He walks along the street, the mart, the quay,
And looks and mutters, "This belongs to me."
His passions all partook the general bent;
Interest inform'd him when he should resent,
How long resist, and on what terms relent:
In points where he determined to succeed,
In vain might reason or compassion plead;
But gain'd his point, he was the best of men,
'T was loss of time to be vexatious then:
Hence he was mild to all men whom he led,
Of all who dared resist, the scourge and dread.
Falsehood in him was not the useless lie
Of boasting pride or laughing vanity;
It was the gainful, the persuading art,
That made its way and won the doubting heart,
Which argued, soften'd, humbled, and prevail'd;
Nor was it tried till ev'ry truth had fail❜d;
No sage on earth could more than he despise
Degrading, poor, unprofitable lies.

Though fond of gain, and grieved by wanton waste, To social parties he had no distaste;

With one presiding purpose in his view,
He sometimes could descend to trifle too!
Yet, in these moments, he had still the art
Το ope the looks and close the guarded heart;
And, like the public host, has sometimes made
A grand repast, for which the guests have paid.
At length, with power endued and wealthy

grown,

Frailties and passions, long suppress'd, were shown: Then to provoke him was a dangerous thing,

His pride would punish, and his temper sting;

His powerful hatred sought th' avenging hour,

And his proud vengeance struck with all his power, Save when th' offender took a prudent way

The rising storm of fury to allay :

This might he do, and so in safety sleep,
By largely casting to the angry deep;
Or, better yet (its swelling force t'assuage),
By pouring oil of flattery on its rage.

And now, of all the heart approved, possess'd,
Fear'd, favour'd, follow'd, dreaded and caress'd,
He gently yields to one mellifluous joy,
The only sweet that is not found to cloy,
Bland adulation! - other pleasures pall
On the sick taste, and transient are they all;
But this one sweet has such enchanting power,
The more we take, the faster we devour:
Nauseous to those who must the dose apply,
And most disgusting to the standers-by;
Yet in all companies will Laughton feed,
Nor care how grossly men perform the deed.

As gapes the nursling, or, what comes more near, Some Friendly-Island chief, for hourly cheer; When wives and slaves, attending round his seat, Prepare by turns the masticated meat:

So for this master, husband, parent, friend,
His ready slaves their various efforts blend,
And, to their lord still eagerly inclined,
Pour the crude trash of a dependent mind.

But let the Muse assign the man his due,
Worth he possess'd, nor were his virtues few : —
He sometimes help'd the injured in their cause;
power and purse have back'd the failing laws;

His

He for religion has a due respect,

And all his serious notions are correct;

Although he pray'd and languish'd for a son,
He grew resign'd when Heaven denied him one;
He never to this quiet mansion sends

Subject unfit, in compliment to friends;
Not so Sir Denys, who would yet protest
He always chose the worthiest and the best:
Not men in trade by various loss brought down,
But those whose glory once amazed the town,
Who their last guinea in their pleasures spent,
Yet never fell so low as to repent:

To these his pity he could largely deal,

Wealth they had known, and therefore want could feel.

Three seats were vacant while Sir Denys reign'd, And three such favourites their admission gain'd; These let us view, still more to understand The moral feelings of Sir Denys Brand. (1)

(1) For the Alms-house itself, its Governors, and Inhabitants, I have not much to offer, in favour of the subject or of the character. One of these, Sir Denys Brand, may be considered as too highly placed for an author, who seldom ventures above middle life, to delineate; and, indeed, I had some idea of reserving him for another occasion, where he might have appeared with those in his own rank; but then it is most uncertain whether he would ever appear, and he has been so many years prepared for the public, whenever opportunity might offer, that I have at length given him place, and though with his inferiors, yet as a ruler over them.

THE BOROUGH.

LETTER XIV.

INHABITANTS OF THE ALMS-HOUSE.

BLANEY.

Sed quia cæcus inest vitiis amor, omne futurum
Despicitur; suadent brevem præsentia fructum,
Et ruit in vetitum damni secura libido. - CLAUD. in Eutrop.

Nunquam parvo contenta paratu,

Et quæsitorum terrâ pelagoque ciborum

Ambitiosa fames, et lautæ gloria mensæ. - LUCAN.

Et Luxus, populator Opum, tibi semper adhærens,
Infelix humili gressu comitatur Egestas.

CLAUD. in Ruf.

Behold what blessing wealth to life can lend! - POPE.

His

Blaney, a wealthy Heir, dissipated, and reduced to Poverty – His Fortune restored by Marriage: again consumed Manner of living in the West Indies - Recalled to a larger Inheritance His more refined and expensive LuxuriesHis Method of quieting Conscience - Death of his Wife Again become poor His Method of supporting Existence - His Ideas of Religion - His Habits and Connections when old Admitted into the Alms-house.