The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction. Volume 10, No. 286, December 8, 1827

Amid the pauses of the midnight storm,
When all without is cold, within all warm!
Amid the pauses of the midnight blast,
When ev'ry bolt and ev'ry sleeper's fast!
In that dire hour, when graves give up their dead,
And men for once agree in their pursuit—a bed!
When heroes, statesmen, senators, and kings,
Lords, and et ceteras of meaner things,
Forget the road to fortune—or to jail,
And Morpheus all their equal guardian hail!
When each forgets each 'vantage or mishap.
And all are equal in one common nap!
At that dread hour…
Caetera desiderantur.

    Carshalton W. P–n.

ON OATHS

(For the Mirror.)

Since lately we have had a great deal of prevarication in our courts of justice about receiving the oaths of deists, &c., I have thought it meet to furnish the MIRROR with an account of the first usage of the words, "So help me God." The word oath is a corruption of the Saxon eoth