 | The Works of Thomas Love Peacock |  |
THE THREE LITTLE MEN
“Base is the slave that pays.”
—Pistol.
There were Three Little Men,
And they made a Little Pen,
And they said, “Little Pen, you must flow, flow, flow,
And write our names away
Under promises to pay,
Which how we are to keep we do not know.”
And they made a Little Pen,
And they said, “Little Pen, you must flow, flow, flow,
And write our names away
Under promises to pay,
Which how we are to keep we do not know.”
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Then said the Little Pen:—
“My pretty Little Men,
If you wish your pretty promises to pass, pass, pass,
You must make a little flash,
And parade a little cash,
And you're sure of every neighbour that's an ass, ass, ass.”
“My pretty Little Men,
If you wish your pretty promises to pass, pass, pass,
You must make a little flash,
And parade a little cash,
And you're sure of every neighbour that's an ass, ass, ass.”
Then said the Little Three,
“If wiseacres there be,
They are not the sort of folks for me, me, me.
Let us have but all the fools,
And the wise ones and their rules
May just go to the devil and be d---, d---, d---.”
“If wiseacres there be,
They are not the sort of folks for me, me, me.
Let us have but all the fools,
And the wise ones and their rules
May just go to the devil and be d---, d---, d---.”
Then the Little Men so gay,
Wrote their promises to pay,
And lived for many moons royally, ly, ly,
Till there came a stormy day,
And they vanished all away,
Leaving many shoals of gudgeons high and dry, dry, dry.
Wrote their promises to pay,
And lived for many moons royally, ly, ly,
Till there came a stormy day,
And they vanished all away,
Leaving many shoals of gudgeons high and dry, dry, dry.
They who sought the Little Men,
Only found the Little Pen,
Which they instantly proceeded to condemn, demn, demn;
“But,” said the Little Pen,
“Use me like the Little Men,
And I'll make you as good money as I made for them.”
Only found the Little Pen,
Which they instantly proceeded to condemn, demn, demn;
“But,” said the Little Pen,
“Use me like the Little Men,
And I'll make you as good money as I made for them.”
The seekers with long faces,
Returned upon their traces,
They carried in the van the Little Pen, Pen, Pen;
And they hung it on the wall
Of their reverend Town-hall,
As an eloquent memorial of the Little Men.
Returned upon their traces,
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And they hung it on the wall
Of their reverend Town-hall,
As an eloquent memorial of the Little Men.
| The Works of Thomas Love Peacock | |