All these were alarmed by some loud piercing cries,
And thrown into a terrible state;
Till opening the door, with wide-staring eyes,
They found to their joy, no less than surprise,
’Twas the old sow stuck fast in a gate!
The Spirit of the Public Journals for 1804. Volume VIII.
——:o:——
A scarce little pamphlet, published by J. Crocker, London, 1838, entitled “The Modern Gilpin, or the Adventures of John Oldstock, in an Excursion by Steam from London to Rochester Bridge, containing a passing glance at the principal places on the Thames and Medway” was, as its name implies, a parody of Cowper’s “John Gilpin”:—
John Oldstock was a store-keeper,
In far-famed Seven-Dials;