— A wolf who had been a lawyer. —

By roguery, 'tis true,
I opulent grew,
Just like any other professional sinner;
An orphan, d'ye see,
Would just wash down my tea,
And a poor friendless widow would serve me for dinner.

I was, to be sure,
Of the helpless and poor
A guardian appoin'ed to manage the pelf;
And I manag'd it well,
But how — says you — tell?
Why I let them all st. rve, to take care of myself.

II.

With these tricks I went on
Till, faith sir, anon
A parcel of stupid, mean-spirited souls,
As they narrowly watch'd me,
Soon at my tricks catch'd me,
And, in the'r own words, haul'd me over the coals.

In the pillory, that fate
For rogues, soon or late,
I stood, for the sport of a dissolute mob;
Till my neck Master Ketch
Was so eager to stretch,
That I gave the thing up as a dangerous job.

III.

Now a wolf — from their dams
I steal plenty of lambs,
Pamper'd high, and well fed — an insatiable glutton —
In much the same sphere
When a man, I move here,
Make and break laws at pleasure, and kill my owe mutton.

Then since, for the'r sport,
No one here moves the court,
Nor am I amenable to an employer,
I shall ever prefer,
With your leave, my good sir,
The life of a wolf to the life of a lawyer.