Field-officer POPPY, in trim militaire,
An unfortunate youth, HYACINTHUS the fair;
With Major CoNVOLVULUS, fresh from parade,
And his son, though a Minor, in purple cockade ;
A pair from the country, affecting no show,
PRETTY BETSEY the belle, and SWEET WILLIAM
the beau,
Succeeded; and next, in the simplest attire,
Miss JESSAMINE pale, and her lover SWEET Brier;
AURICULA came, in puce velvet and white,
With her spouse POLYANTHUS, a rich city knight; Messrs. STOCKS from 'Change Alley, [1] in crimson array,
The twin-brother LARKSPURS, two fops of the day;
With light hearted COLUMBINE, playing the fool,
And footing away like a frolic from school.
Then a distant relation, 'twas said, of the bride,
WATER LILY, a nymph from the rivulet's side;
And last, hand-in-hand, at the end of the train,
VIOLETTA and DAISY, from Hazel-nut lane.
MEZEREON had fully designed to be there,
But was only half dressed, and obliged to forbear;
And the EVENING PRIMROSE was pale with chagrin
That her cap did not come till the day had closed in.
So each remained pouting behind in the shade,
As winding along moved the brilliant parade.
At length the fair temple appeared to the view,
All blushing with beauty and spangled with dew:
Tall hollyhock pillars encircled it round,
With tendrils of pea and sweet eglantine bound;
[1] 'Change Alley, for Exchange Alley, a passage near where the Royal Exchange stood, much frequented by dealers in Stock, as money is sometimes called.
The roof was a trellis [1] of myrtle and vine,
Which knots and festoons of nasturtium combine:
Surmounting each pillar, the cornice displayed
The midsummer star-wort, relieving the shade;
And, wreathed into loops of the tenderest green,
Antirrhinum waved loose to the zephyrs between.
The passion-flower fond to the portico clung,
And guelder-rose glittered the foliage among;
A mossy mosaic [2] the pavement displayed,
With tufts of hepatica richly inlaid;
And high in the centre an altar was reared, Which wreathen with net-work of flowers appeared;
Where sunbeams, by dews in the trellis condensed,
From herbs aromatic sweet odours dispensed:
Above were suspended the merry BLUE BELLS,
Holy rites to enliven with musical swells.
And now the train enters, the altar burns bright,
Fresh fragrance escapes from the centrical light;
Before the green shrine, the young couple await
Each form ceremonious ordained by the state;
And mystical vows, understood but by flowers,
Which elude observation of senses like ours;
'Twas only perceived that the Bishop profound,
Clear dews from his urn sprinkled thrice on the
ground;
And Zephyr, or some such invisible thing,
Thrice fluttered the air with his butterfly wing.
At length the rites closed in a grand benediction,
And merriment burst without any restriction.
[1] Trellis lattice, or interwoven work of wood, &c. [2] Mosaic-work-an imitation of a painting in pebbles, marbles, shells, &c.
Now blushed in the banquet, along the parterre, Each dainty that nature or art could prepare. DAMASK ROSE on the lawn had a table-cloth spread, The FLESH PLANT provided the dish at the head, And CORNBOTTLE furnished the table with bread. Housewife BUTTERCUP sent a supply from her churn; The SNOWDROP iced dews in a white CROCUS urn; And CANDY TUFT, skilled in the art of preserving, A splendid dessert had the honour of serving. ROSE BURGUNDY, vintner, the goblet supplied With neat [1] foreign wines, and made [] cowslip beside;
CAMPANULA cups, filled with gentle spring rain, Were served to the ladies who wished for it plain. And all was so elegant, spendid and rare,
That I could not name half the fine things that were there:
When finished, SNAP-DRAGONS produced a good joke,
And ROCKETS went up to amuse the young folk. In return for past favours, a band of young bees Hummed a midsummer tune through the neighbouring trees;
And linnet and lark, as by accident, met
And surprised the young pair with a charming duet.
And now mirth and revelry were at their height,
The little ones crept to the shade in affright;
The ladies had danced in the heat of the sun,
Till their dresses were limp and their spirits out-
done;
[1] Neat-pure.
[-] Made-that is, home-made,
And Flora, who witnessed the scene with concern,
Beckoned forward to Vesper, to empty her urn.
At once, as by magic, the merriment died,
Not a whisper was heard, not a gambol was tried!
Returned to their stations, in border or bed,
Each shut up his eye, or hung graceful her head; And those who had left foreign mountains and vales,
Rode home, in snug parties, on zephyrs and gales; So that ere the first star wandered out with a beam, They were all sound asleep, and beginning to dream!
194.-JOHN BARLEYCORN.
There went three kings into the east,
Three kings both great and high ;
And they have sworn a solemn oath,
John Barleycorn shall die.
They took a plough and ploughed him down,
Put clods upon his head;
And they have sworn a solemn oath,
John Barleycorn was dead.
But the cheerful spring came kindly on,
And showers began to fall;
John Barleycorn got up again,
And sore surprised them all.
The sultry suns of summer came,
And he grew thick and strong,
His head well armed with pointed spears,
That no one should him wrong.
The sober autumn entered mild,
And he grew wan and pale;
His bending joints and drooping head
Showed he began to fail.
His colour sickened more and more,
He faded into age;
And then his enemies began
To show their deadly rage.
They took a weapon long and sharp,
And cut him by the knee;
Then tied him fast upon a cart,
Like a rogue for forgery.
They laid him down upon his back,
And cudgelled him full sore;
They hung him up before the storm,
And turned him o'er and o'er.
They filled up then a darksome pit,
With water to the brim;
And heaved in poor John Barleycorn
To let him sink or swim.
They laid him out upon the floor,
To work him further woe;
And still as signs of life appeared,
They tossed him to and fro.
They wasted o'er a scorching flame
The marrow of his bones;
But a miller used him worst of all,
For he crushed him between two stones.
And they have taken his very heart's blood,
And drunk it round and round;-
And so farewell, John Barleycorn!
Thy fate thou now hast found.
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