The Case Won By William Cowper

Two neighbors furiously dispute
A field the subject of the suit;
Trivial the spot–yet such the rage
With which the combatants engage,
‘Twere hard to tell who covets most
The prize, at whatsoever cost.
The pleadings swell. Words still suffice;
No single word but has its price;
No term but yields some fair pretence
For novel and increased expence.

Defendant, thus, becomes a name
Which he that bore it may disclaim,
Since both, in one description blended,
Are plaintiffs when the suit is ended.