KING AND CONSTITUTION. GIVE ear IVE ear a while, my Countrymen, to this my ftrange relation, Of all the bustle rais'd of late in this our happy Nation By bafe and factious men, who thought themselves most wondrous wife, Sir, And with their falfe pretences fought to blind the people's eyes, Sir. CHORUS. O may the blifs we now enjoy ne'er fuffer diminution From knaves who flander England's boaft, our King and Conftitution. A Cent'ry now is fcarce elaps'd, fince with propitious smile, Sir, Fair Freedom caft a fav'ring look on this our envied Ifle, Sir; And banifh'd by a tyrant's frown from each furrounding nation, Her dwelling fix'd 'mongft Britain's fons, with happier expectation. Chorus, O may the blifs, &c. Here like a young and vig'rous plant, that meets its native foil, Sir, She throve, and foon was recompens'd for all her former toil, Sir; And, thankful for the favour fhewn, with parent-like affection, To high and low, and rich and poor, extended her protection. Long had her fons enjoy'd themselves in plenty, peace, and health, Sir, Increafing ftill from year to year in happiness and wealth, Sir; When lo a peftilential Sect did fuddenly arife, Sir, Which jealous of our happy state these bleffings did despise, Sir... They ftrove with all their pow'r and might, and many a dext'rous feat, Sir, Our guardian genius, Liberty, to tumble from her feat, Sir, And And in her room their object was, foul Anarchy to place, Sit, Rejoic'd to fink their countrymen in ruin and difgrace, Sir. The means they took t'effect their end were false infinuations, Convey'd to poor but honeft minds in dark affociations; Thus while their cruel fhafts they aim'd at all the weaker part, Sir, Affaffin-like, in fecret too, they poison'd ev'ry heart, Sir. Their Leader, foe to human-kind, was Satan's firmeft friend, Sir, And (like him) never ftopt at aught that ferv'd his wicked end, Sir; Throughout our Colonies of late he fpread Rebellion's flame, Sir, And now throughout the Mother-land he tried to do the fame, Sir. His curfed principles were the fe," I hate the Conftitution, "I hate my country's chief renown, the glorious Revolution; "I hate King, Lords, and Commons all; I hate all moderation "I hate all men of peaceful minds, whatever be their fiation." These principles thus fpread around by dark designing foes, Sir, At length the hearts of Britons rous'd from long-enjoy'd repofe, Sir; And foon in loyal concert join'd, they fhew'd their refo lution, With all their fortunes, lives, and ftrength, to fave the Conftitution. On all fides now, thofe traitors bafe were feen to hide their heads, Sir, And Liberty arofe again, which many fear'd was dead, Sir: Then let us all in wifhes join, for harmony and peace, Sir, And henceforth may fuch enmity 'twixt Britons ever cease, Sir. CHORUS. And may the blifs we now enjoy ne'er fuffer diminution From knaves who flander England's boast, our King and Conftitution. LIBERTY AND PROPERTY PRESERVED AGAINST REPUBLICANS AND LEVELLERS. A COLLECTION OF TRACTS. NUMBER IX. CONTAINING Village Politics.-Extract from Mr. Playfair's Reflections on the actual Force and Refources of France, in Jan. 1793. LONDON: Printed and Sold by J. DOWNES, No. 240, Temple Bar, Strand; where the Bookfellers in Town and Country may be ferved with any Quantity. PRICE, ONE PENNY. Village Politics; a Dialogue between Jack Anvil the Blacksmith and Tom Hod the Mafon; addreffed to all the Mechanics, Journeymen, and Day-labourers, in Great Britain. Jack. WHAT's the matter, Tom? Why doft look so Tom. Difmal indeed? Well enough I may. Jack. What's the old mare dead? or work scarce? Tom. No, no; work's plenty enough, if a man had but the heart to go to it. Jack. What book art reading? Why doft look fo like a hang dog? Tom. (looking on his book.) Caufe enough. Why I find here that I am very unhappy, and very miferable; which I should never have known, if I had not had the good luck to meet with this book. O'tis a precious book! Jack. A good fign tho'; that you can't find out you're unhappy without looking into a book for it. What is the matter? Tom. Matter! Why I want liberty! Jack. Liberty! What, has any one fetched a warrant for thee? Come man, cheer up, I'll be bound for thee.-Thou art an honest fellow in the main, tho' thou doft tipple and prate a little too much at the Rose and Crown. Tom. No, no, I want a new conftitution. Jack. Indeed! Why I thought thou had'st been a desperate healthy fellow. Send for the doctor then. Tom. I'm not fick; I want Liberty and Equality and the Rights of Man. Jack. O now I understand thee. What, thou art a leveller and a republican, I warrant. Tom. I'm a friend to the people. I want a reform. Jack. Then let every one mend one. Tom. Pooh! I want freedom and happinefs, the fame as they have got in France. Jack. What, Tom, we imitate them? We follow the French! Why they only begun all this mifchief at first, in order to be just what we are already. Why I'd fooner go to the Negers to get learning, or to the Turks to get religion, than to the French for freedom and happiness. Tom. What do you mean by that? ar'n't the French free? fuck. Free, Tom! aye, free with a witnefs. They are all fo free, that there's nobody fafe. They make free to rob whom they will, and kill whom they will. If they don't like a man's looks, they make free to hang him without judge or jury, and the next lamp-poft does for the gallows; fo then they call themfelves free, because you fee they have no king to take them up and hang them for it. Tom. Ah, but Jack, didn't their KING formerly hang people for nothing too? and befides, wer'n't they all papifts before the Revolution? Jack. Why, true enough, they had but a poor fort of religion; but bad is better than none, Tom. And fo was the government bad enough too; for they could clap an innocent man into prifon, and keep him there too as long as they would, and never fay with your leave or by your leave, Gentlemen of the Jury. But what's all that to us? Tom. To us! Why don't our governors put many of our poor folks into prifon against their will? What are all the jails for? Down with the jails, I fay; all men fhould be free. Jack. Harkce, Tom; a few rogues in prifon keep the rest in order, and then honeft men go about their business, afraid of nobody; that's the way to be free. And let me tell thee, Tom, thou and I are tried by our peers as much as a lord is. Why the KING can't fend me to prifon, if I do no harm; and if I do, there's good reafon why I should go there. I may go to law with Sir John at the great caftle yonder, and he no more dares lift his little finger again!t me than if I were his equal. A lord is hanged for hanging matter, as thou or I shou'd be; and if it will be any comfort to thee, I myself remember a Peer of the Realm being hanged for killing his man, just the fame as the man wou'd have been for killing him *. Tom. Well, that is fome comfort.-But have you read the Rights of Man? Jack. No, not I; I had rather by half read the Whole Duty of Man. I have but little time for reading, and fuch as I fhould therefore only read a bit of the best. Tom. Don't tell me of thofe old fashioned notions. Why fhould not we have the fame fine things they have got in France? I'm for a Conftitution, and Organization, and Equali zation. Jack. Do be quiet. Now, Tom, only fuppofe this nonsensical equality was to take place; why it would not last while one could fay Jack Robinson; or fuppofe it cou'd-suppose, in the general divifion, our new rulers were to give us half an acre of ground a-piece, we cou'd to be fure raise potatoes on it for the ufe of our families; but as every other man would be equally bufy in raifing potatoes for his family, why then you fee if thou waft to break thy fpade, I should not be able to mend it. Neighbour Snip would have no time to make us a fuit of cloathes, nor the clothier to weave the cloth, for all the world would be gone a digging. And as to boots and fhoes, the want of fome one to make them for us, wou'd be a greater grievance than the tax on leather. Ifwe thou'd be fick, there wou'd be no doctor's stuff for us; for doctor wou'd be digging too. We cou'd not get a chimney fwept, or a load of coal from pit, for love or money. Tom. But ftill I fhould have no one over my head. Jack. That's a mistake; I'm stronger than thou; and Standish, the Excifeman, is a better fcholar; fo we should not remain equal a minute. I fhou'd out-fight thee, and he'd out-wit thee. And if fuch a sturdy fellow as I am was to come and break down thy hedge for a little firing, or to take away the crop from thy ground, I'm not sure that these new Lord Ferrers was hanged in 1760, for killing his steward. |