With beamy spear, orbiting axe,
To right and left he thrust and smote—
Ah! what a change! no sinewy thwacks
Fall from a modern long tail’d Coat.
For stalwart knights, a puny race
In stays, with locks en papillote,
While cuirass, cuisses, greaves give place
To silk-net Tights, and long-tail’d Coat.
Worse changes still! now, well-a-day!
A few cant phrases learnt by rote