contingencies

king George III sacked Pitt, who'd won the war
then clawed up all the sterling he could get
imposing tariffs never dreamed before
assuaging budget hawks afraid of debt
the Navigation Acts shut up our ports
to any ship without a British flag
and colonists got short shrift in the courts
the Crown had all the judges in the bag
the Western Lands, he dealt out of the deck
protecting first-growth forests from the ax
administ'ring these lands out of Quebec
to spare the Natives from settlers' attacks
the widest empire Britain ever had
was doomed to split when George III went mad