George Coleman shall sparkle in old bottled cider, Roast-beef and potatoes friend Crabbe will supply; Rogers shall hash us an "olla podrida," And the best of fresh "cabbage" from Paulding we'll buy. Mr. Tennant-free, fanciful, laughing, and lofty, Shall pour out Tokay and Scotch whiskey like rain; Southey shall sober our spirits with coffee, And Horace in London "flash up in champagne." Tom Campbell shall cheer us with rosy Madeira, Refined by long keeping, rich, sparkling, and pure; 30 And Moore, "pour chasse café," to each one shall bear a Sip-witching bumper of parfait amour. Then come to our banquet-oh! how can you pause A moment between merry rhyme and dull reason? Nor is it meant to give advice; We dare not take so much upon us; Oh! wave again thy wand of power, Think, Lady, what we're doomed to feel— By Heaven! 'twould rouse the wrath of Stoics, To see the queen of sorrows deal 20 It is insured at three per cent. 'gainst fire, And cost three times as much, and is six inches higher. 'Tis not alone the house-the prompter's clothes Are all quite new, so are the fiddlers' bows; The supernumeraries are newly shaved, New drilled, and all extremely well behaved (They'll each one be allowed, I pause to mention, The right of suffrage by the new Convention). We've some new thunder, several new plays, And a new splendid carpet of green baize. So that there's naught remains to bid us reach 41 The topmost bough of favor, but a speech A speech, the prelude to each public meeting, Whether for morals, charity, or eating 2 Messrs. John K. Beekman and John Jacob Astor were joint proprietors of the Park Theatre. The former, from his love of theatricals, was familiarly known as "Theatre Jack." 3 Isaac Jennings was a well-known dealer in old clothes, and George Saunders was a fashionable wig-maker. |