9

At the top a fried liver and bacon were seen, At the bottom was tripe, in a swinging tureen; At the sides there was spinage and pudding made hot;

In the middle a place where the "pasty—was not. Now, my lord, as for tripe, it's my utter aversion, And your bacon I hate like a Turk or a Persian; So there I sat stuck, like a horse in a pound, While the bacon and liver went merrily round: But what vex'd me most was that damn'd Scottish

rogue,

With his long winded speeches, his smiles and his

brogue,

And, 'Madam,'quoth he, may this bit be my poison, "A prettier dinner I never set eyes on;

Pray a slice of your liver, though may I be curst, But I've eat of your tripe till I'm ready to burst;' The tripe,' quoth the Jew, with his chocolate

cheek,

'I could dine on this tripe seven days in the week: I like these here dinners so pretty and small; But your friend there, the doctor, eats nothing at

all.'

'O-oh!' quoth my friend, he'll come on in a trice, He's keeping a corner for something that's nice:

ш venison

VARIATIONS.

n If a prettier dinner I ever set eyes on!

• Your tripe!' quoth the Jew, if the truth I may speak.

Peat of

There's a pasty'-'a pasty!' repeated the Jew; I don't care if I keep a corner for't too.'

'What the de'il, mon, a pasty!' re-echoed the Scot; "Though splitting, I'll still keep a corner for that.' 'We'll all keep a corner,' the lady cried out; 'We'll all keep a corner,' was echo'd about. While thus we resolv'd, and the pasty delay'd,

r

With looks that quite petrified, enter'd the maid; A visage so sad, and so pale with affright,

Wak'd Priam in drawing his curtains by night.

8

But we quickly found out, for who could mistake

her?

[baker:
That she came with some terrible news from the
And so it fell out, for that negligent sloven
Had shut out the pasty on shutting his oven.
Sad Philomel thus-but let similes drop-
And now that I think on't, the story may stop.
To be plain, my good lord, it's but labour misplac'd,
To send such good verses to one of your taste;
You've got an odd something-a kind of dis-
cerning-

A relish―a taste-sicken'd over by learning;
At least, it's your temper, as very well known,
That you think very slightly of all that's your own:
So, perhaps, in your habits of thinking amiss,
You may make a mistake, and think slightly of this.

VARIATIONS.

a There's a pasty.' A pasty!' returned the Scot;

'I don't care if I keep a corner for thot.'

r looks quite astonishing

too soon we

RETALIATION.

A POEM.

FIRST PRINTED IN MDCCLXXIV. AFTER THE

AUTHOR'S DEATH.

Dr. Goldsmith and some of his friends occasionally dined at the St. James's Coffeehouse. One day it was proposed to write epitaphs on him. His country dialect and person furnished subjects of witticism. He was called on for RETALIATION, and at their next meeting produced the following poem.

See an account of the origin of this poem in Northcote's Life of Reynolds, p. 126. Garrick wrote, off hand, with a good deal of humour, an epitaph on Goldsmith. Dr. Bernard also gave him an epitaph. Sir Joshua sketched his bust in pen and ink. This prompted the poem of the Retaliation.

Hints for this poem might have been suggested by Pōpe's poem to Mr. Thomas Southern, on his Birthday (v. Warton, ii. p. 352); and by Motteux's Prologue to Farquhar's ' Inconstant,' see vol. ii. p. 10, ed. 1772. Ed.

RETALIATION.

Or old, when Scarron his companions invited, Each guest brought his dish, and the feast was

united;

If our 1 landlord supplies us with beef and with fish, Let each guest bring himself, and he brings the best dish:

plains;

Our dean shall be venison, just fresh from the
[brains;
Our Burke shall be tongue, with the garnish of
Our 4 Will shall be wildfowl, of excellent flavour,
-And Dick with his pepper shall heighten their

savour:

[tain, Our Cumberland's sweetbread its place shall ob

1 The master of the St. James's coffeehouse, where the Doctor, and the friends he has characterised in this poem, occasionally dined.

2 Doctor Bernard, Dean of Derry, in Ireland.

3 Mr. Edmund Burke.

4 Mr. William Burke, late secretary to General Conway, and member for Bedwin.

5 Mr. Richard Burke, collector of Grenada.

6 Mr. Richard Cumberland, author of the West Indian,' Fashionable Lover,' The Brothers,' and other dramatic pieces.