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Mad jigs, to which the gravest of mankind might have cut eccentric capers. We were all convulsed with laughter. If that does not make you rise nothing will." I left the bran all night by the fire. Early in the morning I had the satisfaction of finding that it had risen high above the rim of the pot, and was surrounded by a fine crown of bubbles.
In these jigs there were sometimes more actors than one, and the most unbounded license of tongue was allowed; the pith of the matter being usually some scurrilous exposure of persons among, or well known to the audience. Here again history repeats itself in this once more, and in imitation of the satirical interludes of the Grecian stage and the Atellans and Mimis of the Roman theatres.
'Reels, and jigs, and country-dances like the New-Rigged-Ship, and Follow-my-Lover, and Haste-to-the-Wedding, and the College Hornpipe, and the Favourite Quickstep, and Captain White's dance. 'A very good list a very good! but unluckily I fear they don't dance any of those now. But if you have the instinct we may soon cure your ignorance. Let me see you dance a moment.
Dancing was the daily occupation rather than the amusement at court and elsewhere, and the names of dances exceeded the list of the virtues such as the French brawl, the pavon, the measure, the canary, and many under the general titles of corantees, jigs, galliards, and fancies.
The bookish man and the merry damsel started up simultaneously to dance, the former enacting the double shuffle in a style which everybody must have witnessed ere election week was blotted out of time, while the girl, setting her arms akimbo with both hands at her slim waist, displayed such light rapidity of foot and harmony of varying attitude and motion that I could not conceive how she ever was to stop, imagining at the moment that Nature had made her, as the old showman had made his puppets, for no earthly purpose but to dance jigs.
All night the reels and jigs went on, and the feasting and drinking too. In the fine rain that came at dawn to hide the crests, the company rode wearily homeward through the notches. Some to endure, and many to quail, Some to conquer, and many to fail, Toiling over the Wilderness Trail. As long as I live I shall never forget the morning we started on our journey across the Blue Wall.
Tune followed tune with endless fluency and variety polkas, galops, reels, jigs, quadrilles; fragments of airs from many lands "The Fisher's Hornpipe," "Charlie is my Darling," "Marianne s'en va-t-au Moulin," "Petit Jean," "Jordan is a Hard Road to Trabbel," woven together after the strangest fashion and set to the liveliest cadence. It was a magical performance. No one could withstand it.
When supper was over, they resumed their drinking, sang songs, and told anecdotes with great glee and hilarity. Phelim and Peggy danced jigs and reels, whilst Appleton sang for them, and the bottle also did its duty. On separating about two o'clock, there was not a sober man among them but Appleton.
"You would not call him a lady's man, if you mean he wastes his time on them." "But you say he dances?" "Ach, Gott! Don't we all dance to some tune or other?" cried the waiter philosophically. "You are right; different music, different jigs. Take the coppers." "Thanks, Herr." The waiter continued his work. So Herr Carmichael lived here. That would be convenient. Grumbach decided to wait for him.
He does hold my master up with his stones, and songs, and catches, and such tricks, and jigs you would admire he is with him now. By no one has my return to the Hall been more heartily greeted than by Mr. Simon Bracebridge, or Master Simon, as the squire most commonly calls him.
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