The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-27 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

CARS INA CANTABRIG4ENSIA.

(No. II.)

Sin,—Your Cambri4ge readers cannot but be aware, if they
have ever walked on the Trumpington road, with an attentive
ear, that a most extraordinary and mysterious sound, as of a
carriage approaching, may there be constantly heard, and that
when, from its loudness, we might well conceive ourselves in
danger of being run over, it subsides into a cliStant rumbling,
which again increases and subsides as before. Various as have
been the conjectures raised concgning this phtenomenon, Cam-
bridge Mathematicians have not as yet satisfactorily accounted
for it. ' I have, lately met with a history of its origin,
comprised in a curious old ballad, which I transmit to you for
the satisfaction of your Cambridge readers, and the gratifica-
tion of Antiquaries in general. It so completely sets the mat-
ter at rest, that I decline saying a word more on the subject.
I am, Sir, your very humble servant, •
JOANNENSIS.

inartDon Miabotobirtoo;

- A MERVAILOUS HISTORIE OF DICKE
NECKORNOUGHT, DRIVER OF Ye
TELEGRAPHE COACH.
Dicke Neckornougbt sat in the White Horse-(a) tap,
And a mournful man was hel .
That he was prevented by woful hap •-
From driving his good TeM:

For Vice Chancellour brave, and Heads of Houses grave,
Did so in their wisdom ordeyne, ".
That ho coach should go down (b) on a Sunday to town,
Or on Sunday come backe ak,rayti.

O then spake out Dicke Ndckernought stout,
(And a terrible oath swore he)
" 0, if next Sunday I &He to diive
"/Jy the Kirke of Sainte Marie,
" At the hour of three, my good TeM,
" 0 never agayne may I drive, •
" But ev'n let Old Nick mounte the coach•box of Dick,
"As sarten as Dicke's alive . •

O blvthely rose that Sundaye morn ! •
Aiid blythe rose the Neckornought gay,
And gaily (I. wot) did himselfe adorn,
. To Cambridge to drive that days ; .

With his hosen so tight, and his Castor so white,
And his caxon in zippy curl ; '
His benjee coat was a varmint stout,
Ybutton'd. with mother of pearl.

And merrily up to the box he sprang, -
As Saynet Dunstan's cloeke went nine ;
" l'a hip ! my hearties," he checrly sang,
" In Cambridge I yet shall dine.'

But never a passenger, out nor in,
Could jolly° Dick Neckornought find,
Save a sallowefaeed gentleman, tall and thin,
Who rode in the aickeye behind.

And fast did they fly merry Islington by,
And by Tottenham flew they east,
And by Edmonton gay, and by Waltha n
And the auneient rood they past. •

' But nevir a word spake that passenger brown,
But a long pype slum:lced he,
Which lasted him even to \%Tare from to vn,
Smellyng ryghte sulphurouslie.

But when they had got to Ware, (well I wot)
.And stopp'd awhile at the ynn,
Then that passenger brown layd hys long pype down,
And call'd for a glass of tine.

O then might ye see a .qonderful sight !
For as he was drynking the grins,
All over the glasse play'd a flame soe brighte
Without his mouth and within. • .

But small heed gave the Necicornought brave,_
But sprang to the box_ with glee; - • •
And the dash of the heels, and the clash of the wheat,
Told far of the good Tel.

And soon did they fly merry Wadestnyll by,
And by Puckeridge fast they flew ;
Nor rest did they until merry liarkewaye
They speedily came unto.
But when as they got to merry Barkewaye,
• There an heap of stones appear'd ;
Anil into the heap went Neckornoughtgay,
Nor ought for ins Tele he feared.

0, wight too rash ! for a thundering crash •
As over the stones went he,
Gave horrible token that something was broken,
Alasse ! 'twas an gale-tree.

But soon at Barkewaye, did a conynge wheelwright
Find a gay newe axle-tree;
But a good- half hour had sped its flight, •
Ere oil went the good Tell.

And all the while did that gentleman smyle,
'Who rode in the dickeye behind ; •
But why he should grin at the coach breaking in,
Could nevir Dicke Neckornciught fynde.

But a crack of the whip made the leaders to skip,
And fastithey went clattering on, • .
And soon in view of the towre they drew,"
Of auucient Trumpington. •
0 then in what stower Dick look'd on that towre
0, what can the Neckornought see ?
The moon, or a cloud, or a coffin, or a shroud, -
Or a fiend, or a party at tea ? (c)

'Tis none of these, that Neckornought secs
On TrUmpington's auncient towre :
But the clock's minute hand doth at sixty stand,
And at three is the hand of the hour.

And four for the quarters, and three for the hour, (d)
Rang out over wood and plain ; • '
Then loudly 'gan rave the Ncckornought brave
And flogg'd his horses amain. -

Then first spoke up from the diekeye behind
That Gentleman tall and thin:
" Syr Neekornought, if ye be so inelirAl,
." Myself will drive ye in."

Then a glad man, I wot, was the bold Negkornought
"Ye may drive and-be welcome," said he,
" I reck not a bit, Syr, what 'comes at*. the tits,. Syr
" Now I cannot get in by thiee."

And that Gentleman grim of the whip -bath teen hold,
And tight hath he grasp'd the rein ;
Saynet Fyaker (e) save thee, thou Neekornought bold !
Thou never shalt drive agayne. •

Like a serpent's trail sliew'd his coat's long Milo;
liis eyes like bonfires burn'd,
And his IVellyngten (f) boot to an homy foot,
With a cleft in the middle, was tum'el.

(a) In Fetter-lane, whither the Telegraph,still runs.
(b) Cantabs go down to London. This is spoken
in reference to the importance of Alma Mater, a " city on a
hill;" topographically speaking, howtver the road is little else
than an horizontal line.

(c) There is an immortal passage in Wordsworth's " Peter
Bell," which must have been imitated from this. It has, how-
ever, been amplified into three stanzas, which may fairly ab-
solve me from adding it here. Concerning the tea party (y.Thicb.,
however, was not exclusively such, for some drank punch),
Wordsworth remarks, that they were " all silent and all
donned I ! ."' poetically • as a friend.of mine ingenieusly con-
jectures for " all d—d silent," i. e. a very stupid party. Virgil
has used the wine figure, " pateris et aurp,". for " patens
aureis."

(d) This line has been copied is " a singularly, original,
and beautiful" -production of a Lake Poet. But our Author
is a more correct observer of nature,. inasmuch as hours are
more commonly struck by clocks than ba:kcd by dogs.
(d) Probably the same with St. Fiacre, patron anciguardian
angel of the. Parisian hackney coachmen. • :

•
(f) This shows these boots to have been culled ffoni the
place, not fl-otn the kr,,,nzrai