Through fam'd Moorfields extends a spacious seat, Where mortals of exalted wit retreat; Where, wrapt in contemplation and in straw, As on a time he pass'd the vacant hours And with fix'd eye observ'd the structure well: He now the vanish'd prospect understood, 46 * Charles II. having borrowed a considerable sum, gavę tallies as a security for the repayment; but, soon after shutting up the exchequer, these tallies were as much reduced from their ori ginal value as the South Sea had exceeded it.-H. A BALLAD ON QUADRILLE.* WRITTEN BY MR CONGREVE. I. WHEN, as Corruption hence did go, When Ay said Ay, and No said No, Then Satan, thinking things went ill, Quadrille, Quadrille, &c. II. Kings, queens, and knaves, made up his pack, III. Sure cards he has for ev'ry thing, But, if the parties manage ill, The king is forc'd to loose Codille, &c. * On the subject of this ballad, see a letter from Dr Arbuth not to Dean Swift, dated Nov. 8, 1726.-N. IV. When two and two were met of old, But now, meet when and where you will, ས. The commoner, and knight, the peer, Men of all ranks and fame, Leave to their wives the only care, To propagate their name; And well that duty they fulfill When the good husband's at Quadrille, &c. VI. When patients lie in piteous case, In comes th' apothecary; And to the doctor cries, alas! Non debes quadrillare. The patient dies without a pill, For why? the doctor's at Quadrille, &c. VII. Should France and Spain again grow loud, Britain, to curb her neighbours proud, * Russia was at this time, 1725, using very high language concerning the restoration of Sleswick. Must want both sword and gun to kill; VIII. The king of late drew forth his sword IX. A party late at Cambray met, But somebody took something ill, X. And now, God save this noble realm, * The convention at Cambray was adopted for the purpose of adjusting the disputes between the emperor and King of Spain, under the mediation of Great Britain and France. But in the course of the treaty, the Duke of Orleans, regent of France, died, and the Infanta of Spain, Maria Theresa, who had been betrothed to the King of France, was sent back to her own country to make way for Lewis XVth's being affianced to the daughter of the Duke of Lorraine. The Spanish court received this affront with a na tural sensation of deep resentment, and finding it in vain to at tempt engaging Great Britain in their quarrel, they suddenly patched up a peace with the emperor, and thus saved the qua druple allies the trouble of interference. And God save those who hold the helm Quadrille, Quadrille, &c. MOLLY MOG: OR, THE FAIR MAID OF THE INN. [This little ballad became very popular, and had several imitations. One was sent to the lovely Miss Lepelle, afterwards Lady Hervey, in the name of a begging poet. She was deceived, and begged that two double entendres might be changed. Mr Pultney and Lord Chesterfield, the authors of the jest, pushed it still further, by substituting what Dr Arbuth not calls single entendres, and Lady Hervey became seriously displeased. Even the Ultima Thule was interested, for I have found in an old Scotish newspaper, a continuation of the ballad of Molly Mog. But the very essence of a politi cal exercise on a given termination, consists in the accuracy of the rhymes, and in that my countryman has been wofully deficient. The fair Molly Mog was a chambermaid at the Rose Inn, Oakingham, in Berkshire.] SAYS my uncle, I pray you discover What hath been the cause of your woes, O nephew! your grief is but folly; |