 | Beasts at law, or zoologian jurisprudence |  |
These for the Goat. Who view'd the host
Thought the poor Mastiff's case was lost;
And scarcely could refrain the tear,
Till his four champions' names they hear:
A Leopard, whose unspotted fame
Shed brilliant lustre on the name;
Who never yet had moved a paw
To strain, pervert, or twist the law;
Stood first upon the catalogue
Of learned counsel for the Dog.
The next, a Buck, of manners mild,
Though with a disposition wild,
Who more than once, in mortal strife,
Had stood at bay and saved his life;
And Dama's spunk was thought as good
As any Hare's in all the wood.
A matchless Greyhound next is named,
For honor, wit, and learning, famed,
Who, when by tyranny opprest,
Burst from his chains and sought the west;
And here, when virtue wish'd a friend,
Was always foremost to defend;
His temples bore the wreath of fame,
And faithful Vertagus his name.
Sly Reynard next, “though last not least,”
As deep in law as any beast,
Complete the defendant's number,
As more would but the cause encumber.
Thought the poor Mastiff's case was lost;
And scarcely could refrain the tear,
Till his four champions' names they hear:
A Leopard, whose unspotted fame
Shed brilliant lustre on the name;
Who never yet had moved a paw
To strain, pervert, or twist the law;
Stood first upon the catalogue
Of learned counsel for the Dog.
The next, a Buck, of manners mild,
Though with a disposition wild,
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Had stood at bay and saved his life;
And Dama's spunk was thought as good
As any Hare's in all the wood.
A matchless Greyhound next is named,
For honor, wit, and learning, famed,
Who, when by tyranny opprest,
Burst from his chains and sought the west;
And here, when virtue wish'd a friend,
Was always foremost to defend;
His temples bore the wreath of fame,
And faithful Vertagus his name.
Sly Reynard next, “though last not least,”
As deep in law as any beast,
Complete the defendant's number,
As more would but the cause encumber.
| Beasts at law, or zoologian jurisprudence | |