals of 1880, except Ripon, who is still in the Cabinet 

 under Asquith, but who has given up his leadership of the House of 

 Lords to Crewe. I don't know that there is much to say about Ban- 

 nerman except that he was a worthy soul and did his best to carry on 

 the better tradition. 



" 26th April. — Winston Churchill has lost his seat at Manchester. 

 It is a bad blow for Asquith, as Winston had just pledged him and the 

 Cabinet to a full Home Rule programme for the next general election, 

 and Redmond had accepted a declaration and had pronounced in 

 Churchill's favour. 



" 30th April. — Chapel Street. Meynell came to dine with me. He 

 is bringing out a new edition of Thompson's poetry, of which he 

 expects much. I think Thompson is secure of a high position now, 

 not only from the excellence of his workmanship, but because he is 

 unique as a religious poet. I know of no good religious poet since 

 George Herbert, or one who can anyway compare with Thompson, for 

 Newman, with the exception of ' Lead, kindly light,' wrote nothing 

 reallv first rate. His ' Gerontius ' has been made much of because of 

 its doctrinal character, but as poetry it is poor stuff. Later George 

 Wyndham came to see me and sat talking: for a couple of hours, his 

 discourse more of poetry than politics. He recited two love songs he 

 had made, one of them really beautiful, with triple endings, which he 

 called. ' From the Persian.' 



" He was full of his son Percy's adventures abroad with Bendor, 

 how they had steered a motor boat race at Palermo, and other golden 



