A VINDICATION OF THE LIBEL: OR, A NEW BALLAD, WRITTEN BY A SHOE-BOY, ON AN ATTORNEY WHO WAS FORMER LY A SHOE-BOY. "Qui color ater erat, nunc est contrarius atro." WITH singing of ballads, and crying of news, With whitening of buckles, and blacking of shoes, Did Hartley * set out, both shoeless and shirtless, And moneyless too, but not very dirtless; Two pence he had gotten by begging, that's all; He gallantly ventured his fortune to push : And straight he becomes a retailer of wit. One day he cried-" Murders, and songs, and great news!" Another as loudly-" Here blacken your shoes!" See the next poem.-F. At Domvile's full often he fed upon bits, For winding of jacks up, and turning of spits; Lick'd all the plates round, had many a grubbing, And now and then got from the cook-maid a drub 'bing; Such bastings effect upon him could have none: Of scribbling cum dasho, and hooking of fees; Suppose him a courtier-suppose what you will- A FRIENDLY APOLOGY FOR A CERTAIN JUSTICE OF PEACE. BY WAY OF DEFENCE OF HARTLEY HUTCHINSON, ESQ. "But he by bawling news about, To punish rogues who do the same," HUDIE. BY JAMES BLACK-WELL, OPERATOR FOR THE FEET. I SING the man of courage tried, O'errun with ignorance and pride, *Sir T. Domvile, patentee of the Hanaper office.-F. + The proposal for regulation of quadrille. See Vol. VII. p. 564. Who boldly hunted out disgrace The fact was glorious, we must own, 'Twas once the noblest of his wishes Then raves and blunders nonsense thicker * Colonel Ker, a Scotchman, lieutenant-colonel to Lord Harrington's regiment of dragoons, who made a news-boy evidence against the printer.-F. VOL. X. 2 N Well pleased to live in future times, So, Ajax, who, for aught we know, To run a bawling news-boy through; AY AND NO. A TALE FROM DUBLIN. WRITTEN IN 1737. [In 1737, the gold coin had sunk in current value to the amount of 6d. in each guinea, which made it the interest of the Irish dealers to send over their balances in silver. To bring the value of the precious metals nearer to a par, the Primate, Boulter, who was chiefly trusted by the British government in the administration of Ireland, published a proclamation reducing the value of the gold coin threepence in each guinea. This scheme was keenly opposed by Swift; and such was the clamour excited against the archbishop, that his house was obliged to he guarded by soldiers. The two following poems relate to this controversy, which was, for the time it lasted, nearly as warm as that about Wood's halfpence. The first is said to be the paraphrase of a conversation which actually passed between Swift and the archbishop. The latter charged the Dean with inflaming the mob, " I inflame them ?" retorted Swift, "Were I to lift but a finger, they would tear you to pieces."] AT Dublin's high feast sat primate and dean, Both dress'd like divines, with band and face clean: Quoth Hugh of Armagh, "The mob is grown Ay, ay," quoth the dean," the cause is old gold." "No, no," quoth the primate," if causes we sift, This mischief arises from witty dean Swift." The smart one replied, "There's no wit in the case; And nothing of that ever troubled your grace. Though with your state sieve your own notions you split, A Boulter by name is no bolter of wit. It's matter of weight, and a mere money job; |