The horned moon, which heretofore
Upon their shoes the Romans wore,
Whose wideness kept their toes from corns,
And whence we claim our shoeing-horns,
Shows how the art of cobbling bears
A near resemblance to the spheres.
A scrap of parchment hung by geometry,
(A great refiner in barometry)
Can, like the stars, foretell the weather;
And what is parchment else but leather?
Which an astrologer might use
Either for Almanacks or shoes.

Thus Partridge, by his wit and parts,
At once did practise both these arts :
And as the boding owl (or rather
The bat, because her wings are leather)
Steals from her private cell by night,
And flies about the candle-light;
So learned Partridge could as well
Creep in the dark from leathern cell,
And in his fancy fly as far
To peep upon a twinkling star.

Besides, he could confound the spheres,
And set the planets by the ears;
To show his skill, he Mars could join
To Venus in aspect malign;
Then call in Mercury for aid,
And cure the wounds that Venus made.

Great scholars have in Lucian read,
When Philip king of Greece was dead,
His soul and spirit did divide,
And each part took a different side :
One rose a star ; the other fell
Beneath, and mended shoes in Hell.

Thus

VOL. XVI.

G

Thus Partridge still shines in each art,
The cobbling and star-gazing part,
And is installd as good a star
As
any

of the Cæsars are.
Triumphant star! some pity show
On cobblers militant below,
Whom roguish boys, in stormy nights,
Torment by pissing out their lights,
Or through a chink convey their smoke,
Enclos'd artificers to choke.

Thou, high exalted in thy sphere,
Mayst follow still thy calling there.
To thee the Bull will lend his hide,
By Phæbus newly tann'd and dry’d:
For thee they Argo's hulk will tax,
And scrape her pitchy sides for wax : :
Then Ariadne kindly lends
Her braided hair to make thee ends

;
The points of Sagittarius' dart
Turns to an awl by heavenly art;
And Vulcan, wheedled by his wife,
Will forge for thee a paring knife.
For want of room by Virgo's side,
She'll strain a point-and sit * astride,
To take thee kindly in between ;
And then the Signs will be Thirteen.

THE EPITAPH.
HERE, five feet deep, lies on his back
A cobbler, starmonger, and quack;
Who, to the stars in pure good will,
Does to his best look upward still.

* « Tibi brachia contrahit ingens Scorpius," &c.

Weep,

Weep, all you customers that use
His pills, his almanacks; or shoes :
And

you that did your fortune seek,
Step to his grave but once a week;
This earth, which bears his body's print,
You'll find has so much virtue in't,
That I durst pawn my ears, ’t will tell,
Whate'er concerns you full as well,
In physic, stolen goods, or love,
As he himself could, when above.

*

MERLIN'S PROPHECY. 1709. SEVEN and ten, addyd to nine, Of Fraunce her woe this is the sygne, Tamys rivere twys y-frozen, Walke sans wetyng shoes ne hozen. Then comyth foorthe, ich understonde, From towne of stoffe to fattyn londe, An hardie chyftan,* woe the morne, To Fraunce that evere he was born. Then shall the fyshe † beweyle his bosse: Nor shall grin berrys I make up the losse. Yonge Symnele || shall again miscarye: And Norway's pryd į again shall marrye. . And from the tree where blosums feele, Ripe fruit shall come, and all is wele. Reaums shall daunce honde in honde, And it shall be merrye in olde Inglonde, * Duke of Marlborough. H.

Then old Inglonde shall be no more,
And no man shall be sorie therefore.
Geryon * shall have three hedes agayne,
Till Hapsburge t makyth them but twayne.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE MORNING.

WRITTEN IN APRIL 1709;
AND FIRST PRINTED IN THE TATLER.
Now hardly here and there a hackney coach
Appearing, show'd the ruddy morn's approach.
Now Betty from her master's bed had flown,
And softly stole to discompose her own; ;
The slipshod 'prentice from his master's door
Had par'd the dirt, and sprinkled round the floor.
Now Mollhad whirl’d her mop with dextrous airs,
Prepar'd to scrub the entry and the stairs.
The youth with brooiy stumps began to trace
Thekennel's edge, where wheels had worn the place.
The smallcoal man was heard with cadence deep,
Till drown'd in shriller notes of chimneysweep :
Duns at his lordship's gate began to meet ;
And brickdust Moll had scream'd through half

the street.
The turnkey now his flock returning sees,
Duly let out anights to steal for fees:
The watchful bailiffs I take their silent stands,
And schoolboys lag with satchels in their hands.

A DESCRIPTION OF A CITY SHOWER.*

IN IMITATION OF VIRGIL'S GEORGICS.

WRITTEN IN OCTOBER, 1710);

AND FIRST PRINTED IN THE TATLER.

CAREFUL observers may

foretel the hour, (By sure prognostics) when to dread a shower. While rain depends, the pensive cat gives o'er Her frolics, and pursues her tail no more. Returning home at night, you'll find the sink Strike your offended sense with double stink.

If

so very

sage, which ascertains a story related of Steele, by Dr. Johnson, on the authority of Savage. “ This image of the morning at the other end of the town is

familiar and entertaining, that to make it yet more familiar, and to give it the economical and domestic air, a gentleman of those parts has always by him a set of liveries of the largest size, in order to equip the most officious of this rank of men, upon the very first tender of their service ; this method establishes him in the character of being the best master in the world, because he gives fees, as well as wages: and his people at the same time are no les famed for diligence and fidelity, for he is always sure of a very strict and close attendance."

" Annotations, &c.” Part I. p. 32. The following passage in the Examiner is a farther confirmation of the same story : “ I have beard of a certain illustrious person, who, having a guard du corps,

that forced their attendance upon him, put them into a livery, and maintained them as his servants : thus answering that famous question,

Quis custodiet ipsos custodies ?” Examiner, No 11. N. * “ This day came out the TATLER, made up wholly of my Shower, and a preface to it. They say it is the best thing I ever writ, and I think so too. I suppose the bishop of

G 3

Clogher

a