Yet a poor gentleman; all these may pass To Babel's bricklayers, sure the tower had stood.' I said, 'Not alone, My loneness is; but Spartanes' fashion To teach by painting drunkards doth not last Now; Aretine's pictures have made few chaste; No more than princes' courts (though there be few Better pictures of vice) teach me virtue.' He, like to a high-stretcht lutestring, squeaks, 'O sir, 'Tis sweet to talk of kings.'-' At Westminster,' Said I, the man that keeps the abbey-tombs, 6 And for his price, doth with whoever comes meet Kings only the way to it is King's-street.' Nay, troth, the apostles, though perhaps too rough, Had once a pretty gift of tongues' enough: 6 I make no question but the tower had stood.' 80 85 you should see and should be seen; The king would smile on you-at least, the queen.' Ah, gentle sir! you courtiers so cajole us But Tully has it, Nunquam minus solus : And as for courts, forgive me, if I say 90 95 No lessons now are taught the Spartan way: eyes; Squeaks like a high-stretch'd lutestring, and re 6 plies ; 100 O, 'tis the sweetest of all earthly things He every day from king to king can walk; 105 He smack'd, and cried, 'He's base, mechanique, coarse, So are all your Englishmen in their discourse. Are not your Frenchmen neat?'-' Mine, as you 6 see; I have but one, sir, look, he follows me.' Certes, they are neatly cloathed. I of this mind am; Your only wearing is your grogaram.' 'Not so, sir, I have more.' Under this pitch More than ten Hollensheads, or Halls, or Stows, A subtle statesman may gather of that; He knows who loves whom; and who by poison Hasts to an office's reversion; And get, by speaking truth of monarchs dead, What few can of the living, ease and bread.' 'Lord, sir, a mere mechanic! strangely low, And coarse of phrase; your English all are so : How elegant your Frenchmen - Mine, d' ye mean ? 6 110 115 I have but one; I hope the fellow's clean.' He pass'd it o'er; affects an easy smile 125 He hears; and as a still with simples in it, Mere household trash, of birthnights, balls, and shows, 130 More than ten Holinsheds, or Halls, or Stowes. When the queen frown'd or smiled he knows ; and what A subtle minister may make of that: Who sins with whom: who got his pension rug, Or quicken'd a reversion by a drug: POPE. II. U 135 Who wastes in meat, in clothes, in horse, he notes, Who loveth whores He knows who hath sold his land, and who doth beg A licence, old iron, boots, shoes, and egge Shells to transport; shortly boys shall not play At span-counter, or blow-point, but shall pay Toll to some courtier; and wiser than all us, He knows what lady is not painted.. Thus He with home meats cloyes me: I belch, spue, spit, Look pale and sickly, like a patient, yet He thrusts on more, and as he had undertook Speaks of all states and deeds that have been since The Spaniards came to the loss of Amyens. Like a big wife, at sight of loathed meat, He, like a priviledged spie, whom nothing can I, more amazed than Circe's prisoners, when They felt themselves turn beasts, felt myself then |