Even now, perhaps, as there some pilgrim strays Through tangled forests, and through dangerous ways, Where beasts with man divided empire claim, And the brown Indian marks with murderous aim-- There, while above the giddy tempest flies, And all around distressful yells arise-- The pensive exile, bending with his woe, To stop too fearful and too faint to go. Casts a long look where England's glories shine And bids his bosom sympathize with mine. Vain, very vain, my weary search to find That bliss which only centres in the mind. Why have I stray'd from pleasure and repose, To seek a good each government bestows? In every government, though terrors reign, Though tyrant-kings or tyrant-laws restrain, How small, of all that human hearts endure, That part which laws or kings can cause or cure? Still to ourselves in every place consign'd, Our own felicity we make or find. With secret course, which no loud storms annoy, Glides the smooth current of domestic joy; The lifted ax, the agonizing wheel, _Zeck's_ iron crown, and Damiens' bed of steel-- To men remote from power but rarely known-- Leave reason, faith, and conscience, all our own. [From Mayhew's Comic Almanac.] AN INVITATION TO THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. (BY A GENTLEMAN WITH A SLIGHT IMPEDIMENT IN HIS SPEECH.) TO BE READ ALOUD. [Illustration: RIDING THE ELEPHANT] I have found out a gig-gig-gift for my fuf-fuf--fair, I have found where the rattle-snakes bub-bub--breed. Won't you c-c-c-come, and I'll show you the bub-bub--bear, And the lions and tit-tit--tigers at fuf-fuf-fuf--feed. I know where c-c-c-co--cockatoo's song Makes mum-mum-mum--melody through the sweet vale; Where the m--monkeys gig-gig--grin all the day long, Or gracefully swing by the tit-tit-tit-tit--tail. You shall pip-pip--play, dear, some did-did--delicate joke, With the bub-bub--bear on the tit-tit--top of his pip-pip-pip--pole; But observe, 'tis for-for-for--bidden to pip-pip--poke At the bub-bub--bear with your pip-pip--pink pip-pip-pip-pip--parasol. [Illustration: POKING FUN AT THE BEAR] You shall see the huge elephant pip-pip-pip--play; You shall gig-gig-gaze on the stit-tit--ately racoon, And then, did-did--dear, together we'll stray, To the cage of the bub-bub--blue fuf-fuf-fac'd bab-bab-bab--boon. You wish'd (I r-r-r--remember it well, And I l-l-l-lov'd you the m-m-more for the wish) To witness the bub-bub-bub--beautiful pip-pip--pel- ican swallow the l-l-live l-l-l-little fuf-fuf--fish. [Illustration: THE PELICAN AT FEED]