The breath of the morning is sweet;
The earth is bespangled with flowers,
And buds in a countless array
Have ope'd at the touch of the showers.
The birds, whose glad voices are ever
A music delightful to hear,
Seem to welcome the joy of the morning,
As the hour of the bridal draws near.
What is that which now steals on my first,
Like a sound from the dreamland of love,
And seems wand'ring the valleys among,
That they may the nuptials approve?
'Tis a sound which my second explains,
And it comes from a sacred abode,
And it merrily trills as the villagers throng
To greet the fair bride on her road.
How meek is her dress, how befitting a bride
So beautiful, spotless, and pure!
When she weareth my second, oh, long may it be
Ere her heart shall a sorrow endure.
See the glittering gem that shines forth from her hair—
'Tis my whole, which a good father gave;
Twas worn by her mother with honour before—
But she sleeps in peace in her grave.
Twas her earnest request, as she bade them adieu,
That when her dear daughter the altar drew near,
She should wear the same gem that her mother had worn
When she as a bride full of promise stood there.

A Liar Should Have a Good Memory.

My Day Closed Is In Immortality.

A poet who in blindness wrote; another lived in Charles's reign; a third called the father of English verse; a Spanish dramatist; the scolding wife of Socrates; and the Prince of Latin poets,—their initials give the year of the Great Plague—MDCLXV.—1665: Milton, Dryden, Chaucer, Lope-de-Vega, Xantippe, Virgil.

Begin Well and End Better.

Where did Charles the First's executioner dine, and what did he
take?
He took a chop at the King's Head.

When is a plant to be dreaded more than a mad dog?
When it's madder.

What is majesty stripped of its externals?
It is a jest.
[The m and the y, externals, are taken away.]

Why is hot bread like a caterpillar?
Because it's the grub that makes the butter fly.

Why did the accession of Victoria throw a greater damp over England than the death of King William?
Because the King was missed (mist) while the Queen was
reigning (raining).

Why should a gouty man make his will?
To have his legatees (leg at ease).

Why are bankrupts more to be pitied than idiots?
Because bankrupts are broken, while idiots are only cracked.

Why is the treadmill like a true convert?
Because it's turning is the result of conviction.

When may a nobleman's property be said to be all feathers?
When his estates are all entails (hen-tails).

Every Man Knows Where His Own Shoe Pinches.

Ohs ya h sych, oayarsa rr loucys syms
Osrh srore rrhmu h smsmsmah emshyr snms.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
h u s h m o n e y b y c h a r l e s h r o s s e s q

"Far in a wild, unknown to public view,
From youth to age a reverend hermit grew."

cryptography example

"Though you set me on foot,
I shall be on my head."

"'Twas whispered in heaven, 'twas muttered in hell,
And echo caught faintly the sound as it fell;"

Thprffthpddngsthtng,
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Whnhnorslst ts—rlftd,
Dths bt—sr rtrt fm nfmy.

"When honour's lost 'tis a relief to die,
Death's but a sure retreat from infamy."

"Fear's the white feather all cowards wear."
——s' th wht fthr ll cwrds——

"Cut off my head, how singular I act:
Cut off my tail, and plural I appear.
Cut off my head and tail—most curious fact,
Although my middle's left, there's nothing there!
What is my head cut off?—a sounding sea!
What is my tail cut off?—a flowing river!
Amid their mingling deaths I fearless play
Parent of softest sounds, though mute for ever!