ian's ears were wounded,
Not Hogarth e'en could paint.

The devil fancied it rare fun.
"Well! don't you like my second, Dun?
Two parts sound better sure than one,"
Said he, with queer grimace:
"Come sing away, indeed you shall;
Strike up a spicy madrigal,
And hear me do the bass."

This chaffing Dunstan could not brook,
His clenched fist, his crabbed look
Betrayed his irritation.
'Twas nuts for Nick's derisive jaw,
Who fairly chuckled when he saw
The placid saint's vexation.

"_Au revoir_, friend, adieu till noon;
Just now you are rather out of tune,
Your visage is too sharp;
Your ear perhaps a trifle flat:
When I return, 'All round my hat'
We'll have upon the harp."

A tale, I know, has gone about,
That Dunstan twinged him by the snout
With pincers hotly glowing;
Levying, by _fieri facias_ tweak,
A diabolic screech and squeak,
No tender mercy showing.

But antiquarians the most curious
Reject that vulgar tale as spurious;
His reverence, say they,
Instead of giving nose a pull,
Resolved on vengeance just and full
Upon some future day.

Dunstan the saying called to mind,
"The devil through his paw behind
Alone shall penal torture find
From iron, lead, or steel."
Achilles thus had been eternal,
Thanks to his baptism infernal,
But for his mortal heel.

And so the saint, by wisdom guided,
To fix old Clootie's hoof decided
With horse-shoe of real metal,
And iron nails quite unmistakable;
For Dunstan, now become implacable,
Resolved Nick's hash to settle.

Satan, of this without forewarning,
Worse luck for him! the following morning,
With simper sauntered in;
Squinted at what the saint was doing,
But never smoked the mischief brewing,
Putting his foot in't; soon the shoeing
Did holy smith begin.

Oh! 'twas worth coin to see him seize
That ugly leg, and 'twixt his knees
Firmly the pastern grasp.
The shoe he tried on, burning hot,
His tools all handy he had got,
Hammer, and nails, and rasp.

A startled stare the devil lent,
Much wondering what St. Dunstan meant
This preluding to follow.
But the first nail from hammer's stroke
Full soon Nick's silent wonder broke,
For his shrill scream might then have woke
The sleepiest of Sleepy Hollow.

And distant Echo heard the sound
Vex