“The Butter which was melted and poured over them, these vile Miscreants, called Libations: And the
friendly Compotations of our Dumpling Eaters, were called Bacchanalian Rites. Two or three among them being sweet tooth’d, would strew a little Sugar over their Dumplings; this was represented as an Heathenish Offering. In short, not one Action of theirs, but which these rascally Abbots made criminal, and never let the King alone till Sir John was discarded; not but the King did it with the greatest Reluctance; but they made it a religious Concern, and he could not get off on’t.”
All the World knows that the Tory Ministry got uppermost, for the four last Years of the Queen’s Reign, and by their unaccountable Management, teaz’d that good Lady out of her Life: Which occasion’d the D—n in his [eleventh Page] to say; “Then too late he saw his Error; then he lamented the Loss of Sir John; and in his latest Moments, would cry out, Oh!
that I had never parted from my dear Jack-Pudding! Would I had never left off Pudding and Dumpling! then I had never been thus basely poison’d! never thus treacherously sent out of the World!——Thus did this good King lament: But alas! to no purpose, the Priest had given him his Bane, and Complaints were ineffectual.”
This alludes to Sir **** Imprisonment and Disgrace in the Year —— Nay, so barefaced is the D—n in his Allegory, that he tells us, in his [12th Page], Norfolk was his Asylum. This is as plain as the Nose on a Man’s Face! The subsequent Pages are an exact Description of the Ingratitude of Courtiers; and his Fable of the Court Pudding, [Page 13.] is the best Part of the whole Dissertation.
One would imagine the D—n had been at Sea, by his writing Catharping-Fashion, and dodging the Story sometimes Twenty-Years backwards,
at other Times advancing as many; so that one knows not where to have him: for in his [fifteenth Page], he returns to the present Scene of Action, and brings his Hero into the Favour of K—— Harry, alias **** who being sensible of his Abilities, restores him into Favour, and makes Use of his admirable Skill in Cookery, alias State Affairs.
“Not one of the King’s Cooks could make a Pudding like Sir John; nay, though he made a Pudding before their Eyes, yet they, out of the very same Materials, could not do the like: Which made his old Friends, the Monks, attribute it to Witchcraft and it was currently reported the Devil was his Helper. But good King Harry was not to be fobb’d off so; the Pudding was good, it sat very well on his Stomach, and he eat very savourly, without the least Remorse of Conscience.” [Diss. Page 15].
This seems to hint at the Opposition Sir **** met with from the contrary Party, and how sensible the K—— was, that they were all unable to hold the Staff in Competition with him.