Page:The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, Volume 8.djvu/237

Rh The dullest beast, and eggs unsound, Without it I rather would walk on the ground. The dullest beast and what covers a house, Without it a writer is not worth a louse. The dullest beast, and scandalous vermin, Of roast or boil'd, to the hungry is charming. The dullest beast, and what's cover'd with crust, There's nobody but a fool that would trust. The dullest beast mending highways, Is to a horse an evil disease. The dullest beast and a hole in the ground, Will dress a dinner worth five pound. The dullest beast, and what doctors pretend, The cookmaid often has by the end. The dullest beast and fish for lent, May give you a blow you'll for ever repent. The dullest beast, and a shameful jeer, Without it a lady should never appear.

Wednesday night.

I writ all these before I went to bed. Pray explain them for me, because I cannot do it. Rh