“Gladstone Unmasked” which appeared in Punch as long ago as 1866, was written by the late Shirley Brooks, as a parody on Browning. The poem, which is long and quite out of date now, may be found in “Wit and Humour” by Shirley Brooks, London, 1883.
——:o:——
Post Chronology.
A chronologic skull sir! ’twas a poet’s;
But ’tother’s wasn’t my friend’s friend’s, I say.
Our first, a Lombard, were the wind to blow its
Loudest, could not daunt him, loved to pray
Too, in all the English language is no rhyme
Describes him thoroughly. You should have watched him knit
Those brows of his, black brows, sir, scarred by time