FOR CHILDREN, 177

But when thou’st drunk, and danced and
sung
Thy fill, the flowery leaves among,
Sated with thy summer feast
Thou retirest to endless rest.
Cowley.

 

THE CRICKET.
FROM THE LATIN OF VINCENT BOURNE.

LitrLx inmate, full of mirth,
Chirping on my kitchen hearth,
Whereso’er be thine abode.
Always harbinger of good,!

Pay me for thy warm retreat
With a song more soft and sweet ;
In return thou shalt receive

Such a strain as I can give.

Thus thy praise shall be expressed,
Inoffensive, welcome guest !

While the rat is on the scout,

And the mouse with curious snout,
With what vermin else* infest
Every dish and spoil the best ;
Frisking thus before the fire

Thou hast all thy heart’s desire.

Though in voice and shape they be
Formed as if akin to thee,

' The cricket, being attracted by the warmth and comfort
of the hearth, is to be regarded rather as the attendant, than
tLe harbinger of plenty and abundance.

3 With what vermin else—and other vermin besides.