And stoppen, and lough, and callen out-
This fely clerk full low doth lout.
They afken that, and talken this,
"Lo here is coz, and here is Mifs."
But as he gloz'd with fpeeches foote,
The ducke fore tickleth his erfe roote:
Fore-piece and buttons all to-breft,
Forth thruft a white neck and red creft.

Te-he, cry'd ladies; clerke nought fpake;
Mifs ftar'd; and gray ducke crieth quaake.
"O moder, moder," (quoth the daughter)
"Be thilke fame thing maids longen a❜ter?
"Bette is to pine on coals and chalke,

"Then trust on mon, whofe yerde can talke.”

*The

ALLE Y.

An Imitation of SPENCER.

N ev'ry town where Thamis rolls his tide,

IN

A narrow pass there is, with houfes low; Where ever and anon the stream is ey'd, And many a boat foft fliding to and fro.

15

20

25

;

There oft' are heard the notes of infant-woe,
The short thick fob, loud fcream, and shriller fquall :
How can ye, mothers, vex your children fo?
Some play, fome eat, fome cack against the wall,
And, as they crouchen low, for bread and butter call.
II.

And on the broken pavement, here and there,
Doth many a ftinking fprat and herring lie;
A brandy and tobacco shop is near,

And hens, and dogs, and hogs are feeding by

And here a failor's jacket hangs to dry. `At' ev'ry door are fun-burnt matrons seen,

Mending old nets to catch the scaly fry; Now finging shrill, and fcolding oft between ; Scolds anfwer foul-mouth'd scolds; bad neighbourhood, I ween.

III.

20

The fnappifh cur (the paffengers annoy) Clofe at my heel with yelping treble flies; The whimp'ring girl, and hoarfer-fcreaming boy, Join to the yelping treble, fhrilling cries; The fcolding quean to louder notes doth rife, And her full pipes thofe fhrilling cries confound; To her full pipes the grunting hog replies; The grunting hogs alarm the neighbours round, And curs, girls, boys, and fcolds, in the deep base are drown'd.

IV.

Hard by a fty, beneath a roof of thatch,
Dwelt Obloquy, who in her early days

25.

Baskets of fish at Billingsgate did watch,

30

Cod, whiting, oyfter, mackrel, fprat, or plaice': There learn'd the fpeech from tongues that never ceafe Slander befide her, like a magpie chatters,

With Envy, (fpitting cat) dread foe to peace;
Like a curs'd cur, Malice before her clatters, 35
And, vexing ev'ry wight, tears cloaths and all to tatters
V.

Her dugs were mark'd by ev'ry collier's hand,
Her mouth was black as bull-dogs at the stall :
She fcratched, bit, and spar'd ne lace ne band.;.
And bitch and rogue her anfwer was to all;
Nay, e'en the parts of shame by name would call.
When'er the paffed by a lane or nook,

40

Would greet the man who turn'd him to the wall, And by his hand obfcene the porter took,

Nor ever did askance like modest virgin look. 45

VI.

Such place hath Deptford, Navy-building town;
Woolwich and Wapping, fmelling ftrong of pitch:
Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown ;.
-And Twick'nam fuch, which fairer scenes enrich,
Grots, ftatues, urns, and Jo-n's dog and bitch:
Ne village is without, on either fide,

All up the filver Tames, or all a-down;

Ne Richmon's felf, from whofe tall front are ey'd Vales, fpires, meandring ftreams, and Windfor's tow'ry pride..

* The CA PON'S TALE.

To a Lady who fathered her lampoons upon her acquaintance.

N Yorkshire dwelt a fober yeoman,

IN

Whofe wife, a clean, pains-taking woman, Fed num'rous poultry in her pens,

And faw her cocks well serve her hens.

A hen fhe had, whofe tuneful clocks

Drew after her a train of cocks;
With eyes fo piercing, yet so pleasant,
You would have fworn this hen a pheasant.
All the plum'd beau-monde round her gathers;
Lord! what a brustling up of feathers!
Morning from noon there was no knowing,
There was fuch flatt'ring, chuckling, crowing:
Each forward bird must thruft his head in,
And not a cock but would be treading.

YET tender was this hen fo fair,

And hatch'd more chicks than fhe could rear.

15

OUR prudent dame bethought her then
Of fome dry-nurfe to fave her hen:
She made a capon drunk; in fine
He eat the fops, fhe fipp'd the wine;
His rump well pluck'd with nettles ftings,
And claps the brood beneath his wings.
THE feather'd dupe awakes content,
O'erjoy'd to fee what God had fent;

20

Thinks he's the hen, clocks, keeps a pother,

25

A foolish fofter-father-mother.

SUCH, Lady Mary, are your tricks ;

But fince you hatch, pray own your chicks;
You should be better skill'd in nocks,

Nor, like your capons, ferve your cocks.

30

VERSES written in a Lady's ivory table book.

Written in the year 1706.

PERUSE my leaves thro' ev'ry part,

And think thou seeft my owner's heart,
Scrawl'd o'er with trifles thus, and quite
As hard, as fenfelefs, and as light;
Expos'd to ev'ry coxcomb's eyes,
But hid with caution from the wife.

Here you may read, Dear charming faint:
Beneath, A new receipt for paint :
Here in beau-fpelling, Tru tel deth;
There in her own, Far an el breth :
Here, Lovely nymph, pronounce my doom
There, A fafe way to use perfume:
Here a page fill'd with billetdoux ;
On t'other fide, Laid out for fboes ;
Madam, I die without your grace ;
Item, for half a yard of lace.

Who that had wit would place it here,
For ev'ry peeping føp to jeer?
In pow'r of fpittle, and a clout,
Whene'er he please, to blot it out;
And then, to heighten the disgrace,
Clap his own nonsense in the place.
Whoe'er expects to hold his part
In fuch a book, and fuch a heart,
If he be wealthy, and a fool,
Is in all points the fittest tool;
Of whom it may be justly faid,
He's a gold pencil tipp'd with lead..

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25

Mrs HARRIS'S PETITION*.

Written in the year 1701.

To their Excellencies,

The Lords Juftices of Ireland †,

The bumble Petition of Frances Harris,

Who must farve, and die a maid, if it miscarries,

Humbly Sherweth,

T

HAT I went to warm myself in Lady Betty's
chamber, because I was cold;

And I had in a purfe feven pounds four fhillings and fixpence, befides farthings, in money and gold:

* When the Earl of Berkely was one of the Lords Justices of Ireland, Swift's true poetical vein (Pindaric flights being entirely out of the road of his talents) began to difcover itself in fome occafional

Earl of Berkely, and Earl of Galway.
Lady Betty Berkely.