Some person was relating to the Earl of Coventry the strange fact that the
Earl of Devon's harriers last week gave chase, in his demesne, to an
unhappy donkey, whom they tore to pieces before they could be called off;
upon which his lordship asked for a piece of chalk and a slate, and
composed the following _jeu d'esprit_ on the circumstance:--
I'm truly shocked that Devon's hounds
The gentle ass has slain;
For _me_ to shun his lordship's grounds,
It seems a warning plain.
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