PHILOSOPHY AT A BANQUET

Old Socrates who thought he knew

A philosophic thing or two,

Believed that man was made to walk

Or lounge about the streets and talk

Of life and death and virtues true,

And what a fellow ought to do;

While poor Xantippe, so I'm told,

Remained at home to drudge and scold.

But Epicurus seemed to think

That man was made to eat and drink,

A doctrine quite as orthodox,

I sometimes think, as old man Soc's;

For what philosophy's complete

That can not take an hour to eat?

I like old Socry, to be sure,

But here I'm just an Epicure.