»!• 
 
 5651a
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE 
 
 A R T 
 
 () F 
 
 LIVING in LONDON: 
 
 A 
 
 P OEM. 
 
 iDr/r^c/ri/z/fo, lfc7/7/e/Yjfue ///YJ//r//r/ff. I lor. 
 LONDON 1784.
 
 
 THE 
 
 ; A R T of L I V I N G 
 
 1 N 
 
 LONDON 
 
 T N fuch a fcribbllng age where crowds confpirc 
 
 AVith eager hafle to catch poetic fire j 
 Where every anecdote of modern time, 
 Breakes out in novel, or is fung in rhyme ; 
 
 Where all unite the fprightly and the fage, 
 
 To pleafe the lickly palate of the age, 
 
 How hard his talk, who does not fear to teli 
 
 He means inflruflion, more than writing well ? 
 
 Still, if his vary'd leflbns can impart 
 One ufeful caution to a guardlefs heart ; 
 
 B If 
 
 780098
 
 :[ 6 ] 
 
 If thofc, ivhom few paternal acres blefs, 
 
 Be tutorM not to make their little lefs ; 
 
 If, pointing out an ccconomic view, 
 
 He makes the thoughtlefs ditferent fleps purfuc; 
 
 If, in this town, where folly holds her reign, 
 
 He favcs but o?ie of all her giddy train, 
 
 Th' effc(5ls arc anfwer'd of thcfe frugal lays : 
 
 He wants — »— nor afks — >— no other kind of praifc. 
 
 Come then, advcnt'rous pupil, let's along, 
 
 This gay, this bufy ftrangcly mottlM throng ^ 
 
 Where crowds, like waves, in quick fucccllion rife, 
 T' engage our thoughts, or entertain our eyes ; 
 From their miflakes let's learn to form the mind, 
 And glean this ufeful point — to know mankind* 
 Suppofe we call on Prudence, as we pafs, 
 That decent, fober, cheerful looking lafs ? 
 She'll point, precifely, to the lighter fcale. 
 And fet us right when both our judgments fail. 
 
 Near that fam'd ^^r, which bounds theCity 's claim, 
 And from the neighbouring Tempk takes it's name, 
 
 (That
 
 [ 7 ] 
 
 (That guardian dome from whence Britannia draws. 
 The numerous champions of her facred hiws) 
 
 Here may you lodge This intermediate Hand 
 
 The eaft, and weftern end, at once command. 
 
 What tho* it gives no variegated views, 
 
 Oft will it fave your coach-hire, and your flioe?. 
 
 Abridge the walk wherever you refort> 
 
 Or to the City end, or to the Court. 
 
 Let thoughtlefs pride fix her genteel retreat, 
 In fome fuperb, expenlive, modern ftreet, 
 Where the fluff 'd chair, and downy couch unite 
 The lazy arts of indolent delight ; 
 
 Defpife not thou the chamber ftoried high 
 
 Ev'n,^ tho' the lail that verges to the fky j 
 A firll: fioor^s often but an empty name, 
 Lefs for convenience taken than for fame. 
 Nay, never flart at the fuppcs'd difgrace ; 
 Poets themfelvcs have dignify'd the place ; 
 Ai\d from this higher fiation learn'd to fcan 
 The various foibles of imperfcft man, 
 
 B z When
 
 [ 8 ] 
 
 When dreams are firft dlfturb'd by morning cries, 
 Learn from thoic notes the proper time to rile ; 
 How often does prolonged repofe impart 
 Difordcrs fixt, beyond the reach of art? 
 Afk gout il'.e caufe, why fvvells each throbbing vein ? 
 Why ev'ry joint is agoniz'd with pain ? 
 Afk poverty what keeps her children poor ? 
 Afk gloomy fplcen, why flie admits no cure ? 
 *' 'Tis too much deep"-— (tho' we the caufe mifcall) 
 Is the reply — thejull reply of all. 
 
 Leave to the loiterer his fimp'ring tea. 
 Nor idly bufy thus confume the day ; 
 'Ere bread, and butter, water, cream and fire, 
 (With all the Icng attendance they require) 
 Can be prcpar'd — "he ufeful morning's loft, 
 And ev'ry difli we drink at treble cofl. 
 Taught from the pidure, let us turn afide, 
 And know the breakfail Prudence would provide j 
 She recommends — (and let her voice be heard) 
 That fomethlng much more funplc be preferrM, 
 As milk, or water-gruel-— wholefome meal ! 
 Thcfepall no flomach — thefs no time v/iil i^eal ! 
 
 Tho'
 
 [ 9 ] 
 
 Tho' fome are advocates for well drefl hair, 
 Let no fach etiquette deferve your care ; 
 Adt for yourfelf as much as in your pow'r, 
 Nor dance attendance to another's hour. 
 For fliamc, fhall Britain's manly fons accede- 
 To every flimfy fafliion France has made ? 
 Shall we, like her, the head's exterior part 
 Adorn with ail the fripperies of art, 
 Yet leave the iniide defolate and waflc ? 
 Reproachful fcandal to all lett;;r'd tafte ! 
 Above fach imitative airs do you 
 Zvlore on yourfelf depend, and wear a queue ; 
 Kcnce to a moment, you your time command. 
 No: need the £ut of ?.frizcicr^s hand.. 
 
 Alike avoid the mixer's narrow care, 
 Which robs the Ihoe-black of his early fare ; 
 Pcrifli the thought fo niggard and lb mean, 
 The Mufe rejefts it with a juft difdain, 
 Nc — let fome fon of Fleet-ftreet, or the Strand, 
 SomiC footy fon, with implements at hand, 
 Who hourly watches with no other viev\'. 
 Than to re-poliih the befpattered flioe, 
 
 £ani
 
 [ lO ] 
 
 Earn by his labour the ofFcnfive gains ;. 
 Nor grudge the trifle that rewards his pains* 
 
 If buiinefs now fliould leave the morn your own^ 
 Ne'er wafte it fauntcring round this crouded town, 
 Haunting each coffce-houfc and public place. 
 As if you meant to advertife your face. 
 This is the time when memory receives 
 The warmciT: copies which infirucftion leaves ; 
 Attention too performs a double part,. 
 And afts unclouded on the head and heart. 
 Hence let fome Author more your time engage; 
 Where, turning o'er rh' improving moral page, 
 You add fuch ilores of knowledge to your mind, 
 As teach you how to cftimate mankind. 
 With Maro, warble in the beachen fliade, 
 And feel the breeze, and hear the fwcet cafcade.. 
 From Newton catch the philofophic ray, 
 And foar with him along the flarry way. 
 Now laugh with Swift, or moralize with Steele^ 
 Or from chafte Addifon be taught to feel : 
 Or learn from Pope, as he melodious lings, 
 To fcorn the vulgar great, and pity King?» 
 
 If
 
 [ " ] 
 
 If auo-ht can make diftindion here below. 
 It furely fliould depend on what we know* 
 
 Yet tho' the mind our chief attention fliare. 
 The body's ^v:ants demand an equal care : 
 Let lloic pride in lofty numbers treat 
 How thefe are made, yet all will want to eat ; 
 And they, thcmfelves, diffemble what they can. 
 In this refpecSi: will dwindle into man. 
 But tho' in this diffufivc town you meet 
 So many ord'naries in every ilreet, 
 (For oh I of dining what unnumber'd ilylcs, 
 Centre between Almac's and Broad St. Giles !) 
 
 Yet amidfl thefe how difficult to tell, 
 
 Where frugal men may live, and yet live well ! 
 
 Behind that pile^' where Albion's fons refort, 
 And pay to Commerce every day their court; 
 Who, like a gracious princefs ne'er denies 
 To grant to induftry the due fupplies, 
 There Hands a lleak-houfe of diftinguifli'd fame, 
 The %n the Cod — ThreadneeMe-^vttx.'i the name. 
 
 ^* Royal Exchange, 
 
 Whofe
 
 [ ■» ] 
 
 \\'hofc civil b.ndlord, with his fmiling face, 
 Proclaims the gcnVal plenty of the place. 
 If e'er beef-ileaks, drelt to a fing Ic point. 
 Cut with propriety from every joint, 
 With all the apparatus they require, 
 Of conilant turning, and an equal fire. 
 The gravy weeping from each op'ning vein, 
 And ftreaks of fat oppofmg flreaks of lean. 
 Could ever pleafurc Aldcrmanic Ikill, 
 Here let it revel, and enjoy its fill. 
 
 With different talents different men are bled, 
 As they of different fortunes are pofi!eft : 
 Some men are form'd to turn the lettcr'd page, 
 To chcrm, refine, or futirize the age ; 
 Others remain inactive — fave to tell 
 The modes of drefs, or arts of hagatclle \ 
 But thou wert born, O B — 1 — r -to feafl:, 
 By thy peculiar art, the man of tafle ; 
 And all thy genius, all thy fort of mind, 
 Were to this point, this fingle point confin'd. 
 Ev*n now, perhaps Appicius fighs below, 
 He had not liv'd Tbreadnecdlc-Jlrcet to know, 
 
 Miiiht
 
 [ '3 ] 
 
 But tho' jecf-ilciiker, and York, or Barton lie, 
 INIight cv'n the fire of gods and men regale, 
 Could Jove with dignity Olympus quit, 
 And deign t* alTociate with a modern cit. 
 Without variety — beef-ileaks will cloy. 
 As every repetition palls our joy. 
 To change the Iccnc, and all her arts difplay, 
 The Mufe through Bifliopfgate dircvfls her way : 
 Stops at the i?////, iind warmly recommer.ds 
 This frugal houfe to all her frugal friends, 
 Where every day with decency you dine 
 On two good diflies and a pint oi wine, 
 
 Scill as we prefs along the eailern road, 
 Whltc-vhapd lliews us Kcntvns late abode ; 
 Where if good eating and h.y'i porter can 
 Excite our praife to chronicle the man ; 
 His celebrated name bids fair to lland, 
 IVhiiit Englifli liquor 's quaif 'd on Engiiih land. 
 Nor London iingly can his porccr boail, 
 Alike 'tis fam'd on every foreign couft, 
 For this the Frenchman leaves his Bourdeaux wine. 
 And pours libations at our Thumcs'sflirin;;, 
 
 C Afrlc
 
 [ '4 3 
 
 Afric retails it 'mongft her fvvartby lona, 
 And haughty Spain procures it for her Dons, 
 Wherever Britain's powerful fliig has flown, 
 There London's celebrated /<7;7rr'i known. 
 
 Let's change now crouded flreets and city air. 
 For the lefs bufy walks, and opening fquarc ; 
 Thofe weflcrn walks — where not an art's untry'd. 
 To facrifice to vanity and pride ; 
 Where Camhellh^ iroo^'s,znd Staceys pow'rful (kill 
 The feafon's turn obedient to their will. 
 But we, whom Fortune, from her niggard gift, 
 Hath early forc'd upon a life of thrift. 
 Should more attentive fly from fuch parade, 
 Noraflv the wants which luxury hath made. 
 
 Facing that fl:reet* where Venus holds her reign, 
 And Plcafure'?, daughters drag a life of pain ; 
 There the Spread-eagle^ with majefl:ic grace. 
 Shews his broad wings, and notifies the place. 
 
 * Catharinc-ftreer in the Strand. 
 
 4 Uncrrine
 
 Unerring Prudence, as I weilward flray. 
 Let thy inflru6tions point me out this way, 
 Fre'd, or from dillipation, or from riot. 
 Here let me dine in plenty and in quiet. 
 
 When buimefs — or when pleafure interferes, 
 (For each has its appointments, and its cares) 
 Oft for convenience would we wifh to chufe 
 Some houfe adapted for the prefent ufe ; 
 Where difencumber'd of all form or llicw. 
 We to a moment might, or fit or go ; 
 Eat what the palate recommends as bell. 
 Yet not conliderM as an ufelefs gueft. 
 Attentive Prudence, who alike purveys 
 Both for difpatch, and for the hour of cafe. 
 Points to the Dog*, where, in the ftri£^ell fenfc. 
 We're ferv'd with decency at fmall expence. 
 
 Here too the waiter ne'er directs your choicfff 
 (Abforb'd in hurry, and promifcuous noife) 
 
 * The Dog in Holywell-ftrect. 
 
 C 2 How
 
 [ 16 1 
 
 How fhall he knov/, with what difliiKftion trace. 
 The feveral orders of each different face ? 
 Let, as you pafs, the larder catch your eye. 
 And from this flore your appetite fupply ; 
 Hence fliall the Maftcr know your bill of fare, 
 And hence fliall hal1:c remunerate your care. 
 Through life, my pupil, let this maxim teach, 
 (And ufe it always when within your reach ;) 
 Or in your friend's concern, or in your own, 
 Addrefs the principal, and h'un alone. 
 
 Yet in this place, tho' thrift precede the way. 
 If guarded not we may be led aftray; 
 For, oh ! how oft the appetite is try'd. 
 When early vegetables firil are cry'd ! 
 Rang'd round the bar, in verdant groups they lie, 
 As tempting baits to catch the palling eye ; 
 Here cucumbers, with peas and beans appear, 
 And all the forward produce of the year ; 
 
 But thefe avoid elfe, by magnific Ikill, 
 
 They'll ftand againft you in th' approaching bilK 
 
 Say
 
 [ >7 3 
 
 Say — when th' hiconllant ftomacK^s net In tuno 
 To celebrate her ufaal meal at noon, 
 Caught from, perhap., tranfgreffing fober laws. 
 Or riling late, or feme fach trivial caafe, 
 (For oft e'en phyfic's at a iofs to name 
 The nicer incidents that hurt our frame) 
 Why then fliould cuilom generate expencc, 
 Or trcfpafs on th' eilablifh'd laws of fenfe ? 
 Let a good foup, thefe days your dinner be ; 
 Your health 'twill ferve- — 'twill ferve frugality. 
 And a mere trifle furnifh fuch a meal. 
 As luxury, with all her art, mull: fail. 
 
 Kere refl: a while, nor indifcreetly ftray 
 Where Giles's ruins mark the broadened way ; 
 Where, for what end, moll obvioufly appears, 
 The knives are chain'd, and ladder forms the flairs; 
 Or to Moorjields^ where wretched paupers ply 
 Round clothlels tables in an open iky. 
 Do thou no more than what is ufeful glean, 
 Nor fearch the foul recefTes of the mean ; 
 
 Nor
 
 t i3 ] 
 
 Nor ideot like, unwittingly proceed 
 T' inftrud in metre thofe who cannot read : 
 Enough, already, has thy pen defcrib*d 
 Of what's confident with an honeft pride ; 
 Be fuch fufficient for thy fons to chufe. 
 Nor rif<^ue the cenfure of an ill-bred mufe. 
 
 BOOK
 
 t '9 3 
 
 BOOK IL 
 
 "p^XPERIENC'D grown, norfubjednow to change 
 
 Again, my pupil let's together range, 
 From all the vices of the evening fl\', 
 Nor once turn on them with a wifhful eye. 
 Let Bibo ev'ry joy in drinking place, 
 .lad Ranger wanton in the lewd embrace ; 
 Here not a gleam of real pleafure's found ; 
 Langour, and pain, thefe levities furround. 
 Let us, more happy, more fecurely ftray 
 AVhere faultlefs Prudence points us out the way, 
 To fome known coiFce-houfe; there unbend the mind. 
 In reading prints— or ftudying human kind. 
 
 Here, o'er our evening's lemonade, or tea, 
 We glean the little novel of the day, 
 Know,from the prefs,v,'hat fchemes the world engage, 
 (By turns a wife, and diffipated age) 
 
 The
 
 The politician's plans, the fnarper's cheat, 
 And all the buftling of the fmall and great. 
 Hail, happy country! that can thus difclofe 
 Thy inmolt lecrets to thy deadlieft foes ; 
 Yet ftill fecure, the varied joys purfue, 
 Nor fear what all thofe deadlieft foes can do. 
 
 But if 'tis fummer, and the ev'ninj; fair, 
 Mifs not th' advantage of the fragrant air ; 
 The different outlets all invite the choice, 
 Where Nature calls thee with reliftlcfs voice : 
 Chclfea, whofe hofpital fpeaks Britain's praife • 
 And pleafant Knightfbridgc, gurrifon of Biryes ; 
 Or Kenfington, whole royal garders claim 
 A tafte maghific as their founder's ^ name ; 
 Or Bagnigge, famous for it's motley crew 
 Of fprightly damfels — pleafurable Jew ; 
 Or that once celebrated, fmall retreat, 
 Where Cromwell f liv'd, tyrannically great ; 
 Oh I {^d rcverfe of fublunary ihings. 
 This houie, \yhlch once contain'd the dread of kings, 
 
 * Kin^ William III. 
 f CronuNcil'i Gardens. 
 
 Who
 
 L =' ] 
 
 W ho made three rai^^hty realms, with awe, obey^ 
 Now fells — (inglorious change!) — a dliliof tea. 
 
 Here, leaving- City-fmoak and noife behind, 
 At eaie induh^e the wand'rinjrs of the mind 
 With verdimt profpecls, as they round you lie. 
 Or warm your heart, or entertain your eye ; 
 YoT boundlefs Nature, never at a frand, 
 Scatters her blelTings with an equal hand ; 
 The peafant fhares them, while he tills the foil. 
 The Cit partakes them in recefs irom toil. 
 
 'Tis night — the deep'ning fliadows intervene^ 
 And all tilings indicate a fable fcene. 
 Now drunken coachmen, free from ev'ry care. 
 Nod on their boxes, and neglect their fare ; 
 (Ah ! thoughtlefs herd — why will you not refrain. 
 Nor let the frequent dram preclude your gain r) 
 The haplefs houfewlfe, and the antique maid, 
 Join now to feek the fortune-teller's aid ; 
 Their lofty garrets Drury's nymphs forfake ; 
 Down the dark alley pants the batter'd rake : 
 
 D The
 
 [ 22 ] 
 
 The drowfy watchman hobbles to his fland, 
 Prcpar'd to free the thief who gilds his hand. 
 
 Eilrang'd from every fpark of true dclighf, 
 Now game tiers meet to celebrate the night : 
 Not in that cheerful, and convivial llylc, 
 Where every fprightly face alTumes a fmile ; 
 Where the loud laugh, and merry tale go round. 
 And nought but peace, and innocence are found : 
 Far other thoughts their rankling minds cinploy ; 
 Rapine, and dillipation form their joy. 
 Oh ! that the Mufe, (if v/ifliing were of ufe) 
 •Could to one man this prowling band reduce; 
 Then place the fword of JuHice in her hand, 
 That at one blow flie might relieve the land ; 
 Thit at one blow flie might her vengeance iind, 
 In rooting out thofe robbers of mankind. 
 
 I know that many, from their means being fmall, 
 Each mode will praftlfe — fometimes rifouc their all; 
 Hoping that Fortune, at fome lucky cafr, 
 Cealing to perfecutc, will fniile at lail. 
 
 But,
 
 , [ ^3 1 
 But very vain thefe hopes — the gamblinf^ tribe,. 
 Confcious, connected {hare the golden bribe ;• 
 Win, flatter, lofc, juft as they find it bell, 
 And of your futf 'rings only make a jcfl. 
 
 Before a glafs, as diffident to win, 
 Sometimes they ftrive to chuck a fliilling in ; 
 Gft from the circling edges will it fly, 
 (Its fate appearing doubtful as the dye,) 
 'Till one, untaught, uiipraCtis'd in the rule 
 Which fliarpers hourly ufc to gull the fool ; 
 A bet propofes— inilantly it bounds. 
 And the pent iilver in the glafs re founds. 
 
 The better fort — (I mean the affluent tribe,- 
 For how am gooii, a gambler's name defcribe :) 
 At various hazard, games will often ply. 
 Where all fecms equal under Chance's eye ; 
 Yc:, here the fiiuflie, and the cog's difplay'd, 
 And all the myfleries of Breflaw'i* trade ,• 
 
 ^ Breflaw the Jusler. 
 
 D 2 Her*
 
 [ n 3 
 
 Here iinrcveal'J to all but lliarper's eyes. 
 
 They rob, they plunder, under friendthip's gulfe,^ 
 
 Such are the baits with which, thcfe anglers play, 
 And fuch the genius of the gambling way, 
 With many more, as vicious as they're low, 
 * Which the Mufc knows not, nor would wiflitoknow* 
 For where's that vice, how whinifically new. 
 Thofe wretches don't unceafingly purfue ? 
 Or Vv'here's that habit innocence can lend. 
 But they aiTume to ferve fbme private end ? 
 
 Enough, my Mufe, of the abandon'd tr.cmc, 
 "Nor further on their viilanies decl-aim ; 
 Sick of fuch views — let's juil their fate explore. 
 Then ail; who'd be this hateful monfler more ? 
 Look through their haplefs lives from firil; to end, 
 Where is the gauieftcr ever was a friend ? 
 Where the good husband, or the parent made ? 
 Their hearts grow callous from their v/retclied trade ; 
 Dead to all finer feelings of the mind, 
 They have no feelings, but to fleece mankind; 
 
 Strangest
 
 [ =; ] 
 
 Strangers to peace, to happinefs, and quief^ 
 They know no joys, but infamy, and riot. 
 
 As through the ftrccts, oh ! Virtue, as I go, 
 Shield me from one that's equally my foe ; 
 Who cap-a-pee, like Hamlet's ghoft now Italks, 
 And makes "night hideous" — by her nightly walks. 
 How can the Mufe without a figh proclaim, 
 And tell, that lVo?nan is this monfter's name ; 
 Woman, man's chiefeit good, by Heaven defign'd 
 To glad the heart, and humanize the mind ; 
 To footh each angry care, abate each flrife. 
 And lull the paffions as we walk through life : 
 But fallen from fuch a height, fo very low. 
 She now has nothing but her form to fliow ; 
 A fcandal to that I'cx (lie was before ; 
 Each grace polluted by the name of v/ e* 
 
 How fliall I fpeak of all the various arts 
 She nightly ufes to entrap our hearts ? 
 How fliall I paint the loofe familiar airs, 
 AfFedcd fpeeches, and immodcil leers. 
 
 Of
 
 [ 26 ] 
 
 Of all the midnight daughters as they iland, 
 
 In fliamelefs groupes, along the Icngthen'd S.rand ! 
 
 Loft to all thought — remote from every knCe 
 
 Of female decency, or innocence; 
 
 Difrob'd of all rcftraint, or modefc port, 
 
 Here Prostitutiom holds her public court. 
 
 Whith flaunting ftridcs, and affectation's eye, 
 Eehold thofe fycophants in love pafs by ; 
 (Ah, how unlike that modeft, gentle air, 
 The true criterion cf the virtuous fair ') 
 In well-feign'd accents, now they hail the ear, 
 ** My life, my love, my charmer, or, my dear." 
 As if thefc founds, thefc joylefs founds, could prove 
 The fmalleft particle of gcnuiiie love. 
 OI purchas'd love, rctaii'd tnnongh aU^-th-B towny 
 Where each may lliarc, on paying- half-a-cro",vn ; 
 Where every air of tendernefs is art, 
 And not one word the language of the heart ; 
 Where all this mockery of Cupid's reign. 
 Ends in rcmorfc, in wretchedncff, and pain. 
 
 for
 
 [ ^7 ] 
 For fliamc Police, at fuch a dan;;erous time. 
 Where is your rod to caftigate this crime ? 
 Shall Britain, fam'd for excellence of laws, 
 The firu to plead in every injur'd caufe ; 
 "Who deals out juuice, \vith a hand fo even, 
 She Iccms the fav'nte delegate cf Kcavcn j 
 
 Say fliall this foot thus d^^rogite her fame, 
 
 And throw fo foul a blcmini on her name ? 
 Arm ! Arm ! ye Minillers of juilice, arm ! 
 A.nd fave Britannia's youth from ^o much harm: 
 Save ! Save her Virgins too, from fuch a life ! 
 And change the epithet of W — e, for wife. 
 Let that dear name, fynonimous with joy, 
 Which Heaven, alone, bellcw'd without alloy ; 
 No more be made of ridicule the fcroke, 
 Or food for fatyr, or a blockhead's joke. 
 Ufe not a futile arguijient oft urg'd, 
 '* The vice is grown fo great it can't be purg'd;" 
 And thence remlfsly ev'ry rein let loofe, 
 Form'd to repel lo flagrant an abufe. 
 
 The
 
 [ 28 J 
 
 Tlic Mufc, Indeed, in fuch a thoughtlcf:) age, 
 "When Proftitutlon fcems rcferi'\i to rngc, 
 Whh candour owns, to weed it from the land. 
 Requires, perhaps, a more than mortal hand« 
 But, fliall the malady that can*t be cur'd, 
 No lenitives receive to be endur'd ? 
 Say — flrall this baneful Hydra of the night, 
 Raife, every hour, its head before our fight? 
 Mufl it flalk, puilkfy, along each place ? 
 Shame to all order ! fcandal to all grace ! 
 No — lince ye can't with every a'.t o'crthrow. 
 Nor ^j:holly crufli this epidemic foe ; 
 Difmlfs it inllant to fome fingle flrect ■^, 
 Where it can ne'er a purer object: meet : 
 AVhere it can have no other intercourfe. 
 There let it fpend its vitiating force. 
 Let the bafe tenants of this wretched place, 
 Have proper emblems of their jufl difgrace. 
 That at one view all may diilinCtly fee, 
 'Twixt vice and virtue, the extreme degree. 
 
 '■' The good efFtiHs of which infthutlon arr expesicnccd in 
 fcvcral parts of Italy and Holland, 
 
 Hence
 
 [ ^9 ] 
 f'Hence every youth a much lefs rifquc lliail run, 
 And hence lefs thouirhtlefs virffins be un^^one ; 
 Hence, foreigners, no more the tale fliall tell, 
 How leudncfs in our llrccts and alleys dwell ; 
 No more befet with every nightly train, 
 (Thefe apes of love and harbingers of pain ;) 
 Our fex fhall walk, nor like Palasmon prove. 
 The bitter produce of illegal love. 
 
 Paslemon was with every grace pofleft, . 
 Alike in friendfliip and in love was bleft ; 
 Happy, as eafy fortune coald impart, 
 But happier much in his lov'd Myra's heart. 
 Myrajwhofe charms a monarch's throne might grace, 
 Vv^'hofe form was lovely, as her matchlefs face ; 
 With fuch a perfed— fuch a gentle foul, 
 As held each paffion fubjedl to controul ; 
 Their loves, their cares, for ever did they blend, 
 Each was the dotard, and each was the friend ; 
 One common intereil occupied each mind, 
 Their only contefl — who fliould be moil kind. 
 
 E One
 
 [ 30 J 
 One night Paliemon, happy 'inongll his friends, 
 (For who more fitted for convivial ends) 
 Whether to reafon, with a tadc rcfin'd, 
 And ilicw the various qualities of mind ; 
 Or fhape the tale, or fing with fprightly glee, 
 Or charm with wit, and friendly repartee. 
 This fatal night by too much friendfliip warm'd, 
 (Millakcn name, with evejy mifchief arm'd) 
 He liilcn'd to the voice of mirth too long, 
 And drank, too deeply 'jiiidll his joyous throng : 
 Difcretioiij which o'er ^U his adions reign'd, 
 And every confequence at large cxplain'd, 
 Was now difmifs'd, — or proudly thrown afide, 
 •Whilfl Whim and Folly undertook to guide. 
 
 Companion'd thus, Palsemon Tallies forth. 
 Without the ufual guardian of his worth.; 
 His heart expanded, every paffion high, 
 Noife in his voice, intemp'rance in his eye : 
 A ftagg'ring gait, and each exterior fign, 
 That pi(^ure reafon, vv^hen abforl)'d in wine ; 
 
 A while
 
 t 3' ] 
 
 Awr.ilc he pondcrM on his much lov'd hoir;e, 
 
 And nodding reafon whifper'd- — " not to roam." 
 
 But luiland wine, m.ore powerful rivals far, 
 
 Now !!> his bofom wage united war ; 
 
 'Till lofl to every thought of Myra*s charms, 
 
 He tell a victim in a harlot's arms. 
 
 Oh I hapl«fs Myra — how can words explain 
 
 Tliy every terror and thy every pain ? 
 
 Hov\' muil it pierce humanity to hear 
 
 Tiie pointed feelings which thy foul mufl bear, 
 
 As every tedious, painful hour's delav, 
 
 ProclaimM the night's advances to the dav, 
 
 Thinking each loitering moment, as it pall', 
 
 \Vould bring the wanderer home, and be the lafl. 
 
 The lail indeed it was for thy rcpofe, 
 F^T from this night what numerous ills arofc ! 
 What, tho' his prefencc, wak'd thy every joy, 
 Too foon it brought its virulent allov : 
 7'hat colour which be Tpoke nor ill, nor pain, 
 (Emblem of health and all her jocund train) 
 
 Ez Is
 
 [ 5^ J- 
 Is now cxchaiig'd for all thofc palllcl luico, 
 (Abominable enfigns of the Stews.) 
 The rofes too thatflufli'd in INIyra's face, 
 Which fpokc fiich native innocence and gracc^ 
 iMark'd out each feature with fuch juft dellgn, 
 And made the human fo approach divine ; 
 TingM by infedlion, by degrees grew pale, 
 And loudly told the melancholy tale. 
 
 Where are thofe days, thofe happy halycon days^ 
 That lul'd thy heart, Pala^mon, with fuch eafe, 
 That every hour thou could'il fo well employ, 
 Without one point of interrupted joy ? 
 Alas I they're fled I — furroundcd now with care,. 
 And ev'ry funeral miniiler of defpair, 
 Ke fits, revolving o'er what he mult prove [love^ 
 Frcm that damn'd hour, in which he fwervVl fronv 
 
 Sedans raid coaches rattle now around, 
 To Drury-lane — or Covent-Garden bound ;. 
 From either end, from City and from Court, 
 Jt>^thronging multitudes they here rcfort; 
 
 ShowerVl
 
 [ 33 ] 
 
 v*-limveiM o'er with powder, and bediub'd with iaccy 
 
 •My Lord jull ilTucs from St. Jamcsh-Flaccy 
 
 To murder time, or maflacrc the fplccn, 
 
 To loll — to chatter — fee or to be feen ; 
 
 Here too the Cit — to calm domcllic ilrifc, 
 
 Smirks in the chariot by his half-pleasM wife ; 
 
 (That wife, whofc foul's on public places bent, 
 
 That Cit, who doats on nought but cent, per cent^-j 
 
 But other intcrefts let thy mind engage, 
 
 And draw fupplies of knowledge from the fl:agc«- 
 
 Oh ! well wrought fcicnce, happily defign'd, 
 
 To plcafc the fenfe and humanize the mind ; 
 
 In which manicind, as in a mirror, fee, 
 
 AVhat they have been, and what they ought to be. 
 
 See Heaven \.Ti^:\^tShahefpcarc^ in the front appear?^ 
 (ThebrighteiL gem dramatic genius wears) 
 Adorn 'd with all that nature can bellow. 
 He gives each heart the fympathetic glow ;. 
 Led by her clue, he walks through all her round, 
 And fcews her fccrets on theatric ground ; 
 
 Laughs^ ,
 
 [ 34 J 
 Laughs,\vhcre flic laughs — but when to grief inclin'dj 
 Mchs every paflion of the humon mind. 
 Oh I how fliall words, immortal bard, difplay 
 The warbling fweetnefs of thy woodland lay ? 
 Thy notes have reach'dfuch heights unknown before, 
 That praife grows giddy, when fiie would explore. 
 
 Otway, and Rowe, in their pathetic pnge, 
 By turns have warm'd, and taught a vicious age ; 
 AVhat virgin can Monimia's fate bemoa;-), 
 But mujl", with doable caution guard her ou'n ? 
 Or wherc's th' impafTion'd youth, who thinks at all. 
 But fees Lothaiiounlamented fall ? 
 
 Endu'd with wit, with mimicry and Cov.^y 
 The comic mufc afTociates in the throng ; 
 Upheld by Congreve, Gibber, Steele, and Gay, 
 She laughs and chaces every care awav ; 
 The rod, or wreath, alternately does ufc, 
 Now a fatyric, now a foothing mufe ; 
 Difpenfmg humour, when difpenfing fmart. 
 And, whiKl flic freely probes, concifls the heart. 
 
 Nor
 
 [ 35 ] 
 
 Nor think the price you diiripute on pluyi, 
 
 Incurs the ccnfurc of thc.e frugal lays ; 
 
 Full well 'tis known, without ibme point of jov, 
 
 The wearied mind's too often apt to cloy, 
 
 And wants fome intervention to amufc— • 
 
 What then fo iit as the theatric mufe ; 
 
 Where, from her fcencs, the breail: is taught to glow, 
 
 And cat:h the pow'rful luxury of woe ? 
 
 At other times, when gloomy thoughts take birth j 
 Then fliould we chufe to facrifice to mirth ; 
 Pufl: back th' intruding moment of our care. 
 And to fome noted Porter-houfe repair. 
 The feveral flrcets, or one or more can claim. 
 Alike in goodnefs, and alike in fame ; 
 The Strand, her Spread'uig-eagle juflly boafls, 
 And Maiden-lane exhibits her B!ue-poJh : 
 Nor think the Cock with thefe not on a par, 
 The celebrated Cock of Temple-bar, 
 Whofe Porter beft of all befpeaks itspraifc-— 
 Porter that's worthy of the Poet's lays. 
 
 Frosn
 
 [ 56 ] 
 
 From fuch like places often will you iind 
 A cheap refourceto entertain the mind ; 
 To kuigh at folly — from defcdls grown wife, 
 ** And catch the manners living, as they rife." 
 
 Here the fnug Cit, each night involv'd in fmcke, 
 By turns, or tells his tale, or cracks his joke ; 
 Now on the Colonics profoundly treats. 
 And, from the daily prints, at large repeats : 
 Or, with a down-call face, and plodding eye, • 
 He fliews the caufe provifions are fo high; 
 Gives that opinion which proteds his trade, 
 I'hen wonders how imperfeft laws are made. 
 
 With recent feats of heroifm fir'd, 
 A Ton of Mais, fee from the wars retlr'd. 
 Now he expatiates over battles won, 
 Of plunder'd provinces, and towns undone, 
 In his fpill'd porter, martial lines advance 
 'Gainlt the united pow'rs of Spain and France ; 
 Here fuch a wing the brunt of battle bore ,• 
 . And here a fquadron welt'ring in its gore. 
 
 Or
 
 [ 37 ] 
 
 Or, If his honour fhould a liege defcribe, 
 And all the hardfliips of the warring tribe; 
 With bread and cheefe, a parapet he rears, 
 Whilft broken pipe-ftems cannonade by tiers. 
 What different modes the lawyer takes to pleafc ! 
 He fights his battles o*er, with much more eafe : 
 His cannon's, parchment ; and his fword — a pen 
 Drawn againft general property — not men ; 
 Mark him with what lignificance of face, 
 He tells each ilory — as he ftates a cafe ; 
 Now he demurs — or now he backs a caufe, 
 And feems a mere epitome of laws. 
 
 But fee, in yonder box, where fits apart 
 One, whofe deportment marks an honeft heart, 
 Whofe eyes the feeling of his foul exprefs— 
 Alas; 'tis Merit, in a thread-bare drefs : 
 He feems, as if revolving in his mind. 
 On better days which time has thrown behind ; 
 Perhaps juft parted from a much lov'd wife, 
 From whence fprang every comfort of his life, 
 
 F Whofe
 
 [ 38 ] 
 
 Whofe eye ne'er met him with a didant air, 
 
 But fhar'd each tranfport, as flie foothM each care j 
 
 Or what ftill more might aggravate the cafe, 
 
 He left behind a little pratling race, 
 
 As yet unnurs'd, untaught in wifdom's page, 
 
 Open to all the vices of the age, 
 
 AVhilft he unfriended breaths a foreign air, 
 
 Haunted by every Docmon of defpair. 
 
 Oh ! what avails thy every excellence. 
 
 To pleafe with humour, and prevail with fenfe ; 
 
 Thy various powers to ferve each focial end 
 
 Of father, hufband, counfellor, and friend : 
 
 Thy perverfe ftars of a malignant kind 
 
 Mar every honell purpofe of thy mind I 
 
 So many a work of nature finely wrought, 
 
 As if by every finiflied force of thought, 
 
 Unftoried and unfung, neglected lies 
 
 A fpeftacle alone for vulgar eyes. 
 
 And now the Mufc, — (abllra61ed from renown,) 
 Hath fearlefs trod the mazes of the town ; 
 
 Explained
 
 [ 39 ] 
 Explained with all, yet with her little art, 
 Some modes to live, and feme to guard the heart. 
 O ye alTociate frugals ! O my friends I 
 Ev'n on this ftate what happinefs depends ? 
 What tho' thy fortunes interdict to go 
 The fprightly rounds of Almack^s and Soho ; 
 What tho', regardlefs of fuch dear bought fame, 
 The Rofe and Shalccfpcarc never knew thy name, 
 Yet flill thou can'il thy landlord's threats defy, 
 Nor mind the lounging bailiff's watchful eye ; 
 Walk where you pleafe, regardlefs to be met, 
 Free from thole painful miferies of debt. 
 
 Long has {he view'd, in this alluring place, 
 Where Luxury receives each polifh'd grace, 
 Where force of falhion glare of vice unite, 
 To roufe the fenfe and captivate the fight ; 
 Where Pleafure fpreads her every lilken charm, 
 The gay to lull — th' infenfible to warm, 
 What crowds, on fuch a fea of folly toll, 
 Before they come to think, are daily lofl ! 
 
 F 2 As
 
 [ 40 ] 
 As fome prevention then, flie this beflows. 
 And freely gives advice on what flic knows ; 
 By it file courts no tribute of applaufe, 
 But that of writing in a public caufc; 
 Confcious of this, looks for no other fame, 
 Alike indifteient, or to praife or blame. 
 
 FINIS,
 
 This book is DUE on the last 
 date etamped below. 
 
 DFX 3 135A 
 SEP 1 7 1956 
 
 
 
 fJEPD IDURO 
 
 
 :MINBTaN RAND INC. 20
 
 '[fi n. . 
 
 3 1158 00698 6094 
 
 5 
 
 LIBRARf FAC:liT< 
 
 B 000 015805