Pickwick Abroad; or, The Tour in France — page 68: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

PICKWICK ABROAD, 55. And Fame ts ready to recite The deeds that thou shalt tell her; Great planet! with thy satellite, Th’ immortal Samuel Weller! «© Pickwick! with Winkle as thy spear, And Tupman as thy shield, Armies of French thou need’st not fear To combat in the field. And when your foes, to danger blind, Lie scattered on the sod-grass, A laureate poet thou shalt find In me—Augustus Snodgrass! ** Whilst thou art roaming far away, In search of fresh renown, And while I hear thy name each day The topic of the town ; Dull as a rush-light that appears As if it had a sick wick, °Tis mine to pass the day in tears During thine absence, Pickwick !” Read this effusion three times. Tupman, rather angry at being taken for a shield,—thought it alluded to the width of his person. Winkle im high spirits at the allusion to his courage. After all, Snodgrass is a very clever fellow. — | At length safely mounted on the top of the coach, Tupman next to an old lady to whom he has already offered a biscuit, and Sam regal- ing the guard from a case-botilefull of brandy. Stopped at Shooters’ Hill, and saw old Mr. Weller, who, in his own peculiarly native and original language, assured us that he is “* much better in a public than if he had kept a pike.” Could not help admirmg the notice to travel- lers that is painted in large letters over the door of old Mr. Weller’s ima. It ran as follows :— “This 1s the house of Tony Weller— Good stabling,—good beds,—and good cellar ; All them as enters in it, Would rayther stay an hour than a minute.” tronely suspect Snodgrass wrote this: very much in his style. The yrammar may have been perverted by the artizan who printed the let- ers, Nothing but poetry to-day. Took a elass of alewith old Mr. Weller to drink his health—a ditto of pitters to correct the acidity of the ale—and a deééo of hot brandy-and- ater to keep us warm outside the coach. ‘Tupman insisted upon the Id lady’s taking a glass of dztto also. I did not see the necessity of is. Winkle joined us in each adzéto., Unfortunate gentleman, who sate near us, suddenly recollected he d forgotten his purse. He had known, me intimately in my younger ys ,—dined with my uncle, he said, fourteen years ago, with whom | had left his watch, and id never ealled for it since. Gace ration tuning on heraldic blazonry, unfortunate gentleman told me that his urcle’s escutcheon bore the arms of Lombardy. Man of some rank, =) EORMICLOOO KS5€O