{"id":27871,"date":"2021-09-07T12:29:45","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T11:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=27871"},"modified":"2021-09-07T12:29:45","modified_gmt":"2021-09-07T11:29:45","slug":"serjeant-richardsons-poem-in-honour-of-abingdon-7th-september-1641","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=27871","title":{"rendered":"Serjeant Richardson’s Poem – In honour of ABINGDON – 7th September 1641"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nI have found a few older poems, and some folk verses, that might find their way into the proposed book Ten Abingdon Poems<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Serjeant Richardson, the town’s mace bearer, wrote the following poem after the celebrations in Abingdon, on 7th September 1641, when war with Scotland was avoided. A year later the Civil war had begun, and the Abingdon Cross, mentioned in this poem, was destroyed. The picture of the cross above belongs to Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council and a copy is printed in the museum.<\/p>\n

Once you get used to the spelling with Vs being used for U etc., it is worth saying that I think:
\n* Calena<\/em> is Oxford;
\n* Cissa<\/em> was the\u00a0founder of the original Abbey;
\n* not sure why St Helen’s bells are Aarons bels, but Aaron was the high priest, and the elder brother of Moses;
\n* many students from the nursery of Royse<\/em> School went on to grow further in Pembrook<\/em> College in Oxford;
\n* Nepenthes liquour<\/em> is a drug for sorrow that causes forgetfulness;
\n* Hyperions son<\/em> (Hyperion along with his son Helios was a personification of the sun);
\n* the figure of King David<\/em>, who wrote some of the psalms, was on the old Market Cross;
\n* Helvian liquor, and rich Maligo could be<\/em> Roman wine and wine from Malaga;
\n* Antelop is <\/em>Abingdon’s Antiloppe Inn;
\n* Irus Crue<\/em> could be a crew of beggars<\/p>\n

Serjeant Richardson’s Poem – In honour of ABINGDON – 7th September 1641<\/strong><\/p>\n

(describes the town)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not farre from faire Calena placed is
\nA pleasant Towne, neere silver Thamisis;
\nWhere you may view the ruin’d Battlements
\nOf old King Cissas ancient Monuments
\nWhere struts th’unparall’d, harmelesse, threatn’d Crosse
\n(Yet lately blest from Babylonish drosse)
\nWhere Aarons bels in Helens Church doe ring
\nPeales, that doe blesse us from the poyson’d sting
\nOf death eternall. Neere the Church-yard Wall
\nStands the faire structure of Christs Hospitall.
\nWhere Royse his fruitfull Nurceries supplie
\nGreat Pembrooks Gardens insufficiencie.
\nOf things of late, that in this Towne befell,
\nSomething my oblieg’d Muse is forc’d to tell;
\n(Though but in rustick phrase) yet Ile expresse
\nTo ABINGDON my love and thankfulnesse:
\nYet Ile not Barber-like hyperbolize,
\nAnd sell my Customers a Chest of Lies:
\nNo this Ile banish, thus I will not sin,
\nIl’e write no more but truth, and now begin.<\/p>\n

(sunrise and people woken by the bells of St Helen’s and St Nicolas)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tuesday (the seventh day of this last September,
\nWhich day I’me sure our Children will remember)
\nWas by the King, and Court of Parliament
\nProclaim’d a Festivall, and to be spent
\nIn sacred wise; because ‘twixt Scots and Vs,
\nA joyfull peace is now concluded thus.
\nSo soone this welcom’d newes was heard off here,
\nGriefe Shrunk aside, no sorrow did appeare;
\nEach Man by’s Cheerefull Visage, you would think
\nNought but Nepenthes liquour then did drink.
\nThe day being come, (Ile barre to complement)
\nAnd tell you briefly how the time we spent.
\nIth’dawne of day, before Hyperions son
\nBridl’d his horses, or his Course begun,
\nOld Helens trowling Bells such peales did ring,
\nAnd to our drowsie eares such tunes did sing,
\n(When honest Nick began to sympathise,
\nStriking up’s Lowbells in melodious wise)
\nThat we no longer in our beds could lie,
\nBut each prepar’d for this daies jubilie.
\nTo Helens Courts (ith’ morne) at seven oth’ Clock,<\/p>\n

(first church service)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our Congregation in great numbers flock:
\nWhere we till Twelve our Orizons did send
\nTo him, that did our Kingdomes Quarrels end.
\nAnd there two Sermons two Divines did preach,
\nAnd most divinely gratitude did teach.
\nAt twelve the Priests lips blest us; home we came,
\nAnd sung sweet Anthems to Iehovah’s name,<\/p>\n

(second church service and procession to the Market Cross and celebrations)<\/strong><\/p>\n

At Two againe (in Clusters) we did pack,
\nAnd fill’d the Church as full as it could thwack.
\nTill foure we staid, and Sermon being ended,
\nTowards our triumphant Crosse our course was bended.
\nAnd thus we march’d. First with my golden Mace
\n(‘Tis fit I put my selfe ith’ formost place)
\nI pac’d along, and after follow’d mee
\nThe Burgesses by senioritie.
\nOur Praetour first (let me not misse my Text)
\nI think the Clergie-men came marching next;
\nThen came our Iustice, with him a Burger sage,
\nBoth march’d together in due equipage:
\nThe rest oth’ Burgers, with a comely grace,
\nWalk’d two, and two along to th’ Market-place;
\nAnd after them, hundreds both young and old
\nCrowding along, that time you might behold.
\n(Being come to th’ famous Crosse, our journies end)
\nHer mounting Stayres in state we did ascend;
\nThe Clerk was call’d, and he a Bible took,
\nThe hundred and sixt Psalme he out did look,
\nTwo thousand Quoristers their notes did raise,
\nAnd warbled out the great Creatours praise:
\nTheir thundring Eccho gave so great a shout.
\nNicklas and Helen were quite baffl’d out.
\nOver my head I saw King David stand,
\nListning to th’Musick, with his Harp in hand,
\nSure when the Psalmist liv’d, with’s sacred Lire,
\nHe seldome play’d, or sung to such a Quire,
\nIf either King could speake, hee’d sweare by’s Crown
\nNo haire-braind Separatist would pull him downe:
\nFor why, this heavenly joy, we had so late,
\nDid seeme, in part, the Crosse to consecrate.
\nThe Psalme is ended: but the Folke begin
\nLowder, and lowder crie, God save the KING,
\nWhile Bonfires blaze, their caps are throwne away,
\nAll to expresse the triumph of the day.
\nThe Helvian liquor, and rich Maligo,
\nAnd English beere, our Senate did bestow:
\nNo cost was spar’d, and yet I must confesse,
\nI saw no shew of brutish drunkennesse:
\nSure some diviner hand, that day did guide
\nThe Vulgar, that they should not slip aside,
\nAnd further to set forth a greater joy,
\nOut comes the skilfull Sergeant Corderoy,
\nWith’s his ratling Drummes, and Fife, and Colours flying,
\nWith’s Musketteeres (and yet ther’s none fear’d dying)
\nBravely they march’d about; but made a stop,
\nWhen they drew neere the well knowne Antelop;
\nA fiery peale they rung ith’ Senate Eares,
\n(Gallantly done by warlike Musketteeres)<\/p>\n

(escourted the Mayor home)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anon they made a Guard, my noble Master
\nMarch’t through them to the front, (but yet no faster
\nThen my Mace and I) safely did they guard
\nThe Kings Lieutenant home, when in his yard,
\nOr Court, another peale they out did thunder,
\nWhich made the thronging people shout and wounder;
\nTheir Muskets having shot out all their powder,
\nThey made their Throats their Muskets, and shot lowder;
\nSuch was their joy (a Barrell being spent)
\nIn sober manner every man home went.<\/p>\n

(comments on the evening’s street parties, how Abingdon outdid other places, and the charity given to the poor)<\/strong><\/p>\n

And them with speed follow’d my Muse and I,
\nTo learne what further newes we could descrie.
\nAnd now ’tis supper time. In every street
\nNeighbours with Neighbours at some house did meet
\nTheir monies joyn’d together for a Feast,
\nAnd each to other is a welcome Guest.
\n(Supper being done) anon they ‘gin to sing.
\nSome joyfull Hymne (a joyfull revelling)
\nTravell my Muse, goe, wander up and downe,
\nSearch into City, Village, Hamlet, Town,
\nTell me at thy returne (if thou canst tell)
\nWhere any Feast with ours could parallell.
\nAnd yet this was not all; for what was spent
\nOn Irus Crue, made the full complement
\nOf this daies jubilie, this was the best
\nOf Sacrifice, this season’d all the rest.
\nVpon this day the poore were not neglected,
\nThirteene or Foureteene pounds were here collected
\nAnd some (no question) out of Charitie,
\nIn private gave to their necessities.<\/p>\n

(concludes)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thus have I shew’d you in a home spun way,
\n(Yet true enough) how we this happy day
\nDid from the morning to the evening spend;
\nBut I am weary, and I’le make an end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have found a few older poems, and some folk verses, that might find their way into the proposed book Ten Abingdon Poems. Serjeant Richardson, the town’s mace bearer, wrote the following poem after the celebrations in Abingdon, on 7th September 1641, when war with Scotland was avoided. A year later the Civil war had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poems-about-abingdon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}