And steel was measured by the ell,
And trousers lined with leather;
And jesters wore a cap and bell,
And knights a cap and feather.

Then single folks might live at ease,
And married ones might sever;
Uncommon doctors had their fees,
But Doctors' Commons never;
Oh! had we in those times been bred,
Fair cousin, for thy glances,
Instead of breaking Priscian's head,
I had been breaking lances!

EDWARD FITZGERALD.

"IN THE DAYS OF MY GREAT

GRANDMAMMA."

N the days of my great grandmamma,
I've been told,

There were persons of fashion and

taste,

Who, in dresses as stout as chain armour of old, The parties of Ranelagh graced :

How high were their heads, and how high were their heels,

And how high were their notions and ways! They moved in propriety's round like the wheels Of a warranted watch, in the days

Of my great Grandmamma!

Fashion then was so dull you could scarcely discern

The minute ebb and flow of her tides;

And a Dowager's dress, though unturn'd, served

in turn

Three or four generations of brides.
Like the family jewels, the family gown
Was reserv'd for their Gala displays,
And a ruffled old lady look'd placidly down.
Upon ruffled young girls, in the days
Of my great Grandmamma.

Oh! the men who for these female paragons sigh'd Were unlike those who pester us now;

They approach'd with a smile, and a sink, and a slide,

And a minuet step and a bow.

They were laced, and embroider'd, and powder'd, and curl'd,

Like the men that we see in the Plays;

And 'tis certain there's nothing so grand in the

world,

Or so sweet as there was in the days

Of my great Grandmamma.

THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY.

"LORD HARRY HAS WRITTEN A NOVEL."

ORD Harry has written a novel,

A story of elegant life;

No stuff about love in a hovel,

No sketch of a commoner's wife:

No trash, such as pathos and passion,
Fine feelings, expression, and wit;

But all about people of fashion,

Come look at his caps-how they fit!

O, Radcliffe! thou once wert the charmer
Of girls who sat reading all night;
Thy heroes were striplings in armour,
Thy heroines damsels in white.
But past are thy terrible touches,
Our lips in derision we curl,
Unless we are told how a Duchess
Conversed with her cousin the Earl.

We now have each dialogue quite full
Of titles "I give you my word,
My lady, you're looking delightful "—
"O dear, do you think so, my lord!"
"You've heard of the Marquis's marriage,
The bride with her jewels new set,
Four horses, new travelling carriage,
And déjeuner à la fourchette."

Haut Ton finds her privacy broken,
We trace all her ins and her outs;
The very small talk that is spoken
By very great people at routs.
At Tenby, Miss Jinks asks the loan of
The book from the innkeeper's wife,
And reads till she dreams she is one of
The leaders of elegant life.

THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY.

TO ETHEL,

WHO WISHES SHE HAD LIVED

"In tea-cup times of hood and hoop,
Or while the patch was worn.

N tea-cup times!" The style of dress Would suit your beauty, I confess; Belinda-like, the patch you'd wear; I picture you with powdered hairYou'd make a charming Shepherdess!

And I no doubt-could well express
Sir Plume's complete conceitedness,-
Could poise a clouded cane with care
"In tea-cup times!"

The parts would fit precisely-yes:
We should achieve a huge success;
You should disdain, and I despair,
With quite the true Augustan air;
But.. could I love you more, or less,

"In tea-cup times?"

AUSTIN DOBSON.

NOW-A-DAYS.

ERHAPS you'll call me an old fool,
One not of the Modern School,

With a craze,

When I say

the Universe

Seems to go from bad to worse

Now-a-days.

Married men once loved their wives,
Loved them dearly as their lives,
To their praise.

But the numberless divorces

Young men used to love a dance,

Never letting slip a chance:

Curious phase!

If they deign to grace a ball, 'Tis not chic to dance at all

Now-a-days.

Men went in for early marriage:
Wives could do without a carriage.

Rumour says

On their backs girls fortunes carry ;
So the men decline to marry

Now-a-days.