voice, those words so calculated to aid in bringing into blossom the bud
of promise.

But who can meditate upon the memorable stanzas, and not see, in fancy,
the enthusiastic youth--the lover of melody and of nature--as he enters
his dingy room, the ordinary abiding place of poetical geniuses. He
sees his beloved fiddle, and his no less beloved feline friend, in
loving conjunction; he bursts out rapturously with impetuous joy:

"Hey! diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle!"

He sees the two things dearest to his heart, and sees them both at one
time! And he must be excused for his sudden night into the regions of
classicism.

No wonder that he immediately imagines the world to be as full of joy as
he himself, and that he thinks

"The cow jumped over the moon."

Perhaps the sight was a sufficient re-moon-eration to him for his past
troubles; and the exhilaration of his spirits caused him to dance, to
cut pigeon-wings, and otherwise gaily disport himself; consequently,

"The little dog laughed to see the sport,"

which every intelligent dog would have done, under the circumstances.
Certainly, dear reader, you would have done so yourself.

The hilariousness of the poet increasing, and his joyfulness expanding,