Mirth and Metre consisting of Poems, Serious, Humorous, and Satirical; Songs, Sonnets, Ballads & Bagatelles. Written by C. Dibdin, Jun |
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ASS IN THE LION's SKIN. |
 | Mirth and Metre |  |
ASS IN THE LION's SKIN.
In the fables of Æsop you'll read, if inclin'd,
A Jack-ass quite simple, like most of his kind,
The skin of a Lion once happen'd to find;
So to playing his tricks must begin;
Quite conceited, upon this expedient he hits,
Tries it on, and the skin rather awkwardly fits;
But he frighten'd the peasants all out of their wits,
Did the Ass in the Lion's skin.
A Jack-ass quite simple, like most of his kind,
The skin of a Lion once happen'd to find;
So to playing his tricks must begin;
Quite conceited, upon this expedient he hits,
Tries it on, and the skin rather awkwardly fits;
But he frighten'd the peasants all out of their wits,
Did the Ass in the Lion's skin.
Grown bold by their panic, he strutted about,
And all the old women he put to the rout,
Till a Lion he fancied himself without doubt;
Or else to a Lion a-kin;
But attempting to roar, of his trick for a tag,
He bray'd, and so let the cat out of the bag,
And got a good basting for playing at brag,
Did the Ass in the Lion's skin.
And all the old women he put to the rout,
Till a Lion he fancied himself without doubt;
Or else to a Lion a-kin;
But attempting to roar, of his trick for a tag,
He bray'd, and so let the cat out of the bag,
And got a good basting for playing at brag,
Did the Ass in the Lion's skin.
To the Corsican Chief, running fortune's strange round,
The consular skin of a Lion he found,
And manag'd to wear it; his wishes thus crown'd,
He thought all to him would give in,
But the bray for the roar, the deception now clears,
And he'll find among us, if he madly appears,
The Lion of England will soon crop the ears
Of the Ass with the Lion's skin.
The consular skin of a Lion he found,
And manag'd to wear it; his wishes thus crown'd,
He thought all to him would give in,
But the bray for the roar, the deception now clears,
And he'll find among us, if he madly appears,
The Lion of England will soon crop the ears
Of the Ass with the Lion's skin.
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