Poems and Plays 18441864 Author:Robert Browning General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1911 Original Publisher: Dent Subjects: Drama / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Criticism / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Literary Criticism / Drama Literary Criticism / Poetry Poetry / General Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: ... more »This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: XV. So, Willy, let you and me be wipers Of scores out with all men -- especially pipers: And, whether they pipe us free, from rats or from mice, If we've promised them aught, let us keep our promise. "HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD NEWS FROM GHENT TO AIX." [I6 -- .] I Sprang to the stirrup, and Joris, and he; I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three; "Good speed!" cried the watch, as the gate-bolts undrew; "Speed!" echoed the wall to us galloping through; Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest, And into the midnight we galloped abreast. II. Not a word to each other; we kept the great pace Neck by neck, stride by stride, never changing our place; I turned in my saddle and made its girths tight, Then shortened each stirrup, and set the pique right, Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker the bit, Nor galloped less steadily Koland a whit. III. 'Twas moonset at starting; but while we drew near Lokern, the cocks crew and twilight dawned clear; At Boom, a great yellow star came out to see; At Duffleld, 'twas morning as plain as could be ; And from Mecheln church-steeple we heard the half- ' chime, So Juris broke silence with, "Yet there is time ! " IV. At Aerschot, up leaped of a sudden the sun, And against him the cattle stood black every one, To stare thro' the mist at us galloping past, And I saw...« less