t look at the springs,' he
continued; 'there's metal for you! And do you mind the shape of the
body? It's for all the world like the ancient _curriculus_. And look at
Bathershin himself--the ould varmint! Sure, he's classical too!
Hasn't he a Roman nose; and ain't I a Roman myself? So get up,
Captain--_ascendite ad currum_; get into the shay. And now for the
_doch-aiv-dhurrss_--the stirrup-cup, Mrs. Doolan: that's the darlin'.
Ah, there's nothing like it!

"Sit mihi lagena, Ad summum plena."

Here, Captain, take a pull--beautiful milk-punch!'

Draining the goblet to the bottom, which I confess was no unpleasant
task, I pledged my kind hostess, who, curtsying deeply refilled the
vessel for Father Tom.

'That's it, Mary; froth it up, acushla! Hand it here, my darlin'--my
blessing on ye.'

As he spoke, the worthy father deposited the reins at his feet, and
lifted the cup with both hands to his mouth; when suddenly the little
window over the inn door was burst open, and a loud tally-ho was shouted
out, in accents the wildest I ever listened to. I had barely time to
catch the merry features of poor Tipperary Joe, when the priest's horse,
more accustomed to the hunting-field than the highroad, caught up the
welcome sound, gave a wild toss of his head, cocked up his tail, and,
with a hearty bang of both hind legs against the front of the chariot,
set off down the street as if the devil were after him. Feeling himself
at liberty, as well as favoured by the ground, which was all down hill,
the pace was really terrific. It was some time before I could gather
up the reins, as Father Tom, jug and all, had been thrown at the
first shock on his knees to the bottom of the convaniency, where, half
suffocated by fright and the milk-punch that went wrong with him, he
bellowed and coughed with all his might.

[Illustration: 380]

'Howld him tight I--ugh, ugh, ugh!--not too hard; don't chuck him for
the love of--ugh, ugh, ugh!--the reins is rotten and the traces no
better--ugh, ugh, ugh! Bad luck to the villains, why didn't they catch
his head? And the _stultus execrabilis!_--the damned fool! how he
yelled!'

Almost fainting with laughter, I pulled my best at the old horse,
not, however, neglecting the priest's caution about the frailty of the
harness. This, however, was not the only difficulty I had to contend
with; for the curriculus, participating in the galloping action of the
horse, swung upwards and downwards, backwar