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OF

THE USE OF RICHES.

This poem, as Mr. Pope tells us himself, coft much attention and labour; and, from the eafinefs that appears in it, one would be apt to think as much.

P. WHO

P.HO fhall decide, when Doctors difagree, And foundest Cafuifts doubt, like me?

you and

You hold the word, from Jove to Momus giv'n,
That man was made the standing jeft of Heav'n;
And gold but fent to keep the fools in play,
For fome to heap, and fome to throw away.

But I, who think more highly of our kind,
(And, furely, Heav'n and I are of a mind)
Opine, that Nature, as in duty bound,
Deep hid the shining mischief under ground:
But when, by man's audacious labour, won,
Flam'd forth this rival to its Sire, the Sun,
Then careful Heav'n fupply'd two forts of Men ;
To fquander These, and Thofe, to hide agen.
Like doctors, thus, when much difpute has pafs'd,
We find our tenets juft the fame at last.
Both fairly owning, Riches, in effect,
No grace of Heav'n, or token of th' Ele&t;
VOL. I.

K

Giv'n

Giv'n to the Fool, the Mad, the Vain, the Evil, To Ward *, to Waters, Chartres, and the Devil. B. What

John Ward, of Hackney, Efq. member of parliament, being profecuted by the dutchess of Buckingham, and convicted of forgery, was first expelled the houfe, and then ftood in the pillory on the 17th of March 1727. He was fufpected of joining in a conveyance with Sir John Blunt, to fecrete 50,000l. of that director's eftate, forfeited to the South-Sea company by act of parliament. The company recovered the 50,000 1. againft Ward; but he fet up prior conveyances of his real eftate to his brother and fon, and concealed all his perfonal, which was computed to be 150,000 1. Thefe conveyances being alfo fet afide by a bill in Chancery, Ward was imprifoned, and hazarded the forfeiture of his life by not giving in his effects till the laft day, which was that of his examination. During his confinement, his amufement was to give poison to dogs and cats, and fee them expire by flower or quicker torments. To fum up the worth of this gentleman at the feveral æra's of his life; at his ftanding in the pillory he was worth above 200,cool. at his commitment to prifon he was worth 150,000l. but has fince been fo far diminished in his reputa-, tion, as to be thought a worfe man by 50 or 60,000 1.

Fr. Chartres, a man infamous for all manner of vice. When he was an enfign in the army, he was. drummed out of the regiment for a cheat: he was next banished Bruffels, and drummed out of Ghent on the fame. account. After a hundred tricks at the gaming tables, he took to lending of money at exorbitant intereft, and on great penalties, accumulating præmium, intereft, and capital, into a

new

B. What Nature wants commodious Gold beftows; "Tis thus we eat the bread another fows.

P. But

new capital, and feizing, to a minute, when the payments became due. In a word, by a conftant attention to the vices, wants, and follies of mankind, he acquired an immenfe fortune. His house was a perpetual bawdy-houfe. He was twice condemned for rapes, and pardoned; but, the lat time, not without imprifonment in Newgate, and large confifcations. He died in Scotland in 1731, aged 62. The populace, at his funeral, raifed a great riot, almoft tore the body out of the coffin, and caft dead dogs, &c. into the grave along with it. The following epitaph contains his character, very juftly drawn, by Dr. Arbuthnot.

HERE continueth to rot

The body of FRANCIS CHARTRES, Who, with an INFLEXIBLE CONSTANCY, and INIMITABLE UNIFORMITY of life, PERSISTED,

In fpite of AGE and INFIRMITIES, In the practice of EVERY HUMAN VICE; Excepting PRODIGALITY and HYPOCRISY: His infatiable AVARICE exempted him from the first, His matchlefs IMPUDENCE from the laft.

Nor was he more fingular in the undeviating pravity
Of his manners, than fuccefsful in
Accumulating WEALTH;

For, without TRADE or PROFESSION,
Without TRUST of PUBLIC MONEY,
And without BRIBE WORTHY fervice,
He acquired, or, more properly, created
A MINISTERIAL ESTATE.

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P. But how unequal it beftows, obferve;
'Tis thus we riot, while, who sow it, starve:
What Nature wants (a phrase I much distrust)
Extends to Luxury, extends to Luft:
Useful, I grant, it ferves what life requires,
But dreadful, too, the dark affaffin hires.

B. Trade it may help, fociety extend:

P. But lures the Pyrate, and corrupts the Friend. B. It raises armies in a Nation's aid:

P. But bribes a Senate, and the Land's betray'd.

He was the only perfon of his time, Who could CHEAT without the mask of HONESTY, Retain his primæval MEANNESS when poffefs'd of TEN THOUSAND a year,

And having daily deferv'd the GIBBET for what he did, Was at laft condemned to it for what he could not do. Oh indignant reader!

Think not his life ufelefs to mankind! PROVIDENCE COnniv'd at his execrable designs, To give to after-ages a confpicuous PROOF, and EXAMPLE,

Of how small eftimation is EXORBITANT WEALTH In the fight of GOD, by his bestowing it on The most UNWORTHY of ALL MORTALS.

This gentleman was worth 7000l. a year estate in land, and about 100,000 l. in money.

Mr. Waters, the third of thefe worthies, was a man no way resembling the former in his military, but extremely fo in his civil capacity; his great fortune having been raised by the like diligent attendance on the neceffities of others. But this gentleman's history must be deferred till his death, when his worth may be known more certainly.

In

In vain may Heroes fight, and Patriots rave;
If fecret gold fap on from knave to knave.
Once, we confefs, beneath the Patriot's cloak,'
From the crack'd bag the dropping Guinea fpoke *,
And jingling down the back-stairs, told the crew,
"Old Cato is as great a rogue as you."

Bleft paper-credit! last and best supply!
That lends Corruption lighter wings to fly!
Gold, imp'd by thee, can compafs hardest things,.
Can pocket States, can fetch or carry Kings +;
A fingle leaf fhall waft an army o'er,

Or fhip off Senates to fome distant shore ||;
A leaf, like Sibyl's, fcatter to and fro

Our fates and fortunes, as the wind fhall blow:

This is a true ftory, which happened in the reign of king William III. to an unfufpected old patriot, who coming out at the back-door from having been clofeted by the king, where he had received a large bag of guineas, the bursting of the bag discovered his bufinefs there.

In our author's time, many princes had been fent about the world, and great changes of kings projected in Europe. The Partition-treaty had dif. pofed of Spain; France had fet up a king for England, who was fent to Scotland, and back again; king Stanislaus was fent to Poland and back again; the duke of Anjou was fent to Spain, and don Carlos to Italy.

This alludes to feveral minifters, counsellors, and patriots banished in our times to Siberia, and to that more glorious fate of the Parliament of Paris, banished to Pontoise in the year 1720.

K 3

Pregnant

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