The victim of sorrow with gloom on his mind,
   Sighs for those pleasures he late left behind;
   The bottle, the play-house, card-room and ball,
   And the fine guilded chariot kept at the hall;
   Enjoy’d but at night in dreams mix’d with sorrow,
   That leaves the imprudent as hopeless to morrow. 
   With anguish he views his now alter’d state,
   Laments his past folly but finds it too late;
   His bottle companions in assistance will fail,
   Soon as they hear he is plac’d in a jail: 
   Fair economy’s rules he brings to his view,
   Determines in future her plans to pursue;
   The downfal of life, oft the delicate kill,
   By a strong dose of adversity’s pill;
   Neglected in prison, yields up his life,
   And leaves in despair his children and wife;
   Oblig’d to return to her father’s once more,
   Endeavours again her peace to restore;
   Grief so harress’d once a heart blith and gay,
   Death soon appear’d and took her quick away.

LIFE.

   When e’er you walk the hill or street,
   A flaunting dressing thing you’ll meet;
   Her wanton air would fain beguile,
   A thoughtless youth to stray awhile: 
   Her conversation gross he’ll find,
   Chaste modesty she leaves behind;
   That Goddess seldom now appear,
   Where people walk to take the air. 
   She daily must in Laces dress,
   Altho’ her parents in distress: 
   She’ll get them any way she can,
   To marry some unthinking man. 
   When he the flaunter do obtain,
   On pleasure’s wings she fix her brain;
   His shirts or stockings she can’t mend,
   But must them to a neighbour send;
   And tells her husband, he must stray
   With her to see a merry play. 
   He must comply, or else he’ll find
   She teazes much his gloomy mind;
   Often she does the man reproach,
   Because he cannot keep a Coach: 
   Tells him she cannot rest at home,
   And do with finer people roam;
   The husband now alarm’d appears,
   Too just his reason for his fears: 
   Truth silence now his sad alarms,
   She’s fled into another’s arms. 
   Parents oft cause a girl’s distress,
   By letting her devote to dress;
   Time which they should frequent spend,
   At house-work, or their clothes to mend: 
   A watch must now adorn the side,
   To fill their minds with erring pride;
   Tells her that every fop admire,
   And soon she’ll gain a Country squire;
   Again I say a boarding school,
   Too often makes sweet Miss a fool;
   Put such strange notions in her brain,
   As she cannot good sense retain: 
   When Miss is taken from the school,
   She wants in every thing to rule;
   There she perhaps may learn to dance,
   Alike the paltry things from France: 
   This plain truth I dare to tell,
   But few from them correctly spell;
   Too often write so bad a hand,
   That scarce one line you understand;
   Their education often makes,
   Them only fit for lords or rakes. 
   To Miss and schools I bid adieu,
   And will another tale pursue. 
   Many a tradesman in this place,
   Brings on themselves their own disgrace;
   Politics engross their mind,
   And cause their friends to be unkind: 
   The horns anounce the papers in,
   His daily pleasures now begin;
   Two hours are wasted in this day,
   Which time he should to business pay;
   Customers too frequent call,
   And cannot see the man at all: 
   Each one declares he’ll call no more,
   As he had been there oft before. 
   No wonder that he cannot pay,
   As thus he trifles time away: 
   We often do our fate bewail,
   When adverse gales do us assail;
   The money that we waste away,
   Frequent we should to others pay;
   Careless of our neighbours grief,
   We only seek our own relief;
   The cause we have such dismal times,
   Is chiefly owing to our crimes. 
   The pipe and bottle frequent stay,
   The man who should attention pay;
   To business, or to any thing
   Which may perhaps a profit bring;
   Insteads of wine, drink humble ale,
   Drop fine gigs thus ends my tale.