"Examine this sword, with its handle and sheath,
And its blade made of innocent wood;
'Twere well if all swords were as harmless as this,
And as equally guiltless of blood.
"Here's a mill that will go without water or wind,
A wonder, you cannot deny;
I really can't say whether it will grind corn,
But it will be easy to try.
That iron-gray rocking-horse, close at your side,
With saddle and bridle complete,
Will go without whipping, and, equally strange,
Without making use of his feet:
"Yet, stranger than that—whatsoever his pace,
Whether canter, or gallop, or trot,
Though moving at ten miles an hour—he ne'er
Advances one inch from the spot.
"A full set of bricks is enclosed in this box,
(With the mortar we well may dispense,)
But with these you may build a magnificent house,
Without e'en a farthing's expense.
