The Old Woman and her Ass—The Hon. Henry Erskine, Lord Advocate of Scotland.
The Old
Woman
and her
Ass.
A Fable.
In Durham’s venerable spire,
So justly famous for its choir,
Each Sunday, when the organ’s sound
Did from the sacred walls rebound,
A gentleman, some say of note,
Joined with the choristers his throat
To praise the Lord, or show his skill,
I know not; be it as it will,
With open mouth and lifted eye
He made the solemn cadence die;
And when they raised the sacred song,
His voice was heard above the throng.
The cause of all this strange emotion,
Some said was pride, and some, devotion.
One youth with vanity elate
Observed that near a woman sat,
Adown whose ancient wrinkled face
The trickling tears did run apace;
With kerchief clean she wiped her eyes,
And stifled, as they rose, her sighs.
The songster harbour’d not a doubt
How this emotion came about:
He knew his voice had pleas’d each ear,
But ne’er before had drawn a tear;
He knew he oft had charm’d the young,
And joy’d that age now felt his tongue.
The service o’er, the crowd retires,
His pride a secret wish inspires,
To know from Goody what soft part
Of all his song had touch’d her heart.
As from the church she hobbling came,
He thus address’d the ancient dame:
Goody, a word—I won’t detain you,
I think of late I oft have seen you
Melted in tears; do pr’ythee tell
The piteous cause for which they fell.
The dame replied, Some time ago,
The time when first began my woe,
I had an ass in my possession,
For selling brooms is my profession;
He bore my besoms, drew my cart,
And was the darling of my heart:
Each night, I turn’d him to the wood
To browse the bushes for his food.
One night, when all was calm and still,
Some wicked foxes from the hill,
Attack’d the honest, harmless beast,
And of his carcass made a feast.
Excuse me, Sir, if when I hear
Your worship’s voice, I shed a tear:
When it so loud and shrill does rise,
I think I hear poor Cuddy’s cries:
So like his braying is your shake,
My very heart is like to break!
MORAL.
Ye squallers, who for singers wish to pass,
First ask, if e’er your hearers lost an ass!