SECRETARY TO THE SOCIETY FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF MENDICITY. HAIL, King of Shreds and Patches, hail, Disperser of the Poor! Thou Dog in office, set to bark All beggars from the door! Great overseer of overseers, And Dealer in old rags! Thy public duty never fails, Thy ardour never flags! "Oh, when I take my walks abroad, How many Poor" -- I @3miss!@1 Had Doctor Watts walk'd now-a-days He would have written this! So well thy Vagrant-catchers prowl, So clear thy caution keeps The path -- O, Bodkin, sure thou hast The eye that never sleeps! No Belisarius pleads for alms, No Benbow, lacking legs; The pious man in black is now The only man that begs! Street-Handels are disorganised, Disbanded every band! -- The silent @3scraper@1 at the door Is scarce allow'd to stand! The Sweeper brushes with his broom, The Carstairs with his chalk Retires, -- the Cripple leaves his stand, But cannot sell his walk. The old Wall-blind resigns the wall, The Camels hide their humps, The Witherington without a leg Mayn't beg upon his stumps! Poor Jack is gone, that used to doff His batter'd tatter'd hat, And show his dangling sleeve, alas! There seem'd no 'arm in that! Oh! was it such a sin to air His true blue naval rags, Gloy's own trophy, like St. Paul, Hung round with holy flags! Thou knowest best. I meditate, My Bodkin, no offence! Let us, henceforth, but nurse our pounds, Thou dost protect our pence! Well art thou pointed 'gainst the Poor, For, when the Beggar Crew Bring their petitions, thou art paid, Of course, to "run them through." Of course thou art, what Hamlet meant To wretches the last friend; What ills can mortals have, they can't With a bare @3Bodkin@1 end? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CHANT OF THE VULTURES by EDWIN MARKHAM THE GOOD GREAT MAN by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE ULTIMA THULE: DEDICATION by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW THOSE VARIOUS SCALPELS by MARIANNE MOORE ODES II, 14 by QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS |