However, of late as they've rous'd them anew, And as nothing's done there now-a-days without eating, And here I could tell, if it wasn't for stopping, And merely observe that the girls look'd divine, And the old folks in-doors exclaimed "Bless us how fine!" Apollo arriv'd, had no sooner embodied His essence ethereal, than quenching his godhead, To afford you a notion of what he could be; A figure sublim'd above mortal degree, His limbs the perfection of elegant strength- (For the God, you'll observe, like his statues was drest,) I would not say more, lest my climax should lose ;- When a thought more than common came into his head: Then they leap'd in their frankness, deliciously bright, And shot round about them an arrowy light; And if, as he shook back his hair in its cluster, A curl fell athwart them and darke»'d their lustre, A sprinkle of gold through the duskiness came, Like the sun through a tree, when he's setting in flame. The God, then, no sooner had taken a chair, And rung for the landlord to order the fare, Than he heard a strange noise and a knock from witlaout, And scraping and bowing, came in such a rout! There was Arnold, and Reynolds, and Dibdin, and Cherry, All grinning, as who should say, "Shan't we be merry?" And mighty dull Cobb, lumb'ring just like a bear up, And sweet Billy Dimond, a patting his hair up. The God, for an instant, sat fix'd as a stone, And Hook, they say, couldn't help mutt'ring" Damnation !" 'Twas lucky for Colman he wasn't there too, For his pranks would have certainly met with their due, door: Apollo just gave them a glance with his eye"Spencer-Rogers-Montgom❜ry"--and putting them by, Begg'd the landlord to give his respects to all three, "Your majesty, then," said the Gaius, "don't know That a person nam❜d Crabbe has been waiting below? He has taken his chair in the kitchen, they say "Indeed!" said Apollo, "O pray let him stay: He'll be much better pleased to be with 'em down stairs, And will find ye all out with your cookings and cares. But mind that you treat him as well as you're able, And let him have part of what goes from the table."(7) A soft, smiling voice then arose on the ear, As if some one from court was about to appear: "O, this is the room, my good friend? Ah, I see it is;- And said, "Will Apollo excuse this intrusion? I might have kept back-but I thought 'twould look odd And friendship, you know-pray how is my dear God??? A smile, followed up by a shake of the head, Cross'd the fine lip of Phoebus, who view'd him, and said "I'll give you a lesson, Sir, quite your own seeking, And one that you very much want-on plain speaking. Pray have you to learn-and at this time of day, That your views on regard have been all the wrong way? One ten thousandth part of the words and the time That you've wasted on praises instead of your rhyme, Might have gained you a title to this kind of freedom; But volumes of endings, lugg'd in as you need 'em, Of hearts and imparts, where's the soul that can read 'em ?(8) So saying, his eye so alarmingly shone, That ere it could wink, the poor devil was gone. A hem was then heard, consequential and snapping, And a sour little gentleman walk'd with a rap in. He bow'd, look'd about him, seem'd cold, and sat down, And said, "I'm surpris'd that you'll visit this town :To be sure, there are one or two of us who know you, But as for the rest, they are all much below you. So stupid, in gen'ral, the natives are grown, They really prefer Scotch reviews to their own; So that what with their taste, their reformers, and stuff, They have sicken'd myself and my friends long enough." "Yourself and your friends!" cried the God in high glee; "And pray, my frank visiter, who may you be?" "Who be!" cried the other; "why really-this toneWilliam Gifford's a name, I think, pretty well known!?? "O-now I remember," said Phoebus ;-" ah, true→→→ My thanks to that name are undoubtedly due: The rod, that got rid of the Cruscas and LaurasThat plague of the butterflies-sav'd me the horrors; The Juvenal, too, stops a gap in one's shelf, At least in what Dryden has not done himself; And there's something, which even distaste must respect, In the self-taught example, that conquer'd neglect. Of modesty, wit, and a small stock of patience, And not to small critics, however well known." With "Well, Mr. Scott, you have manag'd the town; |