1Two mountebanks
contended for a stage
, 2A spruce young gallant, t’other well in age.
3The various brags that furthered this contention
4Are too, too tedious in this place to mention.
5The governor of the town did thus decide
6That by their antidotes they should be tried
. 7Each of them poison should the other give,
8And he that by preparatives
did live 9Should have the present stage and future glory,
10And the defunct
should live in this sad story. 11The lots were drawn. The young man first did dress
12An ugly toad
in sippets
for his mess, 13With verdigris
for sauce. This he presents, 14Which the old mountebank sadly resents;
15Yet he with many faces ate
it up. 16The sauce he most unwilling did sup,
17For the young quacksalver
would never lean
18Till like Jack Sprat he licked the platter clean
. 19Then looking that he should have fall’n and died
20His young antagonist he did deride
21Saying, “you gave to me a fulsome
dish, 22But I will neatly satisfy your wish.
23I’ll offer what is pleasing to your sight:
24Naught but this little piece of aconite
, 25Which, as philosophers do all presume,
26Had its original from Cerberus’s
spume
. 27When strong Alcides
drew him up to Earth, 28His foam gave (hellish) aconite its birth.
29The young man fain
would have this bit refused. 30The old man to baffling
being not used 31Gave him the root, which he no sooner ate
32But his sad heart and every vein did beat.
33His mouth to either ear did stretch so wide
34And in this horrid posture straight
he died. 35Then let this teach all in their youthful age
36Not to contest with those are old and sage;
37Nor like this gallant on their wit rely,
38Lest they like him e’er long do grinning lie.
39This bold young quack his proud attempts did field
. 40Then let me ever to my betters yield.