I askèd my dear friend Orator Prig

III

I ASKÈD my dear friend Orator Prig:

‘What’s the first part of oratory?’ He said: ‘A great wig.

‘And what is the second?’ Then, dancing a jig

And bowing profoundly, he said: ‘A great wig.’

‘And what is the third?’ Then he snored like a pig,

And, puffing his cheeks out, replied: ‘A great wig.’

So if a great painter with questions you push,

‘What’s the first part of painting?’ he’ll say: ‘A paint-brush.’

‘And what is the second?’ with most modest blush,

He’ll smile like a cherub, and say: ‘A paint-brush.’

‘And what is the third?’ he’ll bow like a rush,

With a leer in his eye, he’ll reply: ‘A paint-brush.’

Perhaps this is all a painter can want:

But, look yonder—that house is the house of Rembrandt!