"The stwuns that built Gaarge Ridler's oven, And thauy qeum from the Bleakeney's Quaar; And Gaarge he wur a jolly ould mon, And his yead it graw'd above his yare."

By "George Ridler" was meant King Charles I. The "oven" was the Cavalier party. The "stwuns" which built the oven, and which "came out of the Blakeney Quaar," were the immediate followers of the Marquis of Worcester, who held out to the last steadfastly for the royal cause at Raglan Castle, which was not surrendered till 1646, and was, in fact, the last stronghold retained for the king. "His head did grow above his hair" was an allusion to the crown, the head of the State, and which the king wore "above his hair."

"One thing of Gaarge Ridler's I must commend, And that wur vor a notable theng; He mead his braags avoore he died, Wi' any dree brothers his zons zshou'd zeng."

This meant that the king, "before he died," boasted that notwithstanding his present adversity, the ancient constitution of the kingdom was so good and its vitality so great that it would surpass and outlive any other form of government, whether republican, despotic, or protective.

"There's Dick the treble and John the mean (Let every mon zing in his auwn pleace); And Gaarge he wur the elder brother, And therevoore he would zing the beass."

"Dick the treble, Jack the mean, and George the bass" meant the three parts of the British constitution—King, Lords, and Commons. The injunction to "let every man sing in his own place" was intended as a warning to each of the three estates of the realm to preserve its proper position and not to attempt to encroach on each other's prerogative.

"Mine hostess's moid (and her neaum 'twur Nell), A pretty wench, and I lov'd her well; I lov'd her well—good reauzon why, Because zshe lov'd my dog and I."

"Mine hostess's moid" was an allusion to the queen, who was a Roman Catholic; and her maid, the Church. The singer, we must suppose, was one of the leaders of the party, and his "dog" a companion or faithful official of the Society; and the song was sung on occasions when the members met together socially: and thus, as the Roman Catholics were Royalists, the allusion to the mutual attachment between the "maid" and "my dog and I" is plain and consistent.

"My dog has gotten zitch a trick To visit moids when thauy be zick; When thauy be zick and like to die, Oh, thether gwoes my dog and I."

The "dog"—that is, the official or devoted member of the Society—had "a trick of visiting maids when they were sick." The meaning here was that when any of the members were in distress, or desponding, or likely to give up the royal cause in despair, the officials or active members visited, consoled, and assisted them.

"My dog is good to catch a hen,— A duck and goose is vood vor men; And where good company I spy, Oh, thether gwoes my dog and I."

The "dog," the official or agent of the Society, was "good to catch a hen," a "duck," or a "goose"—that is, any who were well affected to the royal cause of whatever party; wherever "good company I spy, Oh, thither go my dog and I"—to enlist members into the Society.

"My mwother told I when I wur young, If I did vollow the strong beer pwoot, That drenk would pruv my auverdrow, And meauk me wear a thzreadbare cwoat."

"The good ale-tap" was an allusion, under cover of a similarity in the sound of the words "ale" and "aisle," to the Church, of which it was dangerous at that time to be an avowed follower, and so the members were cautioned that indiscretion would lead to their discovery and "overthrow."

"When I hev dree zixpences under my thumb, Oh, then I be welcome wherever I qeum But when I have none, oh, then I pass by,— 'Tis poverty pearts good company."

The allusion here is to those unfaithful supporters of the royal cause who "welcomed" the members of the Society when it appeared to be prospering, but "parted" from them in adversity, probably referring ironically to those lukewarm and changeable Dissenters who veered about, for and against, as Cromwell favoured or contemned them. Such could always be had wherever there were "three sixpence-under the thumb"; but "poverty" easily parted such "good company."

"When I gwoes dead, as it may hap, My greauve shall be under the good yeal tap; In vouled earmes there wool us lie, Cheek by jowl, my dog and I."

"If I should die," etc.—an expression of the singer's wish that if he should die he may be buried with his faithful companion (as representing the principles of the Society) under the good aisles of the church, thus evincing his loyalty and attachment to the good old constitution and to Church and king even in death.



INDEX

Abbey, Edwin Ablington Manor Acman Street Aethelhum, the Saxon Agriculture Alder tree Aldsworth and Oliver Cromwell Alfred, King Amphitheatre, Roman Ampney Park Angelus, the Antiquity, charm of Arbor Diana Architecture, Elizabethan Aristotle Arlington Row Artificial fox-earths Austin, Alfred

Badgers Bampton-in-the-Bush Barnby, Joseph Barns, tithe Barometer Barrows, ancient Bathurst family Bathurst, Lord Battues Bazley, Sir Thomas Bettws-y-Coed Bibury Races Bibury village Bigotphones Blowing-stone, the Bourton-on-the-Water Bowly, Mrs. Christopher Brassey, Albert, M.F.H. Braydon Forest Bromley-Davenport, W. Buckland, Frank Bull-ring, Roman Burford Burton on the Cotswolds

Cadge for hawks Caesar, Julius Camps, ancient British Carlyle, Thomas Cassey-Compton Manor House Caves, prehistoric Characters, village Charles I. Charles II. Charlock Chaucer Chavenage Chedworth Chepstow, the Wye at Chiltern Hills Chivalry, ancient Choirs, village "Christmas Carol," Austin's Christmas festivities Church ales Churchwardens Cirencester Civil Wars Clarendon on Falkland Climate of the Cotswolds Coats-of-arms Coffins, old stone Coln, River Coln-St.-Aldwyns Coln-St.-Dennis Conyger wood Corinium Museum Corncrakes, disappearance of Coulson, Colonel, his trap County cricket Coursing on the Cotswolds Cray-fish Creswell family Cricket pitch, how to improve Cricket, prehistoric Cricket, the game of Cripps, Wilfred, C.B. Crosses, wayside Cub-hunting Cubs, fox Cudgel-playing, old-fashioned Curlews Cushats

Deadman's Acre Deerhounds, Scotch De Quincey Derby Day on the Coln De Vere, Aubrey Dew Dew-point Dialect, Cotswold Dickens, Charles, on cricket Dogs Downs, the mystery of the Dream, Shakespeare's Dress, simplicity in Drayton, Michael Dry-fly fishing Ducks, wild Duleep Singh at Hatherop Dun, olive Duerer, Albert

Earthquake of 1895 Earths for foxes Ecrevisse Eel, curious capture of Elder tree Eldon, Lord "Elegy," Gray's Elizabeth, Queen, at Burford Elms "England, Merrie" Escutcheons Evening fishing Excursion, Roger Plowman's

Fairwood Falconry, the art of Falkland, Lord, at Burford Farmers, Cotswold Feasts, ancient Ferns growing on ash tree Fieldfare, return of the Field names Firr, Tom Flails, old-fashioned Flanders mares Flies, artificial Flocks of lapwings Flowers, wild Fly-catcher, the "Flying Dutchman" Forest, Braydon Forest, Savernake Fossbridge Fosseway Fox-earths Foxes Fozbrooke Free Foresters' Cricket Club

Galway nags Gamekeeper, the Gannet Garden, an old Garne of Aldsworth Geese, wild "George Ridler's Oven" Gilbert White Gilpin, John Gipsies Gloucestershire dialect Glow-worms Goethe (quoted) Golf greens, treatment of Gothic architecture Grace, W.G. Grasshoppers, Burke on Gray's "Elegy" Green-drake Greyhound fox Grounds, treatment of cricket Gwynne, Nell, at Bibury Races

Hall, King Alfred's Hallam, Arthur Halo, solar Hamilton, Sir William Rowan Hangman's Stone, origin of Hard riders Hares Harvest home Hawking described Hawks Hedgehogs Henry VIII. Heraldry Herbs Herons Hicks-Beach, Right Hon. Sir Michael Hic-wall or heckle Hill, White Horse Hills, Jem Hobbs of Maiseyhampton Horse, description of Horse for the Cotswolds Hounds, Badminton Hounds, Bombay Hounds, Heythrop Hounds, Lord Bathurst's Hounds, Mr. T.B. Miller's Hounds, Shakespeare on Hunting, fox- Hunting poem Hunting, stag-, in olden times Huntsman, a good Hygrometer Hymns Hypocaust, Roman

Icknield Street Implements, old stone Inscribed stones (Roman) Inscription on porch of manor house Irmin Way Irving, Washington (quoted) Isaac Walton

Jansen, Cornelius, painter Jefferies, Richard Johnson, Dr. Joyce on Fairford windows

Keble, John, at Fairford Kelmscott Kemble Kestrel Kingfishers Kingmaker, the Kipling, Rudyard Kite, artificial Knights Templar

Labourers, Cotswold Lapwings Larder, vixen's Leland Lenthall, Speaker Leslie, G. Limestone quarries, Llewelyn, W. Dillwyn Loam, use of clay or

Macomber Falls Macpherson and Ossian Madden, Right Hon. D.H. Magpies Mallard, a pugnacious Manor parchments Manuscript, an ancient Marsh-harrier Marsh-marigold Master, Chester, family of Maxwell, Sir Herbert May flies May-fly season "Merrie England" Meteor, a large Miller, T.B., M.F.H. Miller, the village Monk, W.J., on Burford Moorhens, habits of Mop, Cirencester Moreton-in-the-Marsh Morris, William Mounds, ancient burial Mummers' play Museums, Roman Musicians, old village

Natal, scenery of Nest, kingfisher's Netting trout Newton, Isaac Nightjar or goatsucker Night on the hills Nimrod on Bibury Races Noblesse oblige Northleach

Oak, old Oliver Cromwell Oman's discovery Ossian "Oven, George Ridler's" Owls Oxen, ploughing with

Partridges "Parvise," the Pavements, Roman Penance at Burford Peregrine falcons Peregrine, Thomas, keeper Pheasants Pigeon-shooting Playing-fields, Eton Pliny "Plestor," the Ploughing with oxen Plover, common Plover, golden Plowman, Roger, goes to London Poachers, scarcity of Poges, Stoke Political meetings Politicians, village Pope at Cirencester Pottery, Roman Prehistoric cricket Prehistoric relics Prescription, an excellent Proverbs, Gloucestershire Puffin

Quack, the village Quails Quarries, limestone Quenington Querns, the

Races, Bibury Ramparts, ancient Ready Token Retrievers Riders, good Riding, hard Roads, limestone Roger de Coverley, Sir Roman remains Rookery, the Rupert, Prince Ruskin, John

Sainfoin Sargent, J. Savernake Scent of foxes Scotch deerhound Scott, Lady Margaret Scouring the White Horse Shakespeare on the Cotswolds Sheep, Cotswold Sheep-washing Sherborne House Sherborne, Lord Shooting, covert- Sly, Isaac Snake eaten by trout Snipe Solan goose Solar halo Songs, Gloucestershire South Africa, wolds of Sparrow-club Spawn-beds of trout Spectator, the Sportsman, definition of a good Spring flowers Springs, Cotswold Squirrels Stag-hunting, wild Stage-coach Stoats Stone age, relics of Stowell Stow-on-the-Wold Sunsets described Swans

Tame, John Tanfield family Teal Tennyson Terrier, fox- Tesselated pavements Thames Thrashing Thrush, song of Tiercel-gentle Tithe Tithe barns "Tolsey," the Traps, vermin Travess, Charles Trees, beauty of ash Trossachs, the Trout eating snake Trout, habits of "Tuer," a Turnip hower, the

Umpires, village Uncertainty, charm of Urns, sepulchral

Vale, Berkshire Vale of White Horse Hounds Valley, Coln Valley, Thames Victorian Era Voles, water

Waller's pictures Walnut tree in spring Warwick, the kingmaker Wasps, a plague of Watercress Wayside crosses Weasels Westbury White Horse Wharfe, River White Horse Hill Whitsun ale Whitsuntide sports Whyte-Melville Wildfowl Williamstrip Wimbrels, Windrush, River Wines, home-made Winson village Woodpeckers Wood-pigeons Wordsworth Wren, Christopher

Yaffel Yuletide

Zingari Cricket Club Zodiacal light

THE END