With rural games play'd down the setting sun;

Who struck with matchless force the bounding ball,

Or made the pond'rous quoit obliquely fall;

While some huge Ajax, terrible and strong,
Engaged some artful strippling of the throng,
And fell beneath him, foiled while far around
Hoarse triumph rose, and rocks returned the sound.
Where now are these? Beneath your cliff they stand,
To show the freighted pinnace where to land;

To load the ready steed with guilty haste,

To fly in terror 08er the path less waste,
Or, when detected in their straggling course,
To foil their foes by cunning or by force;
Or, yielding part (which equal knaves demand),

To gain a lawless passport through the land."(1)

Smuggling.

"The smuggler was a village hero; and smuggling was conducted with a publicity that can scarcely be credited!

(2) Here is an example of this:

"He saw connected with th adventurous erew

(1) Crabbe II. 78.

(2) Walpole I., 210.

Those whom he judged were sober men and true;

He found that some who should the trade prevent,
Gave it by purchase their encouragement;

He found that contracts could be made with those

Who had their pay these dealers to oppose;

And the good ladies whom at church he saw

With looksdevout,

of reverence and awe,

(place,

Could change their feelings as they changed their

And whispering deal for spicery and lace;' (1)

Poaching.

The poacher was regarded with the same

admiration

as the smuggler.

Andrew Collett mentions the poacher in

his eulogy of the good old days. Here again he seems to

be voicing the sentiment of the vast majority of the comm

mon people.

"He praised the poacher, precious child of fun;

Who shot the keeper with his own spring gun;

α

His own exploits with bostful glee he told,

What ponds he emptied and what pikes he sold." (2)

No mercy was shown to the poacher, his life was (1) Crabbe VII., 257. (2)