BURNING LORD MANSFIELD'S LIBRARY.
BURNING OF LORD MANSFIELD'S
LIBRARY,
BY THE MOB, IN THE MONTH OF JUNE, 1780.
I.
So then--the Vandals of our isle,
Sworn foes to fenfe and law,
Have burnt to duft a nobler pile
Than ever Roman saw!
And MURRAY sighs over Pope and Swift,
And many a treasure more,
The well-judged purchase and the gift,
That graced his lettered store.
III.
Their pages mangled, burnt, and torn,
The loss was his alone;
But ages yet to come shall mourn
The burning of his own.
BURNING LORD MANSFIELD'S LIBRARY,
I.
When wit and genius meet their doom
In all devouring flame,
They tell us of the fate of Rome,
And bid us fear the same.
II.
Over Murray's loss the muses wept,
They felt the rude alarm,
Yet blessed the guardian care, that kept
His facred head from harm.
III.
There memory, like the bee, that's fed
From Flora's balmy store,
The quintessence of all he read
Had treasured up before.
IV.
The lawless herd, with fury blind,
Have done him cruel wrong;
The flowers are gone-but ftill we find
The honey on his tongue.
THE LOVE OF THE WORLD
REPROVED;
OR,
HYPOCRISY DETECTED *.
Thus says the prophet of the Turk,
Good mussulman, abftain from pork;
There is a part in every swine
No friend or follower of mine
May taste, whatever his inclination,
On pain of excommunication.
Such Mahomet's mysterious charge,
And thus he left the point at large.
Had he the finful part expressed,
They might with safety eat the rest;
But for one piece they thought it hard.
From the whole hog to be debarred;
And set their wit at work to find
What joint the prophet had in mind,
* It may be proper to inform the reader that this piece has al. ready appeared in print, having found its way, though with some ur.neceí ary additions by an unknown hand, into the Leeds Jour. nal, without the author's privity.
Much controversy straight arose,
These choose the back, the belly those;
By some 'tis confidently said
He meant not to forbid the head;
While others at that doctrine rail,
And piously prefer the tail.
Thus, conscience freed from every clog,
Mahometans eat up the hog.
You laugh-—'tis well—The tale applied
May make you laugh on t'other side.
Renounce the world--the preacher cries.
We doma multitude replies.
While one as innocent regards
A snug and friendly game at cards ;
And one, whatever you may say,
Can see no evil in a play;
Some love a concert, or a race;
And others shooting, and the chase.
Reviled and loved, renounced and followed,
Thus, bit by bit, the world is swallowed;
Each thinks his neighbour makes too free,
Yet likes a Nice as well as he:
With fophiftry their fauce they sweeten,
Till quite from tail to snout 'tis eaten.
Mrs. (now LADY) THROCKMORTON'S
Ye nymphs! if e'er your eyes were red
With tears o'er hapless favourites shed,
O share Maria's grief !
Her favourite, even in his cage,
(What will not hunger's cruel rage ?)
Affaffined by a thief.
Where Rhenus strays his vines among,
The egg was laid from which he sprung,
And though by nature mute,
Or only with a whistle bleft,
Well-taught he all the sounds expressed
Of flagelet or flute.
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