The Lay of the Sheriff

"The Lay of the Sheriff" by Philip Lybbe Powys Lybbe is a funny poem from the late 1800s that makes fun of what it was like to be a sheriff back then. It looks at all the weird and complicated things about being a sheriff in a small town, especially when the yearly court sessions called Assizes came around. The story follows Mr. Vanderstegen, who becomes the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, and the poem shows his funny worries, how he gets ready for the job, and all the parties he has to go to. The poem uses light and funny language to show how much pressure the sheriff is under and the crazy things that happen at these events, while poking fun at people's silly expectations and how the character tries to handle his new job.