16. Inhabitants of the Alms-House-Benbow 17. The Hospital and Governors. 18. The Poor and their Dwellings. 19. The Poor of the Borough-The Parish-Clerk 213 20. The Poor of the Borough-Ellen Orford 21. The Poor of the Borough-Abel Keene THE BOROUGH. LETTER I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. These did the Ruler of the Deep ordain, Pope's Homer's Iliad, Book vi. line 45. Such scenes has Deptford, Navy-building town, Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown, Pope's Imitation of Spenser. Et cum cœlestibus undis Equoreæ miscentur aquæ: caret ignibus æther, Ovid. Metamorph. lib. xi. ver. 520 LETTER I. THE BOROUGH. The Difficulty of describing Town Scenery.—A Comparison with certain Views in the Country.-The River and Quay.The Shipping and Business.-ShipBuilding.-Sea-Boys and Port-Views.-Village and Town Scenery again compared.-Walks from Town. -Cottage and adjoining Heath, &c.-House of Sunday Entertainment.-The Sea: A Summer and Winter View.-A Shipwreck at Night, and its Effects on Shore.-Evening Amusements in the Borough.--An Apology for the imperfect View which can be given of these Subjects. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. DESCRIBE the Borough"-though our idle Tribe May love Description, can we so describe, That you shall fairly Streets and Buildings trace, And all that gives distinction to a place? This cannot be ; yet, mov'd by your request, A part I paint-let Fancy form the rest. Cities and Towns, the various haunts of men, Require the pencil; they defy the pen : Could he, who sang so well the Grecian Fleet, From this tall Mansion of our last-year's Mayor, Can Scenes like these withdraw thee from thy Wood, With ceaseless motion comes and goes the Tide, The white Water-lily. Nymphea alba. Here Sampire-Banks* and Salt-wort+ bound the Flood, Far other Craft our prouder River shows, Hoys, Pinks and Sloops; Brigs, Brigantines and Snows: He shall again be seen when Evening comes, Yon is our Quay! those smaller Hoys from Town, Its various Wares, for Country-use, bring down; *The jointed Glasswort. Salicornia is here meant, not the true Sampire, the Crithmum maritimum. + The Salsola of Botanists. |