In Elections "A Man who must not make the least Pretence / To judge by Reason, or be rul'd by Sence"
— Oldisworth, William (1680-1734)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed, and sold for the Benefit of the author, by George Sawbridge ... Robert Knaplock and Henry Clements [etc.]
Date
1705, 1715
Metaphor
In Elections "A Man who must not make the least Pretence / To judge by Reason, or be rul'd by Sence"
Metaphor in Context
Thus Liberty you see's a Heav'nly Thing,
That some wou'd not exchange to be a King;
While Bribes can make a Senate chosen Free,
And Gallick Wine buy English Liberty:
While good and honest Men these things abhor,
Strong Beer and Brandy makes a Senator.
But 'tis our English Birthright to be Free,
Elections are a kind of Jubilee,
By Custom privileg'd for Villany.
The Mob are then our Sov'reign Lords, that rule,
And who they chuse must be their Idol Fool.
A Man who must not make the least Pretence
To judge by Reason, or be rul'd by Sence,
But must, for what they chuse him, still maintain
Their Liberty and Property to reign.
The People then are mad with Liberty,
Tho' that's the meanest Blessing they enjoy.
Mistaken in their Aim, they miss the End,
That Happiness for which they so contend.
The Use of Liberty is known to few
Who steer aright, and can their Course pursue.
Man's Will's so various, Wise Men only know
What 'tis they wou'd, or what they wou'd not do.
That some wou'd not exchange to be a King;
While Bribes can make a Senate chosen Free,
And Gallick Wine buy English Liberty:
While good and honest Men these things abhor,
Strong Beer and Brandy makes a Senator.
But 'tis our English Birthright to be Free,
Elections are a kind of Jubilee,
By Custom privileg'd for Villany.
The Mob are then our Sov'reign Lords, that rule,
And who they chuse must be their Idol Fool.
A Man who must not make the least Pretence
To judge by Reason, or be rul'd by Sence,
But must, for what they chuse him, still maintain
Their Liberty and Property to reign.
The People then are mad with Liberty,
Tho' that's the meanest Blessing they enjoy.
Mistaken in their Aim, they miss the End,
That Happiness for which they so contend.
The Use of Liberty is known to few
Who steer aright, and can their Course pursue.
Man's Will's so various, Wise Men only know
What 'tis they wou'd, or what they wou'd not do.
Citation
At least 3 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1705, 1715).
Text from State Tracts: Containing Many Necessary Observations and Reflections on the State of our Affairs at Home and Abroad; With some Secret Memoirs. By the Author of the Examiner (London: Printed, and sold ... by George Sawbridge ... Robert Knaplock and Henry Clements, 1715). <Link to LION>
Wrongly attributed to Oldisworth in HDIS (Chadwyck-Healey, LION); corrected in Foxon. I find a 1705 edition in ESTC attributed to Joseph Browne (fl. 1700-1721). See Liberty and Property. A Satyr. (London: Printed and sold by B. Bragg, at the Blue Ball in Ave-Mary-Lane, 1705). <Link to ESTC>
Text from State Tracts: Containing Many Necessary Observations and Reflections on the State of our Affairs at Home and Abroad; With some Secret Memoirs. By the Author of the Examiner (London: Printed, and sold ... by George Sawbridge ... Robert Knaplock and Henry Clements, 1715). <Link to LION>
Wrongly attributed to Oldisworth in HDIS (Chadwyck-Healey, LION); corrected in Foxon. I find a 1705 edition in ESTC attributed to Joseph Browne (fl. 1700-1721). See Liberty and Property. A Satyr. (London: Printed and sold by B. Bragg, at the Blue Ball in Ave-Mary-Lane, 1705). <Link to ESTC>
Date of Entry
09/01/2004
