Fore-piece and buttons all to-brest,
Forth thrust a white neck and red crest.

Te-he," cried ladies; clerke nought spake; Miss star'd; and gray ducke crieth “ quaake. "O moder, moder," quoth the daughter, "Be thilke same thing maids longen a'ter? Bette is to pyne on coals and chalke, Then trust on mon, whose yerde can talke."

II. SPENSER,

THE ALLEY.

I.

In ev'ry town where Thamis rolls his tide,
A narrow pass there is, with houses low;
Where ever and anon the stream is eyed,
And many a boat soft sliding to and fro:
There oft are heard the notes of infant woe,
The short thick sob, loud scream, and shriller squall:
How can ye, mothers, vex your children so;
Some play, some eat, some 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 stinking sprat and herring lie;
A brandy and tobacco shop is near,

And hens, and dogs, and hogs, are feeding by:
And here a sailor's jacket hangs to dry;
At every door are sun-burnt matrons seen,
Mending old nets to catch the scaly fry;

Now singing shrill, and scolding oft between; Scolds answer foul-mouth'd scolds; bad neighbourhood, I ween.

III.

The snappish cur (the passenger's annoy)
Close at my heel with yelping treble flies:
The whimp'ring girl and hoarser screaming boy
Join to the yelping treble shrilling cries;
The scolding quean to louder notes doth rise,
And her full pipes those shrilling cries confound
To her full pipes the grunting hog replies;
The grunting hogs alarm the neighbours round,
And curs, girls, boys, and scolds, in the deep base
are drown'd.

IV.

Hard by a sty, beneath a roof of thatch,
Dwelt Obloquy, who in her early days,
Baskets of fish at Billingsgate did watch,

Cod, whiting, oyster, mackrel, sprat or plaice :
There learn'd she speech from tongues that never

cease.

Slander beside her, like a magpie chatters,
With Envy (spitting cat) dread foe to peace;
Like a curs'd cur, Malice before her clatters,
And, vexing, ev'ry wight, tears clothes and all to

tatters.

V.

Her dugs were mark'd by ev'ry collier's hand,
Her mouth was black as bulldog's at the stall;
She scratched, bit, and spar'd ne lace ne band:
And bitch and rogue her answer was to all;

Nay, e'en the parts of shame by name would call, Whene'er she passed by or lane or nook,

Would greet the man who turn'd him to the wall, And by his hand obscene the porter took, Nor ever did askance like modest virgin look.

VI.

Such place hath Deptford, navy-building town; Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch:

Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown; And Twick'nam such, which fairer scenes enrich,

Grots, statues, urns, and Jon's dog and bitch;

Ne village is without, on either side,

All up the silver Thames, or all adown; Ne Richmond's self, from whose tall front are ey'd Vales, spires, meand'ring streams, and Windsor's tow'ry pride.

III. EARL OF DORSET.

ARTEMISIA.

THOUGH Artemisia talks, by fits,
Of councils, classics, fathers, wits;

Reads Malbranche, Boyle, and Locke :

*By Artemisia, Pope has been thought to have meant queen Caroline. It certainly bears in many points a resemblance, but coloured by spleen. She became corpulent; and Mr Coxe ob

Yet in some things, methinks, she fails; 'Twere well, if she would pare her nails, And wear a cleaner smock.

Haughty and huge as High-Dutch bride
Such nastiness, and so much pride,
Are oddly join'd by fate:

On her large squab you find her spread,
Like a fat corpse upon a bed,

That lies and stinks in state.

She wears no colours (sign of grace)
On any part except her face;
All white and black beside:
Dauntless her look, her gesture proud,
Her voice theatrically loud,

And masculine her stride.

So have I seen, in black and white,
A prating thing, a magpie hight,
Majestically stalk;

A stately, worthless animal,

That plies the tongue, and wags the tail,
All flutter, pride, and talk.*

motley cha

serves, "Her levees were a strange mixture of the racter and manners of a queen and learned woman. She received company while at her toilette-Learned men and divines were intermixed with courtiers and ladies of the household. The conversation turned upon metaphysical subjects, blended with the tittle-tattle of the drawing-room."-Coxe's Memoirs.

* Let the curious reader compare Fenton's imitation of Dorset's manner with this of Pope.Dr WARTON.

PHRYNE.

PHRYNE had talents for mankind;
Open she was, and unconfin'd,
Like some free port of trade!
Merchants unloaded here their freight,
And agents from each foreign state
Here first their entry made.

Her learning and good breeding such,
Whether th' Italian or the Dutch,
Spaniards or French came to her,
To all obliging she'd appear;
'Twas Si signior, 'twas Yaw mynheer,
'Twas S'il vous plait, monsieur.

Obscure by birth, renown'd by crimes,
Still changing names, religions, climes,
At length she turns a bride:

In diamonds, pearls, and rich brocades,
She shines the first of batter'd jades,
And flutters in her pride.

So have I known those insects fair,
Which curious Germans hold so rare,
Still vary shapes and dies;

Still gain new titles with new forms;
First grubs obscene, then wriggling worms,
Then painted butterflies.