The Peacock At Home

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Title: The Peacock 'At Home:'
A Sequel to the Butterfly's Ball
Author: Catherine Ann Dorset
Release Date: November 1, 2007 [EBook #23281]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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THE
PEACOCK "_AT HOME_:"

A SEQUEL
TO THE
BUTTERFLY'S BALL.
WRITTEN
BY A LADY.
_THE TWENTY-SEVENTH EDITION, WITH NOTES._
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR J. HARRIS,
CORNER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD.
1815.
_J. Swan, Printer, 76, Fleet Street, London._
[p 3]
THE
PEACOCK "_AT HOME_."
The Butterfly's Ball and the Grasshopper's Feasts?Excited the spleen of the Birds and the Beasts:?For their mirth and good cheer--of the Bee was the theme, And the Gnat blew his horn, as he danc'd in the beam.?'Twas humm'd by the Beetle, 'twas buzz'd by the Fly,?And sung by the myriads that sport through the sky.?The Quadrupeds listen'd with sullen displeasure,?But the tenants of air were enraged beyond measure.?The PEACOCK display'd his bright plumes to the Sun,?And, addressing his Mates, thus indignant begun:?"Shall we, like domestic, inelegant Fowls, [p 4] As unpolished as Geese, and as stupid as Owls,?Sit tamely at home, hum drum with our Spouses,?While Crickets and Butterflies open their houses??Shall such mean little insects pretend to the fashion??Cousin Turkey-cock, well may you be in a passion!?If I suffer such insolent airs to prevail,?May Juno pluck out all the eyes in my tail??So a F��te I will give, and my taste I'll display,?And send out my cards for St. Valentine's Day."?--This determin'd, six fleet Carrier-pigeons went out,?To invite all the birds to Sir Argus's Rout.?The nest-loving TURTLE-DOVE sent an excuse;?DAME PARTLET lay in, as did good Mrs. GOOSE.?The TURKEY, poor soul! was confined to the rip:?For all her young brood had just fail'd with the pip.?The PARTRIDGE was ask'd; but a Neighbour hard by?Had engag'd a snug party to meet in a Pye;?And the WHEAT-EAR declin'd recollecting her Cousins,?Last year, to a feast were invited by dozens,?But, alas! they return'd not; and she had no taste [p 5] To appear in a costume of vine-leaves or paste.?The WOODCOCK preferr'd his lone haunt on the moor;?And the Traveller, SWALLOW, was still on his