A letter from the famous Sir Humphry Polesworth: author of the 1st, 2d and 3d part of John Bull in his senses: ... to the author of The examiner. Printed from a manuscript. ...

Table of contents

- [titlepage]

- The following Books are Sold by Lloyd at his illegiblehouse on Cork-hill.

- Iust Publish'd▪

• LETTER from the Famous •ir Humphry Polesworth, &c.

••rog.]

COusin Richard and Brother Tom, let us fall into serious Consultation: 'Tis in every one's Mouth, current 〈◊〉 upon Change, that John Bull is resolved shame ••• to compound the Law-Suit, which we have 〈◊〉 on Successfully for so many Years.

〈◊〉 Frog.]

I suppose, Brother, you mean successful •• 〈◊〉 the Frogs; poor John has small Reason to 〈◊〉 of the matter.

〈◊〉 Frog.]

Thou art such another Brother, there is the fellow of thee; still repining at the Prospe ••• of thy own Family.

〈◊〉 Frog.]

I don't desire my Family should flourish •he Downfal of Honest Men, especially Friends; 〈◊〉 John Bull, once the opulent Clothier of the ••rld, sought to, and courted by all the eminent •••yers of Westminster-Hall, can scarce get Mony •ee a young hearing Counsel of a Years standing: 〈◊〉 come, and he can do nothing, unless he mort ••e the small Pittance remaining to him of a very ••t Estate, and you are so unconscionable to grutch 〈◊〉 the keeping of That.

N. Frog.]

Rot your Conscience! What's Con •••nce to a Tradesman? Had I stood upon Con •••nce, old Lewis had still enjoy'd those glorious •nnors, and delicious Parks, which John spent his 〈◊〉 Substance to get for me: I tell thee, Boy, Bull 〈◊〉 be brought lower yet, even with the Ground, •••fore the Frogs can hope for flourishing Days.

R. Frog.]

Well said, old Nic. I'faith; we must 〈◊〉 hear of a Composition till the Bubble be so en •ely fleeced, that he may give us no further Jealousie of ever being able to interfere, either in 〈◊〉 or Interest, with us.

T. Frog.]

If that be all, you may e'en ag••• Morrow. Old Rowly, who has been our Spy 〈◊〉 twenty Years, and never gave us false Intellige••• says, He can't last another Term. What with 〈◊〉 curing further time for, forfeited Bonds, and •••gages; Procuration-money, paying Interest upo•• •••terest, Fees to Serjeants, Bailiffs, and Bum-Ba••• to ward off Writs, Executions, Decrees, and 〈◊〉 ••wri•s, for the Debts already contracted; John 〈◊〉 of all his great Income, has not five Shillings in 〈◊〉 Pound left to go to Blackwell-Hall Market, 〈◊〉 a Trade, and support his numerous Family.

N. Frog.]

So much the better: We must not 〈◊〉 him any Stock to Trade withal. I have though• a way to beggar him quite. He is very fond 〈◊〉 his Wife and Children; cou'd never deny them 〈◊〉 they asked: I know that conceited Minx (who •••lues her self upon having taken him out of my 〈◊〉 and the whole brood of them, as well as John 〈◊〉 self, love all 〈◊〉 of good Chear, even to a deg••• of Gluttony: They can't live without their 〈◊〉 and Sirloins of Beef, Chines of Mutton, and 〈◊〉 not. Now, if we could but get in with old L— he, with his Ways and Means, might procure a ge•••ral Excise to be laid upon all Flesh, which w•• quickly carry off the rest of John's Substance, 〈◊〉 make the fifteen Shillings, which you say he now 〈◊〉 Twenty. Besides, raising the price of Bullocks, wh••• will make well for the Frogs, having such num••rous Herds of Cattle to drive to Market; Jo• won't think of Ruin 'till it comes upon him; 〈◊〉 and his Family will ne'er make two Wants of 〈◊〉 they must cramb their Guts to Day, tho' they 〈◊〉 sure to starve to Morrow.

T. Frog.]

That's undoing many for the sake of on• Plague of your Conscience; Han't we Taxes enou•• 〈◊〉 twenty Kingdoms? But you must be contri ••• •ew, and inflicting a general Calamity, that •ay gain a particular Benefit? Hides are 〈◊〉 already, as well as the Land on which they 〈◊〉 What, would you out-do the French Task ••? Even under his Government, the most Ty ••al that we know of▪ Flesh is not Taxed, ex •••g only in some few rich Cities; and, if you 〈◊〉 you'll find, in that very Country, several things ••empt from Taxing, which are subject to them 〈◊〉 Bull's way of Trade and Living.

• Frog.]

John must be Exhausted, that's Poz. 〈◊〉 further Incumbrances can we lay upon him? —Let me see!—All gone but his Manour ••locks-Hatch; Why then he must and shall Mort ••• that.

〈◊〉 Frog.]

A Mortgage won't do, Man: Here are 〈◊〉 from those honest Fellows you formerly re ••ended to be his Servants; they are diligent 〈◊〉 for us; John Harpy, John Pettifoger, and ••he Jew, they advise, That if John Bull can ••ought immediately to sell his whole Patrimony 〈◊〉, together with the Equity of Redemption of 〈◊〉 past Mortgages. why then, truly, he may 〈◊〉 able to Law it on one Year longer.

〈◊〉 Frog.]

Ay, marry, this is talking to the Pur •• this will do, and bring John under, with ••spiring Housewife Madam Bull (as she would ••ave Esq South call her:) Ah, if his first Wife ••ed! I say no more; but the Business had 〈◊〉 over, and John a Bankrupt some Terms ago.

〈◊〉 Frog.]

But if he wont sell his Patrimony, how 〈◊〉

〈◊〉 Frog]

Suppose we play booty, and by under ••• consent with old Lewis's Attorney, suffer him 〈◊〉 a Verdict this Term, we'll order the Matter 〈◊〉 John Bull shall believe, all the Blame lies at •afe's door, Sir, Roger, and the new Attornies. If he have but as much Gall as a Pigeon, 〈◊〉 bring him to take old Hocus again, and then, 〈◊〉 Lads, the Day must be our own.

N. Frog.]

I hear the Composition is in such 〈◊〉 wardness, that there will be nothing done this 〈◊〉 The Lawyers may go whistle, or blow their ••gers in the cold Hall, for any more Money the•• like to get of John, unless we can puzle the 〈◊〉 Yet I think he can scarce bring it to bear, 〈◊〉 my consent: By Vertue of that Deed he signed 〈◊〉 he was Drunk, I have power to Look into 〈◊〉 Family-Affairs: I am made Executor to his last 〈◊〉 and Testament, and Guardian to his Children must find some way to keep him under, that he 〈◊〉 dare to take a Servant without my Recommend•.

R. Frog.]

If we could but get the Flirt his 〈◊〉 out of the way, and that Miser Sir Roger, we 〈◊〉 make John Drunk again; I'll raise the Devil, 〈◊〉 throw those two Imps of his out of John's 〈◊〉 There are was abroad, of ruining a Family Nights time; Can't a man sell his Wife and 〈◊〉 as they do in China? We must ask Hocus. •••ther it will stand good in Law? In that Cou••• man may Play away himself and his Progeny• Game of Cards.

N. Frog.]

We must find some Trick to 〈◊〉 John Bull's Posterity from giving us, the Frog• molestation in our Trade and Possessions. 〈◊〉 way for Hocus, and Honest Counsellor Double's we wa•• 〈◊〉 Advice; If we could but once John sell his whole Patrimony, when the Mon••• gone, 〈◊〉 should quickly bring his Family Contribution.

R. Frog.]

A good thought: Is there any Dif•••• between publick and private Power? Con•••• as well Enslave one Man to another, as it Subject to his Prince: If a Person makes over 〈◊〉, he has in himself to me by an irrevocable de•d 〈◊〉 way more binding, that the Law can devise, 〈◊〉 after That, as much his Sovereign, as if 〈…〉 born so; some such means must be thought on ••bdue John. He has done as preposterous things, as wonderful too: He hath several Sons that are 〈◊〉 Fellows, and have got strong Hands to work 〈◊〉, let every one of them pay two Shillings a 〈◊〉 out of his Labour: Have they not also Eyes 〈◊〉 Feet, and Heads? In a late Reign, all the 〈◊〉 was taxed for their Heads; we'll have John 〈◊〉 Family Taxed to the utmost; they shall pay every Limb: nay, if we once get the Power, 〈◊〉 Tax them to their very Skin.

〈◊〉 Frog.]

And then, Cousin Dick, you shall see 〈◊〉 love to John himself; Out of my abundant 〈…〉 (and which Tom here, will scarce believe, 〈◊〉 sees it) I mean to secure him a Conveniency 〈◊〉 Common-side of the Queen's Bench, or the 〈◊〉-Prison; he shall take his Choice, and a share 〈◊〉 Basket, which in Charitable times have been 〈◊〉 Sixteen or Twenty Pound per Man; where ••est John, thanks to the care of his true loving 〈◊〉, may live upon free Cost, for the rest of Life.

FINIS.

A LETTER From the Famous 〈◊〉 Humphry Polesworth, Author of the 1st, 2d and 3d Part of ••hn Bull in his Senses: OR, •aw is a Bottomless-Pit the AUTHOR of the EXAMINER.

•••nted from a MANUSCRIPT;

• Way of Dialogue between Nick Frog, 〈◊〉 Frog his Brother, and Dick Frog his Kinsman▪ 〈◊〉 forth John Bull's Capacity to carry on the 〈◊〉-Suit; and the Extremity John must be brought 〈◊〉 before they are willing to suffer a Composition.

〈◊〉: Printed by John Morphew: And Reprinted 〈◊〉 Dublin, 1712.

The following Books are Sold by Lloyd at his •••house on Cork-hill.

Eikion Basilikie: 〈◊〉, The Portraicture of 〈◊〉 Charles Ist. written with his Majesty's Hand, during his Solitude and Sufferings in the n••ural Rebellion of Forty One.

The Memorial of the Church of Engla•• which is prefix'd, An Impartial Account of •passed most remarkable at the Tryal of Dr. 〈◊〉▪ with a Defence of the Church and 〈◊〉 made• by his Excellency Sir Constantine Phipp••• of the Lord Justices, and Lord Chanc•llor of 〈◊〉

The Secret History of the Calves-Head 〈◊〉 The Republican Unmask'd.

Also, The Tale of a Tub, which is Quo•• the Appendix.

Iust Publish'd▪

THat Excellent Piece, Entitul'd, The 〈◊〉 the Allies, being the Fifth Edition, 〈◊〉 Edward Waters at the New Post-Office Printing• in Essex-street; Where Gentlemen may be Fu•• with the most valuable Pamphlets that are Printed.

Information about this book

Title statement

A letter from the famous Sir Humphry Polesworth: author of the 1st, 2d and 3d part of John Bull in his senses: ... to the author of The examiner. Printed from a manuscript. ...

Arbuthnot, John, 1667-1735.

Publication

Distributor

University of Oxford Text Archive
Oxford University Computing Services
13 Banbury Road
Oxford
OX2 6NN
ota@oucs.ox.ac.uk

ID [ota]

http://ota.ox.ac.uk/id/3471

ID [isbn10]

1106004701

ID [isbn13]

9781106004703

ID [TCP]

K011730.000

ID [BIBNO]

CW3304904116

ID [ECSS]

0249704300

Availability

Distributed by the University of Oxford under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Source

— A letter from the famous Sir Humphry Polesworth: author of the 1st, 2d and 3d part of John Bull in his senses: ... to the author of The examiner. Printed from a manuscript. ..., Arbuthnot, John, 1667-1735.. 7,[1]p. ; 8⁰. [Dublin] :: London: printed by John Morphew; and reprinted in Dublin,. 1712.. [Sir Humphry Polesworth = John Arbuthnot.] [Reproduction of original from the Huntington Library.] [English Short Title Catalog, ESTCN19735.] [Electronic data. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale, 2003. Page image (PNG). Digitized image of the microfilm version produced in Woodbridge, CT by Research Publications, 1982-2002 (later known as Primary Source Microfilm, an imprint of the Gale Group).]

Creation

Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2p5.xsl, TEI @ Oxford.

Editorial practices

This electronic text file was keyed from page images and partially proofread for accuracy. Character capture and encoding have been done following the guidelines of the ECCO Text Creation Partnership, which correspond roughly to the recommendations found in Level 4 of the TEI in Libraries Guidelines. Digital page images are linked to the text file.