No talk too difficult was found;
His blund'ring nofe mifleads the hound:
In ftratagem and fubtle arts,
He over-rules the fox's parts.
It chanc'd, as on a certain day,
Along the bank he took his way,
A boat, with rudder, fail, and oar,,
At anchor floated near the fhore.
He ftopt, and turning to his train,
Thus pertly vents his vaunting ftrain:
What blundering puppies are mankind,
In ev'ry fcience always blind!
I mock the pedantry of schools;
What are their compaffes and rules?
From me that helm thall conduct learn,,
And man his ignorance difcern..
So faying, with audacious pride,
He gains the boat, and climbs the fide:
The beafts aftonifh'd line the strand,
The anchor's weigh'd, he drives from land;,
The flack fails fhift from fide to fide,
The boat untrimm'd admits the tide;
Borne down, adrift, at random toft,
His oar breaks fhort, the rudder's loft..
The Bear, prefuming in his skill,,
Is here and there officious still;
'Till ftriking on the dang'rous fands,
Aground the fhatter'd veffel ftands.
To fee the bungler thus diftreft,
The very fishes fneer and jeft;.
Ev'n gudgeons join in ridicule,
To mortify the meddling fool.
The clam'rous watermen appear,
Threats, curfes, oaths infuit his ear;
Seiz'd, thrafh'd, and chain'd, he's dragg'd to land.
Derifion fhouts along the ftrand.
LVII. The SQUIRE and his CUR,
To a Country Gentleman.
HE man of pure and fimple heart,
Through life difdains a double part;
He never needs the fcreen of lies
His inward bofom to difguife.
In vain malicious tongues affail,
Let envy fnarl, let flander rail,
From virtue's fhield (fecure from wound)
Their blunted venom'd fhafts rebound.
So fhines his light before mankind,
His actions prove his honeft mind.
If in his country's cause he rise,
Debating fenates to advise,
Unbrib'd, unaw'd, he dares impart
'The honeft dictates of his heart;
No minifterial frown he fears,
But in his virtue perfeveres.
But would you play the politician,
Whofe heart's averfe to intuition,
Your lips at all times, nay, your reafon,
Must be controul'd by place and feafon.
What statesman could his pow'r fupport,
Were lying tongues forbid the court?
Did princely ears to truth attend,
What minifter could gain his end?
How could he raife his tools to place,
And how his honeft foes difgrace?
That politician tops his part,
Who readily can lie with art;
The man's proficient in his trade,
His pow'r is ftrong, his fortune's made.
By that the int'reft of the throne
Is made fubfervient to his own;
By that have kings of old deluded
All their own friends for his excluded:
By that, his felfish fchemes pursuing,
He thrives upon the public ruin.
Antiochus with hardy pace
Provok'd the dangers of the chace;
And, loft from all his menial train,
Travers'd the wood and pathlefs plain :
A cottage lodg'd the royal guest,
The Parthian clown brought forth his beft:
The king unknown, his feaft enjoy'd,
And various chat the hours employ'd.
From wine what fudden friendship fprings!
Frankly they talk of courts and kings.
We country-folk (the clown replies)
Cou'd ope our gracious monarch's eyes:
The king (as all our neighbours fay)
Might he (God blefs him!) have his way,
Is found at heart, and means our good,
And he would do it, if he cou'd.
If truth in courts were not forbid,
Nor kings nor fubjects would be rid.
Were he in pow'r, we need not doubt him;
But that transferr'd to thofe about him,
On them he throws the regal cares:
And what mind they? their own affairs.
If fuch rapacious hands he trust,
The beft of men may feem unjuft:
From kings to coblers, 'tis the fame;
Bad fervants wound their mafter's fame.
In this our neighbours all agree:
Would the king knew as much as we.
Here he ftopt fhort. Repofe they fought:
The peafant flept, the monarch thought.
The courtiers learnt, at early dawn,
Where their loft fov'reign" was withdrawn.
The guard's approach our hoft alarms,
With gandy coats the cottage fwarms;
The crown and purple robes they bring,
And proftrate fall before the king.
The clown was call'd; the royal guest
By due reward his thanks expreft.
The king then turning to the crowd,
Who fawningly before him bow'd,
Thus fpoke: Since, bent on private gain,
Your council firft mifled my reign,
Taught and inform'd by you alone,
No truth the royal ear hath known,
Till here converfing. Hence, ye crew;
For now I know myself and you.
Whene'er the royal ear's engrost,
State lies but little genius coft:
The fav'rite then fecurely robs,
And gleans a nation by his jobs:
Franker and bolder grown in ill,
He daily poifons dares inftil;
And, as his prefent views fuggeft,
Inflames or fooths the royal breaft.
Thus wicked minifters opprefs,
When oft the monarch means redrefs.
Would kings their private fubjects hear,
A minifter muft talk with fear:
If honefty oppos'd his views,
He dar'd not innocence accufe;
'Twould keep him in fuch narrow bound,,
He could not right nor wrong confound.
Happy were kings, could they difclofe
Their real friends and real foes!
Were both themfelves and fubjects known,
A monarch's will might be his own:
Had he the use of ears and eyes,
Knaves would no more be counted wife.
But then a minifter might lofe
(Hard cafe!) his own ambitious views.
When fuch as thefe have vex'd a flate,
Purfu'd by univerfal hate,
Their falfe fupport at once have fail'd,
And perfevering truth prevail'd:
Expos'd their train of fraud is feen;
Truth will at laft remove the fcreen.
A country fquire, by whim directed,
The true, ftaunch dogs of chace neglected:
Beneath his hoard no hound was fed;
His hand ne'er ftroak'd the fpaniel's head:
A fnappifh cur alone careft,
By lies had banish'd all the reft:
Yap had his ear; and defamation
Gave him full fcope of converfation.
His fycophants must be preferr'd;
Room must be made for all his herd:
Wherefore, to bring his fchemes about,
Old faithful fervants all muft out.
The cur on ev'ry creature flew,
(As other great men's puppies do)
Unlcfs due court to him were shown,
And both their face and bus'nefs known.
No honeft tongue an audience found,
He worried all the tenants round;
For why, he liv'd in conftant fear,
Left truth, by chance, fhould interfere.
If any ftranger dar'd intrude,
The noify Cur his heels purfu'd;
Now fierce with rage, now ftruck with dread,
At once he fnarl'd, he bit, and fled:
Aloof he brays, with briftling hair,
And thus in fecret growls his fear:
Who knows but truth in this disguise,
May fruftrate my best guarded lies?
Should the, thus mafk'd, admittance find,
That very hour my ruin's fign'd.
Now, in his howl's continu'd found,
Their words were loft, the voice was drown'd:
Ever in awe of honeft tongues,
Thus ev'ry day he ftrain'd his lungs.
It happen'd, in ill-omen'd hour,
That Yap, unmindful of his pow'r,
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