But Scripture saith, an ending to all fine things must be, So the King's ships sail'd on Avès and quite put down were we. All day we fought like bulldogs, but they burst the booms at night; And I fled in a piragua sore wounded from the fight. Nine days I floated starving, and a negro lass beside, Till for all I tried to cheer her, the poor young thing she died ; But as I lay a gasping a Bristol sail came by, And brought me home to England here to beg until I die. And now I'm old and going I'm sure I can't tell where ; One comfort is, this world 's so hard I can't be worse off there : If I might but be a sea-dove I'd fly across the main, To the pleasant Isle of Avès, to look at it once again. LORRAINE "ARE you ready for your steeple-chase, She clasp'd her new-born baby, poor Lor raine, Lorraine, Lorrèe, Barum, Barum, Barum, Barum, "I cannot ride Vindictive, as any man might see, And I will not ride Vindictive, with this baby on my knee ; He's kill'd a boy, he's kill'd a man, and why must he kill me?" "Unless you ride Vindictive, Lorraine, Lorraine, Lorrèe, Unless you ride Vindictive to-day at Coulterlee, And land him safe across the brook, and win the blank for me, It's you may keep your baby, for you 'll get no keep from me. Be good, sweet maid, and let who will be And so make life, death, and that vast for clever; Do noble things, not dream them, all day long : ever One grand, sweet song. PHILIP, MY KING Look at me with thy large brown eyes, Round whom the enshadowing purple lies With love's invisible sceptre laden; I am thine Esther to command Till thou shalt find a queen-handmaiden, Oh the day when thou goest a-wooing, When some beautiful lips 'gin suing, For we that love, ah! we love so blindly, "DOWGLAS, DOWGLAS, TENDIR AND TREU" COULD ye come back to me, Douglas, Douglas, In the old likeness that I knew, Never a scornful word should grieve ye, Up from thy sweet mouth,-up to thy Oh, to call back the days that are not! Since Jenny and Joe were wed! So Joe and Jenny are off to Dunmow : Oh, Jenny's as pretty as doves in a ditty; So quick, good people, and come to the show! Merry and merry, merry they go, They've prank'd up old Dobbin with ribands and bobbin, And tether'd his tail in a string! The fat flitch of bacon is not to be taken By many that wear the ring! Good luck, good luck, to Jenny and Joe! Jolly and jolly, jolly they go. Hark! how merry they sing. "O merry, merry, merry are we, Happy as birds that sing in a tree! All of the neighbors are merry to-day, 315 "O happy, happy, happy is life For Joe (that's me) and Jenny my wife! All of the neighbors are happy, and say 'Never were folk so happy as they !' O happy are we ! for love, you see, Fetters a heart and sets it free. "O jolly, jolly, jolly we go, I and my Jenny, and she and her Joe. Mortimer Collins A GREEK IDYL HE sat the quiet stream beside, His white feet laving in the tide, And watch'd the pleasant waters glide |