My honest homely words were carp'd and censur'd, Thy hungry minions thought their rights invaded, DRYDEN. Don Sebastian, activ. You have not visited the court, Cha mont, Since your return? I have no business there; I have not slavish temperance enough To attend a favourite's heels, and watch his smiles, Bear an ill office done me to my face, And thank the lord that wrong'd me, for his fa vour. I doubt there's deep resentment in his mind For the late slight his honour suffer'd there.. Has he not reason? 1 had borne, When for what he Long, hard, and faithful toil, he might have claim'd A huffing, shining, flatt'ring, cringing coward, Go to the camp, preferment's noblest mart, Where honour ought to have the fairest play, you'll find Corruption Corruption, envy, discontent, and faction, Have spent their blood in their dear country's service; Yet now pine under want, while selfish slaves, That e'en could cut their throats whom now they fawn on, Like deadly locusts, eat the honey up, Which those industrious bees so hardly toil'd for. Avoid both courts and camps, Where dilatory fortune plays the jilt With the brave, noble, honest, gallant man, To throw herself away on fools and knaves. Who merit, ought indeed to rise i' th' world; But no wise man that's honest should expect. What man of sense would rack his gen'rous mind, To practise all the base formalities And forms of business? force a grave starch'd face, Seem not to know this or that man in public, * No flatt'ry, boy, an honest man can't live by't; It is a little sneaking art, which knaves Use to cajole and soften fools withal. If thou hast flatt'ry in thy nature, out with't, "Tis 'Tis next to money current there, To be seen daily in as many forms A's there are sorts of vanities and men. 1 OFWAY. Orphan, act i. and ii. WOULD you be happy, leave this fatal place; Fly from the court's pernicious neighbourhood, Where innocence is shunn'd, and blushing modesty Is made the scorner's jest: where hate, deceit, And deadly ruin, wear the mask of beauty, And draw deluded fools with shows of pleasure. ROWE. Jane Shore, act i. I AM no courtier, no fawning dog of state, SEWEL. Walter Raleigh, aes THE Court's a golden, but a fatal circle, Upon whose magic skirts a thousand devils In chrystal forms sit tempting innocence; And beckon early virtue from its centre. LEE. Nero, act ii. THOU art too good for courts-where ruin preys On innocence; and nought but guile is safe. Shame on the great! why long'd my eyes for courts? Haughty Haughty of heart, why have they souls thus abject? You threaten, praise, fright, flatter, and insult me! Gods! what a creeping, climbing, hot, cold crea ture, Is this big, little flutt'rer, called a courtier. MINISTERS. FALSEHOOD and insincerity, unsuitable as they seem to the dignity of public transactions, offend us ith a less degrading idea of meanness, than when they are found in the intercourse of private life. In the latter, they discover a want of courage; in the other only a defect of power: and as it is impossible for the most able statesmen to subdue millions of followers and enemies by their own personal strength, the world, under the name of policy, seems to have granted them a very liberal indulgence of craft and dissimulation. GIBBON. Roman Empire, vol. i. 119. I HAD formerly upon occasion discoursed with my master upon the nature of government in general, and particularly of our own excellent constitution, deservedly the wonder and envy of the whole world. But having here accidentally mentioned a minister of state, he commanded me some time after to inform him, what species of yahoo I particularly meant by that appellation. I told |