The Works of John Hall-Stevenson ... Corrected and Enlarged. With Several Original Poems, Now First Printed, and Explanatory Notes. In Three Volumes |
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| VII. | FABLE VII. THE COOK
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 | The Works of John Hall-Stevenson |  |
209
FABLE VII. THE COOK .
Æsop is always a new book,Æsop in a judicious hand;
But 'tis in vain on it to look,
Without the grace to understand.
Pleasant his fables are indeed,
Profound, ingenious, and sly;
Fables that infancy may read,
Maturity alone apply.
A Cook was busy with his battery;
Two sycophants, two knaves, I mean,
Sat by, and play'd with red hot flattery,
Against the battery Cuisine.
Both engineers by profession,
Their flattery was so well planted,
They soon dismounted his discretion,
Which was the only point they wanted;
210
Larded his fowls, barded his larks;
As he had other fish to fry,
He left the field to my two sparks;
And, whilst he slash'd and carbonnaded,
Stewed and hash'd, and gasconnaded,
A Fish of a superb appearance
Vanish'd from the kitchen table,
Made a confusion worse than Babel;
One of those fish, miscall'd by some,
In which St. Peter us'd to deal;
Stamp'd for himself, with his own thumb,
The ancient Piscatory Seal.
Therefore let Peter have the glory,
Let us to him ascribe the Dorys;
Call it not John but Peter Dory,
Given Sub Sigillo Piscatoris.
Advancing to the chopping block,
Peace, cry'd the Cook, your clamours cease;
Then with his cleaver gave a knock,
And all the Kitchen was at peace.
211
No Cat comes here, I'll take my oath;
Therefore it must be one or t'other;
He quite forgot, it might be both.
I have it not, the Thief reply'd,
I stole it not, cried the Receiver;
Both swore, protested, and deny'd,
And so the Cook laid down his cleaver.
The case seem'd so perplex'd and odd,
And the Cook's thoughts were so divided;
All three referr'd the case to God,
And there it rests till he decide it.—
Now from this Fable it appears,
Or from this Fable I surmise;
Some folks give credit to their ears,
When they should scarce believe their eyes.
This foolish Cook puts me in mind
Of the most dupeable of nations;
Busy and active; but resign'd
To flattery on all occasions:—
And so, because my moral's stale,
I'll close my Fable with a Tale.
| The Works of John Hall-Stevenson | |