His friend in merry pin,
Return'd him not a single word,
But to the house went in.
When straight he came with hat and wig--
A wig that flow'd behind;
A hat not much the worse of wear--
Each comely in its kind.

He held them up, and in its turn
Thus showed his ready wit--
My head is twice as big as yours,
They therefore needs must fit.
But let me scrape the dirt away
That hangs upon your face,
And stop and eat, for well you may
Be in a hungry case.

Said John, It is my wedding-day,
And all the world would stare,
If wife should dine at Edmonton,
And I should dine at Ware.
So, turning to his horse, he said--
I am in haste to dine,
'Twas for your pleasure you came here,
You shall go back for mine.

Ah, luckless speech, and bootless boast,
For which he paid full dear;
For while he spake, a braying ass
Did sing most loud and clear,
Whereat his horse did snort as he
Had heard a lion's roar,
And gallop'd off with all his might,
As he had done before.

Away went Gilpin, and away
Went Gilpin's hat and wig;
He lost them sooner than the first,
For why? they were too big.
Now, Mistress Gilpin when she saw
Her husband posting down
Into the country, far away,
She pulled out half-a-crown.

And thus unto the youth she said
That drove them to the "Bell"--
This shall be yours when you bring back
My husband safe and well;
The youth did ride, and soon did meet
John coming back again,
Whom in a trice, he tried to stop
By catching at his rein.

But, not performing what he meant,
And gladly would have done,
The frightened steed he frightened more,
And made him faster run;
Away went Gilpin, and away
Went post-boy at his heels--
The post-boy's horse right glad to miss
The lumbering of the wheels.

Six gentlemen upon the road,
Thus seeing Gilpin fly,
With post-boy scamp'ring in the rear,
They raised the hue and cry:--
Stop thief! stop thief!--a highwayman!
An all and each that pass'd the way
Did join in the pursuit.

And now the turnpike gates again
Flew open in short space--
The toll-men thinking as before,
That Gilpin rode a race;
And so he did, and won it, too,
For he got first to town:
Nor stopp'd till, where he had got up,
He did again get down,

Now let us sing: Long live the king,
And Gilp