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"Things unattempted yet, in profe or rhyme," A fhilling, breeches, and chimeras dire.

HAPPY the man, who, void of cares and strife,

In filken or in leathern purfe retains

A Splendid Shilling: he nor hears with pain
New oyfters cry'd, nor fighs for chearful ale;
But with his friends, when nightly mists arise,
To Juniper's Magpyę, or Town-Hall * repairs :
Where, mindful of the nymph, whose wanton eye
Transfix'd his foul, and kindled amorous flames,
Cloe, or Phillis, he each circling glass

Wifheth her health, and joy, and equal love.
Meanwhile, he fmokes, and laughs at merry tale,
Or pun ambiguous, or conundrum quaint.
But I, whom griping penury furrounds,
And hunger, fure attendant upon want,
With scanty offals, and small acid tiff
(Wretched repaft!) ny meagre corpse sustain:
Then folitary walk, or doze at home
In garret vile, and with a warming puff

*Two noted alehoufes in Oxford, 1700.

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Regale chill'd fingers; or from tube as black
As winter-chimney, or well-polish'd jet,
Exhale mundungus, ill-perfuming fcent:
Not blacker tube, nor of a fhorter fize,
Smokes Cambro- Briton (vers'd in pedigree,
Sprung from Cadwalador and Arthur, kings
Full famous in romantic tale) when he
O'er many a craggy hill and barren cliff,
Upon a cargo of fam'd Ceftrian cheese,
High over-fhadowing rides, with a defign
To vend his wares, or at th' Arvonian mart,
Or Maridunum, or the ancient town
Yclip'd Brechinia, or where Vaga's ftream
Encircles Ariconium, fruitful foil!
Whence flow nectareous wines, that well may
With Maffic, Setin, or renown'd Falern.

Thus while my joyless minutes tedious flow,
With looks demure, and filent pace, a Dun,
Horrible monfter! hated by gods and men,
To my acrial citadel afcends,

With vocal heel thrice thundering at my gate,
With hideous accent thrice he calls; I know
The voice ill-boding, and the folemn found.
What should I do? or whither turn? Amaz'd,
Confounded, to the dark recefs I fly

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Of wood-hole; ftrait my bristling hairs erect
Through fudden fear; a chilly fweat bedews
My fhuddering limbs, and (wonderful to tell!)
My tongue forgets her faculty of speech;
So horrible he feems! His faded brow

vie

Entrench'd

Entrench'd with many a frown, and conic beard,
And spreading band, admir'd by modern saints,
Difaftrous acts forebode; in his right hand
Long ferolls of paper folemnly he waves,
With characters and figures dire inscrib'd,
Grievous to mortal eyes; (ye gods, avert

Such plagues from righteous men !) Behind him stalks Another monster, not unlike himself,

Sullen of afpect, by the vulgar call'd

A Catchpole, whose polluted hands the gods
With force incredible, and magic charms,
First have endued: if he his ample palm
Should haply on ill-fated fhoulder lay
Of debtor, ftrait his body, to the touch
Obfequious (as whilom knights were wont)
To fome inchanted caftle is convey'd,

Where gates impregnable, and coercive chains,
In durance ftri&t detain him, till, in form
Of money, Pallas fets the captive free.
Beware, ye debtors! when ye walk, beware,
Be circumfpect; oft with infidious ken
The caitiff eyes your steps aloof, and oft
Lies perdue in a nook or gloomy cave,
Prompt to inchant fome inadvertent wretch
With his unhallow'd touch. So (poets fing)
Grimalkin, to domeftic vermin fworn
An everlasting foe, with watchful eye
Lies nightly brooding o'er a chinky gap,
Protending her fell claws, to thoughtless mice
Sure ruin. So her difembowel'd web

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