Stray leaves from the portfolios of Alisander the seer, Andrew Whaup, and Humphrey Henkeckle

STRAY LEAVES. 83
But the shell of the Shape we must try to peep through,
And its Proteus-VikQ hemal expose to full view.
The soul of the thing, if a soul it may be;
For some have their doubts on’t, and why may not we?
For our own part, we think, that instead of a soul.
The thing is possesed by some horrible goul,
Sent from its dark regions, for some horrid crime.
And condemned to inhabit the Shape for a time;
For we scarce can conceive that a soul would be formed.
To inhabit a body so vile and deformed,
Unless we suppose such a gross piece of clay,
Had been made to imprison some soul cast away.
But be that as it may—be it soul, be it goul,
One thing is most certain, ’tis hideously foul;
Being stained with each vice that can blacken a wretch.
Who is ripening apace for the cord of Jack Ketch.
Hypocrisy, meanness, fraud, treachery, guile,
Yenality, envy, and lechery vile.
Malevolence, cunning, s^ite, falsehood, and pride;
In short, every vice that’s supposed to reside
In man or in devil, resides in the Shape;
Which makes it, with such a facility, ape
Each prominent character known about town.
From the saint to the rake, from the sage to the clown.
Just follow the thing through its sinuous track,—
(You may know’t by the mountain that graces its back:)
Observe it wrapt up in a cloak of Religion,
All humble in manner, and meek as a pigeon,—