THE OAT. 



tion had tlie poet fiw Ms pet, that he composed to her memory 

 the following verses : 



ON THE DEATH OF MY raVOUfilTE OAT, DEOWNED IS A VASE OP 

 OOLD FISH. 



'Twas on a lofty vafefi's side, 

 Whore Cliina'sgayest arts 'had dyed 



The azure flowers that blow, 

 Demurest of the tabby kind. 

 The pensive Selima reclined. 



Gazed on the lake below. 



The conscious maid her joy declared ; 

 The fair round face and snowy beard, 



The velvet of her paws, 

 Her coat that with the tortoise vies, 

 The ears of jet, and em'rald eyes. 



She saw, and porr'd applause. 



The hapless nymph with wonder saw 

 A whisker first, and then a claw. 



With many an ardent wish ; 

 She stretoh'd in vain to rea(!h the ^rize— 

 What female heart can gold despise ? 



What oat's averse to fish ? 



Presumptive maid ! with looks intent, 

 Agiain she stretoh'd, again she bent. 



Nor knew the gulf between. 

 Malignant Fate sat by and smiled. 

 The slippery verge her feet beguiled — 



She tumbled headlong in. 



Eight times emerging from the flood. 

 She mewed to every watery god 



Some speedy aid to send. 

 No dolphin came, no neriad stirr'd. 

 No cruel Toiri nor Susan heard,-^ 



A faVrite has no friend- 

 Learn hence, ye beauties undeceived. 

 Know one false step is ne'er retrieved. 



And be with caution bold ; 

 Not all that tempts your wondering eyes 

 Nor heedless hearts, is lawful prize, — 



Nor all that glitters gold. 



In ancient times, much as the cat was esteemed in England, 

 it was certainly viewed with quite as much awe as admiration. 

 One is apt to smile when he reads that in Egypt, when the 

 family cat gave np the ghost, it was customary for the entire 

 household to shave off their eyebrows as a token of their poig- 

 nant grief; but surely this was not nearly so absurd as to re- 

 gard grimalkin as the most favourite form assumed by the 

 prince of darkness when he happened to have business on the 

 face of the earth. If there Hved in any part of the country a 

 solitary woman, who through ripe age had become wrinkled 



