"Who ruled, like a wizard, the world of the "heart, "And could call up its sunshine, or bring "down its showers! "Whose humour, as gay as the fire-fly's light, "Play'd round every subject, and shone as “it play'd ;— "Whose wit, in the combat, as gentle as bright, "Ne'er carried a heart-stain away on its "blade ; "tried, "Whose eloquence-bright'ning whatever it [grave,"Whether reason or fancy, the gay or the "Was as rapid, as deep, and as brilliant a tide, "As ever bore Freedom aloft on its wave!" Yes-such was the man, and so wretched his fate; And thus, sooner or later, shall all have to grieve, Who waste their morn's dew in the beams of the Great, And expect 'twill return to refresh them at eve! In the woods of the North there are insects that prey On the brain of the elk till his very last sigh;* * Naturalists have observed that, upon dissecting an elk, there was found in its head some large flies, with its brain almost eaten away by them.-History of Poland. Oh, Genius! thy patrons, more cruel than they, First feed on thy brains, and then leave thee to die! EPISTLE FROM TOM CRIB TO BIG BEN, Concerning some foul play in a late transac tion.* "Ahi mio Ben!". -Metastasio.+ WHAT! BEN, my old hero, is this your renown? Is this the new go?-kick a man when he's down! When the foe has knock'd under, to tread on him then By the fist of my father, I blush for thee, BEN! "Foul! foul!" all the lads of the fancy exclaim- CHARLEY SHOCK is electrified--BELCHER Spits flame- And MOLYNEUX-ay, even BLACKY cries "shame!" Time was, when JOHN BULL little difference spied [side; 'Twixt the foe at his feet, and the friend at his * Written soon after B*n*pa*te's transportation to St. H*****. + Tom, I suppose, was "assisted to this Motto by Mr. Jackson, who, is well known, keeps the most learned company going." When he found (such his humour in fighting and eating) His foe, like his beef-steak, the sweeter for beating But this comes, Master BEN, of your curst foreign notions, Your trinkets, wigs, thingumbobs, gold lace and lotions, Your Noyaus, Curaçoas, and the Devil knows what (One swig of Blue Ruin is worth the whole lot!) Your great and small crosses—(my eyes, what a brood! A cross-buttock from me would do some of them good!) Which have spoilt you, till hardly a drop, my old porpoise, Of pure English claret is left in your corpus; And (as JIM says) the only one trick, good or bad, Of the fancy you're up to, is fibbing, my lad! Hence it comes,-BOXIANA, disgrace to thy page! Having floor'd, by good luck, the first swell of the age, Having conquered the prime one, that mill'd us all round, You kick'd him, old BEN, as he gasp'd on the ground! 1 Ay-just at the time to show spunk, if you'd Kick'd him, and jaw'd him, and lag'd* him to Botany! Oh, shade of the Cheesemongert you, who, alas! Doubled up, by the dozen, those Mounseers in brass, On that great day of milling, when blood lay in lakes, When Kings held the bottle, and Europe the stakes, Look down upon BEN-see him, dunghill all o'er, Insult the fall'n foe, that can harm him no more; Out, cowardly spooney!-again and again, * Transported. A Life Guardsman, one of the Funcy, who distinguished himself, and was killed in the memorable sct-to at Waterloo. |