And out o' th' top o' th' chimney

He vanish'd, feen of none;
For they did wink,

Yet by the flink

Knew which way he was gone.

The country round about there
Became like to a wildern-

-nefs; for the fight
Of him did fright

Away men, women, and children.

Long did he there continue,

And all thofe parts much harmed,
Till a wife-woman, which
Some call a white witch,

30

35

Him into a hog-fty charmed.

40

There, when she had him shut fast,

With brimftone and with nitre

She fing'd the claws

Of his left paws,

With tip of his tail, and his right ear.

45

And with her charms and ointments
She made him tame as a spaniel;
For fhe us'd to ride

On his back aftride,

Nor did he do her any ill.

50

But,

But, to the admiration

Of all both far and near,,

He hath been shown

In every town,

And eke in every shire.

And now, at length, he 's brought

Unto fair London city,..

Where in Fleet-ftreet

All thofe may see 't

That will not believe my ditty.

God fave the King and Parliament,,
And eke the Prince's highness,

And quickly fend.

The wars an end,

As here my fong has-Finis.

55

ба

65

Ver. 61. From this circumftance it appears, that this Ballad was wrote before the murder of the King, and that it is the earliest performance of Butler's that has yet been made public; and I think one may, without prejudice, affirm, that it does no difcredit to his younger years..

MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS *.

A

LL men's intrigues and projects tend,'
By several courses, to one end;

To

* This, and the other little Sketches that follow, were, among many of the fame kind, fairly written out by Butler, in a fort of poetical Thefaurus, which I have before mentioned. Whether he intended ever to publish any of them as feparate diftinct thoughts, or to interweave them into fome future compofitions, a thing very usual with him, cannot be afcertained; nor is it, indeed, very material to thofe who are fond of his manner of thinking and writing. I have ventured to give them the title of Mifcellaneous Thoughts; but I have not been over-curious in placing them in any methodical order. Out of this magazine he communicated to Mr. Aubrey that genuine fragment printed in his life, beginning,

No Jefuit e'er took in hand

To plant a church in barren land,
Nor ever thought it worth the while
A Swede or Rufs to reconcile, &c.

The publishing of Mifcellaneous Thoughts, or, what paffes under the name of Table-talk, might be juftified by many names of the greatest authority in the learned world; and thefe fallies of wit, unconnectedly printed, fometimes give more pleasure than when they are interfperfed in a long and regular work; as it is often more entertaining to examine jewels feparately in a cabinet, than to fee them adorning a prince's crown or a

3

royal

To compafs, by the propereft fhows,
Whatever their designs propofe;
And that which owns the fairelt pretext
Is often found the indirect ft.

Hence 'tis that hypocrites ftill paint
Much fairer than the real faint,

And knaves appear more just and true
Than honeft men, that make lefs fhew:
The dulleft idiots in disguise
Appear more knowing than the wife;
Illiterate dunces, undiscern'd,

Pafs on the rabble for the learn'd;
And cowards, that can damn and rant,
Pafs mufter for the valiant :
For he that has but impudencé,
To all things has á just pretence,
And, put among his wants but fhame,
To all the world may lay his claim.

HOW various and innumerable
Are those who live upon the rabble!
'Tis they maintain the church and state,
Employ the priest and magiftrate;
-Bear all the charge of government,
And pay the public fines and rent;
Defray all taxes and excifes,

And impofitions of all prices;

Bear

royal robe. One may venture to add, that these of our Author muft have a kind of additional recommenda tion; by the agreeable fingularity of their being in verse.

Bear all th' expence of peace and war,
And pay the pulpit and the bar;
Maintain all churches and religions,
And give their pastors exhibitions;
And those who have the greatest flocks
Are primitive and orthodox;

Support all fchifmatics and fects,

And pay

them for tormenting texts;
Take all their doctrines off their hands,
And pay them in good rents and lands
Difcharge all coftly offices,

The doctor's and the lawyer's fees,
The hangman's wages, and the scores
Of caterpillar bawds and whores;
Discharge all damages and cofts

Of Knights and Squires of the Poft;
All statesmen, cutpurses, and padders,
And pay for all their ropes and ladders;
All pettifoggers, and all forts

Of markets, churches, and of courts ;
All fums of money paid or spent,
With all the charges incident,

Laid out, or thrown away, or given
To purchase this world, hell, or heaven.

SHOULD once the world refolve t' abolish
All that 's ridiculous and foolish,
It would have nothing left to do,
T' apply in jeft or earnest to,
No business of importance, play,
Or ftate, to pass its time away.

THE