Probatur Aliter

by Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

A long-ear'd beast, and a field-house for cattle,
Among the coals doth often rattle.
A long-ear'd beast, a bird that prates,
The bridegrooms' first gift to their mates,
Is by all pious Christians thought,
In clergymen the greatest fault.
A long-ear'd beast, and woman of Endor,
If your wife be a scold, that will mend her.
With a long-ear'd beast, and medicine's use,
Cooks make their fowl look tight and spruce.
A long-ear'd beast, and holy fable,
Strengthens the shoes of half the rabble.
A long-ear'd beast, and Rhenish wine,
Lies in the lap of ladies fine.
A long-ear'd beast, and Flanders College,
Is Dr. T--l, to my knowledge.
A long-ear'd beast, and building knight,
Censorious people do in spite.
A long-ear'd beast, and bird of night,
We sinners art too apt to slight.
A long-ear'd beast, and shameful vermin,
A judge will eat, though clad in ermine.
A long-ear'd beast, and Irish cart,
Can leave a mark, and give a smart.
A long-ear'd beast, in mud to lie,
No bird in air so swift can fly.
A long-ear'd beast, and a sputt'ring old Whig,
I wish he were in it, and dancing a jig.
A long-ear'd beast, and liquor to write,
Is a damnable smell both morning and night.
A long-ear'd beast, and the child of a sheep,
At Whist they will make a desperate sweep.
A beast long-ear'd, and till midnight you stay,
Will cover a house much better than clay.
A long-ear'd beast, and the drink you love best,
You call him a sloven in earnest for jest.
A long-ear'd beast, and the sixteenth letter,
I'd not look at all unless I look'd better.
A long-ear'd beast give me, and eggs unsound,
Or else I will not ride one inch of ground.
A long-ear'd beast, another name for jeer,
To ladies' skins there nothing comes so near.
A long-ear'd beast, and kind noise of a cat,
Is useful in journeys, take notice of that.
A long-ear'd beast, and what seasons your beef,
On such an occasion the law gives relief.
A long-ear'd beast, a thing that force must drive in,
Bears up his house, that's of his own contriving.





Last updated October 26, 2022