THE HAUNCH OF VENISON. A POETICAL EPISTLE, ΤΟ LORD CLARE. THANKS, my lord, for your venison, for finer or fatter To spoil such a delicate picture by eating; I had thoughts, in my chambers, to place it in view, But hold-let me pause-don't I hear you pronounce, But, my lord, it's no bounce: I protest in my turn, It's a truth—and your lordship may ask Mr. Burn *. Το go on with my tale-as I gaz'd on the haunch, I thought of a friend that was trusty and staunch, So I cut it, and sent it to Reynolds undrest, To paint it, or eat it, just as he lik'd best. Of the neck and the breast I had next to dispose: 'Twas a neck and a breast that might rival Monroe's: But in parting with these I was puzzled again, With the how, and the who, and the where, and the when. There's H-d, and C-y, and H-rth, and H-ff, But hang it-to poets who seldom can eat, An acquaintance, a friend as he call'd himself, enter'd; And he smil'd as he look'd at the venison and me. * Lord Clare's nephew. "What have we got here?-Why this is good eating! Your own, I suppose-or is it in waiting?" 66 Why whose should it be?" cried I with a flounce; "I get these things often"—but that was a bounce: "Some lords, my acquaintance, that settle the nation, Are pleas'd to be kind—but I hate ostentation.” "If that be the case then," cried he, very gay, "I'm glad I have taken this house in my way. To-morrow you take a poor dinner with me; No words-I insist on 't-precisely at three: We'll have Johnson, and Burke, all the wits will be there; My acquaintance is slight, or I'd ask my lord Clare. And, now that I think on 't, as I am a sinner! We wanted this venison to make out a dinner. What say you-a pasty, it shall, and it must, And my wife, little Kitty, is famous for crust. Here, porter-this venison with me to Mile-end; No stirring-I beg-my dear friend-my dear friend!" Thus snatching his hat, he brush'd off like the wind, And the porter and eatables follow'd behind. Left alone to reflect, having emptied my shelf, And "nobody with me at sea but myself *;" Tho' I could not help thinking my gentleman hasty, Yet Johnson, and Burke, and a good venison pasty, See the letters that passed between his Royal Highness Henry, Duke of Cumberland, and Lady Grosvenor-12mo. 1769. Were things that I never dislik'd in my life, When come to the place where we all were to dine, (A chair-lumber'd closet just twelve feet by nine :) My friend bade me welcome, but struck me quite dumb, With tidings that Johnson and Burke would not come; "For I knew it," he cried, "both eternally fail, The one with his speeches, and t'other with Thrale; They 're both of them merry, and authors like you: At the top a fried liver and bacon were seen, At the bottom was tripe, in a swinging tureen; At the sides there was spinach and pudding made hot; In the middle a place where the pasty-was not. But what vex'd me most was that d'd Scottish rogue, With his long-winded speeches, his smiles and his And, 66 brogue, 66 Madam," quoth he, may this bit be my poison, A prettier dinner I never set eyes on; Pray a slice of your liver, tho' may I be curst, But I've eat of your tripe, till I'm ready to burst." "The tripe," quoth the Jew, with his chocolate cheek, "I could dine on this tripe seven days in a week : I like these here dinners so pretty and small; But your friend there, the doctor, eats nothing at all." "O-ho!" quoth my friend, "he'll come on in a trice, He's keeping a corner for something that's nice: There's a pasty"-"A pasty! repeated the Jew; "I don't care, if I keep a corner for't too." "What the de'el, mon, a pasty!" re-echo'd the Scot, "Tho' splitting, I'll still keep a corner for that." "We'll all keep a corner," the lady cried out; "We'll all keep a corner," was echo'd about. While thus we resolv'd, and the pasty delay'd, With looks that quite petrified, enter'd the maid; A visage so sad, and so pale with affright, Wak'd Priam in drawing his curtains by night. But we quickly found out, for who could mistake her? That she came with some terrible news from the baker: And so it fell out, for that negligent sloven Had shut out the pasty on shutting his oven. |