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Where the foreman stood combing his wig;

At the fur-end o'th' shop,

The lads were whipping a top,
In the middle one dancing a jig.

You must know this spruce cit
Laid a claim to some wit,

And, to shew it, took a wife for her beauty;
But I saw by his face,

There was something i'th' case,
I'm afraid she'd late been on duty.

Well, without long petition,
I told the condition,

He gave me his answer in brief:
I lament the good dame,
And speak it with shame,
But have nothing to give for relief.

Being devilishly vex'd,

To a wretch I went next,

That was selling of buttons and thread;
But, had you been there,

You'd have said, I dare swear,

He was more fit to be ty'd in his bed.

When I told him, Mother Trade
Was gone to the shade,

He swore a great oath, why do'u name her
I have just bought a horse,

And I'll out for a purse,

I'd almost venture hanging to shame her.

I thought 'twas no boot,
To say more to the brute,
And so to the saddler I pack,
Where I found him a swearing,
Stamping, grinning, and staring,
He had scarce got one to his back.

Says he, these commanders,
By their warring in Flanders,
Have so cursedly run in my debt,
They've scarce left me a farthing,
To keep me from starving,
Prithee, friend, don't urge me to fret.

I went then to the grocers,
To the brasiers and throwsters,

To the binders and sellers of books;
But, for the success,

I could presently guess,

By their goods in their shops, and their looks

I went next to the black-smith,

The silver and jack-smith,

And so called on a perfumer;
But he, like a rogue,

Though the chief trade in vogue,

Bid the devil in hell consume her.

I went to the printer,

The victualler and vintner,

But, there finding nothing but chalk,

To the weavers I went,

But, being near day of rent,

They were all mov'd, their landlords to baulk.

But, sir, 'tis too long

To repeat the whole throng,

I have been with most trades in the city;
And said what I cou'd,

But 'twould all do no good,

They're too poor to be wrought into pity.

Having finish'd my range,

From Temple-Bar to the 'Change,
I thought of a new expedition;

I was resolved to go,

As far as Soho *,

And try of French and Dutch the condition.

And yet, by the way,

I made a short stay

At the Temple, if you know the place, sir;

On a lawyer I call'd,

That oft client had maul'd,

And told him the state of my case, sir.

He ask'd me, from whence

I had that impudence,

To expect any goodness from him;

Says he, sirrah, you know,

We have nothing to do,

But to cheat, drink, whore, and go trim.

Then, master attorney,

Since it don't concern ye,

I'll go to the jobber of stocks;

But he'd jobb'd so long,

As I found by his song,

That he could give her nought but the pox.

The French refugees and Dutch, that came over (in king William's reign, chiefly settled about Soho-square.

I went next to the priest,

But he swore, 'twas in jest

To ask any charity there;

For he'd many children to get,

With much cost, pains, and sweat, Besides something for puddings and beer.

I

And now for Monsieur *,

Who, before I came near,

suppose had smelt out the matter;

He makes two or three cringes,

As if he hung upon hinges,

And thus he began for to flatter.

Begar, me and Minheer,
Bin very sorry to hear,
Of de death of de English trade;
Dis be one good nation,

Upon my salvation,

As ever me tinke dat God made.

Here I put him in mind
Of what I design'd,
And he very briskly reply'd:

De French and de Dutch,

Dat love her so much,

Will take care dat she shall be supply'd.

The Frenchman, begar,
Will take very good care,
To lay her so deep she shan't rise;
For, if once she shou'd,

Dat wou'd be no very good,

If de English should open their eyes.

The beadle here ends

The tale he intends,

And so we march'd on to the grave;
But, when we che nigh,

There was such an outcry,

Good Lord! how the people did rave.

There was gun-smith, and cutlers,
And founders, and suttlers,
And coach-makers a great many;
There were coblers, and tinkers,
Those honest ale drinkers,
And shoe-makers too more than any.

There were some of all trades,
Even rogues, thieves, and jades,

See the foregoing note.

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Had you been next,

When Master Spin-text

Began to hold forth to the people,

You'd have swore that the jar

Had been louder by far

Than that 'twixt the 'Change and Bow-steeple.

And then for the sound,

When they put her i' th' ground,

What mortal was able to bear it?
For my part, I confess,

I got out of the press,

And left those, that lik'd it, to hear it.

But now, to conclude,

I think, 'twou'd be rude,

Without saying something o'th' dame;
In short, we shall miss her,

But you know how 'tis, sir,

And let those that deserve't have the blame.

A FULL AND TRUE ACCOUNT*

OF A

MOST DREADFUL AND ASTONISHING FIRE WHICH HAPPENED AT WHITEHALL,

And begun in Col. Stanley's Lodgings, on Tuesday last, about Four of the Clock in the Afternoon, continuing with great Violence till about Nine o'Clock the next Morning, burning down and consuming the King's Chapel, the Guard-Chamber, the Long Gallery, &c. together with near 150 Houses. An Account also how several Persons were killed, with the blowing up twenty Houses, &c. Licensed according to Order. London, Printed by J. Bradford in Little Britain, 1698. Folio, containing two Pages.

ANY and various have been the relations concerning this

beginning in one place, and some in another, and yet all or most of them remote from truth; therefore, for satisfaction of all such who desire to be truly informed in those unhappy and amazing particulars, I have published this following account, viz.

• Vide the 513th article in the catalogue of pamphlets in the Harleian library.

On Tuesday last, being the fourth of this instant January 1698, betwixt the hours of three and four of the clock in the afternoon, a Dutch woman who belonged to Col. Stanley's lodgings (which were near adjoining to the Earl of Portland's house at Whitehall) having sudden occasion to dry some linnen in an upper room, (for expedition sake) lighted a good quantity of charcoal, and carelesly left the linnen hanging round about it, which took fire in her absence to such a degree, that it not only consumed the linnen, but had seized the hangings, wainscots, beds, and what not, and flamed and smoaked in such a violent manner, that it put all the inhabitants thereabouts into consternation, as well as confusion, not knowing from whence it proceeded, insomuch that the unhappy Dutch woman could not return; so that in an instant (as it were) the merciless and devouring flames got such advantage, that, notwithstanding the great endeavours used by the water engines, numerous assistance, and blowing up houses to the number of about twenty, it still increased with great fury and violence all night, till about eight of the clock next morning, at which time it was extinguished, after it had burnt down and consumed (according to modest computation) about 150 houses, most of which were the lodgings and habitations of the chief of the nobility.

Such was the fury and violence of this dreadful and dismal conflagration, that its flames reduced to ashes all that stood in its way, from the Privy-Stairs to the Banqueting-House, and from the Privy-Garden to Scotland-Yard all on that side, except the earl of Portland's house, and the Banqueting-House, which were preserved, though much damnified and shattered. The fire proceeded close to the gate by the duke of Ormond's lodgings, before it could be extinguished. The most remarkable houses, which were consumed by these astonishing flames, are the Guard-Chamber, Council-Chamber, Secretary's Office, the King's Chapel, the Long Gallery to the gate, the Queen's Lodgings, Duke of Devonshire's, &c. but not the Earl of Portland's, as has been impudently affirmed in a late scandalous and ridiculous pamphlet. The danger, done by this fiery disaster, is at present unaccountable, considering the vast riches that were contained among those noble families; therefore consequently their loss must be very great, and might have been much greater, had not the officers of the guards taken care to stop the numerous crouds from pressing forward into houses where goods were removing.

It was confidently affirmed, that twenty or thirty persons were killed, but, blessed be God, upon a strict enquiry, I cannot learn that above twelve persons perished, among whom were two grenadiers, a water-man, and a painter; who endeavouring to reach out some goods at a window while the house was on fire, a piece of iron fell upon his head and beat out his brains. The like fate had a gardener, by the blowing up of a house: yet it is certain many more are dangerously wounded.

The Banqueting-House, though not much injured by the fire, except that part next Westminster, yet all parts of that renowned

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