Alfred; or, The Adventures of a French Gentleman — page 43: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

30 ALFRED; OR ADVENTURES To welcome in the morning, Around the board we'll stay ; And when the light is dawning, To bed we’ll haste away. The Mussulman in festive hour— The midnight robber arm’d to slay== The poet in his mistress’ bower The trav’ller on his lonely way— Their blessings shed On Bacchus’ head, And quaff the bowl with laughter gay: The rich—the poor The God adore, And constant own his potent sway. To welcome in the morning, Around the board we'll stay ; And when the light is dawning, To bed we'll haste away. In wine and women every ill Originates—so priests declare : But we will drain the gobiet still, And then to love a moment spare. Our fervent boast Shall be the toast That tells the praise of woman fair ; The brimming bowl Can cheer the soul, And love defy th’ advance of care. To welcome in the morning, Around the board we'll stay ; And when the light is dawning, To bed we'll haste away. ‘Many a time have I sung that pleasant stave to a host of good fellows,’ observed Belle-Rose, as he brought the strain to a concii- sion. ‘‘I learnt it from a prince of a companion at the board, and one who was rather famous in his way. He accompanied me to Toulon some time ago—we were re-inforced by him and a dozen others at Lyons—and there he is now for any thing that I know.” ‘¢ What was he condemned for ?”’ enquired a convict. ‘‘ For the small mistake he made about the old ruin in the neigh- bourhood of Lyons, you know,” answered Belle-Kose. “T cannot say that I recollect the circumstance,’ other. ‘¢Then I will recall it to your memory,” continued the facetious and talkative Pierre. ‘‘ You must remember that at a little distance from Lyons are the remains of a very old castle, which formerly belonged to some ancient family whose name I have forgotten. At the present moment the four bare walls are alone standing; and a poor farmer some years ago becamesproprietor of them together with the halt-acre of land upon which they are situate. One day a gentleman called upon the farmer and offered to purchase the ruins and the space of ground they occupy, asserting that he was a distant connexion of the family from which the property had passed away, and that he was COMMIE OOO KS nCOyin 9 observed the