History & Politics

The Political Magnet

by William Kenrick 1725?–1779

From Poems; Ludicrous, Satirical, and Moral (1768)

History & Politics

Lodg'd in the northern pole, the wise
Affirm a potent loadstone lies,
Of universal sway:
So, in the world of politicks,
B—, the great magnet, there they fix,
Whose influence all obey.

Why then, ye grumblers, do you snarl
To see your patriot made an earl;
And rais'd o'er sin and shame?
C—'s unalterable soul,
True as the needle to the pole,
Is evermore the same.

What, tho' he veer'd from side to side,
'Twixt popularity and pride,
Unsettled in his notions;
Ev'n so the needle quiv'ring plays,
And eastward oft, and westward strays,
Tho' constant in its motions.

See and confess its genuine worth,
When, plainly pointing to the North,
Its wav'ring all is o'er:
Thus to the pole of politicks
At length, lo, P—, in C—sticks,
And veers about no more.

✦ ✦ ✦

A Simile. Written in the Year MDCCLXVI.

MLA

Kenrick, William. “The Political Magnet.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/kenrick/6/.

Chicago

Kenrick, William. “The Political Magnet.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/kenrick/6/.

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