Poetry.

PARODY . A SCOTS ODE ON THE DRUM . I LOVE that drum ' s harmonious sound , Parading round , and round , and round : To me it much more pleasure yields Than crowded cities or . green fields : GladlPd leave their boasted charms

y , To hear the din of hostile arms : And proud of honour ' s high commands , Would march , ancl fight , and fall in foreign lands . I love that drum ' s harmonious sound , Parading round , and round , and round : To me if tells the charming story Of Warof Conquestand of Glory :

, , Of fields of carnage just begun , Or ending with the setting sun : While o ' er the sorried squadrons bright If ine-crested Victory burst upon thesight . ALFRED

PETITION OF THE OXFORD LADIES . WRITTEN RY BEAN SWIFT , At the lime of the Commencement al Oxforil , in the Year 171 _ , and not inserted in any

Edition of bis Works . 'T humble petition pf the ladies who are all ready to be eaten up with the spleen , To think they are to be lock ' . ! up in the chancel , where I hey can neither see nor be seen ; But must sit in the dumps by themselves

, all stew'd and pent up , And can only peep thro' the lattice like so many chickens in a coop ; Whereas , last Commencement the ladies had agaliery provided near enough To see the Heads sleep , and the Fellow Commoners take snuff . 'Tis true for every particular , how ' twas

order'd we can't certainly know , Because none of us can remember so long as sixteen years ago . Yet we believe they were more civil to the ladies then , a good reason why , For if we all staid at home , your Commencement would not be worth a fly : Por at Oxford last —this is certainl

year y matter of fact , That the sight of Ihe ladies and the music made the best part of their act . Now you should consider some of us have been at very great expence To rig ourselves out in order to see the Doctorscommence : We've been fore'd with our

mantua-mak-__ ers to hold many a consultation , To know whether mourning or colours would be most like to be in fashion ; vVe ' ve sent to town to know what kind of hoods and ruffles the ladies wore , And have raK'd ihe price of whalebone higher than ' twas before :

We ' ve got intelligence from church , the side-box , and the ring , And to grace St . Mary ' s now , would ' nt make our cloaths trp in the spring . In flounces and furbelows many experiments have been try'd , And many an old gown and petticoat new scouf'd and dy'd . Some of us for these three months have

scarce been able to rest , For studying what sort of complexion would become us best ; And several of ns have almost pinch'd ourselves to death v .-i . h going straight lae'd , That we might look fuller in the chest , and more slender in the waist . after all this

And isn't it now intolerable pains and cost , To be coop'd up out of sight , and have ali our finery lost ? Such cross ill-naiur'd doings as these , even a saint would vex , To see a Vice Chancellor so barbarous to those of its own sex .

We've endeavour'd- to know the reason of all this to the utmost of our power , What has made the Doctors contrive to take us all down a peg lower , And we find 'tis only because their wigs weredisoblig'dby a warm shower .-As for that misfortune , the ladies may e ' eh thank the Prevaricator ,

Who was so extremely arch , they were ready to burst with laughter , But now we ' ve got hoop'd , and can very easily hold water . '

OCCASIONAL PROLOGUE , SPOKEN ON Tilt REPRESENTATION OF ENGLAND PUESERVED . WHEN Persia ' s Tyrant to the Athenian coast Sent forth , indignant , his Barbarian Host , At Freedom ' s calla firm and faithful

, band Undaunted rose , toguard theirnativeland ; Their valour fore'd unnuiiiber'd foes to yield , Pursu'd o ' er Marathon's immortal field . When Rome , superior to the storms of . Fate , [ gate , Saw , Afric ' s Chieftain thundering at her With stediast soul she brav

' 'd th' impending blow , Norstopp'd to parley with her hated foe . Lives there a Briton , blest with Freedom ' s laws , [ cause ? Less firm , less faithful to his Countns Breathes there a soul , which patriot zeal inspires [ fires ?

, But feels her wrongs , and glows with equal While , with gigantic strides , o'er Europe's . plains Fell Rapine stalks , and Desolation reigns ,-While fierce Oppression , with insulting claim , [ dom'sname , Mocks Freedom ' s rights J iyet rules in'Free *