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Emit qui titulos, auro fuffragia vendens,

Hunc EQUITEM AURATUM dicere jure potes. At nofter non talis EQUES: fed fæpius urget

Venator celerem confpiciendus equum. Pro patria in celebri MILES gerit arma fenatu Civica: nam patriæ militat omnis amans. Magnos qui meruit, parvos contemnit honores, Ad tamam afcendens nobiliore via: Regalem quamvis humero non fenferit ictum, ARMIGER, eft, plufquam nomine, MILES, EQUES,

OR wifdom old philofophers rever'd

Fo

Took not their name from reverend length of beard.
Tho' round his temples wreath'd, the laurel crown
Gives not the poet verfes, or renown,

Yet he, who wears the noble gilded fpur,
Is knight, is baronet, and called fir.

MILES denotes a foldier, and a knight:

Yet many a one has never feen a fight.

When knight was EQUES call'd, and chevalier,
In ENGLISH horfeman; fuch could ride, 'tis clear.
Now many, like fir HUDIBRAS, a straddle,
Tho' both hands hold the mane, fcarce keep the faddle.
Who e'er in parliament his votes has fold,
And honourable titles bought with gold,
By treble right, fhines 'mongst the golden firs,
If both his horns are gilt, as well as fpurs.

Not fuch is ours: but fix'd on flying steed,
Hunter confpicuous, urges all his fpeed.
Champion in fenate-house, 'midft just applause,
With civic arms he fights his country's caufe;
For now whoe'er his country loves, must wage
Continual war 'gainst party's zealous rage.

Small honours he contemns, who great may claim;
And climbs a nobler way th' afcent to fame.
The royal ftroak tho' ne'er his fhoulders bore,
This fquire's true knight, tho' not in name, in more.

SIN

To the LORD MAYOR Elect.

INCE pageants ceas'd with curious figures wrought, And tuneful verfe to tell the painter's thought; Your annual pomps with glory lefs have shin'd,

And GRUBSTREET's ancient honour much declin'd.
But what most fatal to this province prov'd,
Our prince his refidence from hence remov'd.
The muses then forfook their ancient feat,
To nobler domes invited by the great.
The tragic mufe with comic chang'd her part;
Both nature fcorn'd, and both apply'd to art:
To manual art; which drew more glorious fcenes,
And turn'd fine pageants into grand machines.
Here R----CH in clouds defcending fhone a god;
There B----TH and С----R fiery dragons rode:
GRUBSTREET refounded with th' united din,
That rofe from DRURY LANE, and LINCOLN'S INN,
To make their court, much higher place in view,
From their high lodgings numerous bards withdrew :
Succefs foon fwell'd their vain, impoftum'd mind;
They fcorn'd their brethren, who remain'd behind;
To turn whofe greatest glory into shame,
They made GRUBEAN an approbrious name;
And strove with all the rage of mortal foes,
To fink the feminary whence they rose.
But when their thoughts, as thirft of lucre burn'd,
From poetry to politicks were turn'd;

Their works, now written not for fame, but pay,
Unfold, were weekly giv'n in reams away.
In vain :---- for moft with repetition tir'd,
Would not e'en read these learned gifts, unhir'd.
GRUBSTREET, renown'd in old and modern times,
The venerable feat of profe and rhimes,
Unpeopled lay: no tuneful voice was heard:
Their filent heads our antique garrets rear'd,
Like thofe of authors, empty, crack'd, and odd;
And feem'd, like readers of their works, to nod.

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Ambitious to retrive its former fame,
Or keep alive a while its dying name,
At house most ancient of this ancient street,
Some choice GRUBEAN wits refolv'd to meet;
Where of found native beer, not foreign wine,
A long-wing'd PEGASUS hangs out, the fign.
Aufpicious fortune feem'd our aims to blefs,
And prove their goodness by their great success,
To our young, weekly, old, reviv'd, new club,
Each WEDNESDAY added fome illuftrious GRUB.
From hence our journals take their weekly flights,
And ftill outfoar all other paper kites :

Mounted on pinions pluck'd from grey-goose wing,
Like geese, in various figures flying, fing;
Now high, now low, they rove from place to place,
And lead purfuers a long wild-goofe chace.
Borne on these wings, to ev'ry country town
The whole transactions.of the world are shown:
And whilft by us fuch numbers famous grow,
We grow more fam'd ourselves, who make them fo.
But fince no diet is so thin as fame,
Once more, may foon the city poet's name
In me revive; with penfion by the year;
And perquifite a pipe of PARSON's beer,
With this infpir'd, and scorning naufeous wine,
In annual pomp your city bard shall shine,

Attending in the train of new LORD MAYOR,

Bright as on New-YEAR'S-DAY the laureate player.

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Grubftreet Journal, No 96.

To the Right Honourable the LORDMAYOR.

My Lord,

T

HE mufe, which with ambitious lay ·
Your praifes fung on your triumphant day,
With pleasure fees (your race of glory run
In the fame fplendor which it firft begun)
The fhining circle of your fame compleat,
There where you rofe ferene, ferenely fet.
PHOEBUS, whofe genial rays all fruits produce,
And fwell the barley grain for maltsters use,
With light unfullied, and unwearied force,
Has now perform'd, with you, his annual course :
His radiant beams, as quick, as warm, as clear,
Shine through my garret, as they fhone last year.
With the fame heat he now my breast inspires:
I feel, I feel the fame celeftial fires.

Before my dazzled fight ftrange figures dance;
And fimilies, and rhimes in crouds advance.

As the true dial, whether morning ray,
Or evening fhines, points out the hours of day:
So I, by threats unaw'd, by bribes unwon,
Revere the setting, as the rifing fun :
To merit true, with conftant lines of praise,
Mark out the ufe and virtue of its rays.
Let mobs halloo or hifs, applaud or blame,
My mufes zeal and love are ftill the fame.
In various tongues laft year the these display'd,
For which your lordship knows fhe ne'er was pay'd,
Yet ftill unpay'd, with pleafure the reviews
Her laft year's labours, which the this renews.
Rais'd by your noble liquors potent fumes
The grateful fubject the with joy refumes:

And

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And to the pow'rs of beer fhe fung before
Now adds much greater, and full twenty more..
How would the numerous croud of lazy fots

The flow hours fpend, without full pipes and pots?
To ropes, to rats-bane they'd for refuge fly;
And, if they might not drink, would quickly die.
In time's inverted glass flow falls the fand
To working eyes: but when from hand to hand
Of jovial blades the circling glaffes fly,

Swift the wing'd minutes pafs unheeded by:
E'er peremptory pipe and pot are done,

Time's hand, and voice, both points, and calls out one,
Th' industrious work in every other trade;

By yours the idleft are industrious made.

Whilft those their hands with tool, or glafs employ,
They feel viciffitude of pains, or joy:

But thefe, carousing ftill from morn to night,
Enjoy one conftant scene of gay delight.

This ANODYNE can grief and pain appease,
And in their room replace both joy and cafe:
Can give to bankrupts wealth; and what is more
To fetter'd prifoners liberty restore.

When drunk, as thofe are rich; fo thefe in mind
Now freed, in goal expatiate unconfin'd.

Nay, when, condemn'd by rigid juftice doom,.
The malefactor lies in dreary room ;.
Kind CEREVISIA oft, his foul to cheer,
Brings in her nut-brown hands two pots of beer.
To the pale wretch the firft a week's reprieve;
The fecond feems a pardon full to give.
But when two more have fortify'd his pate,.
Unmov'd he hears the harsh decrees of fate,
Laughs at the folemn HOLBORN cavalcade,
Where little villains, drawn in masquerade,
In ftate to TY BURN ride; while justice blind
Leaves charters with the great to ftay behind.
Then, feiz'd as 'twere with conscientious qualm,
He gravely fings a penetential pfalm:

Strait laughing fwears, I'm now prepar'd to fwing:
Perform your office, JACK, and fit the ftring..

I fhrink

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