The Humourous Poetry of the English Language

455
When all from town have gone,
I'll sit me down, nor pout nor frown,
But sew thy buttons on!"
THE PAID BILL
A BALLAD OF DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
PUNCH
O fling not this receipt away,
Given by one who trusted thee;
Mistakes will happen every day
However honest folks may be.
And sad it is, love, twice to pay;
So cast not that receipt away!
Ah, yes; if e'er, in future hours,
When we this bill have all forgot,
They send it in again--ye powers!
And swear that we have paid it not--
How sweet to know, on such a day
We've never cast receipts away!
PARODY FOR A REFORMED PARLIAMENT.
PUNCH.
The quality of bribery is deep stained;
It droppeth from a hand behind the door
Into the voter's palm. It is
twice dirty:
It dirts both him that gives, and him that takes.
'Tis basest in the basest, and becomes
Low blacklegs more than servants of the Crown.
Those swindlers show the force of venal power,
The attribute to trick and roguery,
Whereby 'tis managed that a bad horse wins:
But bribery is below their knavish "lay."
It is the vilest of dishonest things;