Page:Devonshire Characters and Strange Events.djvu/32

No longer let K—s at the H—m of the St—e,
With fleecing and grinding pursue Britain's Fate;
Let Power no longer your Wishes disguise,
But off with their Heads—by the Way of Excise,
The Way of Excise, etc.

From two Latin words, ex and scindo, I ween,
Came the hard Word Excise, which to Cut off does mean.
Take the Hint then, my Lads, let your Freedom advise,
And give them a Taste of their fav'rite Excise,
Their fav'rite Excise, etc.

Then toss off your Bumpers, my Lads, while you may,
To Pitt and Lord Temple, Huzza, Boys, huzza !
Here's the King that to tax his poor Subjects denies,
But Pox o' the Schemer that plann'd the Excise,
That plann'd the Excise, etc.

The apple trees were too many and too deep-rooted and too stout for the Scotch thistle. The symptoms of popular dislike drove Bute to resign (8 April, 1763), to the surprise of all. The duty, however, was not repealed till 1830. In my Book of the West (Devon), I have given an account of cyder-making in the county, and I will not repeat it here. But I may mention the curious Devonshire saying about Francemass, or St. Franken Days. These are the 19th, 20th, and 21st May, at which time very often a frost comes that injures the apple blossom. The story goes that there was an Exeter brewer, of the name of Frankin, who found that cyder ran his ale so hard that he vowed his soul to the devil on the condition that his Satanic Majesty should send three frosty nights in May annually to cut off the apple blossom.

And now to return to Hugh Stafford. He opens his letter with an account of the origin of the Royal Wilding, one of the finest sorts of apple for the making of choice cyder.

"Since you have seen the Royal Wilding apple, which is so very much celebrated (and so de-