164 love's meinie. 



a note by the author, giving M. Soyer's 

 authority for the items of the great dish, — 

 " symbol of philanthropy, served at York during 

 the great commemorative banquet after the first 

 exhibition." The commemorative soul of the 

 tormented Chef — always making a dish like it, 

 of M^hich nobody ever eats — sings thus : — 



" Do you veesh 

 To hear before you taste, of de hundred-guinea deesh ? 

 Has it not been sung by every knife and fork, 

 ' L' extravagance culinaire k 1' Alderman,' at York ? 

 Vy, ven I came here, eighteen Octobers seence, 

 I dis deesh was making for your Royal Preence, 

 Ven half de leeving world, cooking all de others, 

 Swore an oath hereafter, to be men and brothers. 

 All de leetle Songsters in de voods dat build. 

 Hopped into the kitchen asking to be kill'd ; 

 All who in de open furrows find de seeds. 

 Or de mountain berries, all de farmyard breeds, — 

 Ha — I see de knife, vile de deesh it shapens, 

 Vith les petits noix, of four-and-twenty capons, 

 Dere vere dindons, fatted poulets, fowls in plenty. 

 Five times nine of partridges, and of pheasants twenty ; 

 Ten grouse, that should have had as many covers, 

 All in dis one deesh, with six preety plovers. 

 Forty woodcocks, plump, and heavy in the scales. 

 Pigeons dree good dozens, six-and-dirty quails, 

 Ortulans, ma foi, and a century of snipes, 

 But de preetiest of dem all was twice tree dozen pipes 

 Of de melodious larks, vich each did clap the ving. 

 And veeshed de pie vas open, dat dey all might sing ! " 



