MOORE discovered among the papers of Sheridan a string of political pasquinades “written at various dates, chiefly by Sheridan,” but owing some of its numbers to Tickell and Lord John Townshend. They were little more than the Limericks of their era, written, it seems, to the air of a ballad beginning:
Mistress Arne, Mistress Arne
It gives me con carn —
Already, when Moore wrote “Time,” as he said, had “removed their venom, and with it a great deal of their wit,” so that they were even then like “dried snakes, mere harmless objects of curiosity.” Even their authorship does not seem to be at all certain, since the one on Lord Mountmorres, which Moore gives definitely to Townshend, Mr. Sichel gives as definitely to Sheridan, for the curious reason that “there are numbers of similar ones among his own papers, and a few in the Holland House MSS.” Their annotation would be a curious exercise, and scarcely worth the labour it would demand:
I
Johnny W — Iks, Johnny W — Iks,
Thou greatest of bilks,
How chang’d are the notes you now sing!
Your fam’d Forty-five
Is Prerogative,
And your blasphemy, “God save the King,”
Johnny W — Iks,
And your blasphemy, “God save the King.”
II
Jack Ch — ch —ll, Jack Ch — ch — ll,
The town sure you search ill,
Your mob has disgraced all your brags;
When next you draw out
Your hospital rout,
Do, prithee, afford them clean rags,
Jack Ch — ch — ll,
Do, prithee, afford them clean rags.
III
Captain K — th, Captain K — th,
Keep your tongue ‘twixt your teeth,
Lest bed-chamber tricks you betray;
And, if teeth you want more,
Why, my bold Commodore, —
You may borrow of Lord G — ll — y,
Captain K — th,
You may borrow of Lord G — ll — y.
IV
Joe M — wb — y, Joe M — wb — y,
Your throat sure must raw be,
In striving to make yourself heard;
But it pleased not the pigs,
Nor the Westminster whigs,
That your knighthood should utter one word,
Joe M — wb — y,
That your knighthood should utter one word.
V
M — ntm — res, — M — ntm — res,
Whom nobody for is,
And for whom we none of us care;
From Dublin you came —
It had been much the same
If your lordship had stayed where you were,
M — ntm — res,
If your lordship had stayed where you were.
VI
Lord O — gl — y, Lord O — gl — y,
You spoke mighty strongly —
Who you are, tho, all people admire!
But I’ll let you depart,
For I believe in my heart,
You had rather they did not inquire,
Lord O — gl — y,
You had rather they did not inquire.
VII
Gl — nb — e, Gl — nb — e,
What’s good for the scurvy?
For ne’er be your old trade forgot —
In your arms rather quarter
A pestle and mortar,
And your crest be a spruce gallipot,
Gl — nb — e,
And your crest be a spruce gallipot.
VIII
Gl — nb — e, Gl — nb — e,
The world’s topsy-turvy,
Of this truth you’re the fittest attester;
For, who can deny
That the low become high,
When the king makes a lord of Silvester,
Gl — nb — e,
When the king makes a lord of Silvester?
IX
Mr. P — l, Mr. P — l,
In return for your zeal,
I am told they have dubb’d you Sir Bob
Having got wealth enough
By coarse Manchester stuff,
For honours you’ll now drive a job,
Mr. P — l,
For honours you’ll now drive a job.
X
Oh poor B — ks, oh poor B — ks,
Still condemn’d to the ranks,
Not e’en yet from a private promoted;
Pitt ne’er will relent,
Though he knows you repent
Having once or twice honestly voted,
Poor B — ks,
Having once or twice honestly voted.
XI
Dull H- l- y, dull H — l — y,
Your auditors feel ye
A speaker of very great weight,
And they wish you were dumb,
When, with ponderous hum,
You lengthen the drowsy debate,
Dull H — l — y,
You lengthen the drowsy debate.
Will C — rt — s —
V — ns — t — t, V — ns — t — t, — for little thou fit art.
Will D — nd — s, Will D — nd — s, — were you only an ass.
L — ghb — h, — thorough.
Sam H — rsl — y, Sam H — rsl — y,... coarsely.
P — ttym — n, — speak truth if you can.”
It would not be worth adding to this collection of “dried snakes” any specimens from The Rolliad, although it maybe denied that Sheridan’s disclaimer to any share in the authorship covered some of the later contributions. But this negative evidence scarcely warrants any new “attributions.”