Ez.. conf. Rm. Ne Introduction. There seems to be some considerable reason for believing that the hero of this story was a reality. The story tells us that he lived in the marsh of the Isle of Ely, and that he became "a brewer's man " at Lyn, and traded to Wisbeach. This little piece of geographical evidence enables us to fix the story as belonging to the great Fen District, which occupied the north of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. The antiquary Thomas Hearne has gone so far as to identify the hero of tradition with a doughty knight of the Crusaders. Writing in the Quarterly Review (vol. xxi. p. 102), Sir Francis Palgrave says:— "Mr. Thomas Hickathrift, afterwards Sir Thomas Hicka- thrift, Knight, is praised by Mr. Thomas Hearne as a 'famous champion.' The honest antiquary has identified this well- known knight with the far less celebrated Sir Frederick de Tylney, Baron of Tylney in Norfolk, the ancestor of the Tylney family, who was killed at Aeon, in Syria, in the reign of Richard Cceur de Lion. Hycophric, or Hycothrift, as the mister-wight observes, being probably a corruption of Frederick. Introduction. This happy exertion of etymological acumen is not wholly due to Hearne, who only adopted a hint given by Mr. Philip le Neve, whilome of the College of Arms." There does not seem to be the slightest evidence for Hearne's identification any more than there is for his philological con- clusions, and we may pass over this for other and more reliable information. We must first of all turn to the story itself, as it has come down to us in its chapbook form. It is divided into two parts. The first part of the story is the earliest; the second part being evidently a printer's or a chapman's addition. Our reprint of the former is taken from the copy in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge, and which was printed probably about 1660—169O; the latter is taken from the British Museum copy, the date of which, according to the Museum authorities, is 1780. In trying to ascertain something as to the date of the story apart from that of its printed version, it will therefore be necessary to put out of consideration the second portion. This has been written by some one well acquainted with the original first part, and with the spirit of the story; but in spite of this there is undoubted evidence of its literary origin at a date later than the first part. But turning to the first part there are two expressions in this early Pepysian version which have not been repeated in the later editions—those of the eighteenth century; and these two expressions appear to me to indicate a Introduction. iii date afttr which the story could not have been originated. On page i we read that Tom Hickathrift dwelt " in the marsh of the Isle of Ely." In the earliest Brit'sh Museum copy this appears as "in the parish of the Isle of Ely." Again, on page 11 Tom is described as laying out the giant's estate," some of which he gave to the poor for their common, and the rest he made pastures of and divided the most part into good ground, to main- tain him and his old mother Jane Hickathrift." In the earliest British Museum copy the expression " good ground " is dis- placed by " tillage." Now it is clear from these curious trans- position of words in the earliest and latest editions that some-- thing had been going on to change the nature of the country. The eighteenth-century people did not know the " marsh " of Ely, so they read " parish ": they did not know the meaning of "good ground" so they read "tillage." And hence it is clear that at the printing of this earliest version the fen lands of Cambridge and Norfolk had not yet been drained; there was still " marsh land " which was being made into " good land." But I think there is evidence in this printed chap-book version of the story which tells us that it was taken from a traditional version. Let any one take the trouble to read aloud the first part, and he will at once perceive that there is a ring and a cadence given to the voice by the wording of the story, and particularly by the curious punctuation, which at once reminds us of a narrative from word of mouth. And besides this there is some little evidence of phonetic spelling, just such Introduction. vii grew so hot that at length it came to blows; and that Hicki- fric, being a person of extraordinary stature and courage, took an axletree from a cart instead of a sword, and the wheel for his buckler, and, being so armed, most stoutly repelled those bold invaders: for further testimony of which notable exploit they to this day show a large gravestone near the east end of the chancel in Tilney churchyard, whereupon the form of a cross is so cut as that the upper part thereof by reason of the flou- rishes (wherewith the carver hath adorned it) sheweth to be somewhat circular, which they will, therefore, needs have to be the wheel and the shaft the axletree." This version, taken from Dugdale's History of Jmbanking, 1772, p. 244, though differing in form, at all events serves to carry us back to 1662, the date when Sir William Dugdale's History was first published. But the local tradition can be carried further back than 1662, because the learned Sir Henry Spelman, in his Icenia sive Norfokiae Descriptio Topographica, p. 138, and written about 1640, says, when speaking of Tilney, in Marshland Hundred: "Hie se expandit insignis area quae a planicie nun- cupatur Tylney-smelth, pinguis adeo et luxurians ut Paduana pascua videatur superasse Tuentur earn indigenae velut Aras et Focos, fabellamque recitant longa petitam vetustate de Hikifrico (nescio quo) Haii illius instar in Scotorum Chronicis, qui Civium suorum dedignatus fuga, Aratrum quod agebat, solvit; arrsptoque Temone furibundus insiliit Introduction. ix sword, and tooke one of the cart-wheeles which he held as a buckler; with these weapons he set vpon the Common aduer- saries or aduersaries of the Common, encouraged his neigh- bours to go forward, and fight valiantly in defence of their liberties; who being animated by his manly prowesse, they tooke heart to grasse, as the prouerbe is, insomuch that they, ehased the Landlord and his companie to the vtmost verge of the said Common; which from that time they haue quietly enioyed to this very day. The Axell-tree and cart-wheele are cut and figured in diuers places of the Church and Church windowes, which makes the story, you must needs say, more probable. This relation doth in many parts parallell with that of one Hay, a strong braue spirited Scottish Plowman, who vpon a set battell of Scots against the Danes, being working at the same time in the next field, and seeing some of his countreymen to flie from that hote encounter, caught vp an oxe yoke (Boethius saith, a Plough-beame), with which (after some exhortation that they should not bee faint- hearted) he beate the said straglers backe againe to the maine Army, where he with his two sonnes (who tooke likewise such weapons as came next to their hands) renewed the charge so furiously that they quite discomfited the enemy, obtaining the glory .of the day and victory for their drad Lord and Soue- raigne Kenneth the third, King of Scotland; and this hap- pened in the yeare 942, the second of the King's raigne. This you may reade at large in the History of Scotland^ thus abridged Introduction. by Camden as followeth."—Weever's Funerall Monuments, 1631, pp. 866-867. And Sir Francis Palgrave, quoting the legend from Spelman, observes,— "From the most remote antiquity the fables and achievements of Hickifric have been obstinately credited by the inhabitants of the township of Tylney. Hickifric is venerated by them as the assertor of the rights and liberties of their an- cestors. The 'monstrous giant' who guarded the marsh was in truth no other than the tyrannical lord of the manor who attempted to keep his copyholders out of the common field, Tylney Smeeth; but who was driven away with his retainers by the prowess of Tom armed only with his axletree and cart-wheel."* This does not appear to me to put the case too strongly. A tradition told so readily and believed so generally in the middle of the seventeenth century must have had a strong vitality in it only to be obtained by age. Let us now turn to the other side, namely, the existence of a traditional version in modern days, because it is important to note that the printing of a chapbook version need not have disturbed the full current of traditional thought. In a note Sir Francis Palgrave seems to imply that the story was still extant without the aid of printed literature. He writes: "A Norfolk antiquary has had the goodness to procure for us an authentic report of the present state of Tom's sepulchre. Quarterly Review, vol. xxi. p. 103. Introduction. xi It is a stone soros, of the usual shape and dimensions; the sculptured lid or cover no longer exists. It must have been entire about fifty years ago, for when we were good Gaffer Crane would rehearse Tom's achievements, and tell us that he had cut out the moss which filled up the inscription with his penknife, but he could not read the letters." * And Clare, in his Village Minstrel, tells us that:— "Here Lubin listen'd with awestruck surprise, When Hickathrift's great strength has met his ear; How he kih'd giants as they were but flies, And lifted trees as one would a spear, Though not much bigger than his fellows were; He knew no troubles waggoners have known, Of getting stall'd and such disasters drear; Up he'd chuck sacks as we would hurl a stone, And draw whole loads of grain unaided and alone." And this view as to the existence still of a traditional form of the story is almost borne out by what the country people only recently had to say relative to a monument in that part of the country over which Sir William Dugdale travelled, and of which he has left us such a valuable memorial in his History of Imbanking. A writer in the Journal of the Archaeological Asso- ciation (vol. xxv. p. 11) says:—" A mound close to the Smeeth Road Station, between Lynn and Wisbech, is called the Giant's * Quarterly Review, vol, xxi. p. 102, note. xii Introduction. Grave, and the inhabitants relate that there lie the remains of the great giant slain by Hickathrift with the cart wheel and axletree. A cross was erected upon it, and is to be seen in the neighbouring churchyard of Torrington St. John's, bearing the singular name of Hickathrift's Candlestick." It appears, then, that the following may be considered the chief evidence which we have obtained about the existence of the story:— That a chapbook or literary form of the story has existed from the sixteenth century; That a traditional story existed quite independently of the literary story in the seventeenth century; That a traditional story exists at the present time, or until very recently; And knowing what folk-lore has to say about the long life of traditions, about their constant repetition age after age, it is not, I venture to think, too much to conclude that a story which can be shown by evidence to have lived on from mouth to mouth for two centuries is capable of going back to an almost endless antiquity for its true original. Let us now consider what may be the origin of this story. There is one theory as to this which has gained the authority of Sir Francis Palgrave. The pranks which Tom performed "must be noticed," says Sir Francis, "as being correctly Scan- dinavian" He then goes on to say, "Similar were the achieve- ments of the great Northern champion Grettir, when he kept Introduction. xvii a capteine in the warres can liue without manuell labour, and thereto is able and will beare the post, charge, and- counte- nance of a gentleman, he shall be called master, which is the title that men giue to esquiers and gentlemen and reputed for gentlemen."—Harrison's Description of England, 1577 (edited by F. J. Furnivall for the New Shakspere Society, 1877), P- "9- Of yeomen he says, " And albeit they be not called master as gentlemen are, or sir as to knights apperteineth, but onelie John and Thomas,". &c. (p. 134): and of "the third and last sort," "named the yeomanrie," he adds, " that they be not called masters and gentlemen, but goodmen, as goodman Smith, goodman Coot, goodman ; Cornell, goodman Mascall, goodman Cockswet," &c. (p. 137). Mr. Furnivall's note (p. 123) is as follows:—"Every Begger almost is called Maister.—See Lancelot's 'Maister Launcelet' in the Merchant of Venice, II. ii. 51, and the extract illustrating it from Sir Thomas Smith's Commonwealth of England, bk. I. ch. 20 (founded on Harrison, i. 133, 137), which I printed in New Sh. Soc.'s Trans. 1877-9, P- I03-4- Also Shakspere getting his ' yeoman' father.arms, and making him a 'gentleman' in 1596.—(Leopold Shakspere, Introduc- tion, p.veiiu)." We thus get still further indication of the early date of the story, the significance of the title "Master" having died out during the seventeenth century. The following is a bibliographical list of some of the editions, THE PLEASANT HISTORY OF THOMAS HIC-KA-THRIFT, His Birth and Parentage, and the true man- ner of his performing many manly acts, and hew he killed a gyant. Young man, here thou mayest behold what honour Tom came unto. And if that thou dost buy this Book, Be sure that thou dost in it look, And read it o're, then thou wilt say, Thy money is not thrown away. In the reign before William the conqueror, I have read in ancient histories that there dwelt a man in the marsh of the Isle of Ely, in the county of Cambridge, whose name was Thomas Hic-ka-thrift, a poor man and day labourer, yet he was a very stout man, and able to perform two days works Thomas Hic-ka-thrift. How Tom came to be a Brewer's man; and how he came to kill a Giant, and at last was Mr. Hic-ka-thrift. Tom's fame being spread abroad in the country, there was not a man durst give Tom an angry word for he was some- thing foolhardy, and he did not care what he did at them; so that those that knew him would not in the least displease him. But at length there was a brewer at Lyn, that wanted a good lusty man to carry his beer in the marsh and to Wis- bech; so hearing of Tom went to hire him, but Tom seemed coy and would not be his man, until his mother and friends did perswade him, and his master intreated him; and likewise pro- mised him a new suit of clothes and cloath him from top to toe; and besides he should eat and drink of the best. So Tom at last yielded to be his man, and his master told him how far he should go; for you are to understand there was a monstrous Gyant, who kept some part of the marsh, and none durst go that way; for if they did he would keep them or kill them, or else he would make bond slaves of them. But to come to Tom and his master, that he did more work 12 The Pleasant History of and maids, and lived most bravely; and he made him a park to keep deer in; and by his house, which is a town, he built a famous church and gave it the name of St. James' Church, because he killed the Gyant on that day, which is so to this hour and ever will be; and many more good deeds he did which is too tedious to write in this column, but to tell the chief I shall do my endeavour. 16 The Pleasant History of 'Thomas Hic-ka-thrift. So Tom steps to the gate and takes one of the rails for his staff; so to it they fell, the Tinker at Tom, and Tom at the Tinker, like two giants they laid on at each other. The Tinker had a leathern coat on, and at every blow Tom gave the Tinker, his coat roar'd again, yet the Tinker did not give way to Tom an inch. But Tom gave the Tinker a blow on the side of the head, which felled the Tinker. Now, Tinker, where are you? said Tom. But the Tinker being a nimble fellow, leapt up again, and gave Tom a blow, made him reel again, and followed his blows, and took Tom on the other side which made Tom's neck crack again. So Tom flung down his weapon and yielded the Tinker the better on't, and took him home to his house, where I shall leave Tom and the Tinker till they be recovered of their sad wounds and bruises. FINIS. THE PLEASANT HISTORY OF THOMAS HICKATHRIFT. THE SECOND PART. CHAP. I. Tom Hickathrift and the Tinker conquered and overcame three thousand rebellious subjects. In and about the Isle of Ely, many disaffected persons, to the number of ten thousand and upwards drew themselves up in a body, presuming to contend for their pretended ancient Rights and Liberties, insomuch that the Gentry and civil Magistrates of the Country was in great danger; at which time the Sheriff, by night, privately got into the house of Thomas Hickathrift, as a secure place of refuge, in so eminent a time of danger : where before Thomas Hickathrift, he laid open the villainous intent of 'Thomas Hickathrift. 19 their heads were taken and made public examples of justice, the rest being pardoned at the humble request of Thomas Hicka- thrift and the Tinker. ao The Pleasant History of CHAP. II. Tom Hickathrift and the Tinker was sent for to Court and of their kind entertainment there, etc. The King being truly informed of the faithful services per- form'd by these his loving Subjects, Thomas Hickathrift and the Tinker, he was pleased to send for them to his Palace, where a Royal banquet was prepared for their entertainment, most of the Nobility being present. Now after the banquet was over, the King said unto all that were there, these are my trusty and well-beloved subjects, men of approved courage and valour, they are the men that overcame and conquer'd ten thousand which were got together to disturb the peace of my realm; according to the character that hath been given to Tho. Hickathrift and Henry Nonsuch, persons here present, they cannot be matcht in any other kingdom in the world; were it possible to have an army of twenty thousand such as these, I dare venture to act the part of Alexander the Great over again: yet in the mean- while, as a proof of my Royal favour, kneel down and receive the antient order of knighthood, Mr. Hickathrift, which was instantly perform'd. And as for Henry Nonesuch, I will settle —r~ - Thomas Hickathrift. 21 upon him, as a reward for his great service, the sum of Forty Shillings a year, during life. Which said, the King withdrew, and Sir Thomas Hickathrift and Henry Nonesuch the tinker, returned home, attended by many persons of quality, some miles from the Court. But to the great grief of Sir Thomas, at his return from the Court, he found his aged Mother drawing to her end, who in a few days after died and was buried in the Isle of Ely. 22 The Pleasant History of CHAP. III. Tom after his old Mother's death went a wooing; and how he served a young Gallant who affronted him before his Mistress. Tom's mother being dead, and he left alone in a large and spacious house, he found himself strange and uncouth, therefore he began to consider with himself that it would not be amiss to seek out for a wife; and hearing of a young rich widow, not far from Cambridge, to her he went, and made his addresses: and at the first coming she seem'd to shew him much favour and countenance; but between this and his coming again, she had given some entertainment to a more genteel and airy spark, who happened likewise to come while honest Tom was there the second time; he look'd wishfully at Tom, and he star'd as wishfully at him again; at last the young spark began with abuseful language to affront Tom, telling him he was such a great lubberly whelp, adding that such a one as he should not pretend to make love to a Lady, as he was but a Brewer's servant. Scoundrel quoth Tom better words should become you, and if you do not mend your manners, you shall not fail to feel my Thomas Hickathrift. . 2,3 sharp correction. At which the young Spark challenged him forth into the back yard; for, as he said, he did n6t question but to make a fool of Tom in a trice. Into the yard they both walk together, the young spark with a naked sword, and Tom with neither stick nor staff in his hand, nor any other weapon. What says the spark, have you nothing to defend yourself? well I shall the sooner dispatch you. Which said, he ran furiously forward, making a pass at Tom, which he put by, and then wheeling round to his backside, Tom gave him such a swinging kick on the breech, which sent the spark like a Crow up into the Air* from whence he fell upon the ridge of a thatcht house, and then came down into a large fish pond, and had been certainly drown'd if it had not been for a poor shepherd who was walking that way, and seeing him float upon the water, dragged him out with his hook, and home he returned like a drowned Rat; while Tom enjoy'd the kind embraces of his fair Mistress. Thomas Hickathrift. 29 would appoint a punishment for her himself; which was this; he bor'd a hole thro' her nose and tying a string therein, then order'd her to be stript stark naked, commanding the rest of the old women to stick a candle in her fundament, and lead her by the nose thro' all the streets and lanes in Cambridge, which comical sight caused a general laughter. This done, she had her cloaths restor'd her again, and so was acquitted.