Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-23

running, says DaJ6r OF WOrQ-JWlStl0g,
punning is eXecrable enough, but to pun
upon names is worse still. Execrable or
not, great wits have not thought it beneath
them. Shakespeare, who dearly loved pun,
frequently INDUCES himself 10 playing upon
a name. MethOdically mad PetruchiO calls
his termagant lady his
Super dainty Kate,
fO daln.ies are all Gates;
and futherplore declares:
am ne, am born to tame yOn, Kate,
AEd bring you from wild cat to a Kate,
Comfortable, as other household Hates.
Falstaff is ever playing upon his staggering
ancient's name, telling him he will double
charge him with dignities, charge him with
sack, or dismissIng him with, "No more,
listol, would not have you go off here;
discharge yOurselfOf our company, Pistol"
When Bardolph announces that Master
SrOok had sent the knight a morning
taught, Sir John exclaims: "Call him in;
- Brooks are welcome to me that over
lOw such liquOTi" And after bis msadven-
ture al Datchet Mead he says: mistress
Ford 1 have had ford enough; l was thrown
antO TIE fJrd,H So, examining his pressed
gnen, the TAT rogue tells MOuldy it is the
more time he was used; Shadow, that he is
sIkely 10 make cold soldier, but will serve
cor summer; Wart, that be is a ragged waTt;
and finishes by crying, "PriCk me Bullcalf
till be roar again.' But, like other iokers,
honest Jack did not enjoy such hamOr
when he was the butt, for it angered him
TO the heart when Prince Hal, setting dish
Of applejOhns on the table, took of his hat.
saying, Il will now take my leave of these
SIX dry, round, old, wilhered knights"
When Jack Cade haTangues his followers
with eve, Jack Cade, so termed Of our
supposed father" Dick, the butcher, puts in
The words, Rather of stealing a cade of
behring's" and upon his leader asserting
his wife was a descendant Of the Laceys,
inteTpOlates, "She was, indeed, pedlar's
daughter, and sold many laces."
Sometimes our, great dramatist plays up
on name in most sober sadness, making
Northumberland receive the fatal news from
Shrewsbury field with the inquiry:
Said he, young Harry Percy's spur was cold ?
Ot H0SpUr, COld-spur?
and the dying old soldier, John oGaunt
plays nicely with his name, to the wonder
ment Of his unworthy nephew, as he gasps
out:
Old Gauut, indeed; and Gaunt in being old;
Within me grief hath kept a tedious fast;
And who abstains from meat that is not gaUnt2
For sleeping England long time have l WATCHED;
Watching breeds leamess, leanDeSS is all gaUnt.
The pleasure that some fathers feed upon
Is my strict FAST mean my children S looks;
And therein fasting, hast thou made me gaunt.
Gaunt am for the grave, gaunt as a grave,
Whose hollow womb inhcrits nsught but bones.
IN his SOnnets, we find Shakespeare twisting
his own name about to soften the heart Of
an obdUrate fair one
Whoever hath her wish, thou hast thy VIII,
And VIII to boot, and VIII il overplus.
II thy soul check thee that I come so near,
Swear 10 thy blind soul that l was thy VIII,
And VIII, thy soul knows, is admitted there.
Thus far YOU love, my love suit, love, fulfil.
Will Will fulfil the treasure OF thy love?
Ay, MI 1t tuu with wills, and my viii one
Make but my name thy love, and love that still.
And then thou loy'st me-fOr my name is VIII.
Whether certain lines inscribed TO Ann
Hathaway were written by her famous hUs-
baud in bis counting days or not, they afford
TOO excellent a specimen Of the art Of rhyth-
micA pulning on names to be passed over.
In is way the following stauza stands I'M
SURPASSED
When Euvy's breath and rancOrous tooth
20 soil and bite fair worth and truth,
And merit to distress bctray,
10 soothe the heart Ann hath a way.
She hath a way to chase despair,
70 heal all grief, to cure all care,
Turn tOulest night TO tairCst day,
Thou k.Ow'st, good heart, Ann hath way:
She hath way,
Ann Hathaway,
To make grief bliss, Ann hath q way.
As modern burlesque writers hold them
selves licensed to distOrt words out of all
recognition in order to produce what they
call pun, SO, when complimentary playing
upon names was in vogue, literary fatteT-
cIs allowed themselves strange liberties.
Capgrave, the ChrOniCler, did not hesitate
at autCGating the death Of Henry the Fifth
TO make it fall upon the feast Of St. Felix,
as most appropriate to person who was
felicitiOus in all things. Nichols, the writer
of a poem entitled Virtues Encomium, puZ-
lied how to deal with Sir Robert WrOth's
name, got over the difficulty in this ingeni-
Gus fashion:
Worths chief is dead, since worthy He is gone,
Who of that name most worthy was alone
y" poor and hungry, all his grave 20 ind,
That holds the body of 50 pure mind.
There sit yu down and sigh for bounty dead,
Bounty with that brave knight, &c heaven is fed;
Where since hc came, Heaven, asst doth appear,
WauA a star TO set by bouuteOus Clare,
In VT ia did place the o before the =,
And made il Worth, which since is made a star.
Love is a much better versilier than eX-
pectaut gratitude. An admirer of pretty
girl named Rain thus gave expression to his
feelings
Whilst shiyerinP beauy at weather rail,
OIir0~t, and snow, and wind and hail.
And heat, and cold complain;
Nv steadicT mind is always bent
OuUne sole object of content
] ever wish for Rain!
Hymen, thy vOtaTy prayer attend,
liz anxious hope and suit hctTlend,
Let him not ask in vain;
His thirsty soul his parChCd estate,
Ills glowing breast CunmiseTate-
lu pity give him Rain!
Equally happy are the lines on q young
Lady named Careless
OH how could love thee, thou dear Careless
thing!
rDh. harI1v, thrice happy! I'd envyuo kng0
Were yOI Careful for once to return me my love,
Ia care not how Careless TO others you'd prove.
linen should he Careless how Careless you We're;
And the more Careless you, still the less should
When Mrs. Little earned the Queens
Cuineas. and q friend remarked, "eveTy little
helms" The reminder was doubtless con-
selling 20 the happy father, who otherwise
micllt have thought three times little
rather too much of good thing. Brough-
am perpetraied a fair joke in accounting
for Calnpbelrs absence from his accus-
toned place in the court, by telling Judge
Abbott the missing barTistcr was suffering
from an attack Of scarlet fever, when be was
really doing the honeymoon with bis bride,
nee Scarlet. Still better was Bishop Phil
potts defense Of Lord COurtney's marriage
with Miss C'ack upon a lady Directing to
TO the brides want of family. Want OF
family? Why, the Courtneys may date
from the Conquest, but the Clacks are as
ola as Eve" When a midde-aged cOquette
settled down in wedlock with Mr.. Wake,
Miss Austen wrote:
Maria, good humored and handsome, and tail,
For a husband was at her last stake;
Aud having IN vain danced at many ball,
l. now happy 10 jump at Wake
Miss Holmes, the lady president Of an
American Total Abstinence Society, gave
her hand to Mr.. Andrew Horn, thereby
provoking the marriage lines
Fair Julia lived temperance maid,
And preached its beauties night and morni
Bar ,ti,I her wicked neighbOrs said,
.SI, okg the pledge and took A. Horn"
Who 4 Miss SWondon became Mrs