The people with a fight their trees brings
And, curling Bob, forget to bless the King.
Next hearken, Gay, to what thy charge requires.
With fervants, tenants, and the neighbouring /quires
Last all domsfics feel your gentle (way;
No brile, infult, nor fatter, nor betray.
Let due reward to metit be allow'd;
Nor with your kindred half the palace crowd;
Nor think yourself fecure in doing wrong,
$y telling wofer with a party frong.
Be rich; but of your wealth make no parade ;
Arleaf, before your mafter's debts are paide
Non in a palace, built with charge immense,
Prejume to treat bim at his own expence
Back farmer in the neighbourhood can count
To what your lawful perquilites amount.
The tenants poor, the hardnefs of the times,
Are ill sxcules for a fervant's crimes.
With interef, and a premium paid befile,
The mafler's preling wants must be fupply'd a
With hafty zeal behold the fleward come
By his ten credit to advance the fum;
Who, wials ik unrighteous mamman is his friend,
May well conclude his power will never end.
A faishial usaluer ! what could be do more?
He tends my Lord what swas my Lard's before.
The law to thinly guards the Monarch's health,
That no phyfican dares preferibe by fealth i
The conncil fit approves the doctor's skill;
And givs advus, les he gives the pull.
But the fate empiric acts a fafer part;
And, while he poisons, wins the royal heart.
But how can I defcribe the ravenous breed?^
Then let me now by negatives proceed.
Suppose your Lord a trufty fervant fend
On weighty business to some neighbouring friend:
Prefume not, Gay, unless you serve a drone,
To countermand his orders by your own.
Should fome imperious neighbour sink the boats,
And drain the fifb-ponds, while your mafter dotes ;
Shall he upon the ducal rights intrench,
Because he brib'd you with a brace of tench?
Nor from your Lord his bad condition hide,
To feed his luxury, or footh his pride.
Nor at an under-rate his timber fell,
And with an oath affure him, all is well;
Or fwear it rotten; and with humble airs
Requeft it of him to complete your fairs;
Nor, when a mortgage lies on half his lands,
Come with a purse of guineas in your hands.
Have Peter Waters always in your mind;
That rogue, of genuine minifterial kind,
Can half the peerage by his arts bewitch,
Starve twenty lords to make one fcoundrel rich:
And, when he gravely has undone a score,
Is humbly pray'd to ruin twenty more.
A dextrous steward, when his tricks are found,
Hufb-money fends to all the neighbours round;
His mafter, unfufpicious of his pranks,
Pays all the coft, and gives the villain thanks.
And, fhould a friend attempt to fet him right,
His Lordship would impute it all to fpite;
Would love his favourite better than before,
And truft his honesty just so much more.
Thus families, like realms, with equal fate,
Are funk by premier miniflers of fate.
Some, when an heir fucceeds, go boldly on,
And, as they robb'd the father, rob the fon.
A knave, who deep imbroils his lord's affairs,
Will foon grow neceffary to his heirs.
His policy confifts in fetting traps,
In finding ways and means, and flopping gaps;
He knows a thousand tricks whene'er he please,
Though not to cure, yet palliate each disease.
In either café, an equal chance is run;
For, keep or turn him out, my Lord's undone.
You want a hand to clear a filthy fink;
No cleanly workman can endure the stink.
Aftrong dilemma in a defperate cafe 1
To act with infamy, or quit the place.
A bungler thus, who fcarce the nail can hit,
With driving wrong will make the pannel fplit:
Nor dares an abler workman undertake
To drive a fecond, left the whole fhould break,
In every court the parallel will hold;
And kings, like private folks, are bought and fold,
The ruling rogue, who dreads to be cashier'd,
Contrives, as he is bated, to be fear'di
Confounds accounts, perplexes all affairs;
For vengeance more imbroils, than skill repairs.
So robbers (and their ends are just the fame),
To fcape inquiries, leave the boufe in flame.
I knew a brazen minifler of state,
Who bore for twice ten years the public hate.
In every mouth the queftion moft in vogue
Was, When will they turn out this odious rogue ?
A juncture happen'd in his higheft pride:
While he went robbing on, old mafter dy'd.
We thought there now remain'd no room to doubt ;
His work is done, the minifler muft out.
The court invited more than one or two;
Will you, Sir Spencer? or, Will you, or you ?
But not a foul his office durft accept ;
The fubtle knave had all the plunder fwept :
And, fuch was then the temper of the times,
He ow'd his prefervation to his crimes.
The candidates obferv'd his dirty paws;
Nor found it difficult to gucfs the caufe:
But, when they fmelt fuch foul corruptions round him,
Away they fled, and left him as they found him.
Thus, when a greedy floven once has thrown
His fot into the mess, 'tis all his own.
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