u He long lived the pride Of that country side, And at last in the odour of sanctity died. — P. 40. THE JACKDAW OF RHEIMS. r^vo THOMAS INGOLDSBY. WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS, PRINTED IN COLOURS. RICHARD BENTLEY, 8, NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 1870. 1 V ,,,— „^,^ LONDON : ( I.AV, SONS, ANU TAYI.OK, IKINIEKS. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Jackdaw of Rheims Title. He long lived the pride Of that country side. And at last in the odour of sanctity died Front. And, being thus coupled with full restitution, v.w.e. The fackdaw got plenary absolution ! 6 The Jackdaw sat on the Cardinal's chair ! 9 That little fackdaw kept hopping about ; Here atui there Like a dog in a fair 13 A nice little boy held a golden ewer, Eniboss'd and fill' d with water, as pure As any that flows between Rhei/ns and A^aiiuir ........ 17 The friars are kneeling, And hunting, and feeling The carpet, the floor, and the walls, and the ceiling 21 /// holy anger, and pious grief. He solemnly cursed that rascally thief I 25 When the Sacristan saw. On crumpled claw, Come limping a poor little lame Jackdaw .' 29 Where the first thing they saw. Midst the sticks and the straw. Was the Ring, iti the nest of that little Jackdaw ' 33 He hopp'd now about With a gait devout; At Matins, at Vespers, he never was out 37 It's the custom, at Rome, new names to bestow, So they canonized him by the name of Jem Crow.' 41 284701 And, being thus coupled with full restitution, The Jackdaw got plenary absolution / — P. 23. •■t "Tunc miser Corvus adeo conscientise stimulis compunctus fuit, et execratio cum tantopere excameficavit, ut exinde tabescere iiiciperet, maciem contraheret, omnem cibum aversaretur, nee amplius crocitaret : pennse praeterea ei defluebant, et alis pendulis omnesfacetias intermisit, et tam macer apparuit ut omnes ejus miserescent." * * * * » " Tunc abbas sacerdotibus mandavit ut rursus furem absolverent ; quo facto, Corvus, omnibus mirantibus, propedicm convaluit, et pristinam sanitatem recuperavit." De Illnst. Ord. Cisterc. THE JACKDAW OF RHEIMS. ,HE Jackdaw sat on the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and abbot and prior were there ; Many a monk, and many a friar, Many a knight, and many a squire, With a great many more of lesser degree, — [ " ] In sooth, a goodly company ; And they served the Lord Primate on bended knee. Never, I ween, Was a prouder seen, Read of in books, or dreamt of in dreams, Than the Cardinal Lord Archbishop of Rheims ! In and out Through the motley rout, That little Jackdaw kept hopping about ; [ -^ ] Here and there Like a dog in a fair, Over comfits and cates, And dishes and plates, Cowl and cope, and rochet and pall, Mitre and crosier ! he hopp'd upon all ! With a saucy air. He perch'd on the chair Where, in state, the great Lord Cardinal sat In the great Lord Cardinal's great red hat; That little yackdaw kept hopping about Here and there Like a dog in a fair. [ -5 ] And he pecr'd in the face Of his Lordship's Grace, With a satisfied look, as if he would say, " We Two are the greatest folks here to-day ! " And the priests, with awe, As such freaks they saw. Said, " The Devil must be in that little Jackdaw The feast was over, the board was clear'd, The flawns and the custards had all disappear'd, [ -6 ] And six little Singing-boys, ^ — ^dear little souls In nice clean faces, and nice white stoles. Came, in order due. Two by two Marching that grand refectory through ! A nice little boy held a golden ewer, Emboss'd and fill'd with water, as pure As any that flows between Rheims and Namur, Which a nice little boy stood ready to catch In a fine golden hand-basin made to match. A nice little boy held a golden ewer, Emboss'd and JilPd with water, as pure As any that flows between Rheiins and Namur. [ '9 ] Two nice little boys, rather more grown, Carried lavender-water, and eau-de-Cologne ; And a nice little boy had a nice cake of soap, Worthy of washing the hands of the Pope. One little boy more A napkin bore, Of the best white diaper, fringed with pink, And a Cardinal's Hat mark'd in " permanent ink." [ ^o J The great Lord Cardinal turns at the sight Of these nice little boys all dress'd in white : From his finger he draws His costly turquoise ; And, not thinking at all about little Jackdaws, Deposits it straight By the side of his plate. While the nice little boys on his Eminence wait ; Till, when nobody's dreaming of any such thing. That little Jackdaw hops off with the ring ! The friars are kneeling, And hunting, and feeling The carpet, the floor, and the walls, and the ceiling. [ ^3 ] There's a cry and a shout, And a deuce of a rout, And nobody seems to know what they're about, But the monks have their pockets all turn'd inside out ; The friars are kneeling, And hunting, and feeling The carpet, the floor, and the walls, and the ceiling. The Cardinal drew Off each plum-colour'd shoe. And left his red stockings exposed to the view ; [ ^4 ] He peeps, and he feels In the toes and the heels ; They turn up the dishes, — they turn up the plates, — They take up the poker and poke out the grates, — They turn up the rugs, They examine the mugs : — But, no !— no such thing ; — They can't find the ring ! And the Abbot declared that, " when nobody twigg'd it, Some rascal or other had popp'd in, and prigg'd it ! " In holy anger, and pious grief, He solemnly cursed that rascally thief ! [ 27 ] The Cardinal rose with a dignified look, He call'd for his candle, his bell, and his book! In holy anger, and pious grief. He solemnly cursed that rascally thief! He cursed him at board, he cursed him in bed; From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head ; He cursed him in sleeping, that every night He should dream of the devil, and wake in a fright ; He cursed him in eating, he cursed him in drinking, He cursed him in coughing, in sneezing, in winking ; [ =8 ] He cursed him in sitting, in standing, in lying ; He cursed him in walking, in riding, in flying; He cursed him in living, he cursed him in dying Never was heard such a terrible curse ! ! But what orave rise To no little surprise, Nobody seem'd one penny the wofse ! The clay was gone, The night came on. Wheti the Sacristan sa7u, On crumpled claw, Come limping a poor little lame Jackdaw ! [ 31 ] The Monks and the Friars they search'd till dawn ; When the Sacristan saw, On crumpled claw, Come limping a poor little lame Jackdaw^ ! No longer gay, As on yesterday ; His feathers all seem'd to be turn'd the wrong way ;- His pinions droop'd — he could hardly stand, — His head was as bald as the palm of your hand ; His eye so dim, [ 32 ] So wasted each limb, That, heedless of grammar, they all cried, " That's him !- That's the scamp that has done this scandalous thing ! That's the thief that has got my Lord Cardinal's Ring ! " The poor little Jackdaw, When the monks he saw, Feebly gave vent to the ghost of a caw ; And turn'd his bald head, as much as to say, " Pray, be so good as to walk this way ! " Where the first thing they saw, Midst the sticks and the straw, Was the Ring, in the nest of that little Jackdaw! [ 35 1 Slower and slower He limp'd on before, Till they came to the back of the belfry-door, Where the first thing they saw, iNIidst the sticks and the straw. Was the Ring, in the nest of that little Jackdaw ! Then the great Lord Cardinal call'd for his book, And off that terrible curse he took ; [ 36 ] The mute expression Served in lieu of confession, And, being thus coupled with full restitution, The Jackdaw got plenary absolution ! — When those words were heard. The poor little bird Was so changed in a moment, 'twas really absurd. He grew sleek, and fat ; ' In addition to that, A fresh crop of feathers came thick as a mat ! He Jiopp^d now about With a gait de^'out , At Matins, at Vespers, he never was out. [ 39 ] His tail watrorled more Even than before ; But no longer It wagg'd with an impudent air, No longer he perch'd on the Cardinal's chair. He hopp'd now about With a gait devout ; At Matins, at Vespers, he never was out ; And, so far from any more pilfering deeds, He always seem'd telling the Confessors beads. If any one lied, — or if any one swore, — [ 40 ] Or sliimber'd in pray'r-time and happen'd to snore, That good Jackdaw Would give a great " Caw ! " As much as to say, " Don't do so any more ! " While many remark'd, as his manners they saw, That they " never had known such a pious Jackdaw ! " He long lived the pride Of that country side, And at last in the odour of sanctity died ; When, as words were too faint wtmmfmmtmff^^sm It's the custom, at Rome, neiu names to besto'ij. So they canonized him by the name of Jem Crow [ 43 J His merits to paint, The Conclave determined to make him a Saint ; And on newly-made Saints and Popes, as you know, It's the custom, at Rome, new names to bestow, So they canonized him by the name of Jem Crow ! LONDON : R. CI.AV, SONS, AND IWLOK, IKIXTKHS BKKAD STKKhT HIM,. u UNIVER-;ITY OP CALIFORNIA LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW ^^AR 24 iVi, 30»i-l,'15 U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES 2847U1 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY