The Humourous Poetry of the English Language

242
That luxury, from time to time, invents?
Soft, hard, and dropped; and now with sugar sweet,
And now boiled up with milk, the eggs they eat:
In sherbet, in preserves; at last they tickle
Their palates fanciful with eggs in pickle,
All had their day--the last was still the best
But a grave senior thus, one day, addressed
The epicures: "Boast, ninnies, if you will,
These countless prodigies of gastric skill--
But blessings on the man WHO BROUGHT THE HENS!"
Beyond the sunny Philippines
Our crowd of modern authors need not go
New-fangled modes of cooking eggs to show.
THE ASS AND HIS MASTER.
FROM THE SPANISH OF YRIARTE.
G. H. DEVEREUX.
"On good and bad an equal value sets
The stupid mob. From me the worst it gets,
And never fails to praise," With vile pretense,
The scurrilous author thus his trash excused.
A poet shrewd, hearing the lame defense,
Indignant, thus exposed the argument abused.
A Donkey's master said unto his beast,
While doling out to him his lock of straw,
"Here, take it--since such diet suits your taste,
And much good may it do your vulgar maw!"
Often the slighting speech the man repeated.
The Ass--his quiet mood by insult heated--
Replies: "Just what you choose to give, I take,
Master unjust! but not because I choose it.
Think you I nothing like but straw? Then make
The experiment. Bring corn, and see if I refuse it."
Ye caterers for the public, hence take heed
How your defaults by false excuse you cover!