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Show 296 E S 0 P. Gent. I'm fhot I ha'n't one word to fay for jjiy felf « I never was fo caught in m y Life. Efop. I perceive, Sir, by your Looks what I have faid has made fome Impreftion upon you; and would perhaps do more if you wou'd give it leave. [Taking his Handf] Come, Sir, tho I a m a Stranger to you, I can be your Friend 5 m y Favour at Court does not hinder m e from being a Lover of m y Country. 'Tis m y Nature as well as Principles, to be pleas'd with the Profperity of Mankind. I wifh all things happy, and m y ftudy is to make them fo. The Diftempers of the Government (which I o w n are great; have employ'd the ftretch of m y Underftanding, and the deepeft of m y Thoughts, to penetrate the Caufe, and to find out the Remedy. But alas» all the Product of m y Study is this; That I find there is too near a Refemblance between the Difeafes of the State and thofe of the Body, for the moft expert Minifter to become a greater Mafter in one than the College is in Mother t Ana now .-1' ll.cir okill ci^si, jCU m a y fee by this. L u m p upon m y Back. Allowances in all'Profe£ (ions there muft be, fince 'tis weak M a n that is the weak -•» *-a\~ •* •• *• xroituvi. iseiieve me, senator, tor I have feen the Proof on't ; The longeft Beard amongft us is a Fool. Cou'd you but ftand behind the Curtain, and there obferve the fecret Springs of State, you'd fee in all the Good or Evil that attends it, ten Ounces of Chance for one Grain either of Wifdom or Roguery. You'd fee, perhaps, a venerable Statefman fit faft afleep in a great downy Chair ; whilft in that foft Vacation of his Thought, blind Chance (or what at leaft w e blindly call foj fhall fo difpofe a thoufand fecret Wheels, that when he awakes, he needs but write his N a m e , to publifh to the World fome bleft Event, for which his Statue fhall be rais'd in Brafs. Perhaps a moment thence, you fhall behold him torturing his Brain; his Thoughts all ftretcht upon the Wrack for publick Service. The live-long Night, when all the World's at reft, confum'd in Care, and watching for ESOP. 297 for their Safety, when by a Whirlwind in his Fate, in fpightof him fome mifchief fhall befall'em, for which a furious Sentence ftrait fhall pafs, and they fhall vote him to the Scaffold. Even thus uncertain are Rewards and Punifhments; and even thus little do the People know, when 'tis the Statefman merits one or t'other. Gent. N o w I do believe 1 a m beginning to be a wife M a n ; for I never till now perceiv'd I was a Fool. But do you then really believe, Sir, our Men in Bufinefs do the beft they can ? Efip. Many of *em do: Some perhaps do not. But this you may depend upon; he that is out of Bufinefs i$ the worft Judge in the World of him that is in: Firft, Becaufe he feldom knows any thing of the matter : And, Secondly, becaufe he always defires to get his Place. Gent. And fo, Sir, you turn the Tables upon the Plantiff, and lay the Fool and Knave at his door. Efop. If I do him wrong, I'm forry for't. Let him examine himfelf, he'll find whether I do or not. rjCvrV Tfot>. Gem. - Examine I nough of thac alreadv. know of, but to give • I think I have had e- There's nothing left, that I Sentence: And truly I think there's no great difficulty in that. A very pretty Fellow I a m indeed I Here a m I come bellowing and roaring 200 Miles poft to find m y felf an Afs ; when with one quarter of an hour's Confideration I might have made the felf-fame Difcovery, without going over m y Thref-hold Well! if ever they fend m e on their Errand to reform the State again, I'll be damn'd. But this I'll do: I'll 00 home and reform m y Family if I can: Them 1 m furel know. There's m y Father's a peeviih old Coxcomb : There's m y Uncle's a drunken old Sot: There s m y Brother's a Cowardly Bully: Son Numphs is a Lubberly Whelp : I've a great ramping Daughter, -that flares like a Heifer; and a Wife that's a flattcrnly Sow. Enter a Young, Gay, Airy Beau ; who flands fmiling contemptibly upon Efop. Efop. Well, Sir, what are you ? |