"At length rose the Mastiff so gruff, and so surly." p. [11].
At length rose the Mastiff so gruff, and so surly,
That the Curs scamper'd off in a sad hurly burly.
"I am glad to observe that none of you dare
To boast of your courage; for," said he, "to compare
Your valour with mine, in vain would you strive all,
My Cousin the Bull-dog alone is my rival;
We're both so undaunted, determined, and bold,
That on what we have fasten'd, we never quit hold.
He regrets that this meeting he cannot attend,
But he's gone into Norfolk to visit a friend,
And has left it with me his excuses to make,
While he is engaged with the Bull at the stake."
"Hold hold,"—cried a Dog of gigantic dimensions,
Who came from Hibernia to urge his pretensions,
"Of your valour so matchless you're wondrously full,
But my honies you know, I'm the dog for a Bull;
And learn, my Progenitors, fam'd dogs of yore,
Could do more in two days, than you in a score.
Their brave feats I am told, are recorded by sages,
(Who wrote both of beasts and of men in past ages,)
That the Wolf-dogs of Erin, so fierce in their rage,
Dared in war with the Lords of the Forest engage,
And could I but meet with the beasts they have slain,
I'm the dog, my dear joy, to kill them again."
Cried the Mastiff in haste, as he rose to reply,
"Your merit, dread Sir, I don't mean to deny,
For historical facts I'm inclined to rely on,
And tis said that your Ancestors vanquished the Lion;
Allowed—But I'm told, that at present your race[B]
In Kamstchatka but fills a subordinate place."
Here a great dog observ'd—"Don't think me romantic,
Yet my Parents were born beyond the Atlantic;
But to brag of descent is not in my plan;
For merit more sterling I'm valu'd by man:
Through the journey of life, I his footsteps attend,
By night I'm his guardian, by day I'm his friend;
My pastime's to dive in the River or Sea,
For the rage of the deep has no terrors for me;
Nor for pleasure alone these risks do I brave, }
Kind fortune allowed me, my master to save, }
When, expiring, he struggled in vain with the wave." }
Said the President "Sir—I admire your skill,
But I hear you're disposed your own mutton to kill;
If true this report, don't think me too bold,
In advising you not to chuse Sheep from my fold."
The Learned-dog next—"I boast not of my learning,
Though perhaps it has made me, than you more discerning;
I conceive you have none of you knowledge in Greek,
Sufficient of ancient Dogs' merits to speak—
I shall mention a few—The first of them this is,
Poor Arcus, the Dog of the wandering Ulysses;
He lived, the return of his master to greet,
Then bounding for joy, fell dead at his feet.—
I doubt if you've heard Alcibiades name,
A Grecian fine gentleman, who, to his shame,
To give the Athenians a subject to rail,
Deprived a most beautiful Dog of his tail."[C]
When the Council heard this, the great members growl'd,
And every little Dog pitiously howl'd.
The clamour subsided—The wise Dog again,
Resumed his harangue, in a tedious strain;—
Spoke of Theseus's hounds, of the true Spartan breed;—
And the hounds of Actæon, so famed for their speed—
Of three-headed Cerberus, Guardian of Hell,
Whom Orpheus subdued with his musical spell.
How Hecuba changed, seeing dead Polydore,
And became—Vide Ovid—(here he heard the Dogs snore)
"Your patience my friends, I no longer will tire,
But brief make excuses, at the earnest desire
Of those friends from abroad, who all much lamented
That chance or engagements their attendance prevented.
The African-dog, said, that he did not dare
Quit the warm coast of Guinea in clothing so spare;
The Lapland and Dane-dog the gay Pomeranian,
The slender Italian, sagacious Siberian,
All pleaded the times; some could not get passports,
Some feared Bonaparte, some were stopt by their own courts,
Some were mangy, distemper'd, and others insane,
With a few ladies Lap-dogs afraid of the rain."
He spake—On the sudden a howling went round
From each Terrier and Mastiff and Pointer and Hound,
For, full in the midst of the council, a Cur
(Whose presence no member had noticed before)
Uprose to address them; blood-red was his eye,
His carcase was fleshless, and shrill was his cry,
His knees were all bent, as with weakness he shook,
And death and starvation scowled in his look.—
"You may talk of Parnassus and Poets," he cried,
"Of their scorn, and neglect, may complain in your pride,
But that is all vanity, folly, conceit,
The disgust of the pamper'd, the pride of the great;
Look at me; I am starved—In yon hamlet I dwelt
And contented for years no distresses I felt,
Till the TAX, that my master had no means to pay,
From the comforts of home drove me famished away;
'Tis for life I contend—Praise, Honour, Renown,
The song of the Bard, or the laureate Crown,
Will ne'er teach my blood in its freshness to flow,
Ne'er teach me with health and with vigour to glow;
Revenge, then, Revenge"——Exhausted he sunk,—
And back from the sight in horror they shrunk.
A silence ensued—Thus the president spoke,
"This Council, my friends, I wished to convoke
Our rights to assert, but though each dog pretends }
To valour, or beauty, or skill, yet my friends }
If we look for success, much on union depends; }
Let no separate claims then this union betray,
For remember the promise, each dog has his day.—
Tis our aggregate worth must our merits decide,
Our patience, sagacity, faithfulness tried;
We then shall deserve, if we don't obtain fame,
And the Poets, not we, incur the just blame;
This perhaps too may cause our arch-foe to relent,
And move to compassion the hard hearted D * * *;
If so, my companions, the good that may follow,
Is better than all we can get from APOLLO."
The President spoke, the fair omen they hail,
And in sign of delight each dog wagged his tail.
Thus agreed, e'er they rose, their thanks were resolved
Nem: Con: to the chair, and the meeting dissolved.
THE END.