If fchemes of lucre haunt his brain,
Projectors fwell his greedy train;
Vile brokers ply his private ear,
With jobs of plunder for the year:
All confciences muft bend and ply;
You must vote on, and know not why:
Thro' thick and thin you must go on;
One fcruple,- and your place is gone.
Since plagues like thefe have curft a land,
And favourites cannot always ftand,
Good courtiers fhould for change be ready,
And not have principles too steady;
For fhould a knave engross the power,
(God fhield the realm from that fad hour)
He must have rogues or flavish fools;
For what's a knave without his tools?
Wherever thofe a people drain,
And ftrut with infamy and gain,
I envy not her guilt and ftate,
And fcorn to fhare the public hate.
Let their own fervile creature rife,
By fcreening fraud and venting lies:
Give me, kind Heaven, a private ftation,
A mind ferene for contemplation :
Title and profit I refign,

The poft of honour shall be mine.
My Fable read, thy merits view,
Then herd who will with fuch a crew.
In days of yore (my cautious rhymes
Always except the prefent times)
A greedy Vulture, fkill'd in game,
Inur'd to guilt, unaw'd by fhame,
Approach'd the throne in evil hour,
And step by step intrudes to power:
When at the royal eagle's ear

He longs to eafe the monarch's care:
The monarch grants. With pride elate,
Behold him minifter of ftate!

1

Around him throng the feather'd rout;
Friends must be ferv'd, and fome muft out.
Each thinks his own the best pretenfion;
This afks a plece, and that a penfion.
The Nightingale was fet afide;
A forward Daw his room fupply'd.

1 his bird (fays he) for bus'nefs fit, Hath both fagacity and wit;

With all his turns, and fhifts, and tricks,
He's docile, and at nothing sticks:
Then with his neighbours, one so free
At all times will connive at me.

The hawk had due diftinction shown,
For parts and talents like his own.

Thousands of hireling cocks attend him, As bluft'ring bullies to defend him. At once the Ravens were discarded, And Magpies with their posts rewarded. Thofe fowls of omen I deteft, That pry into another's neft : State lies muft lofe all good intent, For they forefee and croak th' event. My friends ne'er think, but talk by rote, Speak what they're taught, and fo to vote. When rogues like thefe (a Sparrow cries) To honours and employments rife, I court no favour, afk no place; From fuch, preferment is difgace: Within my thatch'd retreat I find (What these ne'er feel) true peace of mind.

LV. The BABOON and the POULTRY.
To a LEVEE HUNTER.

W

E frequently mifplace efteem,

By judging men by what they feem:

To birth, wealth, power, we fhould allow
Precedence and our lowest bow;

In that is due: diftinction fhewn:
Efteem is Virtue's right alone.
With partial eye, we're apt to fee
The man of noble pedigree.
We're prepoffeft my lord inherits
In fome degree his grandfire's merits;
For those we find upon record,
But find him nothing but my lord.
When we with fuperficial view
Gaze on the rich, we're dazzl'd too:
We know that wealth, well understood,
Hath frequent power of doing good;
Then fancy that the thing is done,
As if the power and will were one.
Thus oft the cheated crowd adore
The thriving knaves that keep 'em poor.
The cringing train of power survey:
What creatures are fo low as they!
With what obfequioufnefs they bend!
To what vile actions condescend !
Their rife is on their meannefs built,
And flatt'ry is their fmalleft guilt.
What homage, rev'rence, adoration,
In ev'ry age, in ev'ry nation,
Have fycophants to pow'r addrest!
No matter who the pow'r poffeft.
Let minifters be what they will,
You find their levees always fill:
Ev'n those who have perplex'd a ftate,
Whose actions claim'd contempt and hate,
Had wretches to applaud their schemes,
Tho' more abfurd than madmen's dreams.
When barb'rous Moloch was invok'd,
The blood of infants only finoak'd:
But here (unless all hift'ry lies)
Whole realms have been a facrifice.
Look through all courts: 'tis pow'r we find
The gen'ral idol of mankind;.

There

But then, as now conceited Ape,
We faw thee in thy proper fhape.

YOU

LV. The ANT in OFFICE.

To a FRIEND..

YOU tell me that you apprehend
My verfe may touchy folks offend.
In prudence too you think my rhimes
Should never fquint at courtiers crimes;
For though nor this, nor that is meant,
Can you another's thoughts prevent?
You ask me if I ever knew.

Court Chaplains thus the lawn purfue.
I meddle not with gown or lawn:
Poets, I grant, to rife muft fawn.
They know great ears are over nice,
And never fhock their patron's vice.
But I this hackney path defpife;
'I is my ambition not to rife:
If I must proftitute the mufe,
The best conditions I refuse.

I neither flatter or defame:

Yet own I would bring guilt to fhame.,
If I corruption's hand expofe,

I make corrupted men my foes.
What then? I hate the paltry tribe,
Be virtue mine: Be theirs the bribe.
I no man's property invade :
Corruption's yet no lawful trade:
Nor would it mighty ills produce,
Could I fhame brib'ry out of use.
I know 'twould cramp moft politicians,
Were they ty'd down to thefe conditions:

"Twould

'Twould ftint their pow'r, their riches bound,
And make their parts feem lefs profound.
Were they deny'd their proper tools,
How could they lead their knaves and fools?
Were this the cafe, let's take a view,
What dreadful mifchiefs would enfue?
Though it might aggrandize the state,
Could private lux'ry dine on plate?
Kings might indeed their friends reward,
But minifters find lefs regard.
Informers, fycophants, and fpies,
Would not augment the year's supplies:
Perhaps too, take away this prop,
An annual jobb or two might drop.
Befides, if penfions were deny'd,
Could Av'rice fupport its pride?
It might ev'n minifters confound,
And yet the state be fafe and found.
I care not though 'tis understood,
I only mean my country's good:
And (let who will my freedom blame)
I wish all courtier's did the fame.

Nay, though fome folks the lofs might get,
I wish the nation out of debt.

I put no private man's ambition
With public good in competition :
Rather than have our laws defac'd
I'd vote a minifter difgrac'd.

I ftrike at vice be't where it will ;
And what if great fools take it ill?
I hope, corruption, brib'ry, penfion,'
One may with deteftation mention :
Think you the law (let who will take it).
Can fcandalum magnatum make it?
I vent no flander, owe no grudge,
Nor of another's confcience judge:
At him or him I take no aim,
Yet dare against all vice declaim.

Shall