Now, snow-white bosoms fascinate the eye,
Swelling in all the pride of nudity:

The firm, round arm, soft cheek, and pouting lip,
And backs expos'd below the jutting hip:

To these succeed, dim eyes, and wither'd faces,
And pucker'd necks, as rough as shag-green cases ;
But whose kind owners, hon'ring RAMROD's ball,
Benevolently shew their little all.

Pleas'd with the varied scene the king grew vain*,
Exulting in the pride of recent reign3;
And, as he threw his quickly-glancing eyes,
Round on the crowd so rational and wise,
The thus, though silently, anticipates
Th' unequall'd glory of his future fates.
"Happy RAMROD! lucky dog!
'Scap'd from that Serbonian bog,'

"Pleas'd with the sound the prince grew vain." DRYDEN. It must be recollected that our time of poetical action is the comement of the second season of RAMROD's appointment to the UpperHis translation from the Lower ones had taken place during the

p.

ses.

all,

у гаш

DRYDES.

is the co o the Uppe

e during t

By mortals call'd the Lower Rooms,
Fill'd with frights, and fetid fumes
Exhaling from the motley crowd,
Ill-dress'd, vulgar, rude, and loud,
Who populate the Lower town,
To fashionable life unknown.

Gods! how I bless your kind decrees,
Which, bearing me from scenes like these,
Have plac'd, at length, within my hand
The sceptre of that promis'd land,

To which my heart, my eyes, my ears,
Have been directed twenty years.
Possessing now, the post of ruling
Realms so fit to play the fool in,
Visions bright of future joy,
Open to my raptur'd eye.
Many, many years I see
Of undisputed, sovereignty:

March, 1809. In the mean time, wishing thee much pleasure and edification in the perusal of the first canto,

sance.

CONTENTS OF CANTO I.

Subject proposed. Invocation. Sun and moon. The fifth of November. Gunpowder-plot. Compliment to James the First. Evening at Bath. Introduction of Ramrod. Upper-rooms. Description of company there. Ramrod inflated. His soliloquy. Moral reflections. Quotation from a brother-poet. Prediction. Orchestra. The goddess Destiny. Description of lady Wilhelmina Puff. Apostrophe to title. Ramrod's complaiLady Wilhelmina's pride. Simile. Ramrod's attention gives umbrage. Female vanity offended. Description of Destiny, or Fate. Eris, or Contention. She receives the orders of Fate. Descends amongst the company. Personates Mrs. Chatter. Addresses lady Lofty. Simile. Lady Lofty's speech to signora Rattana. Her answer. Rage of these ladies. Simile. General uproar. Simile. Ramrod and lady Wilhelmina gallanting. Rattana attacks and scolds Ramrod. Assisted by lady Lofty. Ramrod knock'd down. Quotation from another brother-poet. Ramrod's perilous situation. Apostrophe to the loyal Muse. Lady Puff interferes in his behalf. Bestrides him. Her speech. Her wig pulled off by lady Lofty. She slaps lady Lofty's face. A general confusion. Eris again introduced. Invocation to the Muse. Mrs. Pannikin. Her speech. Pompo Gorgon. Mrs. Vehicle. Dr. Faddle. Dr. Sourcrout. Dick Sable. Captain Petulant. Sir Clerical Orange. Bow-wow. Billy Sonnet. Apostrophe to parsons in liquor. Heroic verse too lofty for vulgar subjects. Lady Puff bestriding Ramrod. Rattana's base attack. Lady Puff's His speech.

He goes for Mrs. Vehicle..

astonishment. Knocks down Rattana. A simile. Resin. Simile. Resin's affliction. Mrs. Vehicle's address to him. fresh levies to the card-room. Pompo Gorgon's speech to She throws him down. Bow-wow addresses her. She knocks him down with her fan. Billy Sonnet's grief and soliloquy. The levies from the card-room enter. Drawcansir. The Gemini. Gaffar Smut. Dr. Vegetable. Dr. Skipper. Morose. Billy Sonnet asks aid of Morose. savage reply. Simile. Dick Sable knocks down Morose. A simile. Impressions made on the combatants by Morose's fall. The confusion increases. Heard by Stroud in the wine-vaults. His speech to his man Jack. Enters the room. His speech to the company. A simile. Universal uproar. Climax of horrors.

His

THIS DAY IS PUBLISHED,

Price 6s. Octavo, in Boards, with a Frontispiece,

THE THIRD EDITION

OF THE

Bath Characters:

OR,

SKETCHES FROM REAL LIFE.

WITH SOME OMISSIONS, AND MANY ADDITIONS;

Amongst which are,

The CODICIL to the Will of the late Peter Paul Pallet, alias Zachary Goosequill,

A PREFACE to the Third Edition,

A POETICAL INVOCATION to the two Masters of the Ceremonies of Bath,

VARIOUS ADDITIONAL ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS,

AND

A POETICAL ADDRESS (or rather Dressing)

Inscribed to the Rev. A-chd-n N- and Co. the Reviewers of the British Critic.

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