And dares to brave you on your native waves, Your cause is just, approved by earth and heaven, HAIL, glorious edifice, stupendous work! Long ponder'd-part would boil it, part would roast; By this day month the monster shall not gain See Wellington in Salamanca's field Forces his favourite general to yield, Breaks through his lines, and leaves his boasted Marmont Expiring on the plain without his arm on; Madrid he enters at the cannon's mouth, Thy hatch, O Halfpenny!* pass'd in a trice, And burnt the Royal Circus in a hurry ('Twas call'd the Circus then, but now the Surrey). Of Covent Garden and of Drury Lane? Bless every man possess'd of aught to give ; :0: GEORGE BARNWELL In Bishop Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry is the Ballad having this title, which the Bishop states had been printed at least as early as the middle of the 17th century. Upon this Ballad, George Lillo, the dramatist, founded a tragedy, entitled "The London Merchant, or the History of George Barnwell," which was first performed at Drury Lane Theatre, in 1731. Lillo departed from the ballad by making Barnwell die repentant, thereby spoiling his dramatic character, and the piece was faulty in other respects, yet it held the stage for many years, and Mrs. Siddons frequently performed the part of the fair but naughty Millwood, and Charles Kemble was considered the best Barnwell ever seen on the boards. At the time, therefore, that Rejected Addresses were written, and for many years afterwards, George Barnwell was a piece thoroughly familiar to London playgoers, consequently it was quite natural that the topic should be selected for a burlesque, and the following was written by James Smith: "GEORGE BARNWELL." Their bodies were never cut down ; And hung them on Thorowgood's casement. And the shop is, to this very day, The sign of the George and the Dragon. In 1858 the late Mr. Shirley Brooks chose this burlesque as the basis of a parody he composed on the ecclesiastical procedure adopted by Samuel Wilberforce, then Bishop of Oxford. It contains nothing more offensive to religion than the somewhat familiar address to the Bishop as Soapy Sam, It is said, the origin of which sobriquet is lost in doubt. that when asked its meaning by a lady, Bishop Wilberforce replied, "I believe they call me 'Soapy Sam' because I am so often in hot water, and always come out with clean hands." SAM. A Melancholy but Instructive Narrative, Founded on Facts, and on James Smith's "George Barnewell" SAM SOAPEY stood at his Palace door, His Apron it hung down before, And the tail of his wig behind, Sir. A Lady, so painted and smart, Cried "Pardon my little transgression, Her face was rouged up to the eyes, A bundle of Keys at her waist Says she, "I can help you, Sir, that I can, In the South I am very much graced, And I live at a place called the Vatican." Rum-ti-iddi-ti-ti. Her language his wits did bereave, Says she, "Don't be frightened at names, This counsel he took from his love, And in Parliament's very next Session He pleaded, with voice of a dove, For "the excellent rite called Confession." was accordingly written by Mr. Lewis Morris, and set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan. The Ode contained the usual commonplaces, expressed in language more than usually dull and meaningless, as the following extracts will suffice to show : I. WITH Soaring voice and solemn music sing, To-day our hands consolidate The Empire of a thousand years. Have passed, and left her great, For Britain, Britain, we our jubilant anthems raise, Uplift your voices all, worthy is she of praise ! III. No more we seek our Realm's increase By War's red rapine, but by white-winged Peace; Till all our Britain's work be done- To raise up Right and beat down Wrong- First Lady of our British Race! 'Tis well that with thy peaceful Jubilee This thy lost Consort would, this would thy Son, And fain would leave it One, Oh, may the Hand which rules our Fate We cannot tell, we can but pray Heaven's blessing on our work to-day. Uprise, oh, Palace fair, where every eye may see For Britain and our Queen one voice we raise, Laud them, rejoice, peal forth, worthy are they of praise! THE INAUGURAL ODE AS IT OUGHT TO HAVE BEEN. (With Apologies to Mr. Lewis Morris.) WITH partial pomp and sounding bands of brass, Consents a project to befriend Which for so long seemed doomed to end In a fiasco great! But at last, at last, the Prince his labour finds repaidThe Imperial Institute's foundation stone is laid! When first the grasping "Gang" its birth decreed, But was the "Gang" disheartened? Nay; Yet do we dare to-day, As in this solemn rite we here engage, To hope the future will our fears gainsay, And make this place a glorious heritage For all our people, and a source of strength Throughout the teeming Empire's breadth and length. But, if we this would see, Then, by a stern decree, This Institute must be forthwith set free From greed and jobbery! Those who would batten on it must be told At once to loose their hold, So that it may uprise a Palace free and fair, In whose great benefits an Empire wide may share. First Lady of our British Race, We'll hope that with thy peaceful Jubilee For this, were thy lost Consort with us still, And this we fain would trust thy son, Will also help fulfil. Time this must show, but we can pray That higher motives from to-day May strengthen those who execute The business of the Institute; That from to-day its end and aim May be the country's wealth and fame. It is not for their sake designed; No more will claim to such extent What is for all the Empire meant. Then will the Palace fair, by patriotism planned, Be hailed a glory of the land, And, as the Empire joins its walls to raise, Its people, one and all, will loudly sound its praise. Truth. July 7, 1887. Mr. Lewis Morris was rewarded for his ode by a silver Jubilee medal, with permission to wear it on public occasions. Some time afterwards he wrote to a Manchester newspaper complaining that people confounded him with Mr. William Morris, the poet and socialist, on which The Star published the following POET AND POETASTER. IF this kind of thing goes on, Sir, I shall have to change my name; 'Tis an odious position to be in; Though the other Mr. Morris may be better known to fame, I am Mr. Lewis Morris, of Penbryn. He was christened after Shakespeare, but his other name is mine; Yet, though critics are so quick at me to quiz, I can honestly asseverate I never wrote a line When I wrote an ode to praise the life our precious Prince has led, Though I must confess it fell a little flat, There were certain silly editors who ignorantly said Mr. William had been capable of that. Now I happen to be certain it would take him all his time To indite an ode on Royalty's affairs, For disloyalty to Princes isn't reckoned any crime, In a word he is a poet, and a Socialist to boot, For although I am a person of importance and repute, The whole of this amusing poem will be found in Carols of Cockayne by Mr. Henry S. Leigh. Mr. Leigh died early in June, 1883, and the following graceful parody of his poem appeared in Judy, June 27, 1883. IN THE STRAND. IN form and feature, face, and limb, He tried to build a double, He dreamed long dreams, and meant to do A heap of great grand work; 'T is p'r'aps the same with me and you, :0: |