In vain recorded in hiftoric page,

They court the notice of a future age,

Those twinkling tiny luftres of the land,

1

Drop one by one from Fame's neglecting hand,
Lethæan gulphs receive them as they fall,
And dark oblivion foon abforbs them all.
So when a child, as playful children use,
Has burnt to tinder a ftale laft year's news,
The flame extinct, he views the roving fire,
There goes my lady, and there goes the fquire,
There goes the parfon, oh! illuftrious fpark,
And there, scarce lefs illuftrious, goes the clerk.

REPORT

Of an adjudged Cafe not to be found in any of the Books,

I.

1

BETWEEN Nofe and Eyes a ftrange conteft arofe,

The spectacles fet them unhappily wrong;

The point in difpute was, as all the world knows,

To which the faid fpectacles ought to belong,

So

II.

So the tongue was the lawyer and argued the cause

With a great deal of fkill, and a wig full of learning, While chief baron ear fat to balance the laws,

So fam'd for his talent in nicely difcerning.

III.

In behalf of the Nofe, it will quickly appear,
And your lordship he faid, will undoubtedly find,
That the Nofe has had fpectacles always in wear,
Which amounts to poffeffion time out of mind.

IV.

Then holding the fpectacles up to the court

Your lordship observes they are made with a straddle,

As wide as the ridge of the Nofe is, in short,

Defign'd to fit clofe to it, juft like a faddle.

V.

Again, would your lordship a moment, fuppofe ('Tis a cafe that has happen'd and may be again) That the vifage or countenance had not a Nose,

Pray who wou'd or who cou'd wear fpectacles then?

VI.

On the whole it appears, and

my argument shows

With a reasoning the court will never condemn, That the spectacles plainly were made for the Nose, And the Nose was as plainly intended for them.

VII.

Then shifting his fide as a lawyer knows how,
He pleaded again in behalf of the Eyes,

But what were his arguments few people know,
For the court did not think they were equally wife

VIII.

So his lordship decreed with a grave folemn tone,
Decifive and clear without one if or but-

That whenever the Nofe put his fpectacles on
By day-light or candle-light-Eyes fhould be fhut.

On

On the Burning of LORD MANSFIELD's Library, toge

ther with his MSS. by the Mob, in the Month of June, 1780.

1.

SO then the Vandals of our isle,

Sworn foes to fenfe and law,

Have burnt to duft a nobler pile

Than ever Roman faw!

II..

And MURRAY fighs o'er Pope and Swift,

And many a treasure more,

The well-judg'd purchase and the gift

That grac'd his letter'd ftore.

III.

Their pages mangled, burnt and torn,

The lofs was his alone,

But ages yet to come fhall mourn

The burning of his own.

LORD MANSFIELD'S LIBRARY. 319

ON THE SAME.

I.

WHEN wit and genius meet their doom

In all devouring flame,

They tell us of the fate of Rome,

And bid us fear the fame.

II.

O'er MURRAY's lofs the mufes wept,
They felt the rude alarm,

Yet blefs'd the guardian care that kept

His facred head from harın.

HI.

There mem'ry like the bee that's fed

From Flora's balmy store,

The quinteffence of all he read

Had treafur'd up before.

IV.

The lawless herd with fury blind

Have done him cruel wrong,

The flow'rs are gone-but ftill we find

The honey on his tongue.