Early seventeenth century blacksmithing

[Strine]

Half my internet time is spent searching/scouring for celtic music so that I can accompany it with a squealing tin whistle. I even manage to hit some of the notes.
Then I came across this ditty written by Thomas D'urfey (1653-1723). I had tears in my eyes and stomache cramps for an hour after. Understand though that it is... er... well... your clever children may need parental guidance. No swearing etc..it's just a song about a smith doing some work for a damsel.

Just do a google search for "The lusty young Smith (Thomas D'Urfey)"


A short history on D'urfey can be found here too

http://www.contemplator.com/history/durfey.html



Edit: This edit was posted at a time when the views were still in the low single digits. The warning "children may need parental guidance" did apply, and was thoughtfully included in the original post. The direct URL link was removed and replaced with a google search string to locate that page. This will insure that childern can not get there through the IForgeIron or BlacksmithingForum sites.

[Strine]

Glenn, I felt it was worth the risk in posting the above and felt sure that as it passed over the editor's desk it would be given the proper treatment, thankyou kindly.

A reason art, particularly comedy, touches people is they recognise an affinity between aspects of their own lives and the subject. I hasten to add that infidelity is not one in my case So as a blacksmith and as a normal bloke I saw the funny side. D'urfey must have lived next door to a smith. His description of blacksmithing (in terms of shaping metal by heating and hammering etc) is really on the mark.

[dan@modernblacksmith]

gone

[Glenn]

For those following this thread, the edit was made to the post and Strine was sent both an email and a personal messange through the site to notify him of the change to his post. He was also invited to discuss this action with me at any time.

The IForgeIron sites are clean sites where children are encouraged to read the material and the knowledge contained on the site that is placed there by the contributors. This post contains material written in a different time, somewhere around the 1700's, some 300 years ago.

Because of the subject content of the off site material referenced blacksmithing, and was presented as humor with a proper warning that "children may need parental guidance", I felt it proper to remove the hot link directly to the off site page and replace it with a google search string. Nothing else was changed, no other edits were made, and no content was lost or removed.

This now allows children to continue to view the site as before without being able to accidently open doors to places and materials that may be inappropraite for them. For the rest of us, using a google search is not a lot to ask to insure the safety of those children.

Strine, I see nothing wrong with your post. It was blacksmithing related, and you placed the proper warnings up front as a courtesy to others.

To the others viewers to the post, I hope this better explains why (and how) some edits are made.