"Very well for a _trencher_ man," said Horace; "now we must have a recitation from Strasburg.{20} Come, you jolly old teacher of Hebrew, mount the rostrum, and "give us a taste of your quality." "Ay, or by heavens we'll baptize him with a bumper of bishop," said Echo. "For conscience sake, mishter Echo, conshider vat it is you're about; I can no more shpeek in English than I can turn Christian--I've drank so much of your red port to-day as voud make anoder Red Sea." "Ay, and you shall be drowned in it, you old _Sheenie_," said Tom, "if you don't give us a speech." "A speech, a speech!" resounded from all {20} Strasburg, an eccentric Jew, who gave lessons in Hebrew to members of the university. ~233~~the yet living subjects of the party. "Veil, if I musht, I musht; but I musht do it by shubstitute then; my old friend, Mark Supple here, vill give you the history of Tom Tick." To this Echo assented, on account of the allusions it bore to the Albanians, some of whom were of the party. Old Mark, mounted on the chair at the upper end of the table, proceeded with the tale. [Illustration: page233] THE OXFORD RAKE'S PROGRESS. Tom was a tailor's heir, A dashing blade, Whose sire in trade Enough had made, By cribbage, short skirts, and little capes, Long bills, and items for buckram, tapes, Buttons, twist, and small ware; Which swell a bill out so delightfully, Or perhaps I should say frightfully, ~234~~