And he shone bright, our course was right,
The "flowing tide" ran free.

Higher and higher every day
Our sun shone bright and clear--
St. Stephen's Guest here beat his breast,
For he heard the loud "Hear! Hear!"

[Sidenote: St. Stephen's Guest heareth that business is toward within;
but the monologuising Mariner continueth his tale.]

The Speaker hath paced into the House,
Toward his lofty place;
Gleaming like gold before him goes
The merry, massive Mace.

St. Stephen's Guest he beat his breast,
Yet he could not chuse but hear;
And thus spake on that ancient man,
The garrulous Mariner.

[But behold the tale that was told unto St. Stephen's Guest by
the Ancient Mariner is now known unto all men, from repeated
and prolix narrations; the tale to wit of the Mariner's
startling adventure in unsailed seas on board his suddenly
launched _Home Rule_ Argo; how that the Ancient Mariner shot
the Oof Bird (that made the (financial) mare to go, and the
(party) breeze to blow); how that his shipmates cried out
against the Ancient Mariner for killing the bird of good luck,
which lay the golden eggs, but how, when the fog cleared off,