Slack is the snail and most sluggish the sloth;
As a slow-motion picture the tortoise beats both;
But worse than the tortoise, the sloth, or the snail
Was that indolent warrior, Tivoli Trail.
Late for his breakfast, his tea, and his dinner,
At hustling or bustling—well, any beginner
Would put to the blush this unpunctual sinner.
His sundial was broken, his watch wouldn't go,
The clocks in his castle were half an hour slow:
In battle his slackness in no way diminished;
By the time he arrived the whole business was finished.
And damsels in danger of dragons, who privily
Hoped to be rescued and then treated civilly,
Could _never_ rely on this torpid Sir Tivoli.
[Illustration: _Damsels in danger of Dragons._]