68 COACHING DAYS AND COACHING WAYS 



ing to express her great liking and content to the 

 Reverend George Ferraby, and her ladies joined their 

 congratulations to hers, though they had no doubt caught 

 colds too. 



The practised enthusiasm of these Wiltshire musicians 

 found fresh vent in 1702, when, on the occasion of the 

 second Queen Anne's return from Bath, they indulged 

 themselves and their august audience with another 

 musical junketing, this time however according to the 

 pamphlet in the British Museum, accompanied with a 

 less scrupulous regard to archaeological correctness in 

 costume. The Reverend George Ferraby, being dead 

 many years, no longer stage-managed the ceremonial, 

 nor did he, unless as a spirit, indulge in choryambic 

 exercises at the head of his parishioners, lightly attired 

 as a druid. A more simply pastoral atmosphere con- 

 sequently prevailed. The pamphlet I have referred to 

 thus describes the scene : — 



" Her Majesty and her Royal attendants passed over 

 the downs in Wiltshire, where they were met by a great 

 number of Shepherds from all parts of the country, all 

 dressed in their long, coarse white cloaks with their crooks, 

 shepherd scrips, and Tarboxes, playing all the way 

 they marched upon their pipes of Reeds, humbly pre- 

 senting themselves to her Majesty ; who was pleased to 

 hear their country Songs and Musick with a great deal 

 of Satisfaction, and as a Demonstration of Her Royal 

 Acceptance of their Duty, was pleased as a mark of 

 her condescending Goodness and Bounty to give 20 or 

 30 guineas among 'em, which they received with repeated 

 acknowledgments of loud and repeated prayers and ac- 

 clamations for Her Majesty's Long Life and Prosperity : 

 after which a great number of Spinners with their 

 Spinning Wheels presented themselves before her 

 Majesty, and were favourably received, and tasted very 

 liberally of Her Majesty's bounty." 



" And so on to Bath," as Pepys would have said, and 

 as I must be going. 



