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p>The Emperor's Rout

M. Gauci del^t. Printed by C. Motte 23. Leicester Sq^re.

As the Emperor Moth1 sat one evening in May,

Fanned by numberless wings in the moon’s silver ray,

While around him the zephyrs breathed sweetest perfume,

Thus he spoke to his dwarf with the Ragged white plume:2

“That vain Butterfly’s Ball, I hear, was most splendid,

And, as the world says, very fully attended,

Though she never asked us, but assigned as a cause,

We were all much too heavy to gallope and waltz.

What impertinence this, want of grace to ascribe

To the Lord of the whole Lepidopterous tribe;

I too’ll give a ball, and such folks to chastise,

I’ll not be at home to these pert butterflies.

Bid the Empress3 come hither, and we’ll talk about

What arrangements to make for a capital rout.”

M. Gauci del^t. Printed by C. Motte 23. Leicester Sq^re.

THE INVITATION.

The Empress obeyed her lord’s summons with speed,

And proceeded her visiting tablets to read,

That those of her subjects, whose homage was booked

In that coveted record, might not be o’erlooked.

Then the Bufftip4 began to write each moth a card,

Having one for herself just by way of reward.

“First ask,” says the Emperor, “the Glory of Kent,5

On having much beauty my mind is quite bent;

The Belle, too, of Brixton,6 the Marvel du Jour,7

And the Peach-blossom8 moth you’ll invite, I am sure;

The Sphinx9 too, shall come, who makes riddles so well,

And the Gipsey10 be ready our fortunes to tell;

Mother Shipton 11 shall chap’rone the lovely Black I,12

And those awkward Greek girls, Lambda,13 Gamma,14 and Chi;15

Hebrew Character,16 too, who for routs has a passion;

And I’ll ask Mrs. Gothic,17 though she’s out of fashion,

For I love my old friends, and had rather that they

Should partake of our feast, than the idle and gay,

Who flutter about without object or reason,

Just live for an hour, and last but a season.”

How little, alas! do great moths bear in mind,

That their tenure of life is of just the same kind.

“You’re right,” said the Empress, “and truly ’twere shabby,

T’exclude from our party poor old Mrs. Tabby,18

And the Rustics19 I’ll ask, though not one has a gown

In which to appear, save of black, grey, or brown;

And some of them go, too, so feathered and flounced,

That the Coxcomb20 called Prominent, on them pronounced

A sentence of censure, quite just, but so tart,

That I felt, when I heard it, quite cut to the heart.

But now to proceed, Sire, the Leopard21 I vote,

Be razed from our list, with that ugly old Goat,22

Who in youth made such terrible use of his jaws,

That I dread, I confess, e’en the sight of his claws;

And as to his muscles, ’tis said that when counted,

To four thousand and just forty-one they amounted;

Of Musk too, I’m told, he sheds such perfume,

That wherever he goes, he fills the whole room.

Exclude him we will, with the old Dromedary,23

The Elephant24 cunning, and Fox25 too, so wary,

That though I don’t know it for certain, I’m told

They cheat at Ecarté, like Hermes of old.

M. Gauci del^t. Printed by C. Motte 23. Leicester Sq^re.

THE DEATH’S HEAD MOTH.

The Ghost26 and Death’s head,27 and that terrible host,

Would but scare all the guests”—Here the Emperor lost,

For a moment, his patience, and cried to his spouse,

“If thus you proceed, ma’am, my anger you’ll rouse.

Like th’ Egyptians of old, I’ll have at my feast

A figure of death, or his cross-bones at least,

To remind all our guests of the limited span

That to moths is allotted, as well as to man,

And how e’en in the midst of enjoyment’s gay hour,

We are still in death’s stern and inflexible power.

So let them have cards, and I’ll go and prepare

For receiving our friends, the best possible fare.”

The Monarch then went with the Eyed Hawk,28 his scout,

To search for a spot fit for giving his rout;

A green ring he found, the work of a fairy,

And thinking it looked both commodious and airy,

He called to him Brimstone29 to measure the ground,

For another Geometra30 could not be found;

Of this workman he knew the correctness full well,

What

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1

Saturnia pavonia minor. The caterpillars of these moths are of a beautiful green, with blue spots, and after living together for three weeks, they separate, and disperse themselves in all directions. The Chrysalis is covered with a strongly glutinous matter, which resists not only weather, but the perforation of other insects. The Pavonia Major is the largest of European moths, and, according to Latreille, a manufactory of silk from the cocoons has been established in Germany.

2

Pterophorus pentadactylus. Large White Plume. By some called Ragged Robin. The moths of this genus have their wings divided, or formed of feathers united at the base. The chrysalis is black.

3

Female of the Saturnia pavonia minor.

4

Pygæra bucephala.

5

Endromis versicolor.

6

Noctua catana.

7

Noctua aprilina.

8

Noctua batis.

9

The attitude of the caterpillars, resembling that of the Sphinx, has given this name to the tribe. The moths of the Sphinx have the peculiar power of erecting their wings, but even these cannot make them meet over the back as butterflies do. Their chief food is the potatoe plant.

10

Liparis dispar.—The caterpillars of the Gipsey are very destructive to fruit trees, over which they wander during the day, but at night retire into a web like that of a spider. In 1731, they attacked and destroyed most of the oaks in France.

11

Noctua mi.—Called Shipton, from the profile of an old woman which is marked on its upper wings.

12

Noctua I niger.—The Roman character, I, is marked on the wings of this moth.

13

Noctua lambda, Noctua gamma, Noctua chi.—So named from the spots on their wings resembling these Greek characters. The caterpillars of the Noctua gamma, in 1735, infected the whole of France, and devoured the productions of the kitchen gardens. The common people supposed them to be poisonous, and consequently the use of herbs in making soups was forbidden.

14

15

16

Noctua gothica.

17

Noctua typica.

18

Pyralis genus.—The Tabby is often found in the tea chests in the East India warehouses, where it commits great ravages. It never is met with, however, in a chest that is not cracked, thereby proving its English origin.

19

Noctua nigra.—Black rustic. Noctua lævis.—Grey rustic. Noctua obsoletissima.—Brown rustic. Noctua phæa.—Feathered rustic. Noctua tinea.—Flounced rustic.

20

Notodonta camelina.—The singular name of Coxcomb Prominent, was given to this moth from the crest on its thorax, which resembles that of a cock. The specific name was bestowed in consequence of two lobes on its upper wings, which it raises when at rest.

21

Zeuzera æsculus.—The caterpillar feeds on the wood of apple trees, but the moth is often found in great abundance in St. James’s Park; sixty were gathered there in one morning, but the greater number had been half devoured by the birds.

22

Cossus ligniperda.—The caterpillar lives in the interior of trees, and has, according to Lyonet, 4041 muscles. It is three years before the insect attains its perfect state. The caterpillar emits a smell much resembling that of musk, and Ray and Linnæus both supposed it to be the Cossus mentioned by Pliny, as fattened with flour by the Roman epicures for their tables. Later writers have, however, for many reasons, ascribed this to the larva of the stag beetle.

23

Notodonta dromedarius.—This Notodonta is called Dromedary, from having two crests, similar to humps, on its thorax.

24

Sphinx elpenor.—The caterpillars of the Elephant feed on the plant called Ladies’ Bedstraw, (Galium palustre), from which they are often shaken by the wind into the water. When this happens, they dexterously turn themselves on their backs, make head and tail meet, and float in this posture till they can contrive to save themselves by clinging to some part of the plant. They possess the power of drawing the head and three first joints within the body at pleasure. The moth flies very late at night, and is rarely caught.

25

Lasiocampa rubi.—The Fox moth is chiefly found on heaths and commons, and lives in the caterpillar state all the winter.

26

Hepialus humuli.—The male moth is of a beautiful and brilliant white, but the female is yellow. It is fond of feeding on the roots of grass, and from having been often found in church-yards, the tradition has arisen that it inhabits those spots only. The caterpillar is very destructive to hops, by devouring the roots.

27

Sphinx atropos.—This is called the Death’s Head moth from the resemblance of the spot on its thorax to a human skull. It is the largest of the Sphinx tribe, and is vulgarly regarded as the messenger of pestilence and death. When touched it utters a plaintive cry, like that of a bat or mouse. Reaumur says, that a whole convent in France was thrown into consternation, by one of these moths flying into the dormitory. It frequently robs hives, and Huber states, that its cry renders the bees motionless. It breaks from its chrysalis between four and seven in the afternoon, as the Hawk moth of the Lime always appears at noon, and that of the Evening Primrose at sunrise.

28

Sphinx cellata.—The Eyed-hawk moth flies very swiftly by night, and its caterpillar is very beautiful.

29

Geometra cratægaria.—The Brimstone lays eggs twice in the same year.

30

This genus is so called from the peculiar manner in which the caterpillar moves; it brings the feet of both extremities close together, and the intermediate part of the body rises like an arch, giving it the appearance of measuring the distance it performs. It is said to possess great muscular powers, for it will attach its posterior feet to the twig of a tree, and erect the rest of its body in a vertical position for hours without moving.