Dean fear'd that his pupils their minds should defile, And Maclean was engaged to the duke of Argyll; In a deep fit of lethargy Petit had sunk, And theologist Buxton with _Bishop_ was drunk; Bulteel too, and Dykes, much against their own will, Had been both pre-engaged to a party to mill; And philosopher Jenyns was bent on his knees, To electrify spiders, and galvanize fleas. But the rest all accepted the god's invitation, And made haste to prepare for this jollification. Now the dinner was handsome as dinner could be, But to tell every dish is too tedious for me; Such a task, at the best, would be irksome and long, And, besides, I must haste to the end of my song. 'Tis enough to relate that, the better to dine, Jove sent them some nectar, and Bacchus some wine. From Minerva came olives to crown the dessert, And from Helicon water was sent most alert, Of which Howard, 'tis said, drank so long and so deep, That he almost fell into poetical sleep.{8} When the cloth was removed, and the bottle went round, "Nec fonte labra prolui C'aballino, Nec in bicipiti sommasse Parnasso." Persius. ~95~~ Wit, glee, and good humour, began to abound, Though Lord Chesterfield would not have call'd them polite, For they all often burst into laughter outright. ***** But swift flew the moments of rapture and glee, And too early, alas! they were summon'd to tea. With looks most demure, each prepared with a speech, At the table were seated Blunt, Chapman, and Neech. Phobus stopt their orations, with dignity free, And with easy politeness shook hands with all three; And the party proceeded, increased to a host, To discuss bread and butter, tea, coffee, and toast. As their numbers grew larger, more loud grew their mirth, And Apollo from heav'n drew its raptures to earth: With divine inspiration he kindled each mind, Till their wit, like their sugar, grew double refined; And an evening, enliven'd by conviviality, Proved how much they were pleased by the god's hospitality. Thalia.{9} 9 This poem is attributed to J. Moultrie, Esq. of Trinity college, Cambridge. [Illustration: page095] [Illustration: page093] ETON MONTEM. Stand by, old Cant, while I admire The young and gay, with souls of fire, Unloose the cheerful heart. Hence with thy puritanic zeal; True virtue is to grant and feel-- A bliss thou'lt ne'er impart.