“Born, God knows where, supported, God knows how, From whom descended, difficult to know. _Lord Crop_[15] adopts him as a bosom friend, And manly dares his character defend. This self-dubb’d Count, some few years since became A Brother Mason in a borrow’d name; For names like _Semple_ numerous he bears, And Proteus like, in fifty forms appears. ‘Behold in me (he says) Dame Nature’s child, ‘Of Soul benevolent, and Manners mild; ‘In me the guiltless Acharat behold, ‘Who knows the mystery of making Gold; ‘A feeling heart I boast, a conscience pure, ‘I boast a Balsam every ill to cure; ‘My Pills and Powders, all disease remove, ‘Renew your vigor, and your health improve.’ {74} This cunning part the arch impostor acts, And thus the weak and credulous attracts, But now, his history is rendered clear, The arrant hypocrite, and quack appear. First as _Balsams_, he to paint essay’d, But only daubing, he renounc’d the trade. Then, as a Mountebank, abroad he stroll’d And many a name on Death’s black list enroll’d. Three times he visited the British shore, And every time a different name he bore. The brave Alsatians he with ease cajol’d By boasting of Egyptian forms of old. The self-same trick he practis’d at Bourdeaux, At Strasburg, Lyons, and at Paris too. But fate for _Brother Mash_ reserv’d the task To strip the vile impostor of his mask, May all true Masons his plain tale attend And Satire’s lash to fraud shall put an end.” [15] Lord George Gordon. VI.