A KERRY PASTORAL

IN IMITATION OF

THE FIRST ECLOGUE

OF VIRGIL.

EDITED,

WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES, BY

T. CROFTON CROKER, ESQ.

LONDON:

REPRINTED FOR THE PERCY SOCIETY.

M.DCCC.XLIII.

COUNCIL

OF

The Percy Society.

President.

THE RT. HON. LORD BRAYBROOKE, F.S.A.

THOMAS AMYOT, Esq. F.R.S., TREAS. S A.

WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq.

J. A. CAHUSAC, Esq. F.S.A.

WILLIAM CHAPPELL, Esq. F.S.A., Treasurer.

J. PAYNE COLLIER, Esq. F.S.A.

T. CROFTON CROKER, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.I.A.

PETER CUNNINGHAM, Esq.

REV. ALEXANDER DYCE.

WILLIAM JERDAN, Esq. F.S.A., M.R.S.L.

SIR FREDERICK MADDEN, K.H., F.R.S., F.S.A.

T. J. PETTIGREW, Esq. F.R S., F.S.A.

E. F. RIMBAULT, Esq. F.S.A. Secretary.

WILLIAM J. THOMS, Esq. F.S.A.

JAMES WALSH, Esq. F.S.A.

THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq. M.A., F.S.A.

INTRODUCTION.

HE Kerry pastoral now presented to the Members of the Percy Society, is reprinted from a copy, 12 pages 4to. believed to be unique, in the possession of the Editor, to whom it was

given by Sir William Betham, in 1829.

Dr. Smith in his history of Kerry, p. 418, thus refers to this composition. "Some of the inhabitants have produced tolerable specimens of poetry, not only in their native language, but also in English; for besides some occasional verses already hinted at, p. 108,* not many years ago a humorous eclogue called 'a Kerry Pastoral,' was addressed by a poet of this country to the fellows of T. C. D. which had no inconsiderable share of merit." But slight glances at the history of the county in which this poem was circulated-at the

*The passage referred to is copied at p. 34.