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The first with learning and the last with swill, 

 Weighing at least a quarter of a ton — 

 Too fat to see, or walk — much less to run — 

 'Tis then, oh, Pig, thy wisdom brightest shines, 

 And man admiring listens, longs and pines 

 To catch some words of wisdom from thy store 

 Of knowledge, learning, wit and piggish lore. 

 But all in vain ! if Pig can speak he won't — 

 He vouchsafes nothing but a solemn grunt — 

 His wisdom is profound, beyond a doubt, 

 But he's not going to tell it all right out. 

 His friends make this explanatory boast— 

 " They always talk the least who know the most. 



?» 



The canvas shifts. The moral pig no more 



We contemplate, but dropping one step lower, 



We have another widely different view, 



Not quite, we trust, unknown to most of you — 



The view that epicureans always take — 



That pleases best the hearts of those who make 



Gods of their bellies, and who tribute pay 



To their divinities three times a day. 



We speak of dropping one step lower ; 'tis true 



The stand-point 's lower down, but then the view 



Of pig as pork 's as interesting, quite. 



As when we see him in a moral light: 



Por while most solemnly his friends discourse 



Upon his virtues, and most plainly show us 



That he is loyal, noble, true and wise, 



Growing in goodness as he grows in size, — 



Eight in the midst of all this fullsome talk 



Just pass a napkin, plate, and knife and fork, 



And place a well browned sparerib where the nose 



Will catch the savory steam as up it goes ; — 



At once discussion stops. We hear no more 



Of pig's great goodness, or his wisdom's store, 



But in its place the ever pleasant clatter 



Of knives and forks, and steel against the platter. 



The Jews call him unclean ; perhaps 'tis so — 



Externally, we grant it, for we know 



He never is so happy as when putting 



His nose inside a pile of dirt and '* rooting ;" 



But e'en though outwardly this may be so, 



8 



