21
Above the clods of earth, where man sticks bestial,
Will climb to higher heights and realms celestial;
And quite content let’s wear these furs delicious
Wherewith, where need is, Nature kindly wraps us.
This cant ’gainst nakedness is all fictitious—
Man’s prudishness—a mere eccentric lapsus;
Our members’ forms,—’twas Nature’s hand applied ’em,
They’re known;—why hypocritically hide ’em?
You’ll ne’er drill me into these chequered tatters;
I have grown grey untrowsered—by all hatters!
I won’t rig my old age in rags and motley!”
“Enough, enough,” broke in the prince here hotly,
“So untrimmed a discourse, one so provocative,
No Senate’s annals sure have e’er confessed.
All’s Greek to him-the Parliament’s prerogative,
And how ’tis meet that kings should be addressed!
Forth from our Senate! Off! and be right glad
We’ve not yet called our Law Courts—if we had
The wheel those caitiff limbs had seen disjointed
For gross offence against high heaven’s anointed.”
The aged ape, aghast, perused him storming,
Then turned its back upon his Senate, slowly
Hand over hand o’er high lianas swarming,
Sought the thick foliage of a pipal holy,
And sucked its mango there, snarled wrathful, shifted,
And flung the kernels down from palm uplifted.
And now the king had quite a host of reasons
With which to quench the opposition treasons.
“My mighty grandsire from yon starry height
Looks down, methinks, with no contented eye
On such an advocate, and small delight
To be the ancestor of such a guy.
