Dibdin, from materials gathered on the spot, has, in his own happy manner, drawn representations of these gatherings. His portraits of horses and dogs, and his description of the social habits of the Squire and his friends are faithfully set forth in his song of “Bachelor’s Hall:”— “To Bachelor’s Hall we good fellows invite To partake of the chase which makes up our delight, We’ve spirits like fire, and of health such a stock, That our pulse strikes the seconds as true as a clock. Did you see us you’d swear that we mount with a grace, That Diana had dubb’d some new gods of the chase. Hark away! hark away! all nature looks gay, And Aurora with smiles ushers in the bright day. “Dick Thickset came mounted upon a fine black, A finer fleet gelding ne’er hunter did back; Tom Trig rode a bay full of mettle and bone, And gaily Bob Buckson rode on a roan; But the horse of all horses that rivalled the day Was the Squire’s Neck-or-Nothing, and that was a grey. Hark away! &c. “Then for hounds there was Nimble who well would climb rocks, And Cocknose a good one at finding a fox; Little Plunge, like a mole, who would ferret and search, And beetle-brow’d Hawk’s Eye so dead at a lurch: Young Sly-looks that scents the strong breeze from the south, And Musical Echo with his deep mouth. Hark away! &c. “Our horses, thus all of the very best blood, ’Tis not likely you’d easily find such a stud; Then for foxhounds, our opinion for thousands we’ll back, That all England throughout can’t produce such a pack. Thus having described you our dogs, horses, and crew, Away we set off, for our fox is in view. Hark away! &c. “Sly Reynard’s brought home, while the horn sounds the call, And now you’re all welcome to Bachelor’s Hall; The savoury sirloin gracefully smokes on the board, And Bacchus pours wine from his sacred hoard. Come on, then, do honour to this jovial place, And enjoy the sweet pleasures that have sprung from the chase. Hark away! hark away! while our spirits are gay, Let us drink to the joys of next meeting day.” On the occasion of Dibdin’s visit there were at the Hall more than the usual local notables, and Parson Stephens was amongst them. As a treat intended specially for Dibdin, the second course at dinner consisted of Severn fish, such as we no longer have in the river. There were eels cooked in various ways, flounders, perch, trout, carp, grayling, pike, and at the head of the table that king of Severn fish, a salmon. _Dibdin_: “This is a treat, Squire, and I can readily understand now why the Severn should be called the ‘Queen of Rivers;’ it certainly deserves the distinction for its fish, if for nothing else.”