XII. And so this Ox, in frantic mood, Faced round like any Bull The mob turn'd tail, and he pursued, Till they with heat and fright were stewed, But had his belly full. XIII. Old Nick's astride the beast, 'tis clear Old Nicholas, to a tittle! But all agree, he'd disappear, Would but the Parson venture near, And through his teeth,* right o'er the steer, Achilles was a warrior fleet, XIV. The Trojans he could worry- XV. Through gardens, lanes and fields new plough'd, To see this helter-skelter crowd, That had more wrath than courage. According to the superstition of the West-Countries, if you meet the Devil, you may either cut him in half with a straw, or force him to disappear by spitting over his horns. XVI. Alas! to mend the breaches wide XVII. But here once more to view did pop And now he cried "Stop, neighbours! stop; XVIII. "The Ox is mad! Ho! Dick, Bob, Mat!" "Ho! stretch this rope across the plat— XIX. "A lying dog! just now he said "The Ox was only glad— "Let's break his presbyterian head!” "Hush!" quoth the sage, "you've been misled; "No quarrels now-let's all make head "YOU DROVE THE POOR OX MAD." XX. As thus I sat, in careless chat, With the morning's wet newspaper, As blind and blundering as a bat, XXI. And so my Muse perforce drew bit; And in he rush'd and panted "Well, have you heard?" No, not a whit. "What, ha'nt you heard?" Come, out with it!— "That TIERNEY votes for Mister Pitt, "And SHERIDAN's recanted!” PARLIAMENTARY OSCILLATORS. Almost awake? Why, what is this, and whence, Sure, 'tis not possible that Common Sense Has hitch'd her pullies to each heavy eye-lid? Yet wherefore else that start, which discomposes That precipice three yards beyond your noses? Yet flatter you I cannot, that your wit Is much improved by this long loyal dosing; Now cluttering to the Treasury Cluck, like chicken, Now with small beaks the ravenous Bill opposing; With serpent-tongue now stinging, and now licking, Now semi-sibilant, now smoothly glozing— Now having faith implicit that he can't err, And now believing him a sly inchanter, Yet still afraid to break his brittle charms, Lest some mad Devil suddenly unhamp'ring, On revolutionary broom-stick scampering.- If you can stay so long from slumber free, My muse shall make an effort to salute 'e: For lo! a very dainty simile Flash'd sudden through my brain, and 'twill just suit 'el You know that water-fowl that cries, Quack! quack!? The ivy-haunting bird, that cries, Tu-whoo! Both plunged together in the deep mill-stream, (Mill-stream, or farm-yard pond, or mountain-lake,) Shrill, as a Church and Constitution scream, TU-WHOO! quoth BROAD-FACE, and down dives the Drake! The green-neck'd Drake once more pops up to view, Even so on Loyalty's Decoy-pond, each And once more seeks the bottom's blackest mud! |