e one an' all ayqually
contimptible. But in this neetive Oirish loine we have not only
doialictic advantages, but also an ameezing number of others. It's the
doirict riprisiuteetive of the Homiric loine, fust, in the number of
fate; secindly, in the saysural pause; thirdly, in the capaceetee for a
dactylic an' spondaic inding, an' fowerthly, in the shuperabundince of
sonorous ipithits and rowling syllabeefeeceetions. An' all this I can
prove to ye by spicimins of me oun thransleetion."

With this he went to a Davenport at one end of the room, and brought
out a pile of manuscript closely written. Then he seated himself again.

"I'll raid ye passages here an' there," said he. "The fust one is the
reception of the imbassy by Achilles." Saying this, he took the
manuscript and began to read the following in a very rich, broad
brogue, which made me think that he cultivated this brogue of his
purposely, and out of patriotic motives, from a desire to elevate his
loved Irish dialect to an equality with the literary standard English:

"'He spake. Pat Rokles heard, an' didn't
dacloine for till do it,
But tuk the mate-thray down, an' into the
foyre he threw it:
A shape's choine an' a goat's he throwed on
top of the platter,
An' wan from a lovely pig, than which there
wor nivir a fatter;
Thase O'Tommedon tuk, O'Kelly devoided
thim nately,
He meed mince-mate av thim all, an' thin he
spitted thim swately;
To sich entoicin' fud they all extinded their
arrams.
Till fud and dhrink loikewise had lost their
jaynial charrums;
Thin Ajax winked at Phaynix, O'Dishes tuke
note of it gayly,
An' powerin' out some woine, he dhrunk till
the health ov O'Kelly.'"

After this he read the description of the palace of Antinous in the
"Odyssey:"

"'For benchus heights ov brass aich wee wos
firrmlee buildid,
From the front dure till the back, an' a nate
blue corrinis filled it;
An' there was gowldin dures, that tastee
dome securin',
An' silver posts loikewise that slid the breezin'
dure in;
An' lovely gowldin dogs the intherrance wee
stud fast in,
Thim same, H. Phaestus meed, which had a
turrun for castin'.
Widout that speecious hall there grew a gyardin,
be Jakers!
A fince purticts that seeme of fower (I think
it is) acres.'"

I have but an indistinct recollection of the rest of the evening. If I
was not sound asleep, I must have been in a semi-doze, retaining just
sufficient consciousn