The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-21 00:00:00

~ ASS" IN PRESENTI!

Referring to the eccentric announcement of a forthcoming
Prize Show of Costermongers' _Donkeys, by his reverence
the Vicar of Bray—we beg pardon, by the Rev. Thomas
Jackson, M.A., Rector of Stoke Newington, our wicked
contemporary, the 'Saturday Review, thus humorously expa-
tiates upon Mr. Jackson's self-appointed office of protector
of the asinine race : —There is, perhaps, no danger of re-
palling
the old heathen libel against our religion, that the
early Christians used to worship an ass's head.; but a
clergyman ought to be chary in adopting associations of
this particular kind. The Golden Ass might endear
Apuleius's subject to more scholars, so might the Asinaria
of Plautus ; and the unsavoury memories of La Pueclle
might recommend 118838 to the students of scrofulous French
literature. Coleridge and the author of " Peter Bell" have
sung and sonnetized on behalf of the " poor little foal of an
oppressed race," but why should a Protestant clergyman
take up the burden of Issachar, and set up as a judge and
adjudicator in asinine competition A song was popular
some twenty years ago—a fragment from Asinius Pellio—
which described the model costermonger, who may be ex-
pected to compete in the Great International Exhibition of
Jackasses, suggested by the rector of Stoke Newington.
Are the competitors to approach the judge's seat, singing—
If I had a donkey wot would'nt go,
't'o&rce..v?ive at
1)o you think I would wallop hint ? Oh, no no
pGreoep,
ohsoe,
Newington
hgee:ijenu:d
titmen
Church
jaytc,haond dof easstanyol
_Fes
tion
Asinorum
OStrOkales'
Is it intended to chaunt, in a procession of Coster-
prat which once resounded in the aisles
mongers, the old h
of Beauvais
Orientis partibus
Adventavit asinus,
Pulcher et fortistiimus
Sarcinis aptissimus.
The vernacular chorus or response, which is preserved by
Du Cange, might be translated into the Cockney tongue of
the costermongers. The rector and the choir would of
course intone the Latin hymn as it stands ; but we can
quite fancy that a skilful adapter might wake something of
the old Beauvais refrain :

Hi3v
eoe
lzul
e,s Stitiouruer
ec Azh
sae nur ee sfs
gicnna
erazse,she az ntez,
Et de l'avoine a plantez. 2
We venture on a version for the " Prize Show of Coster-
mongers' Donkeys :"
Bray, Sir Ass, hee-haw away,
Open pretty mouth and bray
You shall have a feed of heY,
mightors
And peck of oats at Jackson's pay.
Or the forthcoming exhibition
aopfaasrseass
Bottom
Tsai
bly
take a histrionic form instead of that of an e cclesiastical
mystery-play. The Judge may pe
formed, with the usual theatrical property of an ass's head,
and may pat his own shaggy ears, and smooth his own
gentle nose, or attempt what Wordsworth calls
The long dry sec-saw of a horrible bray,
in sympathy with his brethren. Bat though many forms
might be suggested of giving the advertisedPrizeSho:not
M
Donkeys considerable external at, wo are still at some
difficulty in understanding the rector of Stoke Newi ,
personal Newington •
clainitothishoitimicseelgffbjetist he dg;
earimda L presidentbaetiocn conscious
sc
for io an
theusog
donkeys. He knows
function he has choern. are
It may
t
subtle affinities which specialb
be remembers
Johnson's canon.—

Who drives fat oxen should himself" be fat--
and that ho applies it to hall6ell—
judgeb 4hitald ilinaseif be ass.