THE
Noble Mans Generous Kindness,
OR,
The Country-Mans Unexpected Happiness.
Giving a true Account of a Nobleman, who taking notice of the Poor
Man's Industrious Care and pains for the maintaining of his Charge, which was seven small Children, meeting him upon
a day, Discoursed with him, and inviting him and his Wife, with his Children, home to his House, and accordingly bestow-
ed upon him a Farm of Thirty Acres of Land, to be continued to him and his Heirs for ever.
To the Tune of, The two English Travellers. This may be printed, R.P.
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A Noble Man liv'd near a Village of late,
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Hard by a poor Thresher, whose charge it was great
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He had seven Children, & most of them small,
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And none but his Labour to keep them withal.
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He never was given to Idle and Lurk,
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This Noble Man seeing go daily to Work:
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His Flail, with his bag and his bottle of Beer,
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As cheerful as those that had hundreds a year.
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Thus careful and constant each morning he went
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To his dayly Labour with joy and content,
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So jocond and jolly, both Whistle and Sing,
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As blith and as brisk as a Bird in the Spring.
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One morning this Noble Man taking his Walk,
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He met with this Poor Man, and freely did talk;
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He asked him many a Question at large,
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Familiarly talking concerning his Charge.
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Thou hast many Children I very well know,
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Thy Labour is hard, and thy Wages is low,
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And yet thou art cheerful; I pray tell me true,
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How you do maintain them so well as you do.
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I carefully carry home all that I Earn,
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Now daily experience by this I do learn;
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That though it is possible we may live poor,
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We still keep a ravenous Woolf from the door.
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I Reap and I Mow, and I Harrow and Sow,
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Sometimes I to Hedging and Ditching do go:
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No Work comes amiss, for I Thresh and I Plow,
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Thus I eat my Bread by the sweat of my Brow.
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My Wife she is willing to pull in the Yoak,
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We live like two Lambs, and we never provoke
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Each other, but like to the labouring Ant,
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We do our endeavour to keep up from want.
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And when I come home from my Labour at night,
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To my Wife and Children, in whom I delight,
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To hear them come round me with tatling noise,
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Now these are the Riches that poor men enjoys.
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Though I am as weary as weary may be,
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The youngest I commonly dance on my Knee:
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I find that Content is an absolute Feast,
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I never repin'd at my Charge in the least.
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The Noble Man hearing then what he did say,
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Was pleas'd, and invited him home the next day:
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His Wife and his Children he charg'd them to bring
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In token of favour, he gave him a Ring.
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Then thanked his Honour, and taking his leave,
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He went to his Wife, who would hardly believe,
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But that this strange story himself he might raise,
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Yet seeing the Ring she was then in a maze.
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Betimes in the morning the good Wife arose,
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And made them all fine with the best of their Close.
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The good Man and Wife, with his Children small,
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They then was to Dine at the Noble Man's Hall.
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But when they came there, as the truth doth report,
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All things was prepar'd in a plentiful sort:
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And they at the Noble Mans Table did Dine,
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With all sorts of Dainties, with plenty of Wine.
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All this being over, he soon let him know,
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What he then intended on him to bestow:
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A Farm, with full thirty good Acres of Land
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And gave him the Writings then with his own hand
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Because thou wast careful and good to thy wife,
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I'le make thy days happy the rest of thy life
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It shall be for ever to thee and thy Heir,
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For why, I beheld thy Industrious Care.
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No tongue then was able in full to express,
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The depth of their joy, and their true thankfulness:
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With many a Courtsie and Bow to the ground,
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But such Noble Men there is few to be found.
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FINIS.
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