BALLAD. (This life's a day's journey, we rise…)

This life's a day's journey, we rise in the morn, The sun, trees, and flowers our prospect adorn, When perhaps we have scarcely been set out an hour, But slap we're o'ertaken, and soused in a shower:

To shelter then quickly, and see now 'tis o'er, And in pretty good spirits we set out once more, Now up hill, now down, now even, and now We are cover'd with dust, and now popp'd in a slough.

Thus we jog on till dinner, now wet and now dry, And now we've a low'ring, and now a clear sky, With the fire, the good landlord, the wine, and the cheer, Now refresh'd we set forward to end our career:

But the roads are uneven, we trip, are bemired, And jolted, and jostled, and tumbled, and tired, Yet we keep a good heart, and our spirits are light, In hopes we shall meet with a good inn at night.