'Tis one to me.

"Then tell us pray,

"When are the troops to have their pay ?"

And though I folemnly declare

100

I know no more than my lord-mayor,
They stand amaz'd, and think me grown
The clofeft mortal ever known.
Thus in a fea of folly tofs'd

105

My choiceft hours of life are loft;
Yet always wishing to retreat,
Oh, could I fee my country-feat!
There leaning near a gentle brook,
Sleep, or perufe fome ancient book! 110
And there in fweet oblivion drown

Those cares that haunt the court and town!

101. Jurantem me fcire nibil, mirantur, ut unum Scilicet egregii mortalem altique filenti.

108. O rus, quando ego te afpiciam, quandoque licebit Nunc veterum libris, nunc fomno, et inertibus hor Ducere follicita jucunda oblivia vite?

* THE

HAPPY LIFE

OF A

COUNTRY PARSON.

In Imitation of MARTIAL.

PARSON, these things in thy poffeffing
Are better than the bishop's bleffing.
A wife that makes conferves; a feed
That carries double when there's need;
October ftore, and beft Virginia,
Tythe-pig, and mortuary guinea;
Gazettes fent gratis down, and frank'd,
For which thy patron's weekly thank’d:
A large concordance, bound long fince;
Sermons to Charles the firft, when prince;
A chronicle of antient standing;
A Chryfoftom to smooth thy band in;
The Polyglott,-three parts,—my text—
Howbeit, likewife—now to my next,-
Lo here the Septuagint,—and Paul,—
To fum the whole,-the clofe of all.
He that has thefe, may pass his life,
Drink with the 'fquire, and kiss his wife;
On Sundays preach, and eat his fill;
And faft on Fridays-if he will;

Toaft

Toast church and queen, explain the news,
Talk with church-wardens about pews,
Pray heartily for some new gift,
And shake his head at doctor Swift.

* A

TALE OF CHAUCER.

Lately found in an Old Manufcript.

WOMEN, though nat fans leacherie,

fwinken but with fecrecie :

This in our tale is plain y-fond,
Of clerk that wonneth in Ireland;
Which to the fennes hath him betake
To filch the gray ducke fro the lake.
Right then there paffen by the way
His aunt, and eke her daughters tway;
Ducke in his trowzes hath he hent,
Not to be fpied of ladies gent.
"But ho! our nephew, (crieth one,)
“Ho! quoth another, couzen John;'
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,

But, as he gloz'd with speeches foote, The ducke fore tickleth his erfe roote: Fore-piece and buttons all to-brest, 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 pyne on coals and chalke, "Then trust onmon, whofe yerde cantalke.

IN

*THE ALLEY.

An Imitation of SPENCER.

I.

N ev'ry town where Thamis rolls his tide A narrow pass there is, with houses low; Where ever and anon the ftream is ey'd, And many a boat soft fliding to and fro: Thereoft are heard the notes of infant woe, The short thick fob, loud fcream, and fhriller 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

II.

And on the broken pavement here and there
Doth many a stinking fprat and herringlie;
A brandy and tobacco-fhop 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 feen, Mending old nets to catch the scaly fry; Nowfinging fhrill,and fcolding oft between; Scolds anfwer foul-mouth'd fcolds; bad neighbourhood, I ween.

III.

The fnappifh cur (the paffengers annoy) Close 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.