A BELLOC SAMPLER *

LINES TO A DON

Remote and ineffectual Don That dared attack my Chesterton, With that poor weapon, half-impelled, Unlearnt, unsteady, hardly held, Unworthy for a tilt with men--Your quavering and corroded pen; Don poor at Bed and worse at Table, Don pinched, Don starved, Don miserable; Don stuttering, Don with roving eyes,

Don nervous, Don of crudities; Don clerical, Don ordinary, Don self-absorbed and solitary; Don here-and-there, Don epileptic; Don puffed and empty, Don dyspeptic; Don middleclass, Don sycophantic, Don dull, Don brutish, Don pedantic; Don hypocritical, Don bad, Don furtive, Don three-quarters mad; Don (since a man must make an end), Don that shall never be my friend . . .

EPIGRAMS

On His Books

When I am dead, I hope it may be said: "His sins were scarlet, but his books were read."

On Lady Poltagrue, a Public Peril The Devil, having nothing else to do, Went off to tempt My Lady Poltagrue.

My Lady, tempted by a private whim, To his extreme annoyance, tempted him.

The Statue

When we are dead, some Hunting-boy will pass And find a stone half-hidden in tall grass And grey with age: but having seen that stone (Which was your image), ride more slowly on.

On Mundane Acquaintances Good morning, Algernon: Good morning, Percy. Good morning, Mrs. Roebeck. Christ have mercy!

On a Dead Hostess

Of this bad world the loveliest and the best

Has smiled and said "Good Night," and gone to rest.

The False Heart

I said to Heart, "How goes it?" Heart replied: "Right as a Ribstone Pippin!" But it lied.

* From "Sonnets and Verse"; Sheed & Ward, 1945.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.