In Letter to one Gilbert West, *

And all this zeal to re-instate
He, the said Selim, did attest,

Exploded notions, out of date;
Maintain, support, and make assertion

Sending old rakes to church in Thoals,
Of certain points, from Paul's conversion,

Like children, sniv'ling for their souls ;
By means whereof the said apostle

And ladies gay, from smut and libels,
Did many an unbeliever joftie,

To learn beliefs, and read their bibles ;
Starting unfashionable fancies,

Erecting conscience for a tutor,
And building truths on known romances.

To damn the present by the future :
A third charge ran, that knowing well

As if to evils known and real
Wits only eat as pamphlets fell,

'Twas needful to annex ideal;
He, the said Selim, notwithstanding,

When all of human life we know
Did fall to answ'ring, thaming, branding

Is care, and bitterness, and woe,
Three curious Letters to the Whigs ti

With short transitions of delight,
Making no reader care three figs

To set the shatter'd spirits right,
For any facts contain’d therein ;

Then wliy such mighty pains and care,
By which uncharitable fin

To make os hurri ler than we are?
An author, modeft and deserving,

Forbidding short-liv'd mirth and laughter,
Was destin'd to contempt and starving ;

By fears of what may come hereafter?
Against the king, his crown and peace,

Belter in ignorance to dwell;
And all the statutes in that case.

None fear, but who believe a hell ;
The pleader rose with brief full charg'd,

And if there should be one, no doubt,
And on the pris’ner's crimes enlarg de

Men of themselves would find it out.
But not to damp the Muse's fire

But Selim's crimes, he said, went further,
With rhet 'ric, such as courts require,

And barely stopp'd on this fide murther ;
We'll try to keep the reader warm,

One yet remaind to close the charge,
And fit the matter from the form.

To which (with leave) he'd speak at large,
Virtue and social love, he said,

And, first, 'twas needful to premist,
And honour from the land were fed ;

That though so long (for reasons wise)
That patriots now, like other folks,

The press inviolate had stood,
Were made the but of vulgar jokes ;

Productive of the public good ;
While Opposition dropp'd her crest,

Yet still, too modeft to abuse,
And courted pow'r for wealth and reft.

It raiļd at vice, but told not whore.
Why some folks laugh'd, and some folks rail'd, That great improvements, of late days,
Why some submitted, some assail'd,

Were made, to many an author's praise,
Angy or pleas'dall solv'd the doubt

Who, not so scrupulously nice,
With who were in, and who were out.

Proclaim'd the person with the vice;
The sons of Clamour grew so Gickly,

Or gave, where vices might be wanted,
They look'd for dissolution quickly ;

The name, and took the rest for granted.
Their Weekly Journals, finely written,

Upon this plan, a Champion * rose,
Were funk in privies all beh;

Unrighteous greatness to oppose,
Oid-England I, and the London-Evening,

Proving the man “inventus non eft,"
Hardly a soul was found believing in ;

Who trades in pow'r, and still is honest;
And Caleb ll, once so bold and strong,

And (God be prais'd) he did it roundly,
Was stupid now, and always wrong.

Flogging a certain junto foundly.
Ask ye whence rose this foul disgrace?

But chief his anger was directed,
Why Selim has receiv'd a place,

Where people least of all suspected ;
And thereby brought the cause to Mame;

And Selim, not so ítrong as tall,
Proving that people, void of blame,

Beneath his grasp appear'd to fall.
Might ferve their country and their king,

But Innocence (as people say)
By making both the self-fame thing:

Stood by, and sav'd him in the fray.
By which the credulous believ'd,

By her affifted, and one Truth,
And others (by strange arts deceiv’d)

A busy, prating, forward youth,
That Ministers were sometimes right,

He rally'd all his strength anew,
And meant not to destroy us quite.

And at the foe a Letter threwt:
That bart'ring thus in state affairs,

His weakest part the weapon found,
He next must deal in sacred wares,

And brought him senseless to the ground.
The clergy's rights divine invade,

Hence Opposition fed the field,
And (muggle in the gospel-trade ;

And Ignorance with her seven-fold shield;

And well they might, for (things weigh'd fully)
* Entitled, “ Observations on the Conversion and The pris’ner with his Whore and Bully,
Apostleship of St. Paul. In a Letter to Gilbert Must prove for every foe too hard,
West, Esq." 8vo. 1747.

Who never fought with such a guard.
† Entitled, “ Three Letters to the Whigs; occa. But Truth and Innocence, he said,
fioned by the Letter to the Tories." 8vo. 1748. Would stand him here in little stcad;

| An Opposition Paper at that time published, in which Mr. Lyttelton was frequently abused.

* Author of the Letters to the Whigs. Caleb D'Anvers, the name assumed by the + Probably, “ A Congratulatory Letter to Selina winters of the Craftsman.

on the Letters to the Wrigs." Svo. 1748.

For they had evidence on oath,

The court, he said, knew all the reft, That would appear too hard for both.

And must proceed as they thought beft; Of witnesses a fearful train

Only he hop'd such refignation Came next, th' indictments to sustain ;

Would plead some little mitigation ; Detraction, Hatred, and Distrust,

And if his character was clear And Party, of all foes the worst,

From other faults (and friends were near, Malice, Revenge, and Unbelief,

Who would, when callid upon, atteft it) And Disappointment worn with grief,

He did in humbleft form requeft it, Dishonour foul, unaw'd by shame,

To be from punishment exempt, And every fiend that Vice can name.

And only suffer their contempt. All these in ample form depos'd,

The pris'ner's friends their claim preferr'd, Each fact the triple charge disclos'd,

In turn demanding to be heard, With taunts and gibes of bitter fort,

Integrity and Honour (wore, And asking vengeance from the court,

Benevolence, and twenty more, The pris'ner said in his detence,

That he was always of their party, That he indeed had small pretence

And that they knew him firm and hearty. To soften facts so deeply sworn,

Religion, sober dame, attended, But would for his offences mourn;

And, as she could, his cause befriended. Yet more he hop'd than bare repentance

She said, 'twas since he came from college, Might still be urg'd to ward the sentence.

She knew him introduc'd by Knowledge : That he had held a place some years,

The man was modeft and sincere, He own'd with penitence and tears,

Nor farther could the interfere. But took it not from motives base,

The muses begg'd to interpose ; Th'indi&ment there mistook the case;

But Envy with loud hiffings rose, And though he had betray'd his trust

And callid them women of ill fame, In being to his country just,

Liars, and prostitutes to shame; Neglecting Faction and her friends,

And said, to all the world 'cwas known, He did it not for wicked ends,

Selim had had them every one. Put that complaints and feuds might ccase,

The pris'ner blush'd, the Muses frown'd, And jarring parties mix in peace.

When filence was proclaim'd around, That what he wrote to Gilbert West,

And Faction rising with the rest, Bore hard against him, he confess'd;

In form the pris'ner thus address’d. Yet there they wrong'd him; for the fact is, • You, Selim, thrice have been indicted ; He reason'd for Belief, not Practice;

First, that hy wicked pride excited, And People might believe, he thought,

And bent your country to disgrace, Though Practice might be deemed a fault.

You have receiv’d, and held a Place: He either dreamt it, or was told,

Next, Infidelity to wound, Religion was rever'd of old,

You've dar'd, with arguments profounda That it gave breeding no offence,

To drive Freethinking to a stand, And was no foe to wit and sense;

And with Religion vex the land : But whether this was truth, or whim,

And lastly in contempt of right, He would not say; the doubt with him

With horrid and unnat'ral spite, (And no great harm he hop'd) was, how

You have an Author's fame oferthrown, Th’ enlighten'd world would take it now:

Thereby to build and fence your own. If they admitted it, 'twas well;

These crimes successive, on your trial, If not, he never talk'd of hell;

Have met with proofs beyond denial ; Nor even hop'd to change men's measures, To which yourself, with shame, conceded, Or frighten ladies from their pleasures.

And but in mitigation pleaded. One accusation, he confess’d,

Yet that the justice of the court Had touch'd him, more than all the rest ;

May suffer not in men's report, Three Patriot-Letters, high in fame, .

Judgment a moment I suspend, By him o'erthrown, and brought to thame. To reason as from friend to friend. And though it was a rule in vogue,

And first, that You, of all mankind, If one man call'd another rogue,

With Kings and Courts should stain your mind! The party injur'd might reply,

You! who were Opposition's lord ! And on his foe retort the lie;

Her nerves, her finews, and her sword ! Yet what accru'd from all his labour,

That You at last, for servile ends, But foul dishonour to his neighbour?

Should wound the bowels of her friends! And he's a most unchristian elf,

Is aggravation of offence, Who others damns to save himself.

That leaves for mercy no pretence. Befdes, as all men knew, he said,

Yet more For You to urge your hate, Those Letters only rail'd for bread;

And back the Church, to aid the State ! And hunger was a known excuse

For You to publish such a Letter! For prostitution and abuse :

You ! who have known Religion better! A guinea, properly apply'd,

For You, I say, to introduce Had made the Writer change his fide ;

The fraud again there's no excuse. He wish'd he had not cut and carv'd him,

And last of all, to crown your name, And own'd, he ihould have bought, not starv'd him. Was it for you to load with blame