than his friend, had always some political jeuxd'esprit on the anvil; and sometimes these trifles were produced by them jointly. The following string of pasquinades, so well known in political circles, and written, as the reader will perceive, at different dates, though principally by Sheridan, owes some of its stanzas to Tickell, and a few others, I believe, to Lord John Townshend. I have strung together, without regard to chronology, the best of these detached lampoons. Time having removed their venom, and with it, in a great degree, their wit, they are now, like dried snakes, mere harmless objects of curiosity.

Johnny W-lks, Johnny W-lks,*
Thou greatest of bilks,

How chang'd are the notes you now sing!
Your fam'd Forty-five

Is Prerogative,

6

And your blasphemy, God save the King,'

Johnny W-lks,

And your blasphemy, 'God save the King.'"

the ambuscade, was very much cut in several places. The next day, Lord John Townshend, on paying a visit to the bed-side of Tickell, found him covered over with patches, and indignantly vowing vengeance against Sheridan for this unjustifiable trick. In the midst of his anger, however, he could not help exclaiming, with the true feeling of an amateur of this sort of mischief, “but how amazingly well done it was!"

* In Sheridan's copy of the stanzas written by him in this metre at the time of the Union, (beginning “Zooks, Harry!

"Jack Ch-ch-ll, Jack Ch-ch-ll,
The town sure you search ill,
Your mob has disgraced all your brags ;
When next you draw out

Your hospital rout,

Do, prithee, afford them clean rags,

Jack Ch-ch-II,

Do, prithee, afford them clean rags."

Captain K-th, Captain K-th,
Keep your tongue 'twixt your teeth,
Lest bed-chamber tricks you betray;
And, if teeth you want more,
Why, my bold Commodore,
You may borrow of Lord G-ll-y,

Captain K-th,

You may borrow of Lord G-ll-y."

"Joe M-wby, Joe M-wb-y,
Your throat sure must raw be,
In striving to make yourself heard;
But it pleased not the pigs,

Nor the Westminster Whigs,

That your Knighthood should utter one word,

Joe M-wb-y,

That your Knighthood should utter one word."

zooks, Harry!") he entitled them, "An admirable new Ballad, which goes excellently well to the tune of

"Mrs. Arne, Mrs. Arne,

It gives me concarn,” etc.

*This stanza and, I rather think, the next, were by Lord John Townshend.

"M-ntm-res, M-ntm-res,
Whom nobody for is,

And for whom we none of us care;
From Dublin you came —

It had been much the same

If Your Lordship had staid where you were,

M-ntm-res,

If Your Lordship had staid where you were."

"Lord O-gl―y, Lord O-gly, You spoke mighty strongly Who you are, tho', all people admire !

But I'll let you depart,

For I believe in my heart,

You had rather they did not enquire,

Lord O-gl-y,

You had rather they did not enquire."

"Gl-nb-e, Gl-nb-e,

What's good for the scurvy?

For ne'er be your old trade forgot -
In your arms rather quarter

Your crest be a spruce gallipot."

"Gl-nb-e, Gl―nb-e,

The world's topsy-turvy,

Of this truth you're the fittest attester;

For, who can deny.

That the Low become High,

When the King makes a Lord of Silvester,

Gl-nb-e,

When the King makes a Lord of Silvester."

VOL. I.

12

“ Mr. P―l, Mr. P—l,

In return for your zeal,

Sir Bob;

I am told they have dubb'd you
Having got wealth enough
By coarse Manchester stuff,
For honours you'll now drive a job,

Mr. P-1,

For honours you'll now drive a job."

"Oh poor B-ks, oh poor B-ks,

Still condemn'd to the ranks,
Nor e'en yet from a private promoted;
Pitt ne'er will relent,

Though he knows you repent
Having once or twice honestly voted,

Poor B-ks,

Having once or twice honestly voted."

"Dull H-1-y, dull H-l-y,

Your auditors feel ye

A speaker of very great weight,
And they wish you were dumb,
When, with ponderous hum,

You lengthen the drowsy debate,

Dull H―l—y,

You lengthen the drowsy debate."

There are about as many more of these stanzas, written, at different intervals, according as new victims, with good names for rhyming, presented themselves, the metre being a most tempting medium for such lampoons. There is, indeed, appended to one of Sheridan's copies of them, a long list (like a Tablet of Proscription), contain

ing about fifteen other names marked out for the same fate; and it will be seen by the following specimen that some of them had a very

narrow escape :

"Will C-rt—s

* V—ns—t—t, V-ns—t―t, for little thou fit art." Will D-nd-s, Will D-nd—s,

66

were you only

Sam H-rsl-y, Sam H-rsl-y,. coarsely." “P―ttym―n, P―ttym,―n,—speak truth, if you can."

But it was not alone for such lively purposes * that Sheridan and his two friends drew upon

* As I have been mentioning some instances of Sheridan's love of practical jests, I shall take this opportunity of adding one more anecdote, which I believe is pretty well known, but which I have had the advantage of hearing from the person on whom the joke was inflicted.

The Rev. Mr. O'B- (afterwards Bishop of--) having arrived to dinner at Sheridan's country-house near Osterley, where, as usual, a gay party was collected, (consisting of General Burgoyne, Mrs. Crewe, Tickell, etc.) it was proposed that on the next day (Sunday) the Rev. Gentleman should, on gaining the consent of the resident clergyman, give a specimen of his talents as a preacher in the village-church. On his objecting that he was not provided with a sermon, his host offered to write one for him, if he would consent to preach it; and, the offer being accepted, Sheridan left the company early, and did not return for the remainder of the evening. The following morning Mr. O'B—- found the manuscript by his bed-side, tied together neatly (as he described it) with riband;-the subject of the discourse being the "Abuse of Riches." Having read it over and corrected some theological errors, (such as "it is easier for a camel,