HAPPY the man, who, void of cares and strife, The voice ill-boding, and the solemu sound.
In silken or in leathern purse retains

A splendid shilling. He nor hears with pain
New oysters cried, nor sighs for cheerful ale:
But with his friends, when nightly mists arise,
To Juniper's Magpye, or Town Hall,* repairs; ||
Where mindful of the nymph whose wanton
eye
flames,
Transfix'd his soul, and kindled amorous
Chloe or Phillis, he each circling glass
Wisheth her health, and joy, and equal love.
Meanwhile he smokes, and laughs at merry
tale,

Or pun ambiguous, or conundrum quaint.
But I, whom gripiug penury surrounds,
And hunger, sure attendant upon want,
With scanty offals, and small acid tiff,
(Wretched repast!) my meagre corse sustain:
Then solitary walk, or doze at home

In garret vile, and with a warming puff
Regale chill'd fingers; or, from tube as black
As winter chimney, or well-polish'd jet,
Exhale muudungus, ill perfuming scent;
Not blacker tube, nor of a shorter size,
Smokes Cambro-Briton (vers'd in pedigree,
Sprung from Cadwallader and Arthur, kings
Full famous in romantic tale) when he
O'er many a craggy hill and barren cliff,
Upon a cargo of fam'd Cestrian cheese,
High overshadowing rides, with a design
To vend his wares, or at th' Arvonian mart,
Or Maridunum, or the ancient town
Yclep'd Brechinia, or where Vaga's stream
Encircles Ariconium, fruitful soil!

Whence flow nectareous wines, that well may
vie

With Massic, Setin, or renown'd Falern.

Thus, while my joyless minutes tedious flow,
With looks demure, and silent pace, a dun,
Horrible monster! hated by gods and men,
To my aerial citadel ascends;

With vocal heel thrice thund'ring at my gate,
With hideous accent thrice he calls; I know

*Two noted ale-houses in Oxford.

What should I do? or whither turn? Amaz'd,
Confounded, to the dark recess 1 fly

Of wood-hole; straight my bristling hairs

erect

Thro' sudden fear; a chilly sweat bedews
My shudd'ring limbs, and (wonderful to tell!)
My tongue forgets her faculty of speech;
So horrible he seems! His faded brow
Entrench'd with many a frown, and conie

beard,

And spreading band, admir'd by modern
saints,

Disastrous acts forebode; in his right hand
Long scrolls of paper solemnly he waves,
With characters and figures dire inscrib'd,
Grievous to mortal eyes (ye gods, avert

Such plagues from righteous men !). Behind
him stalks

Another monster, not unlike himself,
Sullen of aspect, by the vulgar call'd

A catchpole, whose polluted hands the gods
With force incredible, and magic charms,
Erst have endued; if he his ample palm
Should haply on ill-fated shoulder lay
Of debtor, straight his body, to the touch
Obsequious (as whilom knights were wont),
To some enchanted castle is convey'd,
Where gates impregnable, and coercive chains,
In durance strict detain him; till, in forin
Of inoney, Pallas sets the captive free.

Beware ye debtors! when ye walk beware,
Be circumspect; oft with insidious ken
This caitiff eyes your steps aloof; and oft
Lies perdue in a nook or gloomy cave,
Prompt to enchant some inadvertent wretch
With his unhallow'd touch. So (poets sing).
Grimalkin, to domestic vermin sworn
An everlasting foe, with watchful eye
Lies nightly brooding o'er a chinky gap,
Portending her fell claws, to thoughtless mice
Sure ruin. So her disembowell'd web
Arachne in a hall or kitchen spreads,
Obvious to vagrant flies: she secret stands

Within her woven cell; the humming prey

With pleasant wines, and crackling blaze of Of Boreas, that congeals the Cronian waves,

ANDANTE

An Original Ballad,

Composed expresly for La Belle Assemblee
By M. P. King.

No 43.

soul of peace and rest Then maid... - en

The charms of beauty time will fade;
But thine can never die,sweet maid!
For not to face, and form confin'd,
Charms fill thy heart, and soul, and mind.
The maiden, if thy heart be free,
Ob sweetly deign to smi!.