Page:Memoirs James Hardy Vaux.djvu/99

76

Oh! had I in the country stay'd
I might have learnt some useful trade.
And scorn'd the white lapelle^[1]

III.

When first on board the ship I went.
My belly full, my mind content,—
No sorrows touched my heart:
I view'd my coat, so flash and new»
My gay cockade, and hanger too.
And thought them wondrous smart.

IV.

But now, alas! my coat is rent;
My hanger's pawned; my money spent;
My former friends I've miss'd;
And when of hardships I complain.
My messmates swear 'tis all in vain;
And cry, "What made you list?"

V.

But hark! I hear the corp'ral's tread^[2]:
Another dose, and then to bed;
Of ev'ry joy bereft;
I shake my bottle with a doubt;
My poor half-pint^[3] is quite drained out;
Not one kind drop is left!

1. Alluding to the uniform of a lieutenant, which is faced with white.
2. The ship's corporal, whose duty it is to see all lights extinguished at eight o'clock.
3. His daily allowance of spirits.