Hobbinol, or the Rural Games: a Burlesque Poem, in Blank Verse. by William Somervile Esq: Volume 2

Hobbinol, Or The Rural Games: A Burlesque Poem, In Blank Verse. By William Somervile Esq is a satirical mock-epic written in blank verse that lampoons luxury, pride, and folly among rural communities. The poem, set in the Vale of Eveham, centers on Hobbinol, a magnate who presides over May-games and rustic contests, and his ward Gandarette, the beloved queen of the games. Across cantos, it blends high ceremonial diction with farcical detail—prizes like embroidered gloves, beaver with silver edging, and belts, athletic feats, fiddlers, bagpipes, and dancers—while tracing competitive passions, love intrigues, and the fragility of fame. The narrative frame includes a Preface and Dedication that discuss the theory and aims of burlesque verse, and the work culminates in scenes of public festivity turning into chaotic conflict, culminating in the arrest of the protagonist by Rhadamanth and the moral reflection on power, vanity, and social order. It remains a notable eighteenth-century example of satirical rural theatre in verse.