e 'till poor
Sir _John_ was Discarded. Not but the King did it with
the greatest Reluctance; but they had made it a
Religious Concern, and he cou'd not get off on't.

But mark the Consequence: The King never enjoy'd
himself after, nor was it long before he was poison'd
by a Monk at _Swineshead_ Abbey. Then too late he saw
his Error; then he lamented the Loss of Sir _John_;
and in his latest Moments wou'd cry out, Oh! that I
had never parted from my dear _Jack Pudding_! Wou'd I
had never left off Pudding and Dumpling! I then had
never been thus basely Poison'd! never thus
treacherously sent out of the World!----Thus did this
good King lament: But, alas, to no Purpose, the Priest
had given him his Bane, and Complaints were
ineffectual.

Sir _John_, in the mean time, had retir'd into
_Norfolk_, where his diffusive Knowledge extended it
self for the Good of the County in general; and from
that very Cause _Norfolk_ has ever since been so
famous for Dumplings. He lamented the King's Death to
his very last; and was so cautious of being poison'd
by the Priests, that he never touch'd a Wafer to the
Day of his Death; And had it not been that some of the
less-designing part of the Clergy were his intimate
Friends, and eat daily of his Dumplings, he had
doubtless been Made-away with; but they stood in the
Gap for him, for the sake of his Dumplings, knowing
that when Sir _John_ was gone, they should never have
the like again.

But our facetious Knight was too free of his Talk to
be long secure; for a Hole was pick'd in his Coat in
the succeeding Reign, and poor Sir _John_ had all his
Goods and Chattels forfeited to the King's Use. It was
then time for him to bestir himself; and away to Court
he goes, to recover his Lands, _&c._ not doubting but
he had Friends there sufficient to carry his Cause.

But alas! how was he mistaken; not a Soul there knew
him; the very Porters used him rudely. In vain did he
seek for Access to the King, to vindicate his Conduct.
In vain did he claim Acquaintance with the Lords of
the Court; and reap up old Civilities, to remind 'em
of former Kindness; the Pudding was eat, the
Obligation was over: Which made Sir _John_ compose
that excellent Proverb, _Not a word of the Pudding_.
And finding all Means ineffectual, he left the Court
in a great Pet; yet not without passing a severe Joke
upon 'em, in his way, which was this; He sent a
Pudding to the King's Table, under the Name of a
_Court-Puddi