A Hymn Of Welcome After The Recess.

        "animas sapientiores fieri quiescendo."


And now-cross-buns and pancakes o'er--
Hail, Lords and Gentlemen, once more!
    Thrice hail and welcome, Houses Twain!
The short eclipse of April-Day
Having (God grant it!) past away,
    Collective Wisdom, shine again!

Come, Ayes and Noes, thro' thick and thin,--
With Paddy Holmes for whipper-in,--
    Whate'er the job, prepared to back it;
Come, voters of Supplies--bestowers
Of jackets upon trumpet-blowers,
    At eighty mortal pounds the jacket![1]

Come--free, at length, from Joint-Stock cares--
Ye Senators of many Shares,
    Whose dreams of premium knew no boundary;
So fond of aught like Company,
That you would even have taken tea
    (Had you been askt) with Mr. Goundry.[2]

Come, matchless country-gentlemen;
Come, wise Sir Thomas--wisest then
    When creeds and corn-lords are debated;
Come, rival even the Harlot Red,
And show how wholly into bread
    A 'Squire is transubstantiated,

Come, Lauderdale, and tell the world,
That--surely as thy scratch is curled
    As never scratch was curled before--
Cheap eating does more harm than good,
And working-people spoiled by food,
    The less they eat, will work the more.

Come, Goulburn, with thy glib defence
(Which thou'dst have made for Peter's Pence)
    Of Church-rates, worthy of a halter;
Two pipes of port (old port, 'twas said
By honest Newport)[3] bought and paid
    By Papists for the Orange Altar![4]

Come, Horton, with thy plan so merry
For peopling Canada from Kerry--
    Not so much rendering Ireland quiet,
As grafting on the dull Canadians
That liveliest of earth's contagions,
    The bull-pock of Hibernian riot!

Come all, in short, ye wondrous men
Of wit and wisdom, come again;
    Tho' short your absence, all deplore it--
Oh, come and show, whate'er men say,
That you can after April-Day,
    Be just as--sapient as before it.