The ignorant and idle
Believe what they read
A capitalised nostrum
To meet every need

Give the elixir a trial
Show it to your sense
How the most improbable
Has such great expense?

Yet the power of the word
Disguises the bluff
Flattering with secret hope
Makes the venal puff

Inspired by William Hazlitt’s essay ‘On Patronage and Puffing’