"I'll grant your wifh," cries fhe, "that you may fee ""Twere wisdom to be govern'd still by me." 30 The guests upon the day appointed came, Each bowfy farmer with his fimp'ring dame. "Ho, Su!” cries Slouch, "why doft not thou appear? "Are these thy manners when aunt Snap is here?" "I pardon afk," fays Su; "I'd not offend 66 Any my dear invites, much lefs his friend." Slouch by his kinfman Gruffy had been taught 35 To entertain his friends with finding fault, And make the main ingredient of his treat His faying "There was nothing fit to eat: "The boil'd pork finks, the roaft beef is not enough, "The bacon is rufty, and the hens are tough; 40 "The veal is all rags, the butter is turn'd to oil, "And thus I buy good meat for fluts to spoil. "'Tis we are the firft Slouches ever fat Down to a pudding withont plums or fat. "What teeth or ftomach is ftrong enough to feed 45 Upon a goose my grannum kept to breed ? "Why muft old pigeons, and they stale, be dreft, "When there is fo many fquab ones in the neft? "This beer is four, this musty thick and ftale, "And worse than any thing except the ale.” Su all this while many excufes made; Some things fhe own'd; at other times fhe laid The fault on chance, but oft'ner on the maid. 50 Then Cheefe was brought. Says Slouch," This e'en fhall roll; "I'm sure it is hard enough to make a bowl: 155 "This is skimmilk, and therefore it shall go; But now Su's patience did begin to waste, Pray let me rife," fays Su," my Dear! I'll find "A Cheese perhaps may be to Lovy's mind.” Then in an entry ftanding clofe, where he Alone and none of all his friends might fee, And brandishing a cudgel he had felt, And far enough on this occafion fmelt, "I'll try, my Joy!" the cry'd, "if I can please "My deareft with a taste of his Old Cheefe !'! 65 Slouch turn'd his head, faw his wife's vig'rous hand Wielding her oaken fapling of command; Knew wellthetwang. "Is'ttheOldCheesemy Dear!" "No need, no need of Cheefe," cries Slouch; "I'll ** I think I've din'd as well as my Lord Mayor !” Two wo neighbours, Clod and Jolt, would marry'd be, But did not in their choice of wives agree. Clod thought a cuckold was a monstrous beaft, Therefore refolving never to be fuch, They 'greed; they parted. On the tinker goes 25 } Says he, "Give me your Skillet then and try." "My Skillet! both my heart and Skillet take; 30 "I with it were a copper for your fake.” 35 After all this not many days did pafs Clod fitting at Jolt's houfe furvey'd the brafs And glitt'ring pewter ftanding on the shelf, Then after fome gruff mutt'ring with himself Cry'd," Pr'ythee, Jolt, how came that Skillet thine!" "Youknow as well as 1," quoth Jolt; "it'en't mines "But I'll afk Nan." "Twas done: Nan told the matter In truth as it was; then cry'd, “You've got the better: "For tell me, Deareft! whether you would chuse 40 "To be a gainer by me or to lofe? "As for our neighbour Clod, this I dare fay, "We've Beauty and a Skillet more than they," 43 THE FISHERMAN. Tom Banks by native induftry was taught ΤΟ Where they might entrance find but no return. 16 But when he would a quick destruction make, [beer 25 Trot, who liv'd down the stream, ne'er thought his Was good unless he had his water clear. He goes to Banks, and thus begins his tale : “Lord! if you knew but how the people rail! "They cannot boil, nor wash, nor rinse, they say, "With water fometimes ink and fometimes whey, "According as you meet with mud or clay. "Befides, my wife these fix months could not brew, "And now the blame of this all is laid on you; 31 *For it will be a dismal thing to think "How we old Trots must live and have no drink; "Therefore I pray fome other method take "Of fishing, were it only for our fake.” Says Banks, “I'm sorry it should be my lot "Ever to disoblige my goffip Trot: 35 "Yet it 'en't my fault; but so it is Fortune tries one "To make his meat become his neighbour's poison; |