163 



BILLESDON COPLOW. 

 Monday, Febeuaey 24:TH, 1800. 



" Quceque ipse miserrima vidi, ei quorum pars magna fuiJ' 



With the wmd at north-east, forbiddingly keen, 

 The Coplow of Billesdon ne'er witness'd, I ween, 

 Two hundred such horses and men at a burst — 

 All determin'd to ride, each resolved to be first. 

 But to get a good start over eager and jealous. 

 Two-thirds at the least o£ these very fine fellows 

 So crowded and hustled, and jostled and cross'd. 

 That they rode the wrong way, and at starting were lost. 

 In spite o£ th' unpromising state of the weather 

 Away broke the fox and the hounds close together j 

 A burst up to Tilton, so brilliantly ran. 

 Was scarce ever seen in the mem'ry of man : 

 What hounds gained the scent, or which led the way. 

 Your bard, to their names quite a stranger, can't say, 

 Tho' their names, had he known, he is free to confess 

 His horse could not shew him at such a death pace. 

 Villiers, Cholmondeley, and ^Forrester made such sharp 



play, 

 Not omitting Germain, never seen till to-day ; 

 Had you judged of these four by the trim of their pace 

 At Bib'ry you'd think they'd been riding a race. 

 But these hounds, with a scent, how they dash and they 



fling! 

 To o'er-ride them is quite the impossible thing. 

 Disdaining to hang in the Wood, thro' he raced, 

 And the open for Skeffington gallantly faced. 

 Where, headed and foiled, his first point he forsook, 

 And merrily led them a dance o'er the brook. 



