And gingling down the back-ftairs, told the crew,
"Old Cato is as great a Rogue as you."

Bleft paper-credit! last and best supply!
That lends Corruption lighter wings to fly!
Gold imp'd by thee, can compass hardest things,
Can pocket States, can fetch or carry Kings;
A fingle leaf fhall waft an Army o'er,

Or fhip off Senates to a distant shore;
A leaf, like Sibyl's, fcatter to and fro

Our fates and fortunes, as the winds fhall blow:
Pregnant with thousands flits the Scrap unseen,
And filent fells a King, or buys a Queen.

NOTES.

where he had received a large bag of Guineas, the bursting of the bag difcovered his business there. P.

VER. 42.-fetch or carry Kings ;] In our author's time, many Princes had been fent about the world, and great changes of Kings projected in Europe. The partition-treaty had difpofed of Spain; France had fet up a King for England, who was fent to Scotland, and back again; King Stanislaus was

40

45

fent to Poland, and back again; the Duke of Anjou was fent to Spain, and Don Carlos to Italy. P.

VER. 44. Or fhip off Senates to fome diftant Shore ;] Alludes to feveral Minifters, Counsellors, and Patriots banifhed in our times to Siberia, and to that MORE GLORIOUS FATE of the PARLIAMENT of PARIS, banished to Pontoife in the year 1720. P.

Oh! that fuch bulky Bribes as all might see, Still, as of old, incumber'd Villainy!

50

Could France or Rome divert our brave designs, With all their brandies or with all their wines? What could they more than Knights and Squires confound,

Or water all the Quorum ten miles round?

A Statesman's flumbers how this fpeech would spoil! "Sir, Spain has sent a thousand jars of oil; 56 "Huge bales of British cloth blockade the door; "A hundred oxen at your levee roar."

Poor Avarice one torment more would find; Nor could Profufion fquander all in kind. Aftride his cheese, Sir Morgan might we meet; And Worldly crying coals from street to street, Whom with a wig fo wild, and mien fo maz'd, Pity mistakes for some poor tradesman craz’d.

VARIATIONS.

After 50, in the MS.

To break a trust were Peter brib'd with wine,
Peter! 'twould pose as wife a head as thine.

NOTES.

VER. 63. Some Mifers of great wealth, proprietors

60

of the coal-mines, had entered at this time into an

66

Had Colepepper's whole wealth been hops and hogs,
Could he himself have fent it to the dogs?
His Grace will game: to White's a Bull be led,
With spurning heels and with a butting head.
To White's be carry'd, as to ancient games,
Fair Courfers, Vafes, and alluring Dames.
Shall then Uxorio, if the ftakes he sweep,

70

Bear home fix Whores, and make his Lady weep?

Or foft Adonis, fo perfum'd and fine,

Drive to St James's a whole herd of swine?

Oh filthy check on all induftrious skill,

To spoil the nation's last great trade, Quadrille!

75

Since then, my Lord, on fuch a World we fall, What fay you? B. Say? Why take it, Gold and all.

VARIATIONS.

VER. 77. Since then, &c.] In the former Edd.
Well then, fince with the world we stand or fall,
Come take it as we find it, Gold and all.

NOTES.

affociation to keep up coals to an extravagant price, whereby the poor were reduced almoft to ftarve, till one of them taking the advantage of underfelling the

| reft, defeated the defign. One of these Misers was worth ten thousand, another feven thousand a year. P.

VER. 65. Colepepper] Sir WILLIAM COLE PEPPER,

P. What Riches give us let us then enquire :

Meat, Fire, and Cloaths. B. What more? P. Meat,
Cloaths, and Fire.

Is this too little? would you more than live?
Alas! 'tis more than Turner finds they give.
Alas! 'tis more than (all his Vifions paft)
Unhappy Wharton, waking, found at last!

NOTES.

What can they give? to dying Hopkins, Heirs; 85
To Chartres, Vigour; Japhet, Nose and Ears?
Can they, in gems bid pallid Hippia glow;
In Fulvia's buckle ease the throbs below;

Or heal, old Narfes, thy obfcener ail,
With all th’embroid❜ry plaister'd at thy tail?

They might (were Harpax not too wife to spend)
Give Harpax felf the bleffing of a Friend;

NOTES.

VER. 85. Hopkins,] A Citizen, whose rapacity obtained him the name of Vultur Hopkins. He lived worthlefs, but died worth three hundred thousand pounds, which he would give to no perfon living, but left it fo as not to be inherited till after the fecond generation. His counsel representing to him how many years it must be, before this could take effect, and that his money could only lie at intereft all that time, he expreffed great joy thereat, and faid,

it to the heir at law. P.

90

VER. 86. Japhet, Nofe and Ears?] JAPHETCRook, alias Sir Peter Stranger, was punished with the lofs of thofe parts, for having forged a conveyance of an Estate to himself, upon which he took up several thoufand pounds. He was at the fame time fued in Chancery for having fraudulently obtained a Will, by which he poffeffed another confiderable Eftate, in wrong of the brother of the deceased. By these means he was worth a great fum, which (in reward for the fmall lofs of his ears) he enjoyed in prison till his death, and quietly left to his executor. P.