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Selections From the Poets; Or, Passages Illustrating Peculiarities of Their Style, by W. Theobald, With Notes
Selections From the Poets Or Passages Illustrating Peculiarities of Their Style by W Theobald With Notes Author:William Theobald General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1884 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 book... more »s for free. Excerpt: THE THIEF AND THE CORDELIER. Who has e'er been at Paris must needs know the Greve, The fatal retreat of th' unfortunate brave; Where Honour and Justice most oddly contribute To ease heroes' pains by a halter and gibbet. There Death breaks the shackles, which force had put on, And the hangman completes what the judge but begun; There the squire of the pad, and the knight of the post, Find their pains no more balk'd and their hopes no more crost. Great claims are there made and great secrets are known ; And the king and the law and the thief has his own; But my readers cry out, " What a deuce dost thou ail ? Cut off thy reflections and give us thy tale." 'Twas there, then, in civil respect to harsh laws, And for want of false witness to back a bad cause, A Norman, though late, was obliged to appear, And who to assist, but a grave Cordelier!1 The squire whose good grace was to open the scene, Seem'd not in great haste that the show should begin: Now fitted the halter, now travers'd the cart, And often took leave, but was loth to depart. " What frightens you thus, my good son ?" says the priest, " You murder'd, are sorry, and have been confest." " Oh, father, my sorrow will scarce save my bacon, For 'twas not that I murder'd, but that I was taken." " Pough ! pr'ythee ne'er trouble thy head with such fancies, Rely on the aid you shall have from Saint Francis: If the money you promis'd be brought to the chest, You have only to die, let the church do the rest. " And what will folks say if they see you afraid ? It reflects upon me, as I knew not my tra...« less