Denote him of the reptile kind; Denote the rage with which he writes, An equal semblance still to keep, And here my simile almost tript, Well! what of that? out with it-stealing; Being each as great a thief as he : Are they but senseless stones and blocks? VARIATIONS. b our scribbling bards. AN ELEGY ON THE DEATH OF A MAD DOG.' GOOD people all, of every sort, Give ear unto my song; In Islington there was a man, A kind and gentle heart he had, And in that town a dog was found, Both mungrel, puppy, whelp, and hound, See Vicar of Wakefield, c. xvii. In the Citizen of the World, vol. ii. lett. lxvi. is a paper on the Epidemic Terror, the dread of Mad Dogs, which now prevails; the whole nation is now actually groaning under the malignity of its influence.' This dog and man at first were friends; But when a pique began, The dog, to gain his private ends, Around from all the neighbouring streets The wound it seem'd both sore and sad To every christian eye; And while they swore the dog was mad, They swore the man would die. But soon a wonder came to light, The man recover'd of the bite, The dog it was that died. THE CLOWN'S REPLY. JOHN TROTT was desir'd by two witty peers To tell them the reason why asses had ears? An't please you,' quoth John, 'I'm not given to letters, Nor dare I pretend to know more than my betters; Howe'er, from this time I shall ne'er see your graces, As I hope to be sav'd! without thinking on asses.' Edinburgh, 1753. STANZAS ON WOMAN.' WHEN lovely woman stoops to folly, The only art her guilt to cover, To hide her shame from every eye, 1 See Vicar of Wakefield, c. xxiv. A DESCRIPTION OF AN AUTHOR'S BEDCHAMBER.1 WHERE the Red Lion staring o'er the way, Invites each passing stranger that can pay; Where Calvert's butt, and Parson's black cham paign, Regale the drabs and bloods of Drury-lane; There in a lonely room, from bailiffs snug, The Muse found Scroggen stretch'd beneath a rug; The morn was cold, he views with keen desire With beer and milk arrears the frieze was scor'd, These lines first appeared in the Citizen of the World, vol. i. letter xxix. |