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The Folly and Fashion of the present Time.
Come listen a while you need not tarry long,
All ranks give attention as by me you throng,
The truth you shall bear by the words of a song,
Of the rigs and rhymes on the times,
In this most wonderful, wonderful age.
Defrauding, delusion, and bilking's the plan,
The way of the world now is cheat as cheat can,
And the far biggest rogue, Sir, is now the best man,
Who can bounce and fly, swear, lie, and deny,
'Tis the way to now thrive as the world now goes.
With confusion and bustle for money they drive,
The rich would devour the poor up alive,
And one neighbour don't like another to thrive,
For wrong or right they backbite, full of spite,
Laugh in their sleeve at their neighbour's downfal.
Here is Lady Squab with her moonify'd face,
By her I'll describe you this backbiting-race,
Who 'twou'd puzzle a lawyer their actions to trace,
To know your miud how they twine, seem so kind,
Yet would cut your throat if your back be but turn'd.
They're most of them gossips with what news I pray?
Why can't you come in, no indeed & can't stay,
Tho' to tattle and slander they'll gossip all day,
In dirty trim, out and in, drinking gin.
Complain of bad husbands, but few of such wives.
A new tea-drinking fashion of late they've got in,
Such an excellent mode they think it no sin,
To borrow tea-kettles, to pawn them for gin,
And swear black's white, wrong or right, to come by't,
Of this tea-drinking fashion good women beware.
