' ' E D IV E R' I' ' '
O'
'
O
'
'
I '' O R '
' I' PI '
'O
atti et
ia
walnut é eahet
E AM' SEM E' ' ' ' E '
' A' ' E' ' ' A ' D ' ' O S E
E ' ' ' ' S IA S M ' S P IR E D
I' ' CO M P ' E ' IO '
' OR ' ' O S
I
OR '
' ' E D IV ER ' I ' ' '
O'
'
'
O
'
I '' O R '
' I' PI'
TH E
)
m
Eihmin
g 19 m
O'
3
10t
@ ilp in
J ohn Gilpin wa s a citiz en
O f credit and renow n
A trainband captain eke was
he
O f famous L o n d o n t o w n
,
'
II
T H E D IVE RTING H I STO R'
’
J ohn Gilpin s s p o use s a i d t o he r
dean
T h o u gh w edd e d we have be e n
T h ese twice ten t edio u s ye a rs
yet we
N o holiday have se en
,
'
Tomo rrow is our wedding day
An d we will then repai r
' n to the Bell at E d m o n to n
A11 in a ch a ise a n d p a i r
,
'
12
,
O F J O H N GI LPI N
My sister and my sister s c h il d
Myself and childr e n th ree
Will 'l l the chaise s o y o u m u st
ride
O n horseback afte r we
’
,
,
,
,
,
'
'
H e soon replied I do a d mi r e
O f w o mankind but one
And you are she my de ar e s t
dear
The r efore it shall be d o ne
'
,
,
,
,
'
I3
THE
D IV ERT I N '
HISTORY
I am a linendraper bold
As a ll the world doth know
And my go o d friend the calender
Will lend hi s horse to go
,
,
'
'
uoth
M
rs
Gilpin
That
s
well
'
said '
And fo r t h at wi n e is de a r
We will be furni s hed with o ur
own
Which is both bri ght and clear
’
'
'
,
,
,
'
'
1
4
O F J O H N GI LPI N
J ohn Gilpin kissed his l o v i ng wife
O e rj o y e d was he to 'nd
That though o n pleasure sh e w as
b ent
S he had a frugal mind
,
’
,
'
The m o r ning c a me the ch ais e
was br o ugh t
But yet was no t allowed
To drive up to the do or le st all
S hould say that she wa s proud
,
,
,
'
1
5
TH E DIVER TING H I S T O RY
S o three door s o ff t h e chai s e wa s
st ayed
Where they d id a ll ge t in '
'i ' preci o us s ouls a nd all agog
To da s h t h r ough thick and thin
,
,
'
S m a ck wen t t he w h ip r o und
went the wheels
Were neve r folk s o gla d '
The stones did rattle u ndern e ath
As if C heap s ide were mad
,
,
'
1
6
O F J O H N GI LP I N
J ohn Gilpin a t his horse s side
S ei z ed fast the flowing mane
And up he got i n ha s te t o ride
But s oon cam e down again '
’
,
,
' or
,
s addle t ree sc arc e r e ached
had b e
Hi s j ourney t o begi n
When t u rning r ound h is he ad
he s aw
Th re e cu s tomers c o me in
-
,
,
,
,
'
I7
THE D IVE R TI NG H IS T ORY
So down he c ame for loss oftime
Although it grieved him sore
' e t loss of pence full well he
knew
Would t r ouble him much more
,
,
,
,
'
Tw a s long befo r e t he c usto mers
Were s ui t ed t o their m i nd
When Be tt y s c r e a ming c am e
dow n stairs
The wine is left behind '
’
,
,
'
'
1
8
TH E DIVE RTING HI S T O RY
Each bo t tle had a curling ea r
Through which the bel t he
drew
And hung a b ottle o n each sid e
To make h is balance tr ue
,
,
,
'
Then o ver a ll t hat h e might be
E 'uipped fr om top t o toe
His long red c l o ak well b r us h e d
and neat
H e m a n fully d id throw
,
,
,
,
'
20
O F J O H N GI LPI N
N ow s ee h i m mo u nt e d o n c e
a gain
' pon hi s nimble st e e d
F ull slowly pacing o er t h e st one s
With caution and g o od h eed
,
,
’
'
But 'nding s o on a smoo th er
road
Beneath his well shod feet
The sn o rting beas t began to tr ot
Which galled him in his seat
-
,
'
21
,
THE DIVE RTING H ISTORY
So
F ai r an d so ftly J ohn he
c rie d
But J ohn he cried in vain '
That tr ot bec a me a gallop so on
In spite of curb a nd rein
'
'
,
,
'
S o stooping d own as needs he mus t
Who cannot sit upright
H e grasped the mane with bot h
his hands
And eke with a ll h i s migh t
,
,
,
'
22
O F J O H N GI LPI N
His horse who never in that so rt
H ad handled been before
What thing upon his back ha d
got
Did wonder more and more
,
,
'
Away went Gilpin neck o r
nought '
Away wen t hat and wig '
H e little dreamed when he s e t out
O f running such a rig
,
'
23
T H E D IVE RTI NG H IST O RY
T h e wind di d bl o w th e c loak d i d
,
'y ,
Like s tr e am e r l o ng a nd gay
Till loop and bu tt on failing b ot h
At last it flew away
,
,
'
Then might all pe o ple well d is
cern
The bottles he had s lung '
A bo tt le swinging at each s ide
As hat h been said o r su n g
,
,
'
24
,
O F J O H N GI LPI N
The dogs did bark the childre n
screamed
' p flew the ' indows all
And every soul cried out Well
done '
As loud as he could bawl
,
,
,
'
'
'
Away went Gilpin who but he '
H is fame soon spread around '
He car ries weight he ri d e s a ra ce
Tis fo r a thousand p ound '
,
’
'
25
T HE
D I V ER T I N '
H IS T ORY
And still as fast as he drew
nean
Twas wonderful to V iew
H ow in a tri c e the turnpike men
Their gates wide open threw
,
’
,
'
And now as he went b o wing
down
His reeking h ead full low
The b o ttles t wain b ehind his b ac k
Were shattered a t a bl o w
,
,
'
26
TH E DIVER TING H I S T O RY
Thus all through merry I sling
ton
These gambols he did pl a y
' ntil he came unto the Wash
O f Edmonton so gay '
,
And there he threw the Wash
ab o ut
O n bo th side s o f the way
J ust like unto a trundling mop
O r a wild g oo se a t play
,
,
'
28
O F J O H N GI LPI N
At Ed m on t on h is loving wife
F ro m t h e balcony spied
H e r t e nde r husba n d w o ndering
much
To see how he d id ride
,
'
Stop stop J ohn Gilpin ' H ere s
t he house '
They all at o n ce did c ry '
The dinne r wait s andwe ar e tire d
S aid Gilpin 'O am I '
’
,
,
'
'
'
'
'
,
29
T HE
D IV ERT I N '
HISTORY
Bu t yet his hor s e wa s n ot a whi t
I nclined t o t a rry there '
' o r why ' h is owner had a
hou s e
F ull ten miles o ff at Wa r e
,
'
S o like an a r row s wift he flew
S hot by an archer s t r o ng '
S o did he fly which b ring s me
to
The middle o f m y song
,
'
3
0
O F J O H N GI LPI N
Away wen t Gilpin out of
breath
And sore against hi s will
Till at his frien d the calen d e r s
His h o rse at las t s t o o d st ill
,
,
,
’
,
,
'
The calender am az ed to see
H is neighbour in such trim
Laid down his pipe flew t o the
gate
And th u s ac c o st ed him '
,
,
,
,
3
1
TH E
D I V ER T I N '
H IS T ORY
What new s ' wh at n e w s ' you r
tidings t ell '
T ell me y o u m us t a nd shall '
S ay ' hy ba r ehe a ded you are
c o me
Or why you com e at all '
'
,
N o w Gilpin had a pleasant wit
And loved a timely j oke '
And thus unto the calende r
I n m er ry guise b e spoke '
,
,
32
,
O F J O H N GI LPI N
I c ame because your ho r se
would come '
And if I well forebode
My hat and wig will s oon b e
here '
They are up o n the r oad
'
,
,
'
'
The c alen d er righ t glad t o 'nd
H is friend in merry pin
R eturn ed him no t a single word
But to the house w e n t in '
,
,
33
,
THE
D I V ERT I N '
H IST ORY
W h e n c e s tr aight h e cam e wi th
hat and wig '
A wig t hat flowe d be h ind
A hat n ot much the wo r se fo r
wea r
Each c o mely in i t s kind
,
,
'
H e held them up and in his t u r n
Th u s showed his r eady wi t '
My head is twice as big as y o urs
They t herefo r e n eeds m ust 't
'
34
,
T H E DIVE RTING H ISTORY
S o t urning to his horse he s a id
I am in has t e to dine '
Twas for you r pleasur e yo u
cam e he r e
' o u shall go back for mine
,
'
’
,
'
'
Ah 'luckless speech and bo o tless
boast
' o r which he paid full dear '
' o r while he spake a braying as s
Did sing most loud and clear '
,
,
6
3
O F J O H N G I LPI N
Wherea t his ho r se did snort
as he
H ad heard a lion ro a r
And galloped o ff with all h is
might
As he had done befo r e
,
,
,
'
Away went Gilpi n and away
Went Gilpin s hat and wig '
H e lost them sooner than at 'rs t '
' o r why '
they were too big
,
’
'
37
TH E
D I V ER T I N '
H IS T ORY
mist res s Gilpin when sh e
saw
H er husband p osting d o wn
I nto the country far away
S he pulled out half a crown '
'
O'
,
,
-
-
And thus unto the y o uth she s aid
That drove th em to the B ell
This shall be yours when y o u
bring b ack
My husband safe an d well
,
,
'
'
'
8
3
O F J O H N GI LPI N
The youth did ride an d soon did
meet
J ohn coming b ack amain '
Whom in a trice he tried to st o p
By catching at his rein '
,
But not performing what he mean t
And gladly w o uld have done
The frighted steed he frighted
m ore
And made him faster r un
,
,
'
39
THE DIVE RTING H ISTORY
Away went Gilpin and away
Went p o stb oy at his heels
The postb o y s h ors e righ t glad
to miss
The lumbering o f the wheels
,
,
’
'
'i '
gen t lemen upon the ro a d
Thus seeing Gilpin fly
With po stboy s campering in the
r e ar
They raised t he hue and cry '
,
,
,
0
4
O F J O H N GI LPI N
St op th ief ' st op thi e f ' a h igh
way ma n '
N o t one o f them was mute '
And all a nd ea ch th at passe d that
way
Did j oin in the pursuit
'
'
'
And now t h e tu rnpike gates again
F lew open in s hort space '
The toll men thinking as before
That Gilpin rode a r a c e
-
,
'
1
4
J O H N GI LPI N
And so he did and won it t o o
' o r he g ot 'rs t t o to wn '
N or stopped till where he had
got up
H e did again get dow n
,
,
'
N ow let us sing long live the
' ing
And Gilpin long live he '
And when he ne' td oth ride abroad
M ay I be there to see '
,
,
2
4
AD D ITI O NAL VE RS E S
A' D
N O TE S
’
The s tory of J ohn Gilpin s ri d e
was related to C owper by his
friend Lady Austen who h ad
heard it as a child
I t c aused
the poet a sleepless night as he
was kept awake by laughter at
it During these restless h ours
he turned it into t he famous bal
lad It appeared in the Public
Advertiser N o vember I 4 1 78 2
anonymously
A celebrated acto r n am ed H en
d e rs o n took it for one of his
,
,
'
,
'
'
'
'
,
,
,
'
45
AD D ITI O NAL
V ERSES
public recitations at F ree m a so ns
H all
I t be c am e immediately
so p opular that it wa s printed
everywhere
in news p apers
magaz ines and separately
It
was even s ung as a common
ballad in t he streets I t has pre
served its p opula r ity to the pre
sent day
The original J ohn Gilpi n was i t
i s said a M r Beye r a linen
draper who lived at the Cheap
side corner of Paternoster R ow
H e died i n 1 79 1 at the age o f
nearly a hun d red years
The following ma tt er appear s in
M oore s B o ok of Ballads p u b
’
'
,
,
,
'
'
'
,
,
'
,
,
,
'
’
,
6
4
AN D N O TE S
by Bell an d D a l d y 1 8 6
F leet Street a n d 6 ' ork St ree t
C ovent Garden L o ndon
l i s he d
,
,
,
,
,
,
'
ne s ' ab le ' o o ' ii 79
th e f o ll o wing s ta n z a s a r e s tat e d t o h a v e
b e e n f o un d in th e h a n d w r i t ing o f C o w
pe r a m o ng th e p a pe r s o f M rs ' nwin
In th e o pini o n o f M r ' o ne s c o r r e
s p o nd e nt th ey e v i d en t ly f o rm e d p a rt
o f a n in t en d e d epi s o d e t o th e D i v e rt
ing ' i st o r y o f 'o h n ' ilpin ' h ey a r e
n o t gi v en in a ny e d i t i o n o f th e p o e t s
In ' o
’
’
'
,
,
,
,
'
'
,
’
'
,
'
’
' hen
M rs ' ilpin
'
s we e t ly
n to h e r c h il d r en th r ee
I l l c l a m b e r o e r th i s s t yle
A nd y o u c li m b a f t e r m e
sa
id
'
’
s o h ig h
’
,
ing c li m b e d un to th e
'h e c o ul d n o fu rth e r g o
' u t s at e to e v e r y p a s s e r b y
A s p e ctac le a n d s h o w '
' ut h a v
to p
,
,
47
AD D ITI O NAL VE RS E S
i
d ay
u
p u e and y ou
' ho s a d , ' o r s o s
w y o u r h o r s e m a n sh ip
A nd if y o u s ta y t ill h e c o m e s b a c '
' o u r h o r s e will ne e d n o w h ip
' o th s h o
'
th i s