order made a joke,
And claimed the Rights of Men.
But ASQUITH came, the cool and brave,
And poured oil on the troubled wave.
His speech was just a beauty!
Along each line this meaning ran:--
"England respects true Rights of Man,
But means enforcing Duty."

No more rude mobs may roar,
A nuisance and a bore,
Where'er BURNS lead the way.
As victory is this claimed
By spouts, by cool sense tamed?
All right! Let them hooray!
But dearly is their conquest bought,
'Twas scarce for this mad GRAHAM fought
'Tis _fair_, though--there's its beauty.
All just claims met by this shrewd plan,
The speechifying Rights of Man,
Plus the Policeman's duty.

ASQUITH's clear, certain sound,
Will spread dismay around;
_Some_ circles. "We believed!
ASQUITH was on _our_ side,"
The roughs will say. "He's tried,
And we--well, we're deceived.
If we're _permitted_ in this Square
To muster there, why should we care?
The game has lost its beauty!
Licence unfettered is _our_ plan.
Who cares a cuss for Rights of Man,
Checked by that bugbear Duty?"

* * * * *

PRESENTED AT COURT.

MR. PUNCH, SIR,

I am indignant--disgusted! I went last night to see a new piece,
called _The Guardsman_, at the Court Theatre, the plot of which,
reminded me--'tis merely a coincidence--of _Incognita_, now going
strong in St. Martin's Lane. The coincident being that a certain young
man won't marry an uncertain young lady whom they want him to marry,
because he is in love with quite another young lady (as he thinks) who
(the _incognita_) turns out to be the very lady whom he is required
to wed. However, that's not what I'm writing about. I leave criticism
to your "professional gent." Well, Sir, it was very amusing, and
very well acted. But from a military point of view, shameful,
Sir!--shameful! The people about me were laughing, and said that the
lines were good; that, take it all round, it ought to be a success;
that it was most amusing. But how could I appreciate anything when I
found a Captain in the Guards, on the Queen's Birthday, walking about
in plain leather boots! It was as bad, in my mind, as when Mr. CHARLES
WARNER, in the piece called _In the Ranks_, appeared as a private in
the same distinguished Regiment in patent leathers! And what was the
Captain doing, Sir, in mess uniform at his uncle's chambers, when he
was supposed to be on