THE FRUMENTARY,

A VERY INNOCENT AND HARMLESS POEM,

IN THREE CANTOS.

Firft printed in 1699.

CANTO I.

No fooner did the gray-ey'd Morning peep,
And yawning mortals stretch themselves from sleep;
Finders of gold were now but newly past,
And basketwomen did to market hafte;
The watchmen were but just returning home
To give the thieves more liberty to roam,
When from a hill by growing beams of light
A ftately pile was offer'd to the fight;
Three fpacious doors let paffengers go thro',
And distant ftones did terminate their view.

Just here, as ancient poets fing, there stood
The noble palace of the valiant Lud;
His image now appears in Portland stone,
Each fide fupported by a godlike fon*;

*As Dr. King's defcription of Ludgate, though familiar to the prefent age, will be lefs intelligible to the rifing genera tion, it may not be improper to obferve that its name, which Geoffry of Monmouth has afcribed to King Lud, was with greater propriety derived from its fituation near the rivulet

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MISCELLANIES.

But underneath all the three heroes fhine

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In living colours drawn upon a fign Which fhews the way to ale but not to wine. Near is a place enclos'd with iron bars Where many mortals curfe their cruel stars When brought by usurers into distress, For having little, ftill must live on lefs: Stern Av'rice there keeps the relentless door, And bids each wretch eternally be poor : Hence Hunger rifes, difmally he stalks, And takes each single prif'ner in his walks: This duty done, the meagre monster stares, Holds up his bones, and thus begins his pray'rs : "Thou, goddess Famine! that canst send us blights, With parching heat by day and storm by nights, "Affift me now; fo may all lands be thine, "And fhoals of orphans at thy altars pine! "Long may thy reign continue on each fhore "Wherever peace and plenty reign'd before!

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Flud or Fleet, which ran near it. So early as 1373 Ludgate was conftituted a prifon for poor debtors, who were free of the City, and was greatly enlarged in 1454 by Sir Stephen Forster, who after having been himself confined there became Lord Mayor of London, and established several benevolent regulations for its government. The old gate becoming ruincus, an elegant building, as above defcribed by Dr. King, was erected in 1586, with the ftatue of Queen Elifabeth on the weft front, and thofe of the pretended King Lud and his two fons on the This was pulled down in 1760, and the ftatue of Elifa

d against the church of St. Dunftan-in-the-Weit. ime the City debtors have been confined in a part n Workhoufe in Bishopsgateftreet.

"I must confefs that to thy gracious hand
"I widows owe that are at my command;
"I joy to hear their numʼrous children's cries,
"And bless thy pow'r to find they've no supplies.
"I thank thee for those martyrs who would fly
"From fuperftitious rites and tyranny
"And find their fulness of reward in me.
"But it is with much humility I own

"That gen'rous favour you have lately shown,
"When men that bravelyhave their country ferv'd'
"Receiv'd the just reward that they deferv'd,”
"And are preferr'd to me, and shall be starvid.
"I can, but with regret, I can despise
"Innumerable of the London cries,

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"When pease and mack'rel with their harsher found "The tender organs of my ears confound; › "But that which makes my projects all miscarry 50 "Is this inhuman fatal Frumentary.

"Not far from hence, juft by the Bridge of Fleet, "With spoons, and porringers, and napkin neat, "A faithlefs Siren does entice the fenfe

"By fumes of viands which she does difpenfe: 55° "To mortal ftomachs for rewarding pence," "Whilft each man's earliest thoughts would banish "Who have no other oracle but thee."

[me,

CANTO II.

WHILST fuch like pray'rs keen Hunger would ad

vance,

Fainting and weakness threw him in a trance;
Famine took pity on her careful flave,

And kindly to him this affiftance gave.
She took the figure of a thin parch'd maid,
Who many years had for a husband staid, ....
And coming near to Hunger thus she said:

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"My darling Son! whilst Peace and Plenty smile, And happiness would overrun this ifle,

"I joy to fee, by this thy present care,

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"I've still some friends remaining fince the war? "In fpite of us A does on ven'fon feed, "And bread and butter is for B decreed; "CD combines with E F's gen'rous foul "To pass their minutes with the sparkling bowl; "HI's good nature from his endless flore "Is still conferring bleffings on the poor, "For none except it is Kregards them more; "LMNOPQ is vainly great, "And fquanders half his fubftance in a treat; "Nice eating by R S is understood; "T's fupper tho' but little yet is good; "U's conversation is equal to his wine; "You fup with W whene'er you dine;

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"X Y and Z, hating to be confin'd,
"Ramble to the next eatinghouse they find;
"Pleasant, good-humour'd, beautiful, and gay,
"Sometimeswith mufick and fometimes with play
66 Prolong their pleasures till th' approaching day.
"And Per Se And alone, as poets use,
"The starving dictates of my rules purfues;
"No fwinging coachman does afore him shine,
"Nor has he any constant place to dine,

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"But all his notions of a meal are mine.
"Hafte, hafte; to him a bleffing give from me,
"And bid him write sharp things on Frumenty.
"But I would have thee to Coffedro go,
"And let Tobacco too thy bus'nefs know;
"With famous Teedrums in this cafe advife,
Rely on Sago who is always wife.

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"Amidst such counsel banish all despair; "Truft me you shall fucceed in this affair: "That project which they Frumentary call Before next breakfast time shall surely fall." This said, she quickly vanish'd in a wind Had long within her body been confin'd. Thus Hercules, when he his mistress found, Soon knew her by her fcent and by her found. IC6

CANTO III.

HUNGER rejoic'd to hear the bleft command
That Frumentary should no longer ftand;