The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-04 00:00:00

POETRY.

THE TOWER' WHARV, --OR A TRIP' -TO- CALAIS.°
A STRANGE BUT Titll
Good People listen to my- tale,'•
It shall not last an hour,
'Tis of a Boat that was to sail
From London's ancient Towei.

7a,; _

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This boat was doom'd for Gallia'strait,
Of fops the fav'rite land,
The crew were ready, so the freight,;
But all was at a stand.

The boat to go by steam was made,
The boiler well prepar'd,
But as the passage was delay'd,
The travellers were scar'd.

They ask'd the Mate, and Steward too,
The cause of this delay,
But Mate and Steward nothing knew,
So nothing they could say.

At length there was a general call
The Captain should appear,
He came, and 'twas the hope of all
He'd make the matter clear.

The Captain was a clever man,
And, if report says true,
He acted on a double plan,
Captain and Chaplain too.

(Hence all are happily aware; •
-Whene'er this vessel rolls, - •
He of their bodies will take care,
And also of their souls.) '

" Push of Sir," was the clam'rpus cry,
He answer'd in a trice,
" We can't go yet—l'll tell you why—
" I'm waiting for a. Tice."

These words a sudden wonder spread,
And, looking all around,
They, smiling on each other, said,
" Sure Vice.may here be found."

One slyly whisper d, with a sneer,
" As we for France prepare,
" If we should want for vices here,
" We shall find plenty there."

A Critic, with an air precise,
Said, " in the plays of yore,
" A character was styl'd THE VicE,t
" The dagger lath he bore ;

" But now, so chang'd are matters here,
" By name of Punch he's known,
" Hence soon a SHOW-MAN may appear,
" With him, and with his Joan."

Again, " start qff;" the people bawl,
The Captain, .cold as ice,
Said,- " I once more must tell you all,
" I'm waiting for a Vice."

A tale, as PRIOR said before,
Should not be very long ;
So in a few short stanzas more
We'll end our simple song.

Two hours or more the vessel stay'd,
At length the people saw,
Advancing near, with full parade,
An honour'il SAGE OF LAW,

When he was safely stow'd below,
With due respect and state,
The Captain bade the vessel go,
No more for Vice to wait.

But next a new disaster—lo !
Then put then to a stand,
For ah ! how heavy was their woe !
They were too late to land.

So that the bonour'd VICE and all,
("rwas well the ship was stor'd);
Were doom'd through night in her to stall,
And pay for bed and board.

The'time could scarcely pass with glee,
'ith so much cause to pine,
All inutter'd, save the Captain, he
Who sold his meat and wine.

And now, GOD bless our noble KING,
And eke our goodly State ;
In all our hearts may VIRTUES spring,
And NONE for Vices wait.

• Vide a paragraph in the Morning Chronicle which was
taken into THE SUN of Thursday last.

" INIQUITY.—One name of the Vice, who was the esta-
blished buffoon of the old Moralities and other imperfect Dra-
mas. He had the name sometimes of one vice, sometimes of
another, but most commonly of Iniquity, or vice itself. He was
grotesquely dressed in a cap with ass's ears, a long coat, and
a dagger of lath ; and one of his chief employments was to
make sport with the Devil, leaping on his hack, and belabour-
ing him with his dagger of lath till he made him roar. The
Devil, however, carried him 'off in the end. The morality of
which representation clearly was that Sin, which has the wit
and courage to make very merry with the Devil, and is alloived
by him to take great liberties, must finally become his prey.
This is the regular end also of Pundh, in the puppet-shows,
who, as Dr. Johnson rightly observed, is the legitimate, succes-
sor of the old Iniquity ; or rather is the old Vice himself,
.transported from living to wooden actors."—Vide a GLOS-
SARY; or collection of Words, Phrases, Names, &c. &c. in
1 illustration of the Works of SHAXSPEARE and his Contempo-
raries. By Archdeacon NARES. ,

LONG SPEECHES.—II IS late MAJESTY observed
one day to a gentlemen of high literary character, and of
distinguished political reputation, that oratory in this country
was carried to a height far beyond its real use ; and that
the desire of excelling in this accomplishment, made many
young men of genius neglect the more solid branches of know-
ledge. "I am sure," said his Majesty, " that the rage for
public speaking, and the extravagant length to which some of
our most popular orators carry their harangues in Parliament,
is very detrimental to the national business, and I wish that in
the end it may not prove injurious to the public peace."
Origin of the word GENTLEMAN.—Originally it
was written Gentile-man, and given as a distinguishing appel-
lation, in the first stases of Christianity, to those persons who
conformed to the Christian faith but retained their Gentile cus-
toms, fashions, and amusements.
Origin of the word LADY.—Formerly when the
affluent lived all the year round attheir mansions in the country,
the lady of the manor distributed to her poor neighbours, with
her own hands, once a week or oftener, a certain quantity of
bread, and she was called by them the Lef-day, that is, in
Saxon, the bread-fiver. These two words were in time corrupt-
ed, and the meaning is now as little
.knOwn as the practice
which gave rise to it; yet it is-from. that hospitable custom
that, to this day, the ladies in this kingdom alone serve the
I meat at their own table. .

LONGEVITY.—LateIy died, in the commune of
Beauphy, in France, DOMINQUA ESPANSEN, aged
108 years and 15 days. 'He never was sick, and
was, from his great age, an object of veneration
to all the country.