Yorkshire Notes and Queries.
J. M. W. TURNER. "There was no County in England to which Turner was so much attached as Yorkshire. It was here on the Wolds, and beside the banks of the Wharfe, that he first (after Wales) saw really wild scenery. He loved it because he had gathered in its ruined Abbeys the chief treasures of his 'Liber,' and because there he found the past and present times in the most striking juxtaposition.
Mr. Ruskin says, and we cannot quote a higher authority,- The scenery, whose influence I can trace most definitely throughout his Works, varied as they are, is that of Yorkshire.'"-Thornbury's Life of Turner.
Lines on a Remarkable Circumstance
CONNECTED WITH BRETTON HALL, NEAR BARNSLEY.
[From an undated Broadside, once very popular, and taken for fact. Fortunately for their credit they are simply styled Lines.]
At Bretton Hall, near Wakefield, known so well,
Sir William Wentworth Blackett once did dwell;
That mansion was his own,-there, with his bride,
In pomp and splendour, he did once reside;
Yet, in the midst of all that he possessed,
A rambling mind disturb'd Sir William's breast.
His lady and his home he left behind,-
Says he,The end of this wide world I'll find;
The earth's extensive, but you may depend on 't,
Before e'er I return I'll find the end on 't.
So he embark'd on board a ship we find,
And, sailing, left her ladyship behind,
Who, oft in sorrow did his absence mourn,
And, sighing said, 'O that he would return,
For be his voyage rough or smooth at sea,
It is a cruel, bitter blast to me.'
Sir William, he rolls on through winds and waves;
Undaunted, he all kinds of weather braves;
Nor his strange project ever relinquish'd he,
Till one and twenty years he'd been at sea;
Then, p'rhaps he thought, Good lack the world is round,
The end is nowhere, so it can't be found;
And as I'm weary of this wild-goose chase,
At home again, ere long, I'll show my face.'
Then off he set, but little was aware
But don't be troubled, you shall be my wife.'
She listened, till at length she gave consent.
And straightway, then, to church this couple went.
Sir William does about this wedding hear,
As he unto his journey's end draws near;
And thus, he does within his mind reflect-
This sly usurper I shall now detect;
Soon shall he know, (though much against his will)
At Bretton Hall I have dominion still.
Those woods and fertile fields my own I call,
With this magnificent, this splendid hall;
And now I come to claim them as my own,
Though by my dress not from a beggar known,
My clothes are turned to rags; and, by the weather,
My skin is tann'd till it resembles leather;
So now I'll act the beggar, bold and rude,
And, at this wedding boldly I'll intrude;
And though admittance I may be denied,
I'll rob the merry bridegroom of his bride.'
Then at his own hall door one rap he gave,
Resolv'd the inmate's charity to crave;
So he presented his request, 'tis said,
And they presented him a crust of bread!
The bread he took, and then, to their surprise,
He ask'd the servants for some beer likewise.
No, no,' said they beer we shall give you none,
You saucy, drunken vagabond, begone!'
At length (with much ado) some beer he got,
And quickly he returned the empty pot;
And straightway then into the hall went he,
And said, he wished her ladyship to see.
You can by no means see her,' answered they,
She is newly married! 'tis her wedding day.'
Married!' the feigned beggarman replied,
Then I'll not go till I have seen the bride,'
Then towards the dining-room his course he bent;
The servants quick pursued with one consent,
And seized him, with intent to turn him out.
• Come back, you villain; what are you about?'
About my business, to be sure,' quoth he;
The room I'll enter and the bride I'll see :
'We'll see you out of doors,' the servants said!
And now of course, a clam'rous din they made.
Just then, the bride, on hearing such a clatter,
Open'd the door to see what was the matter.
This noble beggar, thus obtained a sight
Of her who erstwhile was his heart's delight!
He viewed her in her nuptial garments dress'd,
And did of her a glass of wine request,
Which she denied-who little did suppose
The ragged stranger was her wealthy spouse.
Then straight into the dining room he went,
And down he sat among the guests, content.
Says he, You'll grant me my request, I know;
A glass of wine I'll have before I go.'
The bride, at length, complied with his request,
Thus thinking to dispatch their ragged guest,
But when he did this glass of wine obtain,
He drank and filled, and drank and filled again.
The guests, astonished and disgusted, view'd,
Whilst he proceeded to be far more rude;
Around the bride's fair neck he threw his arm,
And gave a kiss, which did her much alarm.'
On him she frown'd, and threaten'd him with law,
Says he, Your threats I value not a straw;
My conduct to reprove is all in vain,
For what I've done I mean to do again.
Madam, your bridegroom's in an awkward case,
This night I do intend to take his place.
And, while upon her countenance he pores,
The guests agree to kick him out of doors.
The deuce is in the beggarman,' they cried;
'He means to either beg or steal the bride.'
'No, no,' says he, 'I mean to claim her as my own.'
He smil'd, and then he did himself make known;
Saying, William Wentworth Blackett is my name.
For my long absence I am much to blame;
But safe and sound I have returned at last,
So let's forgive each other all that's past.'
The bride did her first bridegroom recognize,
With joy transported, to his arms she flies:
And, whilst they each other tenderly kiss,
The disappointed bridegroom they dismiss;
Who inwardly did his hard case lament,
Hung down his head, and out of doors he went.
'I'm robb'd of this fair jewel, now,' thinks he;
How cruel is this tender spouse to me!'
Awhile he scratched his head, then heaved a sigh:
Then eyed the hall again, and wiped his eye.
Sir William freely did forgive his wife;
They lived together till the end of life.
My honest story I must now conclude;
Which may, by some, be as a fiction view'd;
But, Sirs, the boots in which Sir William went,
Are kept in memory of that event;
The very hat he wore, preserved has been
At Bretton Hall-where they may yet be seen.
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