The Humourous Poetry of the English Language

537
Hardy, thy brain is valiant, 'tis confest,
Thou more; that with it every day dar'st jest
Thyself into fresh brawls; when call'd upon,
Scarce thy week's swearing brings thee off of one;
So in short time, thou art in arrearage grown
Some hundred quarrels, yet dost thou fight none;
Nor need'st thou; for those few, by oath released,
Make good what thou dar'st in all the rest.
Keep thyself there, and think thy valor right,
He that dares damn himself, dares more than fight.
TO DOCTOR EMPIRIC.
When men a dangerous disease did 'scape,
Of old, they gave a cock to Aesculape;
Let me give two, that doubly am got free;
From my disease's danger, and from thee.
TO SIR ANNUAL FILTER.
Filter, the most may admire thee, though not I;
And thou, right guiltless, may'st plead to it, why?
For thy late sharp device. I say 'tis fit
All brains, at times of triumph, should run wit;
For then our water-conduits do run wine;
But that's put in, thou'lt say.
Why, so is thine.
ON BANKS THE USURER.
Banks feels no lameness of his knotty gout,
His moneys travel for him in and out,
And though the soundest legs go every day,
He toils to be at hell, as soon as they.
ON CHEVRIL THE LAWYER
No cause, nor client fat, will Cheveril leese,