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186 KIPLING'S SUSSEX
would they remember the inn at Washington, and smile. For fame is of this character. It goes by the sound of names."
The Poet: " For what, then, is the inn of Washington famous ? "
The Sailor : " Not for a song, but for the breeder of songs. You shall soon learn."
And when he had said that we all went in together, and, in the inn of Washington, we put it to the test whether what so many men had sung of that ale were true or no. But hardly had the sailor put his tankard down when he cried out in a loud voice :
" It is true, and I believe ! "
Then he went on further:
" Without any doubt whatsoever, this nectar was brewed in the waxing of the moon and of that barley which Brutus brought hither in the first founding of this land ! And the water wherein that barley-corn was brewed was May-day dew, the dew upon the grass before sunrise of a May-day morning. For it has all the seven qualities of ale, which are :—
Aleph—Clarity.
Beth—Savour.
Gimel—A lively hue.
Daleth—Lightness.
He—Profundity.
Vau—Strength retained, and lastly, Zayin, which is Perfection and The End."
Our interest in inns and old ale is now becoming |
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