His practice still, in every station,
To serve himself and starve the nation.
Then, Billy, in the vale of life,
Desist from all this noise and strife;
For though the hint perhaps is bold,
I tell thee thou art growing old.
Read coolly, o'er thy evening glass,
Toledo's bishop in Gil Blas."
Christening the author of the North Briton "his country's and his monarch's glory," leads us to suspect that the ingenious gentleman who fabricated the above rhymes had some little portion of party prejudice. The Quaker who wrote the annexed letter and epigram, which, as well as the verses that follow, were amongst Hogarth's manuscripts, was moved by a very different spirit:—
"Of the eighth month, the 20th day, 1763.