Satan's Supper

Ye Evil One The 'Old Lad' sat upon his throne,
giveth unto Beneath a blasted oak,
them a stayve. And fiddled to the mandrake's groan,
The marsh-frog's lonely croak;


II.

Ye corpses Whilst winds they hissed, and shrieked, and moaned
dashe their About the branches bare,
wigges. And all around the corpses groaned,
And shook their mould'ring hair;


III.

Ye hagges As witches gathered one by one,
crowde to ye And knelt at Satan's feet,
_levee_. With faces some all worn and wan,
And some with features sweet,


IV.

Ye power The earth did ope and imps upsprang
of Of every shape and shade,
Musicke. Who 'gan to dance as th' welkin rang
With tunes the 'Old Lad' played;


V.

Ye poetrie At which the witches clapped their hands,
of And laughed and screamed in glee;
motion. Or jumped about in whirling bands,
And hopped in revelry,


VI.

Ye delicacies Till Satan ceased, when all did rest,
of ye And swarmed unto the meat:
season, The flesh of infants from the breast,
The toes from dead men's feet,


VII.

Ye ditto, With sand for salt, and brimstone cates,
With blood for old wine red;
On glittering dish and golden plates
The dainty food was spread.


VIII.

Ye From heavy cups, with jewels rough,
coolinge The witches quenched their thirst;
drinkes. Yet not before the ruddie stuff
Had been by Satan cursed.


IX.

Ye barde But one lank fiend of skin and bone,
telleth of With hungry-looking eyne,
an outcaste Gazed at the food with dreary moans,
impe. And many a mournful whine;


X.

Of hys For Satan would not let him feed
unparalleled Upon the toothsome cheer,
wickednesse; (He had not done all day a deed
To cause a human tear);


XI.

Of hys And so he hopped from side to side,
gamboles To beg a bit of 'toke,'
and praieres, And, vagrant-like, his plea denied,
He prayed that they might choke


XII.

And of Themselves with morsels rich and fat
hys Or die upon the floor,
revylyngs of Like paupers (grieving much thereat
goode menne. The guardians of the poor).


XIII.

Ye earlie byrde A cock then flapped his wings and crew,
prepareth for ye Announcing coming light;
'Diet of When, seizing on a jar of stew,
Wormes.' The snubbed imp took his flight.


XIV.

_Les Adieux._ And at the solemn sound of doom
The witches flew away,
While Satan slunk off through the gloom,
Afraid of break of day;


XV.

Ye fruitlesse And in the darkness drear he cried--
remorse of His voice a trifle gruff,
Beelzebubbe. 'Those omelettes were nicely fried;
I have not had enough!'


XVI.

Ye resulte A blight fell on the trembling flowers
of ye meetynge And on the quivering trees--
uponne ye No buds there drink the passing showers,
Or leaves wave in the breeze;


XVII.

Agryculture For Satan's presence withered all
of ye The daisies and the grass,
dystricte. And all things over which like pall
His sulphurous tail did pass.