FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244  
245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   >>   >|  
tory, at Leominster, Mass. In one of the earliest numbers of this paper, following the example of Mr. Biglow, he published his will, which Mr. Paine, the editor of the Federal Orrery, immediately transferred to his columns with this introductory note:--"Having, in the second number of 'Omnium Gatherum' presented to our readers the last will and testament of Charles Chatterbox, Esq., of witty memory, wherein the said Charles, now deceased, did lawfully bequeath to Ch----s Pr----s the celebrated 'Ugly Knife,' to be by him transmitted, at his college demise, to the next succeeding candidate; -------- and whereas the said Ch----s Pr----s, on the 21st of June last, departed his aforesaid college life, thereby leaving to the inheritance of his successor the valuable legacy which his illustrious friend had bequeathed, as an entailed estate, to the poets of the university,--we have thought proper to insert a full, true, and attested copy of the will of the last deceased heir, in order that the world may be furnished with a correct genealogy of this renowned _Jack-knife_, whose pedigree will become as illustrious in after time as the family of the 'ROLLES,' and which will be celebrated by future wits as the most formidable _weapon_ of modern genius." That part of the will only is here inserted which refers particularly to the Knife. It is as follows:-- "I--I say I, now make this will; Let those whom I assign fulfil. I give, grant, render, and convey My goods and chattels thus away; That _honor of a college life, That celebrated_ UGLY KNIFE, Which predecessor SAWNEY[42] orders, Descending to time's utmost borders, To _noblest bard_ of _homeliest phiz_, To have and hold and use, as his, I now present C----s P----y S----r,[43] To keep with his poetic lumber, To scrape his quid, and make a split, To point his pen for sharpening wit; And order that he ne'er abuse Said ugly knife, in dirtier use, And let said CHARLES, that best of writers, In prose satiric skilled to bite us, And equally in verse delight us, Take special care to keep it clean From unpoetic hands,--I ween. And when those walls, the muses' seat, Said S----r is obliged to quit, Let some one of APOLLO'S firing, To such heroic joys aspiring, Who long has borne a poet's name, With said Knife cut his way to fame." See _Buckingham's Reminiscences_, Vol. II. pp. 281, 270. Tradition asserts that the or
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244  
245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

college

 

celebrated

 

deceased

 

Charles

 
illustrious
 

sharpening

 

scrape

 

poetic

 
lumber
 

homeliest


predecessor
 
convey
 

render

 

chattels

 

SAWNEY

 

present

 

Descending

 

orders

 

utmost

 

borders


noblest
 

aspiring

 

firing

 

APOLLO

 

heroic

 

Tradition

 
asserts
 
Buckingham
 

Reminiscences

 
skilled

satiric

 

equally

 
delight
 

writers

 

dirtier

 
CHARLES
 
special
 

obliged

 

unpoetic

 

formidable


lawfully

 

bequeath

 

memory

 
testament
 

readers

 
Chatterbox
 

transmitted

 

demise

 

departed

 
aforesaid