The Sabine Farmer's Serenade;

BEING A NEWLY RECOVERED FRAGMENT OF A LATIN OPERA.

    I.    1.
Erat turbida nox'Twas on a windy night,
 Horâ secundâ mané At two o'clock in the morning
Quando proruit voxAn Irish lad so tight,
 Carmen in hoc inané; All wind and weather scorning,
Viri misera mensAt Judy Callaghan's door,
 Meditabatur hymen, Sitting upon the palings,
Hinc puellæ flensHis love-tale he did pour,
 Stabat obsidens limen; And this was part of his wailings:—
 Semel tantum dic Only say
Eris nostra Lalagé;You'll be Mrs. Brallaghan;
 Ne recuses sic, Don't say nay,
Dulcis Julia Callagé.Charming Judy Callaghan.
    II.    2.
Planctibus aurem fer,Oh! list to what I say,
 Venere tu formosior Charms you've got like Venus;
Dic, hos muros per,Own your love you may,
 Tuo favore potior! There's but the wall between us.
Voce beatum fac;You lie fast asleep,
 En, dum dormis, vigilo, Snug in bed and snoring;
Nocte obambulans hâcRound the house I creep,
 Domum planctu stridulo. Your hard heart imploring.
 Semel tantum dic Only say
Eris nostra Lalagé;You'll have Mr. Brallaghan;
 Ne recuses sic, Don't say nay,
Dulcis Julia Callagé.Charming Judy Callaghan.
    III.    3.
Est mihi prægnans sus,I've got a pig and a sow,
 Et porcellis stabulum; I've got a sty to sleep 'em;
Villula, grex, et rus[8]A calf and a brindled cow,
 Ad vaccarum pabulum; And a cabin too, to keep 'em;
Feriis cerneres meSunday hat and coat,
 Splendido vestimento, An old grey mare to ride on;
Tunc, heus! quàm benè teSaddle and bridle to boot,
 Veherem in jumento![9] Which you may ride astride on.
 Semel tantum dic Only say
Eris nostra Lalagé;You'll be Mrs. Brallaghan;
 Ne recuses sic, Don't say nay,
Dulcis Julia Callagé.Charming Judy Callaghan.
    IV.    4.
Vis poma terræ? sumI've got an acre of ground,
 Uno dives jugere; I've got it set with praties;
Vis lac et mella,[10] cùmI've got of 'baccy a pound,
 Bacchi succo,[11] sugere? I've got some tea for the ladies;
Vis aquæ-vitæ vim?[12]I've got the ring to wed,
 Plumoso somnum sacculo?[13]  Some whisky to make us gaily;
Vis ut paratus simI've got a feather-bed
 Vel annulo vel baculo?[14] And a handsome new shilelagh.
 Semel tantum dic Only say
Eris nostra Lalagé;You'll be Mrs. Brallaghan;
 Ne recuses sic, Don't say nay,
Dulcis Julia Callagé.Charming Judy Callaghan.
    V.    5.
Litteris operam das;You've got a charming eye
 Lucido fulges oculo; You've got some spelling and reading;
Dotes insuper quasYou've got, and so have I,
 Nummi sunt in loculo. A taste for genteel breeding;
Novi quad apta sis[15]You're rich, and fair, and young,
 Ad procreandam sobolem! As everybody's knowing;
Possides (nesciat quis?)You've got a decent tongue
 Linguam satis mobilem.[16] Whene'er 'tis set a-going.
 Semel tantum dic Only say
Eris nostra Lalagé;You'll have Mr. Brallaghan;
 Ne recuses sic, Don't say nay,
Dulcis Julia Callagé.Charming Judy Callaghan.
    VI.    6.
Conjux utinam tuFor a wife till death
 Fieres, lepidum cor, mî! I am willing to take ye;
Halitum perdimus, heu,But, och! I waste my breath,
 Te sopor urget. Dormi! The devil himself can't wake ye.
Ingruit imber trux—'Tis just beginning to rain,
 Jam sub tecto pellitur So I'll get under cover;
Is quem crastina lux[17]Tomorrow I'll come again,
 Referet hùc fidelitèr. And be your constant lover.
 Semel tantum dic Only say
Eris nostra Lalagé;You'll be Mrs. Brallaghan;
 Ne recuses sic, Don't say nay,
Dulcis Julia Callagé.Charming Judy Callaghan.

⁂Our Water-grass-hill correspondent will find scattered throughout our pages the other fragments of the defunct Padre which he has placed at our disposal. Every chip from so brilliant an old block may be said to possess a lustre peculiarly its own; hence we have not feared to disperse them up and down our miscellany. They are "gems of the purest whiskey."—Edit.

Mr. Tulrumble as Mayor of Mudfog