1770] MR. VERNON'S HUNTING SONG. 3 



By the Horse-hay he pass'd as quick as he could, 



Quite to Cole Brook-dale went, and back'd through Cock's Wood, 



Through Gibbons' Coppice he pass'd like a buck, 



And over the Wrekin, in Shropshire, then struck. 



La, la, la-ral, etc. 



His courage here did not serve him a rush, 

 Twelve couple and Vernon lay hard at his brush. 

 Hard by to the Wrekin they run him in view, 

 Of forty good Horsemen, were here very few : 

 Back'd through Little Wenlock, he seemed to run strong, 

 Tho' they'd ran him forty-five miles that were long. 

 Through Holbrook he pass'd to the Severn, then flew, 

 And plunged headlong in, tho' he'd broke from their view. 



La, la, la-ral, etc. 



The hounds, when they came to the river, not one 



But flew headlong in, as the fox had just done, — 



West Coppice he pass'd through, so on by Tick Wood, 



Through the Severn back pass'd, and those followed that could ; 



Near to Buildwas Churchyard again had him in view, 



" Talio ! " cry'd Will Bird, and the hounds his voice knew ; 



Then all gloriously strove which first should lay hold 



Of the fox they had followed so nobly bold. 



La, la, la-ral, etc. 



When Trusty got hold, and he pulled him to ground, 



" Who-hoop," cry'd the Huntsman, how great was the sound ; 



Squire Vernon, and Emery, and also Will Bird, 



And one other, — they all rode nobly I've heard; 



At the Death there were in out of forty, these four. 



The rest were all tired some hours before, — 



Thus ended, at length, this most terrible chase, 



Which lasted six hours and ten minutes 'pace. 



La, la, la-ral, etc. 



They run in the whole, near to sixty good miles ; 

 Had Diana been there, she had granted her smiles, 

 The squu-e well deserved them, as well as the hounds, 

 He is thoroughly staunch, and his goods knew no bounds ; 

 Thirty miles they got on their road home that eve, 

 And stopped at a house where they need ask no leave, 

 The name of the mansion was Chillington Hall, 

 The squire's name is Giftbrd, whose good's known to all. 



La, la, la-ral, etc. 



