IMPROMPTU.

[From the Public Ledger.]

"You don't know your ftrength till put to it, friend

John,"

Says the Minifter, heaping his income-tax on.—

"T is true," replies John; "but you must not complain, What I've not ftrength to bear, if I fhake off again!"

VERB.SAT.

THE NEGRO-DRIVER: A POLITICAL FABLE.

[From the fame.]

Ex nihilo nihil fit."

STATE policy's a witch; before her
The rich grow richer, the poor, poorer ;
Till, fuch her wayward influence,
Nations are left without defence,

A melancholy prey to those

Who've more to gain, but lefs to lofe !
Be wife then, ftatefimen, while you may;
Nor bring on premature decay,
By drawing fron exhausted veins,
Sangrado-like, what blood remains :
The plethoric and highly fed
Might fare as well, if freely bled.
But thefe are idle flights of fpeech,
A parable may better teach.

A Negro-driver, no small fool,
A whipfter juft let loofe from fchool,
Had fram'd a fcale of calculation,
With no increase of population,
How to employ the flaves in ufe,
And make them double gain produce;
And this his plan-Till five years old
The little blacks of tender mould
Are a dead burden on the foil,
As not inur'd to useful toil;

But

and ten

But furely 'twixt that age
They might be disciplin'd to men,
And made to bear, by rule of right,
At least a tithe of their own weight."
So faid and done, the fool let fly

His bolt, but miss'd the mark-and why?
His little models were of clay,

Too frail to bear the noon tide ray."
His boys had all been men much faster,
And rich instead of poor his master,
Had Nature liften'd to his reas'ning-
But they all perish'd in the feas'ning!

C.

L

AN EXCELLENT NEW BALLAD, ENTITLED AND CALLED THE BED OF ROSES.

[From the Morning Chronicle.]

BILLY Pitt ftrips the skin from our bones,
And brings to the grindstone our nofes;

Caftlereagh puts us kindly to bed,

And tells us our bed is of rofes.

Billy Pitt gives us paper and war;
And when his catastrophe closes,
Caftlereagh cries, "We'll huth you to re-
What cradle like Pitt's bed of roses ?”

How fweet on a fubfidy blanket,

And a bolster of blood, our repofe is !
Caftlereagh thinks 't is very bad tafte
Not to reifh this clean bed of rofes.

The rofe without thorn was a treat
Billy never mix'd up in his pofies;
But the thorns we fhall with at Old Scratch,
When we flumber on Pitt's bed of roses.

The rose which at Austerlitz buds,
Its blush at Vienna difclofes

Caftiereagh fcrapes the bloffoms together,
And makes us this fweet bed of rofes.

Caftlereagh,

Caftlereagh, ftill perhaps you 're correct;

For your argument ftill prefuppofes,

Should you leave old George Rofe and his fons,
You'd leave us Pitt's old "Bed of Rofes."

April 8.

TO LORD CASTLEREAGH AND THE OTHER

EX-MINISTERS.

[From the Morning Chronicle.]

WHEN in Pitt's cabinet confin'd,

'Tis known you had no nofes:

Hence, fure, he dunghill left behind
You call a bed of rofes.

THE LAUGHING PHILOSOPHER:

O'E

AN EPIGRAM.

[From the Morning Poft.]

'ER the bottle, when mirth flows around,
Your jokes, ftale or new, you may crack;

But jokes, when irrelevant found,

True point and confistency lack.

Yet, gents, as to laugh is your plan,

Since you cannot accomplish your wishes,

Be as merry and gay-as you can-
In lieu of the "Loaves and the fishes."

PUNCTUM SALIENS,

་

A

NEW VADE MECUM.

[From the British Prefs.]

NEW Vade Mecum, containing rules and instructions for the conduct of the New Oppofition, has been recently published. From the injudicious manner in which that political party opened their parliamentary campaign, on Monday night, we fear that

none

none of them have feen this valuable work. We fhall, therefore, give the substance of it, gratis, for their benefit and information. -Much may be faid in excufe for the faults of young beginners; and, with due attention to the precepts of the Vade Mecum, it is to be hoped the gentlemen will improve.

"When a man," fays the learned author, "fets out in his career, whether of a statesman or a warrior, he fhould endeavour to form himself upon the most perfect model which the prefent or paft ages afford. Thus, Alexander had always Achilles in his eye; and more modern conquerors have looked to Alexander. Thus, a painter of the finest imagination does not attempt to draw a Venus from his own fancy.-He would take a Devonshire, a Rutland, a Bedford, or a St. Alban's, for his model; or he would, perhaps, felect from a group of beauties, thofe features in which they feverally moft excel; and unite in his portrait a combination of their graces and their loveliness. In this way, the most exquifite Venufes and Madonas, of the ancient or modern world, have been produced. There is nothing of fervile imitation in this precept and practice. The rival of Alexander need not imitate his wry neck; nor does the painter felect the minor beauties of his lovely model. By imitating only what is most excellent in each, he learns to furpass the ori ginal. Upon this principle," fays the author, ad, dreffing himself to the New Oppofition, "you ought not to venture your feeble and crazy barks upon the ftormy and untried fea of Oppofition politics, without chart or compafs, as you appear to have done. ought to look into hiftory, and felect a model from among the numerous generations which have, from time to time, occupied the cold and comfortless benches in St. Stephen's Chapel, to which you have lately fucceeded. Mr. Fox's Oppofition, or, as it was called, the Old Blue and Buff, I would not recommend. It would

You

would not do to pretend to loyalty, patriotism, and difinterestedness, and at the fame time avowedly imitate men, whom you reprefented as full of fpleen and disappointment, clamorous for places and honours, and struggling to embarrass Government, with a view to force themselves into power. Besides the inconfiftency in which fuch a courfe would involve you, there is another ferious objection-it would require, not only the inclination, but the talents of the Blue and Buff oppofition, to make the fame difplay of eloquence and argument; and I fear you have not thefe materials ready at hand. Upon a careful view, therefore, of your abilities and your numbers, I am inclined to recommend to your notice the celebrated oppofition of Robfon, Nicholl, and Jones, in the administration of Mr. Addington. It would be difficult to name an oppofition that better discharged its conftitutional functions. As a check upon the lavish expenditure of the public money, to which, we are told, every minifter is, virtute officii, neceffarily inclined (for old Elwes would not obtain credit for economy in office), Mr. Robfon's financial fagacity operated with moft powerful effect. His expofure of the famous bill for nineteen pounds, ten, difhonoured at the Sick and Hurt Office, will never be forgotten by his grateful country. It was that difcovery which opened the eyes of Parliament to the abufes of the public offices, and laid the foundation of that wife fyftem of correction and reform, commencing with Viscount Melville's cafe, which has gained its patrons and fupporters fo much popularity. I would advife you, not merely to form yourfelves upon the bafis of this model, but alfo to imitate its particular structure and mode of operation. Each member ought, therefore, to apply himself exclufively to fome particular line. Thus, Mr. Rofe might, like Mr. Robfon, undertake the financial department. Mr. Jones had a great tafte for Oriental