Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TO HIS EXCELLENCY OUR LORD CARTERET, LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND, by THOMAS SHERIDAN (1687-1738)


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO HIS EXCELLENCY OUR LORD CARTERET, LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Sheweth / with greatest respect and most awful submission
Last Line: We'll play for your lordship, and pray for the king.
Subject(s): Carteret, John. Earl Granville


Sheweth,
With greatest respect and most awful submission,
We send to Your Lordship our humble petition,
To tell you our Master has basely denied
To grant us our freedom at Bart'lomy-tide;
By happy experience, we certainly know
There's naught for your care or your justice too low;
And therefore we hope you will now condescend
To be in a case of oppression our friend.

Our Master most slyly would make it appear
That we have no such thing as a summer this year;
If we durst speak our minds, we could answer him thus,
"We are sure that the school is a hot place for us."

Another expedient he thinks will go down:
"Dear children, you know I've been long out of town,
And people will grumble, and say I'm for giving
My school to the dogs, since I've got a living.

An excellent method of argumentation!
That for his good luck, we should lose our vacation,
And that your great goodness to him should destroy
A custom that gives such a number great joy.
Besides, when he had of his presence bereft us,
Five Fellows of Trinity College he left us,
Who did without rods, by the force of their looks,
Oblige us to sit twice as close to our books:
Nay more, an Arch-Deacon be joined in commission;
This was in his absence our happy condition.
So all that we found when our shepherd was gone,
Through his wonderful caution, six drivers for one.

Great patron and lover of scholars, redress us;
Make one Act of Grace -- with Liberty bless us.
Instead of a fortnight, at present we seek
No longer cessation from books than a week;
Consider our case then, and send your mandamus,
And loudly we'll roar out, "Te Carteret amamus."
We'll make the whole town of your goodness to ring;
We'll play for Your Lordship, and pray for the king.





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