eximious

milosrdenstvi Some rather bad poetry from "Punch", which was, I suppose, the "Onion" of its day. For some reason all the online dictionaries can only come up with the first stanza of this as an example for 'eximious'. I find this deplorable.

THE HERCULES CHEAP PALETOT.

You've read the death of Hercules,
In classic tale related ;
But there the facts of his decease
Erroneously are stated :
Each schoolboy will at large recite
Fast as his Alphabeta,
How that eximious man of might
Departed on Mount Œta.

The hero, haying ceased to rove,
'Tis said, his labours ended,
To sacrifice to Father Jove,
That mountain steep ascended.
Desirous proper clothes to don,
Such as he would look nice in,
He put a Centaur tunic on,
To offer sacrifice in.

This tunic having been imbued
With Hydra's deadly poison,
Itself unto the wearer glued,
Like plaster with Spain's flies on.
Not to come off—the income-Tax
A blister of the sort is—
It stuck to him like cobbler's wax,
And stung like aqua fortis.

Such direful pangs convulsed his frame,
And pierced through bone and marrow,
That Hercules felt much the same
As toad beneath a harrow ;
Such agonies his nerves did rive,
Did trouble, vex, and tease him ;
He chose to burn himself alive,
As thinking fire would ease him.

Now, this same story is a myth,
Or mystical narration,
In which there is of truth a pith,
Involved in fabrication.
The vest that poison'd Hercules
Was bought from a slop-seller ;
It was the virus of disease
That rack'd the monster-queller.

Twas Typhus, which the garment caught
Of Misery and Famine,
Hands that for some cheap tailor wrought ;
The Hydra-story's gammon.
Such clothes are manufactured still ;
And you're besought to try 'em
In poster, puff, placard, and bill -
— If you are wise, don't buy 'em. May 20, 2010

milosrdenstvi A word which describes itself. Aug 15, 2008