Thomas
Gray
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[Impromptus]

[Impromptus]


Extempore by Mr. Gr[ay]. on Dr. K[eene].
B[ishop]. of C[hester].

1 The Bishop of Chester
2 Though wiser than Nestor
3 And fairer than Esther,
4 If you scratch him will fester.

One day the Bishop having offered to
give a Gentleman a Goose Mr.
Gr[ay]. composed his Epitaph, thus.

5 Here lies Edmund Keene Lord Bishop of Chester,
6 He eat a fat goose and could not digest her—

And this upon his Lady—

7 Here lies Mrs Keene the Bishop of Chester,
8 She had a bad face which did sadly molest her.

Impromptu by Mr. Gray going out of
Raby Castle

9 Here lives Harry Vane,
10 Very good claret and fine champagne.

A Couplet by Mr. Gray

11 When you rise from your dinner as light as before,
12 'Tis a sign you have eat just enough and no more.

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Spelling has been modernized throughout, except in case of conscious archaisms. Contractions, italics and initial capitalization have been largely eliminated, except where of real import. Obvious errors have been silently corrected, punctuation has been supplied. The editor would like to express his gratitude to the library staff of the Göttingen State and University Library (SUB Göttingen) for their invaluable assistance.