*This Book is annotated (it contains a detailed biography of the author). *An active Table of Contents has been added by the publisher for a better customer experience. *This book has been checked and corrected for spelling errors. In some collection of old English Ballads there is an ancient ditty which I am told bears some remote and distant resemblance to the following Epic Poem. I beg to quote the emphatic language of my estimable friend (if he will allow me to call him so), the Black Bear in Piccadilly, and to assure all to whom these presents may come, that "I am the original." This affecting legend is given in the following pages precisely as I have frequently heard it sung on Saturday nights, outside a house of general refreshment (familiarly termed a wine vaults) at Battle-bridge. The singer is a young gentleman who can scarcely have numbered nineteen summers, and who before his last visit to the treadmill, where he was erroneously incarcerated for six months as a vagrant (being unfortunately mistaken for another gentleman), had a very melodious and plaintive tone of voice, which, though it is now somewhat impaired by gruel and such a getting up stairs for so long a period, I hope shortly to find restored. I have taken down the words from his own mouth at different periods, and have been careful to preserve his pronunciation, together with the air to which he does so much justice. Of his execution of it, however, and the intense melancholy which he communicates to such passages of the song as are most susceptible of such an expression, I am unfortunately unable to convey to the reader an adequate idea, though I may hint that the effect seems to me to be in part produced by the long and mournful drawl on the last two or three words of each verse.I had intended to have dedicated my imperfect illustrations of this beautiful Romance to the young gentleman in question. As I cannot find, however, that he is known among his friends by any other name than "The Tripe-skewer," which I cannot but consider as a soubriquet, or nick-name; and as I feel that it would be neither respectful nor proper to address him publicly by that title, I have been compelled to forego the pleasure. If this should meet his eye, will he pardon my humble attempt to embellish with the pencil the sweet ideas to which he gives such feeling utterance? And will he believe me to remain his devoted admirer,GEORGE CRUIKSHANK?P.S.--The above is not my writing, nor the notes either, nor am I on familiar terms (but quite the contrary) with the Black Bear. Nevertheless I admit the accuracy of the statement relative to the public singer whose name is unknown, and concur generally in the sentiments above expressed relative to him.

Differentiated book- It has a historical context with research of the time-The Loving Ballad of Lord Bateman by Charles Dickens. It is a classic poem in English by the great English writers, Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray. In some collection of old English ballads there is an ancient song that I am told has a remote and distant resemblance to the following epic poem. Please quote the emphatic language of my dear friend (if I may call it that), the Black Bear in Piccadilly, and assure everyone to whom these gifts can reach, that "I am the original." This poignant legend is given on the following pages precisely as I often heard it sung on Saturday nights, in front of a general refreshment house (known familiarly as wine cellars) on the battle bridge. Charles Dickens - Charles John Huffam Dickens FRSA (February 7, 1812 - June 9, 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is considered by many to be the best novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the 20th century, critics and scholars recognized him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are still widely read today. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens dropped out of school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtor's prison.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1857.

An adaptation by W.M. Thackeray of the traditional ballad. With notes by Charles Dickens.