The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-01 00:00:00

To sell their fresh-culled posies sought,
And " Love among the roses" bought..
And see, a gentle Quaker fair,
In plainest 'garb, the joy to share ;
And not, I ween, a lovelier face,
Bloomed under gems or broidered lace.
Nor must I fail to sing the fair,
With antique dress and frizzed hair,
Who with their hoops, majestic sailed ;
It was in vaiii ; the effort failed.
The charms of beauty to disguise,
From cavalier's admiring eyes ;
'Twas but a ruse of lovely foe,
Their darts with deadlier aim to throw.
See, passing, armed, all eyes to mark,
That peerless maid, Joan of Arc !
Alas ! that one so young, so fair,
'fh' intrepid martyr's dcom should share.
Marg'ret of Anjou, too, was there,
With Roxalana and Gulnare.
And Scotland from her ev'ry glen,
Sent forth her gallant kilted men ;
And many a bonny lass was there,
Wi' tartan sash and " golden hair."
And there, was much admired, I trod,
Auld Robin Gray, who " came to woo,"
And Robin Hood, and all his men,
In Kendal Green, were cheered again.
There, too, appeared in semblance true,
The very " Jew that Shakspeare drew."
Othello, Hamlet, all were there,
And Shylock roamed with visage fresh.
To win more than " a pound of flesh ;"
The amorous Jew made friendly chat
With rich duennas, fair and fat.
Poles, Russians, Indians, all were there,
And not a few Circassians fair.
Cato, Virginius, too, were seen,
And Cleopatra, gorgeous queen.
Bavarian girls, too, graced the room,
Each sweeping hearts with "buy a broom."
And ladies fair, in simple dress,
But 'laborate in loveliness,
Proved "beauty," to admirers' cost,
"When unadorned 's adorned the most."
And there—surpass it he who can—
The good old English gentleman.
But vain th' attempt to mention all
Who graced that gay enchanted hall ;
Enough to add,—in cool recess
(Lest hunger, thirst, fatigue might preis)
Of spacious room, with columns high.
And all that can delight the eye,
The ample tables bore the weight
Of all that could refresh—not sate •,
And climes in southern suns that bask
Gave every fruit that taste could ask ;
And sparkled there the nectar'd juice,
That far Madeira's vines produce ;
And wild profusion marked the whole,
In crystal vase, or silver bowl.
Hark to the music's sprightly measure
Soft breathing on the wings of pleasure ;
It speaks the war-song of the north •
When rushed the Bruce to battle forth ;
And now it softly, sadly sighs,
Fair Erin's plaintive melodies :
And now the anthem of the brave—
The monarchs of the ocean wave ;
And now it breathes the livelier strains,
Oft heard in distant southern plains,
When the gay youths, at summer's eve,
For village sports, the vineyard leave ;
And ere with dew the grass be wet,
Dance to guitar and castanet.
The morning dawned, but many still
Joined country dance or gay quadrille ;
Till nature, with delight oppressed,
Recruitment sought In balmy rest.
With mutual kindly wish inspired,
Reluctantly the guests retired;
Forgetful that it is in vain
To strive pure pleasure to maintain
In mortal spheres—its durance given
But to the sinless realms of Heaven !

[The writer of the above extempore lines had already
written descriptions in verse of three successive fancy balls
that took place in the town, and, from the similarity of the
object in view, as well as of the principal characters that
appear on such occasions, he has found it impossible to avoid
a similarity in this essay to those that have preceded it, in
the style, sentiment, and " machinery," or introduction.
The whole versification, however, with the exception of a
few lines (within inverted commas), is new, and was written
for the immediate occasion.]

ASSIZE COURTS.