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KING DIONYSIUS AND SQUIRE DAMOCLES; A New Song on an Old Story. Proper to be ſung at all Feaſts and Merry-makings.
[]THERE was a heathen man, ſir,
Belonging to a King;
And ſtill it was his plan, ſir,
To covet every thing.
And if you don't believe me,
I'll name him if you pleaſe,
For let me not deceive ye,
'Twas one Squire Damocles.
He thought that jolly living
Muſt every joy afford,
And knew of no miſgiving,
While round the feſtive board.
He wanted to be great, ſir,
And fed on fare delicious,
And have his feaſts in ſtate, ſir,
Juſt like King Dionyſius.
The King, to cure his longing,
Prepar'd a feaſt ſo fine,
That all the Court were thronging
To ſee the Courtier dine.
And there to tempt his eye, ſir,
Was fiſh, and fleſh, and fowl,
And when he was a-dry, ſir,
He had a brimming bowl.
Nor did the King forbid him
From drinking all he could;
The Monarch never chid him,
But fill'd him with his food.
O then, to ſee the pleaſure
Squire Damocles expreſt!
'Twas joy beyond all meaſure;
Was ever man ſo bleſt?
With greedy eyes the Squire
Devour'd each coſtly dainty;
You'd think he did aſpire
To eat as much as twenty.
But juſt as he prepar'd, ſir,
Of bliſs to take his ſwing;
O, how the man was ſcar'd, ſir!
By this ſo cruel King!
When he to eat intended,
Lo! juſt above his head,
He ſpied a ſword ſuſpended
All by a ſingle thread.
How did it change the feaſting
To wormwood and to gall,
To think, while he was taſting,
The pointed ſword might fall.
Then in a moment's time, ſir,
He loath'd the luſcious feaſt;
And dreaded, as a crime, ſir,
The brimming bowl to taſte.
Now, if you're for applying
The ſtory I have told,
I think there's no denying
'Tis worth its weight in gold.
Ye gay, who view this ſtranger,
And pity his ſad caſe;
And think there was great danger
In Damocles's caſe;
Come let this aweful truth
In all your minds be ſtor'd;
That DEATH o'er every youth
Hangs like a pointed ſword.
And tho' you ſee no reaſon,
To check your mirth at all;
In ſome ſad drunken ſeaſon
The ſword on you may fall.
So learn, while at your eaſe
You drink down draughts delicious,
To think of Damocles,
And old King Dionyſius.
- Citation Suggestion for this Object
- TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 3890 King Dionysius and Squire Damocles a new song on an old story Proper to be sung at all feasts and merry makings. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-5D79-5