And said, that with his clenched teeth, X. As he was speaking came a spasm, And wrenched his gnashing teeth asunder; Like one who sees a strange phantasm He lay,—there was a silent chasm Between his upper jaw and under. XI. And yellow death lay on his face; And a fixed smile that was not human Told, as I understand the case, That he was gone to the wrong place:- XII. Then there came down from Langdale Pike A cloud, with lightning, wind and hail; It swept over the mountains like An ocean, and I heard it strike The woods and crags of Grasmere vale. XIII. And I saw the black storm come Nearer, minute after minute; Its thunder made the cataracts dumb; XIV. The Devil was in it :-he had bought XV. The gaping neighbours came next day- PART THE SECOND. THE DEVIL. I. THE Devil, I safely can aver, Has neither hoof, nor tail, nor sting; Nor is he, as some sages swear, A spirit, neither here nor there, II. He is what we are; for sometimes III. A thief, who cometh in the night, With whole boots and net pantaloons, Like some one whom it were not right To mention ;-or the luckless wight, From whom he steals nine silver spoons. IV. But in this case he did appear Like a slop-merchant from Wapping, And with smug face, and eye severe, Till he saw Peter dead or napping. V. He had on an upper Benjamin VI. He called the ghost out of the corse ;- VII. The Devil knew not his name and lot; Peter knew not that he was Bell: Each had an upper stream of thought, Which made all seem as it was not; Fitting itself to all things well. VIII. Peter thought he had parents dear, He perhaps had found them there IX. Solemn phiz in his own village; Where he thought oft when a boy He'd clomb the orchard walls to pillage The produce of his neighbour's tillage, With marvellous pride and joy. X. And the Devil thought he had, The world is full of strange delusion— XI. That he had a mansion planned XII. And all this, though quite ideal,— XIII. After a little conversation, The Devil told Peter, if he chose, He'd bring him to the world of fashion By giving him a situation In his own service--and new clothes. XIV. And Peter bowed, quite pleased and proud, And after waiting some few days For a new livery-dirty yellow Turned up with black-the wretched fellow Was bowled to Hell in the Devil's chaise. PART THE THIRD. HELL. I. HELL is a city much like London- II. There is a Castles,' and a Canning, III. There is a ***2 who has lost His wits, or sold them, none knows which; He walks about a double ghost, The hatred with which the Government spy Castles was regarded finds a grim reflexion in Lamb's powerful little poem The Three Graves, of which the opening and close are as follows: Close by the ever-burning brimstone beds Where Bedloe, Oates and Judas hide their heads, Digging three graves. I asked the fiend for whom these rites were meant? "These graves," quoth he, "when life's brief oil is spent, When the dark night comes, and they're sinking bedwards, -I mean for Castles, Oliver, and Edwards."-ED. 2 Probably the blank should be filled by the name of Eldon.-ED. |