of
May-day at present, except from the lamentations of authors, who sigh
after it from among the brick walls of the city:

"For O, for O, the Hobby-Horse is forgot."

VILLAGE WORTHIES.

Nay, I tell you, I am so well beloved in our town, that not
the worst dog in the street will hurt my little finger.

--_Collier of Croydon_.

As the neighbouring village is one of those out-of-the-way, but
gossiping, little places where a small matter makes a great stir, it
is not to be supposed that the approach of a festival like that of
May-day can be regarded with indifference, especially since it is made
a matter of such moment by the great folks at the Hall. Master Simon,
who is the faithful factotum of the worthy Squire, and jumps with his
humour in every thing, is frequent just now in his visits to the
village, to give directions for the impending fete; and as I have
taken the liberty occasionally of accompanying him, I have been
enabled to get some insight into the characters and internal politics
of this very sagacious little community.

Master Simon is in fact the Caesar of the village. It is true the
Squire is the protecting power, but his factotum is the active and
busy agent. He intermeddles in all its concerns, is acquainted with
all the inhabitants and their domestic history, gives counsel to the
old folks in their business matters, and the young folks in their love
affairs, and enjoys the proud satisfaction of being a great man in a
little world.

He is the dispenser, too, of the Squire's charity, which is bounteous;
and, to do Master Simon justice, he performs this part of his
functions with great alacrity. Indeed, I have been entertained with
the mixture of bustle, importance, and kind-heartedness which he
displays. He is of too vivacious a temperament to comfort the
afflicted by sitting down, moping and whining, and blowing noses in
concert: but goes whisking about like a sparrow, chirping consolation
into every hole and corner of the village. I have seen an old woman,
in a red cloak, hold him for half an hour together with some long
phthisical tale of distress, which Master Simon listened to with many
a bob of the head, smack of his dog-whip, and other symptoms of
impatience, though he afterwards made a most faithful and
circumstantial report of the case to the Squire. I have watched him,
too, during one of his pop visits into the cottage of a superannuated
villager, who is a pensioner of the