Many folks of discernment the story believed, And the devil himself it at first had deceived, Had it not been that Satan imported the stuff, And signed it George Rodney, by way of high proof.[154]
Said Satan to Jemmy, "Let's give them the whappers-- "Some news I have got that will bring in the coppers, "And truth it shall be, though I pass it for lies, "And making a page of your newspaper size.
"A wide field is open to favour my plan, "And the rebels may prove that I lie--if they can; "Since they jested and laughed at our lying before, "Let it pass for a lie, to torment them the more.
"My wings are yet wet with the West-India dew, "And Rodney I left, to come hither to you, "I left him bedeviled with brimstone and smoke, "The French in distress, and their armament broke.
"For news so delightful, with heart and with voice "The Tories of every degree may rejoice; "With charcoal and sulphur shall utter their joy "'Till they all get as black as they paint the old Boy."
Thus, pleased with the motion, each cutting a caper, Down they sat at the table, with pen, ink, and paper; In less than five minutes the matter was stated, And Jemmy turned scribe, while Satan dictated.
"Begin (said the devil) in the form of a Letter, "(If you call it true copy, 'tis so much the better) "Make Rodney assert he met the French fleet, "Engaged it, and gave 'em a total defeat.
"But the better to vamp up a show of reality, "The tale must be told with circumstantiality, "What vessels were conquered by Britain's bold sons, "Their quotas of men, and their number of guns.
"There's the _Villa de Paris_--one hundred and ten-- "Write down that George Rodney has killed half her men-- "That her hull and her rigging are shattered and shaken, "Her flag humbled down, and her admiral taken.
"_Le Cesar_, 'tis true, is a seventy-four, "But the _Villa de Paris_ was thirty-six more; "With a grey goose's quill if that ship we did seize on, "_Le Cesar_ must fall, or I'll know what's the reason.
"The next that I fix on to take is the _Hector_, "(Her name may be Trojan, but shall not protect her) "Don't faulter, dear comrade, and look like a goose, "If we've taken these three, we can take _Glorieuse_.
"The last mentioned ship runs their loss up to four, "_Le Diadem_ sunk, shall make it one more; "And now, for the sake of round numbers, dear cousin, "Write _Ardent_, and then we have just half-a-dozen!"