THE GRAVE-DIGGER's ADDRESS TO THE PRINCE OF WALES

Go on, brave Prince,—increase your debts, They'll all be reimbursed; So many friends do you support, The rest are easy forced— Go on, I say—advance your cause. You'll soon come to the crown, sir, And then with wars and luxury You'll make my pot boil brown, sir. Yet merrily will the People dance, And merrily will they caper, Merrily will they all rejoice When freed from such a creature,

An honour to the land you're sure, To have in it blood royal; And tho' the Peasant toils for you, He's hang'd if not quite loyal. Why then should God's anointed band In luxury be bounded, Then throw the public wealth away, As if the nation found it. Yet merrily, &c.

When men for liberty shall call, You must like asses load them; And then the smoother they will go, When you incline to goad them: They'll cry you're then a mighty prince A noble benefactor, And pliant to your will they'll be, As if you were protector. Yet merrily, &c.

But now as to your King-chance, sir, Indeed I would not buy it, Or if I had it in my pow'r I would not like to try it. I would as soon a Tinker be, And buckle on my budget, As live upon the starving poor, And hear mankind begrudge it. Yet merrily, &c.

Farewell great, noble, royal sir— Your titles I've forgot them, But if I had them in my pow'r, I certainly would ROT them; By ME, indeed, you should be prais'd, Likewise your ROYAL DAD, sir, For by his wars, and your excess, I've got a fat Church-yard, sir. Yet merrily will the People dance, And merrily will they caper; Merrily will they all rejoice, When freed from such a creature.