THE INVITATION.
(From One of the Patronesses of the Ladies' Fancy Ball.)
Tune—"Run, Neighbours, Run," &c.
Come, ladies, come, 'tis now the time for capering,
Freedom's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd;
We, with French dances, will overcome French vapouring,
And with ice and Roman punch amaze the world:
There's I myself, and Lady L. you'll seldom meet a rummer set,
With Lady Grosvenor, Lady Foley, and her Grace of Somerset,
While Lady Jersey fags herself, regardless of the bustle, Ma'am,
With Lady Cowper, Lady Anne, and Lady William Russell, Ma'am.
Come, ladies, come, 'tis now the time for capering,
Freedom's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd.
Oh, such a treat—'twill be pleasant, past conception, Ma'am,
Such a crowd of patriot dames were never, never seen;
Most of them at Brandenburgh have met a warm reception, Ma'am,
And were boon companions of our gracious Queen!
In smiles array'd, my Lady Grey, with such a noble work elate,
The lemonade, and water-ice, will undertake to circulate,
With meat in slices, laid on bread, about the rooms to hand which, is
Of course the task of Lady S., the head of all the Sandwiches.
Come, ladies, come, 'tis now the time for capering,
Freedom's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd.
Then, Ma'am, for company!—there ne'er has been a rush in town
Half so great as there will be to this Whig thing:
Mrs. Brougham and Mrs. Wilde, the Doctor, Mrs. Lushington,
Mrs. Ellis, Mrs. Baring, Lord and Lady King;
The Duke of Gloucester, Mr. Forster, little Colonel Higgins, Ma'am,
Mrs. Barber Beaumont, Mrs. Byng, and Mrs. Figgins, Ma'am;
Lady Morgan, Lady Stanhope, old Sir Robert Baker, Ma'am,
And Mrs. Smith, and Mrs. Frith, and Lord and Lady Dacre, Ma'am.
Come, ladies, come, 'tis now the time for capering,
Freedom's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd.
Then for amusement, so charmingly diversified;
Poets, painters, patriots, peers, will all be there,
Wilson's wise letter, by Tommy Campbell versified,
Cammy Hob will give us to an old Greek air;
Lord Nugent, in silk pantaloons, will dance a grand bolero,
And little Moore, to patriot words, will sing us Lil'bulero,
And Doctor Hume, his spirits raised by half a pint of Farintosh,
Will stump a Highland pas de deux with Gerald's Jemmy Macintosh.
Come, ladies, come, 'tis now the time for capering,
Freedom's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd.
The supper will be Pic-nic—I'm sure I scarce can pen it, Ma'am,
But calf's-head soup I know is sent by Doctor Hume;
Syllabubs and trifles from Mr. Henry Bennet, Ma'am;
And lamb in various shapes and ways by Mr. Brougham.
The Maberlys' send mushrooms and saddles two of mutton, Ma'am;
A cod's head and shoulders Sefton volunteers to put on, Ma'am;
Chicken-pies from Taylor come, and lobsters from Sir Ronald, Ma'am,
And gooseberry fool in Scottish pints from Mr. James Macdonald, Ma'am.
Come, ladies, come, 'tis now the time for capering,
Freedom's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd.
Silly Billy volunteer'd to get a royal stag shot,
To treat the Whigs with venison, but it would not do;
His Highness was unlucky—so he sent a goose from Bagshot,
While little Rice has furnish'd us with Irish stew;
Lord Nugent sends a round of beef with cucumber and mustard, Ma'am,
And Lady Anne from Holkham sends us up a fine old bustard, Ma'am,
Peter Moore finds pipes and punch, while Lambton makes the gravies, Ma'am,
And many little nameless items come from Colonel Davies, Ma'am.
Run, ladies, run, 'tis now the time for capering,
Freedom's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd.
As for the Spaniards, the Cortes, or King Ferdinand,
I hope, dear Ma'am, you'll not suppose I care one pin,
A motley ball at Almack's is consider'd quite "a bird in hand"
By those, who on the decent nights cannot get in!
Then come yourself, I hope you will, and bring your eldest daughter, Ma'am,
And Susan Smith, who ran away, if Mr. Smith has caught her, Ma'am;
Our husbands wish it, and they pay for every-thing to cram us with,
The principle's the same as that which took us all to Hammersmith.
Come, madam, come, 'tis now the time for capering,
Pleasure's flag, at Willis's, is just unfurl'd.
THE BEGGARS.
A New Song.
Of all the trades a - go - ing, sure a
beg - gar is the best, So said a good old
Eng - lish song, which spoke the truth in jest; and a-
beg - ging we will go, will go, will
go, and a - beg - ging we will go.
Of all the beggars going, who prey on public pence,
The Whig excels in wants and woes, in tricks and impudence;
So a begging we will go, will go, will go, so a begging we will go.
The beggar in the public ways, his ills, as merits shews,
Is lame, or blind, or idiot-struck, or wants his hands or toes;
When a begging he will go, will go, will go, when a begging he will go.
So, by their faults, the starving Whigs attempt to raise the wind,
In Council, fools—in action, lame—in understanding, blind;
And a begging they do go, do go, do go, and a begging they do go.
Old Charles was the leader, the Bampfylde Moore Carew,
Of that audacious, lying, tricking, filthy, drunken crew;
And a begging he did go, did go, did go, and a begging he did go.
This cunning Fox, he pray'd, and whined, and swore from door to door,
That fall'n from a good estate, his virtues kept him poor;
So a begging he did go, did go, did go, so a begging he did go.
In fact, the rogue play'd, wench'd, and drank two sinecures away,
And only begg'd to have the means to wench, and drink, and play;
So a begging he did go, did go, did go, so a begging he did go.
And all the Club at Brookes's, most generous of men—
Gave readily, what they were sure of—winning back again.
When a begging he did go, did go, did go, when a begging he did go.
Scots Gerald next went begging, a sufferer by the law;
He sent the French red cap about, sedition's alms to draw;
And a begging he did go, did go, did go, and a begging he did go.
But, whether this subscription succeeded ill or well,
We never heard; but some folks say that Mackintosh could tell;
And a begging he did go, did go, did go, and a begging he did go.
When bloody Bellingham destroy'd a man he ne'er had known,
On the lamented felon's grave their sanguine alms were strown;
And a begging they did go, did go, did go, and a begging they did go.
To take man's life, by law or war, Whigs count a horrid thing,
But this was an assassin of a servant of the King;
So a begging they did go, did go, did go, so a begging they did go.
When vulgar Hone to market brought his pointless parody,
And season'd his sedition with a spice of blasphemy,
Then a begging he did go, did go, did go, then a begging he did go.
His graceless Grace of Bedford the bold example sets,
And pays his mite to comfort him—I wish he'd pay his debts;
For a begging they do go, do go, do go, for a begging they do go.
And by his sire's example led, my Lord of Tavistock,
Subscribes ten pounds, to prove himself—a chip of the old block:
And a begging they did go, did go, did go, and a begging they did go.
And Sefton on his death-bed, as it was thought to be,
Encouraged the blasphemer, just to vex the Ministry;
When a begging he did go, did go, did go, when a begging he did go.
When Cobbett stole the bones of Paine, it was with the intent
To raise a penny rate, to buy a seat in Parliament;
And a begging he did go, did go, did go, and a begging he did go.
But the pure Whigs of Coventry had quite another sense,
And much preferred receiving pounds to giving him their pence;
For a begging they do go, do go, do go, for a begging they do go.
When guilty of a libel, the bold Burdett was found,
And sentenced by a Tory Judge to pay two thousand pound,
A begging he did go, did go, did go, a begging he did go.
He afterwards refused the aid; but not till the account
Had shewn him that they ne'er could raise a quarter the amount,
Though a begging they did go, did go, did go, though a begging they did go.
From begging for the poor they took to begging for the Great,
And begg'd that they might buy the Queen annuities and plate;
And a begging they did go, did go, did go, and a begging they did go.
We have not heard if their success in this was bad or good,
But hope it was the latter, for the sake of Matthew Wood;
For a begging he did go, did go, did go, for a begging he did go.
A begging he did go indeed, this patriot and sage,
But 'twas for his own profit when the Queen went off the stage;
And a begging he did go, did go, did go, and a begging he did go.
But we have reason to suspect that this subscription pines,
And is about as profitable as his Cornish mines;
So a begging he will go, will go, will go, so a begging he will go.
And next, lest any class of crime, unhonour'd, should escape,
The tender Waithman recommends the case of Mr. Snape;
And a begging he does go, does go, does go, and a begging he does go.
We know not whether Brougham has yet subscribed, but think he must,
The crime being only forgery—a petty breach of trust;
So a begging they will go, will go, will go, so a begging they will go.
When Captain Romeo ran away from Naples, in a funk,
With nothing but a pound of maccaroni in his trunk,
A begging he did go, did go, did go, a begging he did go.
To keep this pilot of the cause of Italy afloat,
Enthusiast Bennett's generous hand subscribes—a one-pound note!
And a begging he did go, did go, did go, and a begging he did go.
We have not breath to spend on all the vicious or the vile—
On Wooler, Watson, Waddington, Hunt, Honey, and Carlile,
But a begging they all go, all go, all go, but a begging they all go.
From all the jails, in all the land, their begging-boxes spread,
And e'en the grave, at Faction's call, delivers up its dead;
And a begging they do go, do go, do go, and a begging they do go.
But lastly comes a beggar-man, who would be knighthood's shame,
But that the title he assumes is only a false name;
When a begging he does go, does go, does go, when a begging he does go.
The soldier, or the sailor, who accosts one in the street,
Can shew the scars he got, or tell the enemy he beat;
When a begging he does go, does go, does go, when a begging he does go.
But here's a bold impostor, the sauciest of the batch,
Who never won a fight at all, and never got a scratch;
Yet a begging he does go, does go, does go, and a begging he does go.
He has not dealt in blows and blood as silly people think,
But is a very hero,—in the way of pen and ink;
But a begging he does go, does go, does go, but a begging he does go.
And thus he can produce us, of the battles he has seen,
Certificates on paper—having none upon his skin,
When a begging he does go, does go, does go, when a begging he does go.
While other soldiers Paris took, and France at freedom set,
This rival hero storm'd a jail, and rescued Lavalette.
And a begging he did go, did go, did go, and a begging he did go.
So as from no French foeman's head he ere won laurel leaf,
He hires a French advocate to praise him from his brief;
And a begging he does go, does go, does go, and a begging he does go.
Thus we have seen subscriptions which disgrace our factious times,
For every shade, both light and deep, of follies and of crimes;
When a begging they do go, do go, do go, when a begging they do go.
For drunkards, gamblers, libellers, thieves, smugglers, defamators,
For forgers and blasphemers, and for murderers and traitors,
A begging they do go, do go, do go, a begging they do go.
To Wilson's list we wish success; because we hope the money
Will go to the poor families of Francis and of Hopney;
Since a begging they do go, do go, do go, since a begging they do go.
For all folks must agree, else differ how they may,
That they were kill'd upon the field, whence Wilson sneak'd away;
Though a begging he does go, does go, does go, though a begging he does go.