Then whisper in your ear, some little want— A girl to wait on them forsooth, a bed, Or easy-chair, a brazen tripod too— Give what you will they never are content; And to sum up their character at once, No beast that haunts the forest for his prey Is half so mischievous.—ANON. _The same._ Away, away with these female friends! He whose embraces have encircled one, Will own a monster has been in his arms; Fell as a dragon is, fire-spouting like Chimæra, like the rapid ocean-portent, Three-headed and dog-snouted!— Harpies are less obscene in touch than they: The tigress robb'd of her first whelps, more merciful: Asps, scorpions, vipers, amphisbenæ dire, Cerastes, Ellops, Dipsas, all in one!— But come, let's pass them in review before us, And see how close the parallels will hold. And first for Plangon: where in the scale place _her_? E'en rank her with the beast whose breath is flame. Like her she deals combustion round; and foreigners By scores have perish'd in her conflagrations. One only 'scaped the fair incendiary, And that by virtue of his nimble steed. _He_ back'd his baggage, and turn'd tail upon her.— Have commerce with Sinope, and you'll find That Lerna's monster was no tale; for like The hydra she can multiply her members, And fair Gnathæna is the present offshoot: _Her_ morning charms for beauties in the wane Compensate—but—the dupe pays doubly for't. There's Nanno too:—Nanno and Scylla's pool Bear close similitude: two swains have made Already shipwreck in that gulf; a third Had shared their fortunes, but the wiser boy Plied well his oars, and boldly stood to sea-ward. If Nanno's Scylla, Phryne is Charybdis: Woe to the wretch who comes within her tide! Engulf'd in whelming waves, both bark and mariner Are suck'd into th' abyss of quick perdition! And what's Theano? bald, and bare, and peel'd, With whom but close-pluck'd sirens ranks she? woman In face and voice; but in her feet—a blackbird. But why enlarge my nomenclature? Sphinx is A common name for all: on her enigma Is moulded all their speech: love, fealty, Affection,—these are terms drop clear enough From them, but at their heels comes a request, Wrapt up in tortuous phrase of nice perplexity. (_Mimics._)—"A four-foot couch perchance would grace their chamber! Their needs forsooth require a chair—three-footed, Or, for the nonce, two-footed—'twould content them." He that is versed in points and tricks, like Œdipus, Hears, and escapes perchance with purse uninjured; The easy fool gapes, gazes, and—hey! presto! Both purse and person's gone!—MITCHELL.