ENGLISH READING
Pure is a gem, sweet is a silver bell, a violet in dewy moss is purer, sweeter far, a marvel very exquisite.
THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT
These quaint lines were once addressed to a very tall barrister, named Long, when he was briefless:—
“Longè longorum longissime, Longe, virorum,
Dic mihi, te quæso, num Breve quicquid habes?”
MOORE’S RIDDLE
Thomas Moore, the poet, is responsible for the following rude riddle, and its reply:—
Why is a pump like Viscount Castlereagh?
Because it is a slender thing of wood,
That up and down its awkward arms doth sway,
And coolly spout, and spout, and spout away,
In one weak, washy, everlasting flood!