Punch (61.1871)

18

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[July 15, 1871.

NOT TO BE TRIFLED WITH

Sergeant. " Silence, Gentlemen—Silence! If I hear another "Wokrd, I'll—I'll—Fall out the hqul ov yees ! "

IL m GALANTUOMO AT ROME !

{July, 1871.)

Victor Emmanuel at Rome ! 0 names

Of mockery to Papalini ears !
Victor ! the conqueror, whose conquest shames

The Church's crowned sons, and their faithless fears:
Emmanuel ! whose presence 'fileth Rome

As the fiend's hoof-print would the Vatican,
Or as the Serpent's trail fouled Adam's home,

When, with the bait of Knowledge to tempt Man,
He came, as this accursed King has come,

In spite of bell, and book, and Papal ban!

No miracle is wrought his step to stay, _

No thunderbolt is launched to blast his crown ;
And Rome makes haste her ancient neck to lay

Under his cloven hoof, submissive, down !
Meanwhile, a prisoner in his Holy Hall,

II Papa Re sits sad, but unsubdued,
And waits and watches, till the lightning fall.

Is he infallible, and shall the brood
Of Hell dare oust him from St. Peter's stall,

Eoul the benitier, trample on the rood ?

Did Paul and Peter swoop in wrath from Heaven,

To stay the march of Attila and his Huns,
And has Heaven's armoury no store of levin

To smite and scathe Rome's renegado sons ?
Can Peter's bark be destined to decay,

In piecemeal rot, like a rat-eaten hulk:
Not pass in elemental war away,

Buried in Earth's convulsed and crashing bulk ?
Shall the worst King find friends—II Papa Be

Alone be left, uncomforted, to sulk ?

Uncomforted, but by those fair fine words,

That butter not the parsnip's lenten fare,
And the stray Peter's pence, which from their hoards

The faithful seem to find so hard to spare.
And worse than all, unpersecuted quite ;

Shows of respect kept up ; King's state maintained ;
Cardinals, Monsignori, Monks, black, white,

And brown, and whitey-brown, left unrestrained
To come, and go, and keep Church-weapons bright

With odium theologicum ingrained.

And Rome ? Doth she not weep and tear her hair,

Or take up arms to strike with might and main,
For Papa Re, St. Peter's lineal heir,

Beyond St. Peter's years the first to reign ?
Accursed Rome ! She pranks herself in smiles,

Hangs out her lights and flowers, from street to street,
In welcome of this King, by Satan's wiles

Led on to set him high in Csesar's seat,
For all the Infallible upon him piles

Curses, to knock an Atlas off his feet.

And Italy to Rome holds eager hands,

And Rome clasps longing hands with Italy ;
And their great shout goes thrilling through all lands,

" Italia una ! Free from sea to sea! "
And Papa Re bethinks him of a time

When that same song for burden bore his name,
While blessings rang around it, like a chime

Of marriage-bells ; and now in wrath and shame
He stops his ears, but still, from none to prime,

Thro' barred doors, blocked ears, sounds the glad acclaim I

A Legal Query.

Pope asks—" Is there no bright Reversion in the sky ? " This is,
clearly, a question which only a Lawyer can answer