The bardling was frightened, as well he mote be, And he looked around, but nought could he see; The lanky-legg’d bardling was frightened, odd rat it, And to tell you the truth, I don’t much wonder at it: For the mastiff had vanish’d, and he was alone, With nothing at hand, but the grey square stone; Thro’ which the wind oozed with a terrible crack, Like a shoulder of mutton spun round on the jack. * * * * * The Baron has put on his night-gown and cap, To know the reason of this mishap; The Baron has put on his cap and night-gown, And with club-stick in hand, has gone in a fright down; And there he discovered, oh! think how shocking, Bard Bracey alone without shoe or stocking; “Bard Bracey, Bard Bracey,” the Baron exclaimed, “To remain in this manner, pray arn’t you ashamed?” “Bard Bracey, Bard Bracey,” the Baron he cried, “Go back, go back, to your own bedside, Or with this good cudgel of forest renown, As I hope to be saved, I will knock you down.” Bard Bracey hath girt up his loins and fled, And the Baron eftsoons has gone to bed; And a noise is heard, an inscrutable din, Of the mastiff without, and the kittens within. And the Baron has woke in a hell of a fright, And is close to the tinder-box striking a light; But in striking the flint with too numerous blows, He has missed the tinder, and struck his nose. * * * * * The proud-hearted Baron, o’ercome by the pain, Jump’d out of his bed, but finding it vain, Altered his mind and jump’d in again: And there he dreamt of the father of evil, ’Ycleft by sinners on earth, the devil; But before he could tell what his spirits were at, In popp’d father Satan in shape of a cat. And he skipp’d thro’ the key-hole with terrible pother, A match in one hand, and his tail in the other; And said to the Baron, with funeral glee, “Come, leap thro’ the window, and fly with me; For I’m the mastiff that kick’d up a rout, And my broomstick is waiting to carry you out.” The Baron requested a little delay; But the ill-tempered devil said “Nay, sir, nay;” So he put on his breeches and scampered away. And here might I tell how they rode on the wind, The Baron before, and the devil behind; How they rattled along, without food or pelf, On the high road to Hell, for I saw them myself. How they flew through the clouds like an air baloon. And quickly arrived at the hills of the moon. How the goddess herself was too late to meet them, But sent a committee of moon-calves to greet them; How, at five o’clock, just in time for dinner, The good-looking couple arrived at the inner Abode of hell, where their journey was o’er, And they dined off a chop in the Devil’s boudoir; All this I could tell, if I wasn’t afraid, That Satan would blush for the pranks I betrayed. * * * * *