FASHION

n : A despot whom the wise ridicule and obey. A king there was who lost an eye In some exce of pa ion; And straight his courtiers all did try To follow the new fashion. Each dropped one eyelid when before The throne he ventured, thinking *T would please the king. ’That monarch swore He’d slay them all for winking. What should they do? They were not hot To hazard such disaster; They dared not close an eye—dared not See better than their master. Seeing them lacrymose and glum, A leech consoled the weepers: He spread small rags with liquid gum And covered half their peepers. The court all wore the stuff, the flame Of royal anger dying. That’s how court-plaster got its name Unle I’m greatly lying. Naramy 100