8th August 1812: Poem 'Bella, horrida bella'

This poem appeared in the Saturday 8th August 1812 edition of the Leeds Mercury:

Bella, horrida bella.
VIDE GAZETTE.


How fast some little time ago,
Our spinning Jenny seem’d to go;
How buisy was the Loom!
Order resum’d her peaceful reign!
And LUDD, and all his sooty train,
Were swept away by BROOME.


But Peace and Plenty little weigh
With fighting men—like CASTLEREAGH:
And now our PREMIER’S plot is—
To quarrel with our old allies,
And very largely subsidize
A crew of BERNADOTTE’S!!


And now they’ll gull poor MISTER BULL,
And swear as purse is fill’d so full,
By war and by disaster—
That Heaps of Gold must fly like chaff
To One of—BONAPARTE’S STAFF,
Who’ll keep it for—his MASTER!!


But—Oh what news! To gain the CZAR!
To gain—another glorious war
Across the wide Atlantic!
Why! All these glories on his head,
With want of work and want of bread,
Will make poor JOHN quite frantic!