ndle not war's battle fires;
By union, justice, reason, law,
We claim the birth-right of our sires:
We raise the watchword liberty,
We will, we will, we will be free!

{159}

In this strain the oratory flowed, from the reformers--the Chairman,
Mr. Wedd, Mr. E. K. Fordham, who re-called the first reform meeting he
attended in that very room forty years before, and the Rev. J. Horseman
(rector of Heydon).

The third day, and still the reforming zeal had not spent itself, and
the musicians were still in tune, and on Saturday joined in witnessing
a cricket match on the Heath, with a cold dinner. Unfortunately for
the older cricketing reputation of the town it is recorded that "owing
to their having had two amusing days previous there was too much work
in the game of cricket for their performance to be worth recording, and
so threw away their bats and balls and retired to the Indies who were
preparing a social cup of tea, making altogether a party of about 100."

"They then returned to the town headed by the Band, and concluded in
the High Street by playing and singing in full chorus the grand
national anthem of "God save the King," while the bells rang the old
Constitution out and the new one in! Thus ended three days such as the
inhabitants of Royston never before witnessed, and probably never will
again." Other towns in the district--Hitchin, Biggleswade, Ware,
Baldock, &c.,--also had their celebrations, and among the villages
there was a "spirited little set out" at Meldreth, where 750 were
provided with dinner, and the musical amateurs of the village and
neighbourhood with their "violins, clarinets, horns, &c., which they
were using to the best of their knowledge, gave youthful spirits to the
aged, and so well was the commemoration of the Reform Bill conducted
that it was much admired by all who witnessed it. In the evening they
all, ladies and gentlemen and poor, about 400 in number, had a reel
together, and concluded the evening in a very amiable manner, wishing
success to reform."

At the present time when comprehensive schemes of Old Age Pensions are
talked of which may, if carried out, transform much of the present
character of relief of the poor, it will perhaps be of interest to
glance at the state of things just before the introduction of the
present Poor-law had worked a complete parochial revolution.

There is, I imagine, a general impression amongst us, when we ever turn
our thoughts back