Aaron Hill (1685-1750). A Useful Hint. William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. 1909. The Book of Georgian Verse

William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Georgian Verse. 1909.

A Useful Hint

By Aaron Hill (1685–1750)


TENDER-HANDED stroke a nettle,
And it stings you for your pains;
Grasp it like a man of mettle,
And it soft as silk remains.

’Tis the same with common natures,	5
Use them kindly they rebel;
But be rough as nutmeg graters,
And the rogues obey you well.