Thus spoke: 'Since, bent on private gain, Your counsels first misled my reign, Taught and informed by you alone, No truth the royal ear hath known, _80 Till here conversing. Hence, ye crew, For now I know myself and you.' Whene'er the royal ear's engross'd, State-lies but little genius cost. The favourite then securely robs, And gleans a nation by his jobs. Franker and bolder grown in ill, He daily poisons dares instil; And, as his present views suggest, Inflames or soothes the royal breast. _90 Thus wicked ministers oppress, When oft the monarch means redress. Would kings their private subjects hear, A minister must talk with fear. If honesty opposed his views, He dared not innocence excuse. 'Twould keep him in such narrow bound, He could not right and wrong confound. Happy were kings, could they disclose Their real friends and real foes! _100 Were both themselves and subjects known, A monarch's will might be his own. Had he the use of ears and eyes, Knaves would no more be counted wise. But then a minister might lose (Hard case!) his own ambitious views. When such as these have vexed a state, Pursued by universal hate, Their false support at once hath failed, And persevering truth prevailed. _110 Exposed their train of fraud is seen; Truth will at last remove the screen. A country squire, by whim directed, The true stanch dogs of chase neglected. Beneath his board no hound was fed, His hand ne'er stroked the spaniel's head. A snappish cur, alone caress'd, By lies had banished all the rest. Yap had his ear; and defamation Gave him full scope of conversation. _120 His sycophants must be preferr'd, Room must be made for all his herd: Wherefore, to bring his schemes about, Old faithful servants all must out. The cur on every creature flew, (As other great men's puppies do,) Unless due court to him were shown, And both their face and business known, No honest tongue an audience found: He worried all the tenants round; _130 For why, he lived in constant fear, Lest truth, by chance, should interfere. If any stranger dare intrude, The noisy cur his heels pursued. Now fierce with rage, now struck with dread, At once he snarled, bit, and fled. Aloof he bays, with bristling hair, And thus in secret growls his fear: 'Who knows but truth, in this disguise, May frustrate my best-guarded lies? _140 Should she (thus masked) admittance find, That very hour my ruin's signed.' Now, in his howl's continued sound, Their words were lost, their voice was drown'd. Ever in awe of honest tongues, Thus every day he strained his lungs. It happened, in ill-omened hour, That Yap, unmindful of his power, Forsook his post, to love inclined; A favourite bitch was in the wind. _150 By her seduced, in amorous play, They frisked the joyous hours away. Thus, by untimely love pursuing,