IMPROMPTU

ON

A LONG NOSED FRIEND.*

Paris, 1800.

GOING along the other day,
Upon a certain plan;
I met a nose upon the way,
Behind it-was a man.

I called unto the nose to stop,
And when it had done so,-
The man behind it-he came up,
They made ZENOBIO.

THE STRANGE STORY OF

KORAII, DATHAN, AND ABIRAM,

Numbers, Chap. xvi. accounted for.

But I will tell of one much worse,

That happ'd in days of yore, All in the barren wilderness,

Beside the Jordan shore;

Where Moses led the people forth,
Call'd chosen tribes of God;

And fed them forty years with quails,
And ruled them with a rod.

A dreadful fray once rose among
These self-named tribes of I am;
Where Korah fell, and by his side
Fell Dathan and Abiram.

An earthquake swallow'd thousands up, And fire came down like stones; Which slew their sons and daughters all, Their wives and little ones.

'Twas all about old Aaron's tythes
This murdering quarrel rose;

For tythes are worldly things of old,
That lead from words to blows.

A Jew of Venice has explain'd,
In the language of his nation,
The manner how this fray began,
Of which here is translation.

There was a widow old and poor,

Who scarce herself could keep; Her stock of goods was very small, Her flock one single sheep.

And when the time of shearing came,
She counted much her gains;
For now, said she, I shall be blest,
With plenty for my pains.

When Aaron heard the sheep was shear'd,

And gave a good increase,

He straightway sent his tything-man,
And took away the fleece.

At this the weeping widow went
To Korah to complain,
And Korah he to Aaron went

In order to explain.

But Aaron said, in such a case,
There can be no forbearing,
The law ordains that thou shalt give
The first fleece of thy shearing.

When lambing time was come about,
This sheep became a dam;

And bless'd the widow's mournful heart,

By bringing forth a lamb.

When Aaron heard the sheep had young, He staid till it was grown,

And then he sent his tything man,

And took it for his own.

Again the weeping widow went
To Korah with her grief,
But Aaron said, in such a case,
There could be no relief.

For in the holy law 'tis writ,

That whilst thou keep'st the stock,

Thou shalt present unto the Lord
The firstling of thy flock.

The widow then in deep distress,

And having nought to eat,
Against her will she kill'd the sheep,

To feed upon the meat.

When Aaron heard the sheep was kill'd,

He sent and took a limb;

Which by the holy law he said

Pertained unto him.

For in the holy law 'tis writ,

That when thou kill'st a beast,

Thou shalt a shoulder and a breast

Present unto the priest.