_News! news! here’s the occurrences and a new Mercurius,_ _A dialogue between Haselrigg the baffled and Arthur the furious;_ _With Ireton’s readings upon legitimate and spurious,_ _Proving that a Saint may be the Son of a Wh——, for the satisfaction of the curious._ _From a Rump insatiate as the Sea,_ Libera nos, Domine, _&c._ Old songs have rarely, if ever, been modernized so successfully as “The Queen’s Old Courtier,” of which “The Fine Old English Gentleman” is no unworthy representative. Popular though it was, thirty or forty years ago, it is not easily met with now; thus we may be excused for adding it here:— _THE FINE OLD ENGLISH GENTLEMAN._ _I’ll sing you a good old song, made by a good old pate,_ _Of a fine old English gentleman, who had an old estate,_ _And who kept up his old mansion, at a bountiful old rate;_ _With a good old porter to relieve the old poor at his gate._ _Like a fine old English gentleman, all of the olden time._ _His hall so old was hung around with pikes, and guns, and bows,_ _And swords, and good old bucklers, that had stood against old foes;_ _’Twas there “his worship” held his state in doublet and trunk hose,_ _And quaff’d his cup of good old Sack, to warm, his good old nose:_ _Like a fine old English gentleman, &c._ _When Winter’s cold brought frost and snow, he open’d house to all;_ _And though threescore and ten his years, he featly led the ball;_ _Nor was the houseless wanderer e’er driven from his hall,_ _For, while he feasted all the great, he ne’er forgot the small:_ _Like a fine old English gentleman, &c._ _But time, though sweet, is strong in flight, and years roll swiftly by;_ _And autum’s falling leaves proclaimed, the old man—he must die!_ _He laid him down right tranquilly, gave up life’s latest sigh;_ _While a heavy stillness reign’d around, and tears dimm’d every eye._ _For this good old English gentleman, &c._ _Now surely this is better far than all the new parade_ _Of theatres and fancy balls, “At Home,” and masquerade;_ _And much more economical, when all the bills are paid:_ _Then leave your new vagaries off, and take up the old trade_ _Of a fine old English gentleman, &c._ A series of eight Essays, each illustrated with a design by R. W. Buss, was devoted to “The Old and Young Courtier” in the _Penny Magazine_ of the Society for Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, in 1842. Charles Matthews used to sing (was it in “Patter _versus_ Clatter”?) an amusing version of “The Fine Young English Gentleman,” of whom it was reported that, _He kept up his vagaries at a most astounding rate,_ _And likewise his old Landlady,—by staying out so late,_ _Like a fine young English gentleman, one of the present time, &c._