In reminding his best friends, the public, that the State Lottery will be drawn this day, 3d May, Bish acquaints them that it is the very last but one that will ever take place in this kingdom, and he is THE LAST CONTRACTOR whose name will appear singly before the public, as the very last will be a coalition of all the usual contractors. Bish, being “the last man” who appears singly, has been particularly anxious to make an excellent scheme, and flatters himself the one he has the honour to submit must meet universal approbation.
At the back of this bill are the following verses, derived from the “cajolery” duet:—
TO-DAY! OR NOT AT ALL
Run, Neighbours, Run!
Run, neighbours, run! To-day it is the Lott’ry draws,
You still may be in time if your purse be low;
Rhino we all know will stop, of poverty, the flaws,
Possess’d of that you’ll find no one to serve you slow:
The ministers in parliament of Lotteries have toll’d the knell,
And have declar’d from Coopers’-hall dame Fortune soon they will expel.
The blue-coat boys no more will shout that they have drawn a capital!
Nor run, as tho’ their necks they’d break, to Lucky Bish the news to tell.
Run, neighbours, run! &c.
Run, neighbours, run! this is you know the third of May,
’Tis the day dame Fortune doth her levee hold;
In the scheme, as you may see, are rang’d along in proud array,
Of one and twenty thousands six, in notes or gold!
A sov’reign cure e’en one of these would be for a consumption, sir,
If such disease your pocket has, so if you’ve any gumption, sir,
You’ll lose no time, but haste away, and buy a share or ticket, sir,
For who can tell but this may be the very hour to nick it, sir?
Run, neighbours, run! &c.
Run, neighbours, run! the times they say are not the best,
And cash ’tis own’d is falling short with high and low;
Bankers retire now, while Notaries have little rest,
And what may happen next no one pretends to know.
Dame Fortune (on whom thousands drew) is going now to shut up shop,
So if you’d cash a draft on her, make haste for soon her bank will stop;
This very day her wheel goes round, when thousands with her gifts she’ll cheer,
For those who can her smiles obtain may gaily laugh throughout the year.
Run, neighbours, run! &c.
“Bish,” as the contractor is pleased to call himself, who, after he was “the last man,” dilated into a member of parliament, employed the greatest number of Lottery-laureates of any office keeper of his time; and he and the schemes wherein he engaged were lauded, in prose as well as verse, by his “ready writers.” One of their productions says:—
JOHN BULL’s
Wonder
At monsieur Nong-tong-paw’s ubiquity could not be greater than the astonishment of a French gentleman, who popped into BISH’s office the other day to inquire after the capitals.—“You vill be so good to tell me de nombre of de capital you tiré—you draw yesterday?”—“Why, sir, there were....”—“Restez un peu, stay a littel moment.—You will tell me de capital more big dan two hundred pounds.”—“Why, sir, there were four drawn above 200l.: there was No. 7849 30,000l.”—“Ah! ma foi! dat is good dat is de grande chose. Vel, and by whom was it sel?”—“Bish sold it, sir.” “Bish, ha, ha! von lucky dog! vel, allons!”—“There was No. 602, 1000l., sir.”—“Ah, indeed! vel, who was sel dat?”—“Bish, sir.”—“Eh, ma foi! Bish encore? Vel.”—“There was No. 2032, 300l.”—“And who was sel?”—“Bish, sir.”—“Eh, mon dieu! ’tis very grand fortune. Now den de last, and who vas sel dat?”—“Why, sir, the last was No. 6275, 300l., also sold by Bish.”—“Eh, de diable! ’tis von chose impossible, Bish sell all de four?”—“Yes, sir, and in a former lottery he sold all the three thirty thousands.”—“Den he is von golden philosopher. I vill buy, I vill—let me see. Yes, I vill buy your shop.”—His ambition was at last, however, contented with three tickets; so that he has three chances of gaining the two thirty thousands yet in the wheel; and we have no doubt Bish will have the good luck of selling them.