Doctor

Flockingon either hand, a multitudinous army,

Coronet, Crosier, and Mitre, in grand semicircle inclining,

Tier over tier they took their place, aloft in the distance,

Far as the sight could pierce, Stars, Garters, and Gold Sticks.

From among the throng bless'd, all full dress'd, in a Field Marshal's uniform, Rose one, with a bow serene, who, aloft, took his station;

Before him the others crouch'd down, all inclining in concert,

Bent like a bull-rush sea, with a wide and a manifold motion:

There he stood in the midst alone; and in front was the presence,

With periwig curling and gay, and a swallow-cut coat-tail.

Hear ye of long ears! Lo! in that place was Canning,

He who strengthens the Church and State, with his Manton's hair-triggers, And sneers on his lips, and eyes leering, and rupturous speeches;

With him Fletcher Franklin I saw, and Sir Robert, my namesake,

Worthy the name! even Baker, Sir Robert, of Bow-street;

And Gifford, with face made of lachrymose, savage and feeble,

Who delighteth with Croker to cut up men, women, and young men,

And therefore did Hazlitt cut him up, and so he stood mangled.

There, too, brocaded and satin'd, stood smiling and bowing,

With Court-mask'd appearance, the Fearful One, him of Triangle!

And there, too, the Foolish one, far-conscienced, the Doctor!

And I saw in the vision, the Generals, Sol. and Attorney;

And Sacchi, was there too and him surnamed Non mi Ricordo;

And Mad'moiselle Dæmon, and Barbara Kress, and Rastelli;

And Mister, and Mister-ess Jessop, and eke the Miss Jessups;

And Mar-Ai' H--, and M-ss C-m, also;

And Mrs. Fitz--t, and C--ch; and in sooth all the Beauties

Of the 'Georgian age,' except Robinson Mary,

Whom great G. first sent to the D--, and little G. after,

Namely Gifford, who smote at her sorely, yea, ev'n at her crutches,

So that she fell in her grave, and said, 'Cover me kind earth!'

And the great minded Cl---- was there, looking like to Behemoth;

And the Lauderdale disinterested, great Scotch standard-bearer,

And there, too, the king's much-conspired-against-stationer, King, stood, The Lord Mayor of Dublin, who sendeth his Majesty's whiskey;

And the Members of Orange Clubs all, anti-Irish shullelahs;

And a heav'nly assembly of parsons, some, lately, expectant--

Parson Hey? Parson B. called, otherwise, Parson Black-cow, divine brute! Parson C. alias Croly, or Crawley, or Coronaroly,

Who putteth forth innocent pamphlet? on pure coronations,

Expecteth Milleniums, and laudeth the Blackguard of Blackwood's,

And looketh both lofty and slavish, a dreaminess high-nosed,

As if he had, under the chin been, by worshipful men, chuck'd;

And great Parson Eat--n V--slone, who'd swallow any thing surely;

And the Manchester Yeomanry Cavalry, riding down women;

And Alderman Atkins, with Curtis, that big belly-gerent;

And Flower, and Bridges, C. Smith, and the rest of the Bridge Gang;

All cloth'd for the heav'nly occasion in their best Indictments!

And there all the Lottery-contractors, and such like, were also;

And thereMr. Strong-i-th'-arm, his Majesty's Seal-Engraver, was also; And they all who forged, lo! the French Assignats, were there also;

And the Court-newsman also was there--

(The Spirit now bids me write prose, but that, you know's all the same thine;) And Colburn with his Muck Monthly Magazine was there;

And Ward, the Animal Painter, with a piece of spoil'd canvas, 35 feet wide by 21, was there;

But Bird who, most disloyally, died of a broken heart, was not there;

And the Duke of Wellington, with the Sword of State, was there;

And Sir John Silvester, the Recorder of London, and his assistant, were there; And Messrs. Uundell and Bridge, the Jewellers who repair'd the Crown, were there;

And the Pigtails out off from his Majesty's guards were there;

And the Guards themselves in their neat uniforms, and new white gaiters, were there;

And the State Coach and Coachmen and Horses were there;

And the other Ministers of State in their new State Liveries were there; And the Clerks of the Council and the two Silver Inkstands were there; And all the Gentlemen of the Stock Exchange were there;

And all the Gentlemen of the Shipping Interest were there;

And all the Gentlemen of the Landed Interest were there;

But all the people without Interest were not there;

And all the Peers who voted the Queen of England guilty were-there;

And all the Ministerial Members of the House of Commons were there; And Dr. Slop with 'fresh fig-leaves for Adam and Ere' was there;

And the Royal Proclamation against Vice and Immorality was pasted up there. And behold, while I read it, thinking to put it, excellent as it was, Into language still better,

Methought, in my vision, I dreamt--dream within dream intercircled--And seem'd to be hurried away, by a vehement whirlwind,

To Flames and Sulphurous Darkness, where certain of my Minor Poems were scorching,

Yet unconsum'd, in penal fire; and so was I purified

For deeds done in the flesh, being, through them, burnt by proxy!

There, too, roasted the Bishop of Osnaburgh's Doxy,

But the Righteous-one, the Prince Bishop himself, was in Heaven;

And two Boots were there, as a burnt-offering for peccadillo,

But the Owner thereof was a glorified spirit above,

Where, as in duty bound, I had sung to him 'Twang-a-dillo,

He that loves a pretty girl, is a hearty good fellow!'

And in Torment (but here the blest rage of the bard returns on me)

And in torment was She, who, on earth, had been also tormented By Him who is never, nor can be accused, of aught vicious;

With her were the friends of my childhood--not leaving out Coleridge; And they who were kill'd by the Manchester Yeomanry also;

And Truth, the whole Truth, nothing but the Truth, suffered the burning. Then I turn'd my meek eyes, in their gladness, to Heaven, and my place there, And ascending, I flew back to Paradise, singing of Justice;

Where, fill'd with divine expectation of merited favour,

The gathering host look'd to him, in whom all their hopes center'd,

As the everlasting hand; and I, too, press'd forward to obtain--

But old recollections withheld me;--down, down, dropp'd my sack-but, And my feet, methought, slid, and I fell precipitate. Starting,

Then I awoke, with my hair up, and lo! my young days were before me, Dark yet distinct; but instead of the voice of the honest,

I hoard only Murray's yap', yap! and hap! hop! through the silence of evening: Yap! hop! and hop! yap!--and hence came the hop, step, and jump, of my verses.

BOROUGH-BRIDGE REFORM.

The the Ancient and Honourable Corporation of Boroughmongers, in Parlaverment assembled, THE PETITION of the Ancient and Honourable Corporation of London Bridge in Arches assembled,

Hombly sheweth,

That, for some time past, an opinion has prevailed, that your Petitioners' Arches are narrow and decayed, and that their continuance in their present state is attended with an unnecessary annual expense, and loss of lives.

That, in consequence of this opinion, a large body of persons assembled for Bridge Reform, have insisted upon the necessity of widening your Petitioners' Arches, and have actually erected, in your Petitioners' neighbourhood, a new bridge, with arches calculated to give free course to the whole tide, and a safe and uninterrupted public communication--to the great scandal of your Petitioners.

That your Petitioners' Arches, and the Borough Arches of your Honourable Structure, are the production of one and the same mind.

That your Honourable Structure being a model of perfection, your Petitioners have, therefore, a right to presume that their Bridge is also a model of perfection.

That your Petitioners, respectfully referring to the enlightened declaration of the Emperor of Austria, that what is ancient is good, humbly beg leave to represent, that it is essential to the permanence of your Honourable Structure in its present state, to stop the progress of all enlargement.

And your Petitioners humbly pray, that the Right Hon. George Canning may be assigned advocate in their behalf, to convince the Public that your Petitioners' Arches are exactly as numerous, as narrow, and as decayed as they ought-to-be; which office your Petitioners have no doubt the said Right Hon. Gent. will gladly undertake, upon being allowed to receive an ample toll.

AND YOUR PETITIONERS, as in uniformity found, will ever pray for Your Honourable Structure.