Which Georgian writers used to drink like fishes,
When cocoa had not swum into their ken
And coffee failed to satisfy all wishes;
When tea was served to monarchs of the pen,
Like Johnson and his coterie, in “dishes,”
And came exclusively from far Cathay—
See “China’s fragrant herb” in Wordsworth’s lay.
Beer prompted Calverley’s immortal rhymes,
Extolling it as utterly eupeptic;
But on that point, in these exacting times,