I SING the Sofa. I who lately fang Truth, Hope, and Charity*, and touched with awe Time was, when clothing fumptuous or for use, Save their own painted skins, our fires had none. As yet black breeches were not; satin smooth, Or velvet foft, or plufh with fhaggy pile: And fwayed the fceptre of his infant realms: And drilled in holes, the solid oak is found, At length a generation more refined Improved the fimple plan; made three legs four, And over the feat, with plenteous wadding stuffed, And woven close, or needle-work fublime. There might ye see the piony spread wide, The full-blown rofe, the fhepherd and his lafs, Lap-dog and lambkin with black ftaring eyes, And parrots with twin cherries in their beak. Now came the cane from India fimooth and bright With Nature's varnish; fevered into ftripes, That interlaced each other, these supplied Of texture firm a lattice-work, that braced The new machine, and it became a chair. But reftlefs was the chair; the back erect Diftreffed the weary loins, that felt no ease; The flippery feat betrayed the fliding part, That preffed it, and the feet hung dangling down, Anxious in vain to find the diftant floor. These for the rich: the reft, whom fate had placett With base materials, fat on well-tanned hides, If cufhion might be called, what harder feemed No want of timber then was felt or feared In Albion's happy ifle. The lumber stood Than when employed to accommodate the fair, United yet divided, twain at once. So fit two kings of Brentford on one throne; Clofe packed, and fmiling, in a chaife and one. But relaxation of the languid frame, By foft recumbency of outftretched limbs, The nurse fleeps fweetly, hired to watch the fick, Whom fnoring the disturbs. As sweetly he, Who quits the coach-box at the midnight hour To fleep within the carriage more secure, His legs depending at the open door. Sweet fleep enjoys the curate in his desk; The tedious rector drawling over his head; And fweet the clerk below. But neither fleep Of lazy nurse, who fnores the fick man dead, Nor his, who quits the box at midnight hour To flumber in the carriage more secure, Nor fleep enjoyed by curate in his desk, Nor yet the dozings of the clerk, are sweet, Compared with the repofe the SOFA yields. |