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SQUABBLES IN THE COMMONS. 



He sat beneath the gallery upon nights 



To hear debates whose thunder roused not rouses. 



BYRON'S DON JUAN, CANTO X. 



I. 



ALL was prepared, the men, the time, the place, 



And Erin's members had their opportunity 

 Of meeting their accusers face to face, 



Learning the traitors whether more or unity ; 

 Showing the world that no one dare disgrace 



Their pure Milesian scutcheons with impunity ; 

 For, sooth, the charge had been a hand grenade 

 Thrown mid the leaders of an escalade. 



II. 

 Then rose the mighty Daniel, and surveyed 



The enemy with due deliberation ; 

 Awful and grand he towered as he displayed 



Erin's majestic personification ; 

 Th' incarnate essence, pure sublime, " unpaid/' 



Of several millions of the finest nation; 

 With forty-agitator power of brogue, 

 Made up of every dialogue in vogue. 



III. 



Uprose this polyuphalous monstrosity, 

 And wielding his enormous arms he said, 



He felt a something more than curiosity 

 To learn the truth of what he lately read, 



That some great blockhead in the impetuosity 

 Of after dinner speeches, had been led 



To say to his constituents at Hull, 



" That an Hibernian made a villainous bull." 



IV. 



For his part, he was certain 'twas a lie, 

 A damned, abhorred, unprincipled deceit, 



Concocted with a view to vilify 



His tail, by some assassin or arch cheat ; 



Some dealer in the foulest calumny. 



Alas ! poor Ireland had such foes to meet. 



But as it was, he'd ask the noble lord 



Was there foundation for the tale abhorr'd. 



