70 His Grace will game: to White's a Bull be led, 75 Drive to St. James's a whole herd of fwine? Oh filthy check on all industrious skill, To spoil the nation's last great trade, Quadrille! Since then, my Lord, on fuch a world we fall, What say you? B. Say? Why take it, Gold and all. P. What Riches give us let us then enquire: Meat, Fire, and Clothes. B. What more? P. Meat, Is this too little? would you more than live? 80 Alas! VARIATIONS. VER. 77. Since then, &c.] In the former Editions, Well then, fince with the world we ftand or fall, NOTES. quality of a Gentleman, who, after ruining himself at the Gam ing-table, paft the reft of his days in fitting there to fee the ruin of others; preferring to fubfift upon borrowing and begging, rather than to enter into any reputable method of life, and refusing a Poft in the army which was offered him. VER. 65. Had Colepepper's] Thus in former Editions, Had Hawley's fortune lay'n in hops and hogs, Scarce Hawley's self had fent it to the dogs. P. VER. 82. Turner] One who, being poffeffed of three hundred thousand pounds, laid down his coach, because Interest was re Alas! 'tis more than (all his Visions past) Unhappy Wharton, waking, found at last! What can they give? to dying Hopkins, Heirs; 85 Or heal, old Narfes, thy obfcener ail, With all th' embroid❜ry plaister'd at thy tail? NOTES. 90 They duced from five to four per cent. and then put seventy thousand into the Charitable corporation for better Intereft; which fum having loft, he took it fo much to heart that he kept his chamber ever after. It is thought he would not have outlived it, but that he was heir to another confiderable eftate, which he daily expected, and that by this course of life he faved both clothes and all other expences. P. VER. 84. Unhappy Wharton,] A Nobleman of great qualities, but as unfortunate in the application of them, as if they had been vices and follies. See his Character in the first Epiftle. P. VER. 85. Hopkins,] A Citizen, whofe rapacity obtained him the name of Vulture Hopkins. He lived worthless, but died worth three hundred thousand pounds, which he would give to no person living, but left it so as not to be inherited till after the second generation. His counsel representing to him how many years it must be before this could take effect, and that his money could only lie at interest all that time, he expreffed great joy thereat, and faid, They would then be as long in fpending as he had been in getting it." But the Chancery afterwards fet afide the will, and gave it to the heir at law. 66 P. VER. 86. Japhet, Nofe and Ears?] JAPHET CROOK, alias Sir Peter Stranger, was punished with the lofs of thofe parts, for having forged a conveyance of an estate to himself, upon which he took up feveral thousand pounds. He was at the fame time sued in Chancery for having fraudulently obtained a Will, by which he poffeffed another confiderable estate, in wrong of the brother of the deceased. By these means he was worth a great fum, which (in reward for the small loss of his ears) he enjoyed in prison till his death, and quietly left to his executor. P. They might (were Harpax not too wise to spend) Or find fome Doctor that would fave the life To fome, indeed, Heav'n grants the happier fate, 95 Perhaps you think the Poor might have their part? Bond damns the Poor, and hates them from his heart: NOTES. The VER. 90. With all] An image infufferably filthy, and unworthy of fuch a writer! Boileau has no fuch images. VER. 96. Die, and endow a College, or a Cat.] A famous Duchefs of R. in her laft Will left confiderable legacies and annuities to her Cats. P. This benefactrefs was no other than La Belle Stuart of the Comte de Grammont; and her endowment was not a proper object of fatire. The real truth was, that she left annuities to certain female friends, with the burden of maintaining some of her cats; a delicate way of providing for poor, and probably, proud gentlewomen, without making them feel that they owed their livelihood to her mere liberality. VER. 100. Bond damns the Poor, &c.] This Epiftle was written in the year 1730, when a corporation was established to lend money to the poor upon pledges, by the name of the Charitable Corporation; but the whole was turned only to an iniquitous method of enriching particular people, to the ruin of fuch numbers, that it became a parliamentary concern to endeavour the relief of thofe unhappy fufferers; and three of the managers, who were members of the Houfe, were expelled. By the report of the Committee appointed to inquire into that iniquitous affair, it appears, that when it was objected to the intended removal of the office, that the Poor, for whofe ufe it was erected, would be hurt by it, Bond, one of the Directors, replied, Damn the Poor. That "God R 3 The grave Sir Gilbert holds it for a rule That ev'ry man in want is knave or fool: 105 "God cannot love (fays Blunt, with tearless eyes) "The wretch he ftarves"-and piously denies : But the good Bishop, with a meeker air, Admits, and leaves them, Providence's care. Yet, to be just to these poor men of pelf, Each does but hate his neighbour as himself: NOTES. Damn'd "God hates the poor," and, "That every man in want is either knave or fool," &c. were the genuine apothegms of some of the Perfons here mentioned. P. VER. 105. But the good Bishop, &c.] In the place of this imaginary Bishop, and in the first Dialogue of 1738, the Poet had named a very worthy Perfon of condition, who, for a courfe of many years, had shined in public ftations much to the honour and advantage of his country. But being at once oppreffed by popular prejudice and a public censure, it was no wonder the Poet, to whom he was perfonally a stranger, should think hardly of him. I had the honour to be well known to that truly illustrious Person, and to be greatly obliged by him. From my intimate knowledge of his character, I was fully perfuaded of his innocence, and that he was unwarily drawn in by a pack of infamous Cheats, to his great loss of fortune as well as reputation. At my request and information, therefore, the Poet with much fatisfaction retracted, and ftruck out, in both places, his ill-grounded cenfure. I have fince had the pleasure to understand, from the best authority, that these favourable fentiments of him have of late been fully justified in the course of some proceedings in the High Court of Chancery, the most unerring investigator of Truth and Falfehood. W.This proceeding certainly does great honour to Dr. Warburton's gratitude and friendship. Sir R. gave him the living of Brandbroughton; and the letter he wrote in his vindication appears in p. 144. of his Life by Bishop Hurd. VER. 105. But the good Bifhop,] Formerly thus ; But rev'rend Sutton, with a fofter air Admits and leaves them Damn'd to the Mines, an equal fate betides The Slave that digs it, and the Slave that hides. B. Who fuffer thus, mere Charity should own, III I 14 Must act on motives pow'rful, tho' unknown. P. Some War, fome Plague, or Famine they foresee, Some Revelation hid from you and me. Why Shylock wants a meal, the caufe is found, He thinks a Loaf will rife to fifty pound. What made Directors cheat in South-fea year To live on Ven'fon when it fold fo dear. Afk you why Phryne the whole Auction buys? Phryne forefees a general Excife. Why she and Sappho raise that monftrous fum? Alas! they fear a man will cost a plum. 120 Wife Peter fees the World's refpect for Gold, And therefore hopes this Nation may be fold: Glorious NOTES. VER. 109. Damn'd to the Mines,] This is plainly taken from the causes of the Decay of Christian Piety. "It has always been held," fays this excellent writer, "the fevereft treatment of flaves and malefactors, damnare ad metalla, to force them to dig in the mines now this is the covetous man's lot, from which he is never to expect a release." VER. 118. To live on Ven'fon] In the extravagance and luxury of the South-fea year, the price of a haunch of Venison was from three to five pounds. P. VER. 120. General Excife.] Many people, about the year 1733, had a conceit that fuch a thing was intended, of which it is not improbable this lady might have fome intimation. P. VER. 123. Wife Peter] PETER WALTER, a perfon not only eminent in the wildom of his profeffion, as a dextrous attorney, but allowed to be a good, if not a fafe, conveyancer; extremely respected by the Nobility of this land, though free from all man |