that luxurious _Roman_, who was once so dissolv’d in ease, as that a very rose-leaf doubled under him, prevented his rest, is now labouring at the anvil with a half hundred hammer; _Oliver Cromwell_ is a rat-catcher, and my lord _Bellew_ a chimney-sweeper. There was besides these, a list of people nearer hand; but you may easily guess upon what score they are left out of the list. We needed not have gone so far back in the records of persons and things, to have met instances of barbarity, luxury, avarice, lust of dominion, as well as of sensuality. Malversations of government in sovereigns and subjects; publick justice avoided, private feuds fomented, every thing sacrificed to a _Colbert_, _Maintenon_, or a _Loüis_. There is somebody hollows most damnably on the other side of _Styx_, and lest I lose this opportunity, I shall only relate some memorable things to you: Therefore pray pardon me that I cannot dilate upon every particular. In short then, _Alexander_ the Great is bully to a guinea-dropper; and cardinal _Mazarine_ keeps a nine-holes; _Mary_ of _Medicis_ foots stockings, and _Katherine_, queen of _Sweedland_ cries two bunches a penny card-matches, two bunches a penny; _Henry_ the fourth of _France_ carries a rary-show; and _Mahomet_, muscles; _Seneca_ keeps a fencing-school, and _Julius Cæsar_ a two-penny ordinary; _Xenophon_, that great philosopher, cries cucumbers to pickle; and _Cato_ is the perfectest Sir _Courtly_ of the whole _Plutonian_ kingdom; _Richelieu_ cries topping bunno; and the late pope, any thing to day; _Lewis_ the thirteenth is a corn-cutter; _Gustavus Adolphus_ cries sparrowgrass, with a thousand more particulars of this nature. You must allow the scenes to be mightily alter’d from their former stations; but alas! Sir, this change we suffer, and as pleasure is the reward of virtue, so disgrace and infamy is of cruelty, pride, and hypocrisy. What can be more surprising than to see the renowned _Penthefilea_, queen of the _Amazons_, crying new almanacks, and _Darius_ gingerbread, _van Trump_ cries ballads, and admiral _de Ruyter_ long and strong thread-laces. This disproportion is their punishment; for it must be anxious to the last degree, to fall so low even beyond a possibility of rising again. That is the advantage of moving in an humble sphere; they are not capable of those enormities that the great ones can hardly avoid; for temptation will generally have the better of mankind. _I rest_, _Yours in haste._ [Illustration] PERKIN WARBECK _to the pretended Prince of_ Wales. _By Capt._ AYLOFF. _Dear Cousin Sham_,