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SONG 0' THE SUSSEX MEN |
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By Arthur Beckett (dedicated to " the men of sussex society.")
For the benefit of those unfortunate folk who are not natives of Sussex it is perhaps necessary to give some explanation of the references in the following song. Thus, the first three stanzas refer to legends connected with three Sussex saints. Dudeney (pronounced " Dude-ney ") was a self-taught Downland shepherd who ultimately became a schoolmaster in the county town. Thomas Paine, the famous freethinker and champion of the " rights of man," lived in Lewes, suffered contumely, and died abroad. Tipper was the inventor of the noted beer bearing his name; Shelley and Cobden were two of Sussex's greatest sons—the former one of the greatest poets of this country, and the latter the repealer of the Corn Laws.
As for dialectal words in the song, it may be explained that" furriner " is a term applied to all persons who come from any county but Sussex. " Chouse " is one cant term for another, i.e., " silly fool." " Sartin " equals " certain " ; " ship " is " sheep " ; " the hill " is " the downs " ; " e'en-a'most " is Sussex for " almost " used in some connections ; " dunnamany " stands for " I don't
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