March oe'r the ruin'd plain with motion slow,
Still scatt'ring desolation where they go.
To thee I owe that fatal bent of mind,
Still to unhappy restless thoughts inclin'd;
To thee, what oft I vainly strive to hide,
That scorn of fools, by fools mistook for pride
From thee whatever virtue takes its rise,
Grows a misfortune, or becomes a vice;
Such were thy rules to be poetically great,
“ Stoop not to int’rest, flattery, or deceit;
Nor with hired thoughts be thy devotion paid;
Learn to disdain their mercenary aid ;
Be this thy sure defence, thy brazen wall,
Know no base action, at no guilt turn pale;
And since unhappy distance thus denies
T'expose thy soul, clad in this poor disguise ;
Since thy few ill presented graces seem
To breed contempt where thou hast hoped

esteen.
Madness like this no fancy ever seized,
Still to be cheated, never to be pleased ;
Since one false beam of joy in sickly minds
Is all the poor content delusion finds.
There thy enchantment broke, and from this hout
I here renounce thy visionary pow'r;
And since thy essence on my breath depends,
Thus with a puff the whole delusion ends.

WRITTEN IN A LADY'S IVORY TABLE

BOOK, 1698.
PERUSE my leaves through every part,
And think thou seest my owner's heart,

Scrawl'd

Scrawld o'er with trifles thus, and quite
As hard, as senseless, and as light;
Expos’d to every coxcomb's eyes,
But hid with caution from the wise.
Here you may read, “ Dear charming saint;"
Beneath “A new receipt for paint:”
Here, in beau-spelling,

- Trú tel deth; There, in her own, “For an el breth :"

" Here, “Lovely nymph, pronounce my doom !" There, “A safe way to use perfume:" Here, a page fill'd with billet doux ; On t'other side, “Laid out for shoes”. “ Madam I die without your grace"“ Item, for half a yard of lace.” Who that had wit would place it here, For every peeping fop to jeer? To think that your brains' issue is

'
Expos’d to thi' excrement of his,
In power of spittle 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 such a book, and such a heart,
If he be wealthy, and a fool,
Is in all points the fittest tool;
Of whom it

it may be justly said,
He's a gold pencil tipp'd with lead.

a

MRS.

MRS. FRANCES HARRIS'S PETITION. 1700. To their excellencies the Lords Justices of Ire

land, *

The humble petition of Frances Harris,
Who must starve and die a maid if it miscarries;
Humbly sheweth, that I went to warm myself in

Lady Betty's † chamber, because I was cold; And I had in a purse seven pounds, four shillings,

and six-pence, besides farthings, in money

and gold; So because I had been buying things for my lady

last night, I was resolved to tell my money, to see if it was

‘right. Now, you must know, because my trunk has a

7 very bad lock, Therefore all the money I have, which, God

knows, is a very small stock, I keep in my pocket, tied about my middle, next

my smock.

So when I went to put up my purse, as God would

have it, my smock was unripp'd, And instead of putting it into my pocket, down it

slipp'd; Then the bell rung, and I went down to put my

lady to bed ; And, God knows, I thought' my money was as

maidenhead. So, when I came up again, I found my pocket

feel very light; But when I search'd, and miss'd my purse, Lord !

I thought I should have sunk outright. * The earls of Berkely and of Galway. H. † Lady Betty Berkely, afterwards Germain. H.

Lord !

safe as my

גן

“ Lord ! madam,” says Mary, “how d’ye do?"

“ Indeed,” says I, “never worse : But pray, Mary, can you tell what I have done

with my purse?" “ Lord help me!” says Mary, “I never stirrid

out of this place !” Nay,” said I, “I had it in lady Betty's cham

ber, that's a plain case. So Mary got me to bed, and cover'd me up warm: However, she stole away my garters, that I might

do myself no harm. So I tumbled and toss'd all night, as you may very

well think, But hardly ever set my eyes together, or slept a

wink. So I was a dream’d, methought, that we went and

search'd the folks round, And in a corner of Mrs. Dukes's* box, tied in a

rag, the money was found. So next morning we told Whittlet, and he fell a

swearing: Then

my dame Wadgarfcame; and she, you know,

is thick of hearing. “ Dame," said I, as loud as I could bawl, “do you

” know what a loss I have had?” “ Nay,” said she, “my lord Colway's © folks are

all very sad : For

my lord Dromedary||comes a Tuesday without fail.”

* Wife to one of the footmen. H. + Earl of Berkeley's valet. H.

The old deaf housekeeper. H. Galway. H.

|| The Earl of Drogheda, who with the primate was to succeed the two earls. H, VOL. XVI.

E

“ Pugh!”

a

“ Pugh!” said I, “but that's not the business

" that I ail.” Says Cary,* says he, “I have been a servant this

five and twenty years, come spring, And in all the places I liv’d I never heard of such

a thing.” " Yes,” says the steward, † " I remember when I

I was at my lady Shrewsbury's, Such a thing as this happen'd, just about the time

of gooseberries." So I went to the party suspected, and I found her

full of grief: (Now, you must know, of all things in the world,

I hate a thief:) However, I was resolv'd to bring the discourse

slily about : “ Mrs. Dukes,” said I, “here's an ugly accident

has happen'd out : 'Tis not that I value the money three skips of a

louse; But the thing I stand upon is the credit of the

house. 'Tistrue, seven pounds, four shillings, and sixpence,

makes a great hole in my wages : Besides, as they say, service is no inheritance in

these ages.

Now, Mrs. Dukes, you know, and every body un

derstands, That though 'tis hard to judge, yet money can't