HALF a day, half a day

Sped the clocks onward,

While in Freemasons' Hall

Roared the six hundred. *

Frantic, the Black Brigade!

"Charge for the Church!" they said':

In the Freemasons' Hall

Roared the six hundred.

Frantic, the Black Brigade!

Fearful the row they made!

Some day they'll know too well

How they have blundered:

Theirs not to hear reply,

Theirs throat and lungs to try,

Theirs to bawl, Low and High:

Round the Archbishop's chair

Roared the seven hundred? *

Canons to right of him,

Canons to left of him,

Canons in front of him

Shouted and thundered:

Stormed at with groan and yell,

Really they stood it well,

Till they were out of breath,

Till an Earl tried to quell

Howls by the hundred.

Flustered the laymen's hair,

Flushed all the clergy were,

Scaring the waiters there,

Meeting and hissing, while

York's prelate wondered:

Guides of us sinner-folk,

Precept and law they broke;

Curate and Rector spoke,

Dealing the Church a stroke,

Shaken and sundered.

Then they divided, and

Lost the six hundred.

Clergy to right of Chair,

Clergy to left of Chair,

Clergy before the Chair

Shouted and thundered;

Stamping with groan and yell,

Past any power to quell,

They who had roared so well

Went blessed and out of breath,

Back to their flocks to tell

All that was done by them,

Nice fourteen hundred!

When, will the scandal fade?

O the wild row they made!

All the world's wondered

Why such a noise was made

All by the Church Brigade -

Blind fourteen hundred

* The votes were taken on the amendment: -

For the Amendment . . . 674

Against it . . . . . . . 765

____

1439

__________________

Punch, 19 December 1868