CHEAP REPOSITORY.
THE
BAD BARGAIN;
OR, THE WORLD set up to SALE.
Sold by J. MASRHALL, PRINTER to the CHEAP REPOSITORY for Moral and Religious Tracts) No. 17, Queen-Street, Cheapside, and No. 4, Aldermary Church-Yard. London.
By S. HAZARD, at Bath; J. Elder, at Edinburgh, and by all Booksellers, Newsmen, and Hawkers, in Town and Country.
Great Allowance will be made to Shopkeepers and Hawkers.
PRICE ONE HALFPENNY.
Or 2s. 3d. per 100.—1s. 3d. for 50.—9d. for 25. A cheaper Edition for Hawkers.
[
Entered at Stationers' Hall.
]
THE BAD BARGAIN, &c.
I.
THE Devil, as the Scriptures shew,
Tempts sinful mortals high and low;
And always acting well his part,
He suits his Bribes to every Heart:
See there the Prince of Darkness stands,
With Baits for souls in both his hands.
II.
To one he offers Empires whole,
And gives a Sceptre for a Soul;
To one he freely gives in barter
A Peerage, or a Star and Garter;
To one he pays polite attention,
And begs him just to take a Pension.
III.
Some are so fir'd with love of Fame,
He bribes them by an empty name;
For Fame they toil, they preach, they write,
Give alms, or sally forth and fight;
Prefer Man's praise to God's Salvation,
And sell their Souls for Reputation.
IV.
But the great Gift, the mighty Bribe
Which Satan pours amid the Tribe,
Which thousands seize with eager hasle,
And all desire at least to taste,
Is—plodding Reader!—what d'ye think?
Alas!—'tis money—money—chink!
V.
Round the wide World the Tempter flies,
Presents to view the glittering prize;
See how he goes from shore to shore,
And how the nations all adore;
Souls flock by thousands to be sold
Smit with the love of filthy Gold.
VI.
See at yon needy Tradesman's shop,
The universal Tempter stop;
"Wouldst thou" he cries "encrease thy Treasures,"
"Use lighter weights, and scantier measures,"
"Thus shalt thou thrive;" the Trader's willing,
And sells his Soul to get a Shilling.
VII.
Next Satan to a Farmer hies,
"I scorn to cheat," the Farmer cries;
Yet his whole heart on Wealth was bent,
And so the Devil was content;
Now markets rise and riches roll,
And Satan quite secures his soul.
VIII.
Mark next yon cheerful youth so jolly,
So fond of laughter and of folly;
He hates a stingy griping Fellow,
But gets each day a little mellow;
To Satan too he sells his soul
In barter for a flowing bowl.
IX.
But mark again yon Lass a spinning,
See now the Tempter is beginning:
Some Buck presents a top-knot nice,
She grants her Virtue as the price;
Yields to the Beau so smart and civil,
Her Soul she renders to the Devil.
X.
Thus Satan tries each different State,
With mighty Bribes he tempts the Great,
The Poor with equal Force he plies,
But wins them with an humbler Prize;
Has gentler Arts for young Beginners,
And fouler Sins for older Sinners.
XI.
Oft too he cheats our mortal eyes,
For Satan father is of lies;
A thousand swindling tricks he plays us,
And promises but never pays us;
Thus we poor fools are strangely caught,
And find we've sold our souls for nought.
XII.
Nay oft, with quite a juggler's art,
He bids the proffer'd gift depart;
Sets some gay joy before our face,
Then claps a trouble in it's place;
Sends some huge loss instead of gain,
And conjures pleasure into pain.
XIII.
Be wise then, Oh! ye worldly tribe,
Nor sell your conscience for a Bribe;
When Satan tempts you to begin,
Resist him, and refuse to Sin:
Bad is their Bargain on the whole,
Who gain the world and lose a Soul.
THE END.
On the
1
st of June,
1795,
was published,
The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, Part II.—The Beggarly Boy, a Parable, —and Wild Robert, a Ballad.
On the
1
st of July,
Daniel in the Den of Lions.—The Good Mother's Legacy. —Patient Joc, a Ballad.
On the
1
st of August,
Hints to all Ranks of People.—The Happy Waterman.— The Riot, a Ballad.—The Plowboy's Dream, a Ballad.
On the
1
st of September,
Tom White, Part II.—Noah's Flood.—Dame Andrews Ballad.
On the
1
st of October,
Harvest Home.—Two Farmers, Part I.—Honest Miller, a Ballad.
On the
1
st of November,
The Parable of the Vineyard.—The Two Farmers, Part II. The Sorrows of Yamba, a Ballad.
On the
1
st of December,
The Troubles of Life.—Sorrowful Sain.—Merry Christmas Carol.
On the
1
st of January,
1796. New Thoughts on the New Year.—The History of Mary Wood, the Housemaid.—Robert and Richard, a Ballad
On the
1
st of February,
The Touchstone; or, the Way to know a good Christian. —The Apprentice turned Master; or, the Two Shoemakers,
art II.—The Story of Sinful Sally. Told by herself, a Ballad,
On the
1
st of March,
Onesimus; or, the Run away Servant converted.—Idle Jack Brown; or, the Two Shoemakers, Part III.—Shopkeeper, Part I.
On the
1
st of April,
Conversion of St. Paul.—Jack Brown in Prison; or, the Two Shoemakers, Part IV.—Shopkeeper, Part II.