The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1868-12-18

llmpTOUptu vctBcs VII tuC peASSc Ps
Theodore Hook was famed for his akiii IN
these extemporsneous efforts. ave re-
MEMBER" saws one Of his blographers,
''to have heard Mr.. Hook sing . song up
on company Of sixty persons, each verse
containing an epigram. Sheridan was
present and expressed his opinion that e
was one of the most extraordinary exer.
tions of human lntsllect that he had ever
witnessed" On one OF these occasions, .
certain. Mr.. Winter tax-oollector, enter.
Ing the room, Hook alluded TO him IS fol-
lows:
"IIcre comes Mr.. Winter, collector OF taxes;
advise you to give Il without any nummery,
For though his names Winter, his aetions are
summary"
One of the happlest. and assuredly the
most profitable OF these impromptu cpl
grams, was the following, written by
James Smith, brother Of Horace, and Joint
author with him OF the famous rejected
Addresses" It was made on an old gen
tleman named Straham, who, though
much impaired In health, preserved his
mental powers In all their vlgor.
s.n ESur Lover lin limb: BE-. .es%sd .,s far 0m stout
The cause presently found out,
When you began TO talk.
The power that props the body's length,
In due proportion spread,
inyog mount. II .IHr upyn.sd and the strength
This pleased Mr.. Straha am so much.
that he made an immediate codicil to hlP
will, leaving Smith f3,000.
But of all the freside games, the most
charming. facinating, tantallzing and dlm-
cult to achieve, Is the making Of cento.
verses. Boutsrlmes' Is very easy indeed
compared with It, and consequently far
inferior to It as IN art. In case our read
ers should not know what cento-verses
are, we will quote for their enlightment
the following passage on the subject, nom
DIsraeli's "Curiositles Of Literature" In
the "Scribleriad," we find o good account
of the ccnto. A centO primarily signifies
cloak make ofpatches. In poetry, It de-
notes work wholly compounded ofverscs
or passages taken promiscuously rom
other authors, only disposed In q new
form or order, so as TO compose new
work and new meaning. Ausonius has
laid down. tho rules to be observed In COM
posing centos. The pieces may be taken
either from the same poet, or from sever.
al; and the verses may be either taken
entire, or divided into two,-one halfto be
connected with another half taken else
where; but two verses are never to be
taken together, Agreeably to these rules
he has make pleasant nuptal cento
from Virgil. The Empress Eudocla wrote
the life OF Jesus Christ In centos taken
from Homer, and Proba Falconia nom
Virgil. -
.Aftsr speaking OF such very elaborate
performances,w we arc almost ashamed to
offer our readers few cento-verses, the
product of our own family circle; but a.
they may give them moments amuse-
ment, and will serve rs an example OF the
kind Of thing, we will set them down
here,-
''On Linden when the sun was low"
"a frog he would . wootng gop'
ole sighed slgh and breathed prayer"
"SOne but the bravo deserve the fair."
"a gentle night was .prickins DER the plain"
"what fear can check him, or whs, power TO
strain~
"But he returned friend, who came foe"
"The youngest the sister arts"
"Was born on the open sea-
"The rest were slain IN Chevy Chase"
"Under the greenwood tree"
sand saysSremcmbrance saddensd DER each
"Awake, my st. John-leave all meaner thinssi"
"whc would be free, themselves must strike the
at was friar Of orders gray
"Still harplng on my dsughter;"
"Slster spirit come away"
"Across the stormy water"
"Therc was q sound OF rcveiry BY night"
"In Thebes's streets three Thousand years ago;n
40 T ccnsars Fate and pIOu. HOPE iCrsso." N'''
Now. I dare say, Il seems remarkably
easy thing to the reader to make centO-
verse; we can assure him that II Ii often .
very difficult thing to mako . legitimate
one; but then, It must be confessed that 1t
Is extremely interesting and amusing to
chase a fitting line through all the poets
of ones acquaintance, aud catch Il at last.
Any person who Is anxious to try the dlf-
ficultles Of sento-verso m aking may do 80
and greatly oblige us, by finding Q fourth
line to the following. IL has bafied our
skill and memory many times:
"whcn Music, heavenly maid was young"
'.And little TO be trusted
"Then hrst the creature found tongue"
In making controversies, when this 10
done as q game, the guiding association is
the rhyme; but proverbs exercise the In
genulty, and even require certain degree
of critical acumen. In the absence OF an
individual from the room, the party pitch
upon some well-known proverb, and each
person takes charge of one Of the words
IL contains. When the one whose judg.
ment Is to be put TO proof rc-enters, he 10
permitted to ask OF each OF the company
a question OH any Indifferent subject that
may occur to him; and. In the answers.
all must take care to introduce the word
they have charge Of. II these answers
are Ingeniously framed, and the proverb
II OF reasonable length, tho hunt for It
II difficult and exciting; but very short
proverbs are too easily ilscerned To AFFORD
much amusement. Let us suppose. for In
stance. that the one In question is, "All 10
not gold that glltters." In this case, the
words "all. Is, not, that" introduced Into
respective answers give no clue; but u the
person who undertakes ''gold" Is not very
careful to use Il In such way n TO pro
vent It's leaving any impression upon the
memory of the questioner, II Is easily con.
nected with ''glItters." and 20 "the Cal
gets out Of the bag" at once.
In the pame OF acting rhvmes. . word
IA fixed upon. to which al the players IN
succession have to express rhyme In
dumb-show. We will suppose the word
given to be '.root." The nrst player ele-
Yates his foot. tIgging at the air, and max.
ing faces OF pain, as II undergoing the ~.
ony OF pulling Oh tight SOst. The second
points an Imaginary gun to skoot. The
third looks up ut plcture-ffame. ~ to
lady's easement. and. assuming the aspect
Of n despohdent lover, appears to be play
Ing the lute. The fourth makes violent
aud angry faces, humping his palm - II
In the height Of iispsts. The fifth twists
up roll Of paper. and puts it up TO bis
mouth, making grimaces usually attend
ant on the early study Of the Hsts, &c.
forfeits may be exacted for imperfect or
badly expressed rhymes.
Some frcside games aspire 70 nothing
higher than ''ralslng laugh" BY means
Of sheer sbsurtilty. or these, the 'News-
paper h perhaps tho most amusing in