Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). A Victorian Anthology, 1837–1895. 1895.

Richard Harris Barham 1788–1845

Mr. Barney Maguire’s Account of the Coronation

Barham-R

OCH! the Coronation! what celebration

For emulation can with it compare?

When to Westminster the Royal Spinster,

And the Duke of Leinster, all in order did repair!

’T was there you’d see the New Polishemen

Make a scrimmage at half after four,

And the Lords and Ladies, and the Miss O’Gradys,

All standing round before the Abbey door.

Their pillows scorning, that self-same morning

Themselves adorning, all by the candlelight,

With roses and lilies, and daffy-down-dillies

And gould and jewels, and rich di’monds bright.

And then approaches five hundred coaches,

With Gineral Dullbeak.—Och! ’t was mighty fine

To see how asy bould Corporal Casey,

With his sword drawn, prancing made them kape the line.

Then the Guns’ alarums, and the King of Arums,

All in his Garters and his Clarence shoes,

Opening the massy doors to the bould Ambassydors,

The Prince of Potboys, and great hay-then Jews:

’T would have made you crazy to see Esterhazy

All jool’s from his jasey to his di’mond boots,

With Alderman Harmer, and that swate charmer

The famale heiress, Miss Ana-ly Coutts.

And Wellington, walking with his swoord drawn, talking

To Hill and Hardinge, haroes of great fame:

And Sir De Lacy, and the Duke Dalmasey

(They call’d him Sowlt afore he changed his name),

Themselves presading Lord Melbourne, lading

The Queen, the darling, to her royal chair,

And that fine ould fellow, the Duke of Pell-Mello,

The Queen of Portingal’s Chargy-de-fair.

Then the noble Prussians, likewise the Russians,

In fine laced jackets with their goulden cuffs,

And the Bavarians, and the proud Hungarians,

And Everythingarians all in furs and muffs.

Then Misther Spaker, with Misther Pays the Quaker,

All in the gallery you might persave;

But Lord Brougham was missing, and gone a-fishing,

Ounly crass Lord Essex would not give him lave.

There was Baron Alten himself exalting,

And Prince Von Schwartzenburg, and many more;

Och! I ’d be bother’d and entirely smother’d

To tell the half of ’em was to the fore;

With the swate Peeresses, in their crowns and dresses,

And Aldermanesses, and the Boord of Works;

But Mehemet Ali said, quite gintaly,

“I ’d be proud to see the likes among the Turks!”

Then the Queen, Heaven bless her! och! they did dress her

In her purple garaments and her goulden Crown;

Like Venus, or Hebe, or the Queen of Sheby,

With eight young ladies houlding up her gown.

Sure ’t was grand to see her, also for to he-ar

The big drums bating, and the trumpets blow,

And Sir George Smart! Oh! he play’d a Consarto,

With his four and twenty fiddlers all on a row.

Then the Lord Archbishop held a goulden dish up,

For to resave her bounty and great wealth,

Saying, “Plase your glory, great Queen Vic-tory,

Ye ’ll give the Clargy lave to drink your health!”

Then his Riverence, retrating, discoors’d the mating:

“Boys! Here ’s your Queen! deny it if you can;

And if any bould traitor, or infarior craythur

Sneezes at that, I ’d like to see the man!”

Then the Nobles kneeling to the Pow’rs appealing,

“Heaven send your Majesty a glorious reign!”

And Sir Claudius Hunter he did confront her,

All in his scarlet gown and goulden chain.

The great Lord May’r, too, sat in his chair too,

But mighty sarious, looking fit to cry,

For the Earl of Surrey, all in his hurry,

Throwing the thirteens, hit him in his eye.

Then there was preaching, and good store of speeching,

With Dukes and Marquises on bended knee;

And they did splash her with real Macasshur,

And the Queen said, “Ah! then thank ye all for me!”

Then the trumpets braying, and the organ playing,

And the sweet trombones, with their silver tones;

But Lord Rolle was rolling;—’t was mighty consoling

To think his Lordship did not break his bones!

Then the crames and custard, and the beef and mustard,

All on the tombstones like a poultherer’s shop;

With lobsters and white-bait, and other swate-meats,

And wine and nagus, and Imparial Pop!

There was cakes and apples in all the Chapels,

With fine polonies, and rich mellow pears,—

Och! the Count Von Strogonoff, sure he got prog enough,

The sly ould Divil, undernathe the stairs.

Then the cannons thunder’d, and the people wonder’d,

Crying, “God save Victoria, our Royal Queen!”—

Och! if myself should live to be a hundred,

Sure it ’s the proudest day that I ’ll have seen!—

And now, I ’ve ended, what I pretended,

This narration splendid in swate poe-thry,

Ye dear bewitcher, just hand the pitcher,

Faith, it ’s myself that ’s getting dhry.