The Poetical Works and Essays Author:Oliver Goldsmith General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1819 Original Publisher: Printed for J. Bumpus, Holborn Bars; Sharpe, King-Street, Covent-Garden; and Reilly, Lord-Street, Liverpool Description: On verso of t.-p.: W. Wilson, Printer, 4, Greville-Street, London. Subjects: Fore-edge painting Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish,... more » Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE HAUNCH OF VENISON; K poetical JBpiiS LORD CLARE. FIRST PRINTED IN MDCCLXV. Thanks, my lord, for your venison, for finer or fatter Never rang'd in a forest, or smok'd in a platter; The haunch was a picture for painters to study, The fat was so white, and the lean was so ruddy; Tho' my stomach was sharp, I could scarce help regret- To spoil such a delicate picture by eating: -[ting I had thoughts, in my chamber to place it in view, To be shown to my friends as a piece of vertfl ; As in some Irish houses, where things are so-so, One gammon of bacon hangs up for a show; But, for eating a rasher of what they take pride in, They'd as soon think of eating the pan it is fried in. But hold -- let me pause -- don't I hear you pronounce, This tale of the bacon's a damnable bounce? Well, suppose it a bounce -- sure a poet may try, By a bounce now and then, to get courage to fly. But, ny lord, it's no bounce : I protest in my turn, It's a truth -- and your lordship may ask Mr. Burn. To go on with my tale -- As I gaz'd on the haunch ; I thought of a friend that was trusty and staunch, So I cut it, and sent it to Reynolds undrest, To paint it, or eat it, just as he lik'd best. Of the neck and the breast I had next to dispose ; 'Twas a neck and a breast that might rival Monroe's: But in p...« less