own
hand the entire works of the poet no fewer than ten times, was the
designer of his own house, which seems to have been a miracle of
discomfort. He was an eccentric of the most determined character, so
much so that he gradually lost all friends. According to Horsfield, "The
spirit of nicety and refinement prevailed in it [his house] so much
during his lifetime, that when a friend (a baronet) called upon him on
a tour, he was desired to leave his cane in the vestibule, lest he
should either dirt the floor with it, or soil the carpet."

[Sidenote: HARVEST HOME]

One does not think naturally of old Sussex customs in connection with
this town, so thoroughly urban as it now is and so largely populated by
visitors, but I find in the Sussex Archaeological Collections the
following interesting account, by a Hastings alderman, of an old harvest
ceremony in the neighbourhood:--"At the head of the table one of the men
occupied the position of chairman; in front of him stood a pail--clean
as wooden staves and iron hoops could be made by human labour. At his
right sat four or five men who led the singing, grave as judges were
they; indeed, the appearance of the whole assembly was one of the
greatest solemnity, except for a moment or two when some unlucky wight
failed to 'turn the cup over,' and was compelled to undergo the penalty
in that case made and provided. This done, all went on as solemnly as
before.

"The ceremony, if I may call it so, was this: The leader, or chairman,
standing behind the pail with a tall horn cup in his hand, filled it
with beer from the pail. The man next to him on the left stood up, and
holding a hat with both hands by the brim, crown upwards, received the
cup from the chairman, on the crown of the hat, not touching it with
either hand. He then lifted the cup to his lips by raising the hat, and
slowly drank off the contents. As soon as he began to drink, the chorus
struck up this chant:

I've bin to Plymouth and I've bin to Dover.
I have bin rambling, boys, all the wurld over--
Over and over and over and over,
Drink up yur liquor and turn yur cup over;
Over and over and over and over,
The liquor's drink'd up and the cup is turned over.

"The man drinking was expected to time his draught so as to empty his
cup at the end of the fourth line of the chant; he was then to return
the hat to the perpendicular, still holding the hat by the brim, then to
throw