Lyra Frivola | Page 7

know what is.
CHORUS

Holy Reason! sacred Nous! [3]
Thou that hast for ever parted
From
the Cambridge Senate House,
Make, O make us valiant hearted!

Wisdom, still residing here,
Calm our mind and chase our fear

While with wild discordant clamour
On our College gate they
hammer!
[Confused Noise without.]
Hemich. a. [4] Horrid things! I really wonder
how they ever dared to come,
When they know to base Non-Placets
that we're always Not At Home.
Hemich. B. [4] 'Tis a national dishonour:
'tis the century's disgrace.
Hemich. a. If the College rules allowed it,
_I_ should like to scratch their face.
Hemich. B. Never mind! a time is coming
when despite of all their Dons
We will sack the hall of Jesus,
and enjoy the wealth of John's!
Hemich. a. Vengeance! let us face the foe-man,
boldly bear the battle's brunt,
With our Placets to assist us
and our chaperons in front!
[Alarums; Excursions--special trains for voters.]
(A violation of the rule_ "Ne pueros coram populo Medea trucidet" is
about to commence, when--_)
Enter APOLLO
(With apologies to Dr V-rr-ll for his profligate character.)

When all too deftly poets tie the knot
And can't untwist their
complicated plot,
'Tis then that comes by Jove's supreme decrees

The useful theos apo mechanes. [5]
Rash youths! forbear ungallantly
to vex
Your fellow students of the softer sex!
Ladies! proud leaders
of our culture's van,
Crush not too cruelly the reptile Man!
Or by
experience you, as now, will learn
Th' eternal maxim's truth, that e'en
a worm will turn.
[1. Transcriber's note: The words "Pheu" and "pheu" were transliterated
from the Greek as follows: "Pheu"--Phi, epsilon, upsilon; "pheu"--phi,
epsilon, upsilon.]
[2. Transcriber's note: The words "otototoi" and "ototototoi" were
transliterated from the Greek as follows: the "ot" pairs--omicron (with
the rough-breathing diacritical), tau; the trailing "i"--iota.]
[3. Transcriber's note: The word "Nous" was transliterated from the
Greek as follows: Nu, omicron, upsilon, sigma.]
[4. Transcriber's note: The "a" and "B" following each "Hemich" were
transliterated from the Greek "alpha" and "Beta", respectively.]
[5. Transcriber's note: The phrase "theos apo mechanes" was
transliterated from the Greek as follows: "theos"--theta, epsilon,
omicron, sigma; "apo"--alpha, pi, omicron; "mechanes"--mu, eta, chi,
alpha, nu, eta, sigma.]
QUADRIVIAD, ll. 1-51
Arma virosque cano: procul o, procul este profani:
nescio mentiri: si
quis mendacia quaerit
in vespertinis quaerat mendacia chartis.
me
neque multo iterum Pharsalia sanguine tincta
nec tam Larissa nuper
fugitiva relicta
Graecia percussit, quam Curia Municipalis
Principis
augusta dextra Cambrensis aperta,
atque novae longis imbutae litibus
aedes:
omnia quae vobis canerem si tempus haberem
aut spatium:
sed non habeo, varias ob causas.
nunc civilia bella viaeque cruore

rubentes
Musae sufficient et Quadrivialis Enyo.
Nox erat et caeio
fulgebat luna sereno
desuper: in terris fulgebat Serica lampas

plurima, et ornatis pendent vexilla fenestris.
spectando gaudent cives:
academica pubes
palatur passim plateis aut ordine facto
proruit
ignavum cives pecus: omnia late
laetitia magni praesentia Principis
implet.
Metropolitanae custos, Robertule, pacis,
tu quoque laetus
ades, nec dedignaris amice
inter ridentem comis ridere popellum.

ecce tamen Furiae Martini desuper arce
dant belli signum: ruit
undique vulgus ad arma:
procuratores obsistunt subgraduatis,

civibus iratis obsistunt subgraduati
et cives illis: pacis custodibus,
omnes.
turba venit diris ultrix accincta bacillis:
Metropolitani vecti
per strata caballis
proturbant cunctos, reliquos in carcere claudunt.

Consiliarius en! Urbanus in occiput ipse
percutitur nec scit quisnam
cere comminuat brum:
namque negant omnes, et adhuc sub judice lis
est.
quid Medicina viris jurisve peritia prodest,
jurisconsultos dubio
si jure coercent
vincula, nec proprios arcet Medicina bacillos?
heu
pietas, heu prisca fides! neglectus alumnus
Tutorem in vacua tristis
desiderat aula:
interea Tutor sub judice municipali
litigat, et jurat
nil se fecisse nefandum,
obtestans divos: nec creditur obtestanti.

quid referam versos equites iterumque reversos
subgraduatorum
pellentes agmina ferro,
inque pavimentis equitantes undique turmas?

proh pudor! o mores, o tempora! forsitan olim
exercens operam
curvo Moderator aratro
inveniet mixtis capitum fragmenta galeris

relliquias pugnae, et mentem