 | The Poetical Works of Horace Smith |  |
64
THE PARSON AT FAULT.
A country parson took a notionInto his head, one Whitsuntide,
That it was more like true devotion
To preach extempore;—he tried:
Succeeded once—twice—thrice—but, lo!
His fourth discourse was not forthcoming;
Spite of his hawing and his humming,
Not a word further could he go;
So that the worthy man perforce
Was fain to leave them in the lurch,
And say, that, since he came to church,
He'd lost the thread of his discourse.
65
“Lock the doors, beadle! search us round,
All, every one, until it's found:
The thief should really be ashamed.—
Here are my pockets—ransack both!
I have it not, I'll take my oath.”
| The Poetical Works of Horace Smith | |