At length the Board, in loose disjointed Chat, Descanted, some on this Thing, some on that; Some, over each Orac'lous Glass, fore-doom The Fate of Realms, and Conquests yet to come; What Lawrels Marlbro' next shall reap, decree, And swifter than His Arms, give Victory: At the next Bottle, all their Schemes they cease, Content at last to leave the World in Peace. 'Till having drown'd their Reason, they think fit Railing at Men of Sense, to show their Wit; Compare De Foe's Burlesque with Dryden's Satyr, And Butler with the Lutrin's dull Translator, Decry'd each past, to raise each present Writer, Damn'd the Plain-dealer, and admir'd the Biter. These Censures o'er, to different Subjects next, 'Till rallying all, the Feast became the Text; So to mine Host, the greatest Jest, they past, And the Fool Treater grew the Treat at last. Thus having eaten, drunk, laught, at his Cost, To the next Day's Repentance, as they boast, They left their senseless, treating, drunken Host. Soft be his Slumbers! But may this suffice Our Friends the Wits and Poets to advise, (Tho' Dinners oft they want and Suppers too) Rather to starve, as they are us'd to do, Than dine with Fools, that on their Guests will force Mixt Wine, mixt Company, and mixt Discourse: Since not much Wine, much Company, much Food, Make Entertainments please us as they shou'd; But 'tis of each, the Little, and the Good. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A LITTLE GIRL LOST, FR. SONGS OF EXPERIENCE by WILLIAM BLAKE IDEA: TO THE READER OF THESE SONNETS, INTRODUCTION by MICHAEL DRAYTON FOR THAT HE LOOKED NOT UPON HER by GEORGE GASCOIGNE THE CAGED SKYLARK by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS THE BIRD FANCIER by WILLIAM ROSE BENET PSALM 111 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE |