The bad bargain: or, the world set up to sale.

Table of contents

- [titlepage]

- [publishersadvertisement]

THE BAD BARGAIN, &c.

I.

THE Devil, as the Scriptures shew,

Tempts sinful mortals high and low;

And always acting well his part,

He suits his Bribes to every Heart:

See there the Prince of Darkness stands,

With Baits for souls in both his hands.

II.

To one he offers Empires whole,

And gives a Sceptre for a Soul;

To one he freely gives in barter

A Peerage, or a Star and Garter;

To one he pays polite attention,

And begs him just to take a Pension.

III.

Some are so fir'd with love of Fame,

He bribes them by an empty name;

For Fame they toil, they preach, they write,

Give alms, or sally forth and fight;

Prefer Man's praise to God's Salvation,

And sell their Souls for Reputation.

IV.

But the great Gift, the mighty Bribe

Which Satan pours amid the Tribe,

Which thousands seize with eager hasle,

And all desire at least to taste,

Is—plodding Reader!—what d'ye think?

Alas!—'tis money—money—chink!

V.

Round the wide World the Tempter flies,

Presents to view the glittering prize;

See how he goes from shore to shore,

And how the nations all adore;

Souls flock by thousands to be sold

Smit with the love of filthy Gold.

VI.

See at yon needy Tradesman's shop,

The universal Tempter stop;

"Wouldst thou" he cries "encrease thy Treasures,"

"Use lighter weights, and scantier measures,"

"Thus shalt thou thrive;" the Trader's willing,

And sells his Soul to get a Shilling.

VII.

Next Satan to a Farmer hies,

"I scorn to cheat," the Farmer cries;

Yet his whole heart on Wealth was bent,

And so the Devil was content;

Now markets rise and riches roll,

And Satan quite secures his soul.

VIII.

Mark next yon cheerful youth so jolly,

So fond of laughter and of folly;

He hates a stingy griping Fellow,

But gets each day a little mellow;

To Satan too he sells his soul

In barter for a flowing bowl.

IX.

But mark again yon Lass a spinning,

See now the Tempter is beginning:

Some Buck presents a top-knot nice,

She grants her Virtue as the price;

Yields to the Beau so smart and civil,

Her Soul she renders to the Devil.

X.

Thus Satan tries each different State,

With mighty Bribes he tempts the Great,

The Poor with equal Force he plies,

But wins them with an humbler Prize;

Has gentler Arts for young Beginners,

And fouler Sins for older Sinners.

XI.

Oft too he cheats our mortal eyes,

For Satan father is of lies;

A thousand swindling tricks he plays us,

And promises but never pays us;

Thus we poor fools are strangely caught,

And find we've sold our souls for nought.

XII.

Nay oft, with quite a juggler's art,

He bids the proffer'd gift depart;

Sets some gay joy before our face,

Then claps a trouble in it's place;

Sends some huge loss instead of gain,

And conjures pleasure into pain.

XIII.

Be wise then, Oh! ye worldly tribe,

Nor sell your conscience for a Bribe;

When Satan tempts you to begin,

Resist him, and refuse to Sin:

Bad is their Bargain on the whole,

Who gain the world and lose a Soul.

THE END.

CHEAP REPOSITORY.

THE BAD BARGAIN; OR, THE WORLD set up to SALE.

Sold by J. MASRHALL, PRINTER to the CHEAP REPOSITORY for Moral and Religious Tracts) No. 17, Queen-Street, Cheapside, and No. 4, Aldermary Church-Yard. London.

By S. HAZARD, at Bath; J. Elder, at Edinburgh, and by all Booksellers, Newsmen, and Hawkers, in Town and Country.

Great Allowance will be made to Shopkeepers and Hawkers.

PRICE ONE HALFPENNY. Or 2s. 3d. per 100.—1s. 3d. for 50.—9d. for 25. A cheaper Edition for Hawkers.

[Entered at Stationers' Hall.]

- On the 1st of June, 1795, was published, The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, Part II.—The Beggarly Boy, a Parable, —and Wild Robert, a Ballad.

- On the 1st of July, Daniel in the Den of Lions.—The Good Mother's Legacy. —Patient Joc, a Ballad.

- On the 1st of August, Hints to all Ranks of People.—The Happy Waterman.— The Riot, a Ballad.—The Plowboy's Dream, a Ballad.

- On the 1st of September, Tom White, Part II.—Noah's Flood.—Dame Andrews Ballad.

- On the 1st of October, Harvest Home.—Two Farmers, Part I.—Honest Miller, a Ballad.

- On the 1st of November, The Parable of the Vineyard.—The Two Farmers, Part II. The Sorrows of Yamba, a Ballad.

- On the 1st of December, The Troubles of Life.—Sorrowful Sain.—Merry Christmas Carol.

- On the 1st of January, 1796. New Thoughts on the New Year.—The History of Mary Wood, the Housemaid.—Robert and Richard, a Ballad

- On the 1st of February, The Touchstone; or, the Way to know a good Christian. —The Apprentice turned Master; or, the Two Shoemakers, •art II.—The Story of Sinful Sally. Told by herself, a Ballad,

- On the 1st of March, Onesimus; or, the Run away Servant converted.—Idle Jack Brown; or, the Two Shoemakers, Part III.—Shopkeeper, Part I.

- On the 1st of April, Conversion of St. Paul.—Jack Brown in Prison; or, the Two Shoemakers, Part IV.—Shopkeeper, Part II.

Information about this book

Title statement

The bad bargain: or, the world set up to sale.

More, Hannah, 1745-1833.

Publication

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University of Oxford Text Archive
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ID [ota]

http://ota.ox.ac.uk/id/3833

ID [isbn10]

1106008324

ID [isbn13]

9781106008329

ID [TCP]

K030489.000

ID [BIBNO]

cw3317059178

ID [ECLL]

1210601800

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Source

— The bad bargain: or, the world set up to sale., More, Hannah, 1745-1833.. 7,[1]p. ; 12⁰. [London] :: Sold by J. Masrhall, London. By S. Hazard, at Bath; J. Elder, at Edinburgh,. [1796]. [Anonymous. By Hannah More.] [At head of titlepage: 'Cheap repository'.] [Reproduction of original from the British Library.] [English Short Title Catalog, ESTCT21324.] [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).]

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