But not a soul his office durst accept ; The subtle knave had all the plunder

swept : And such was then the temper of the

timés, He ow'd his preservation to his crimes. The candidates obferv'd his dirty paws, Nor found it difficult to guess the cause: But when they smelt such foul corruptions

round him, Away they fled, and left him as they

found him.

Thus, when a greedy floven once has

thrown His fnot into the mess ; 'tis all his own.

The

The following poem was first printed

in Fog's journal of the 17th of Sept. 1733. The subject of it is now over; but our author's known zeal against that projeɛt made it be generally supposed to be his. It was occasioned by the bishops of Ireland endeavouring to get an act to divide the church livings; which bill was rejected by the Irish house of commons

Written in the Year 1731.

OLD
LD Latimer preaching did fairly

describe A bishop, who rul'dall the rest of his tribe; And who is this bishop? and where does

he' dwell? Why truly’tis Satan, arch-bishop of hell. And HE was a primate, and HE wore a

mitre Surrounded with jewels of sulphur and

nitre. How nearly this bishop our bishops re

sembles ! But he has the odds, who believes and

Could you see his grim grace, for a pound

to a penny, You'd swearit must be the baboon of K--y: Poor Satan will think the comparison

odious: I wish I could find him out one more

commodious. But this I am sure, the most rev’rend old

dragon Has got on the bench many bishops fuf

fragan; And all men believe he resides there in

cog To give them by turns an invisible jog.

Our bishops, puft up with wealth and

with pride,

To hell on the backs of the clergy would

ride. They mounted and labour'd with whip

and with spur In vain--for the devil a parfon would stir. So the commons unhors'd them, and this

was their doom, On their crosiers to ride, like a witch on

a broom. Vol. VII. R

Though

'Though they gallop'd so fast on the rcad

you may find 'em, And have left us but three out of twenty

behind 'em, Lord Belton's good grace, lord Car, and

lord Howard*, In spight of the devil, would still be unto

ward. They came of good kindred, and could

rot endure Their former companions should beg at

their door.

When CHRIST was betray'd to Pi

late the prætor, Of a dozen apostles but one prov'd a trai

tor: One traitor alone, and faithful eleven ; But we can afford you fix traitors in seven. What a clutter with clippings, dividings

and cleavings! And the clergy forsooth must take up

with their leavings. If making divisions was all their intent, They've done it, we thank 'em, but not

as they meant ;
* ArchLithop of Camell, bilhops of Killaloe and Elphin.

And

And so may such bishops for ever divide, That no honeft heathen would be on

their side. How should we rejoice, if, like Judas the

first, Those splitters of parsons in sunder should

burst?

Now hear an allusion :

allusion :-A mitre you know Is divided above, but united below. If this you consider, our emblem is right; The bishops divide, but the clergy unite. Should the bottom be split, our bishops

would dread That the mitre would never fick fast on

their head, And yet they have learnt the chief art of

a sov’reign, As Machiavel taught 'em ; divide and

ye govern. But courage, my lords; though it cannot

be said That one cloven tongue ever sat on your

head;