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

* A

TALE OF CHAUCER,

Lately found in an Old Manufcript.

WOMEN, though nat sans leacherie,

swinken but with secrecie :

This in our tale is plain y-fond,
Of clerk that wonneth in Irelond;
Which to the fennes hath him betake

To filch the gray ducke fro the lake.
Right then there passen by the way
His aunt, and eke her daughters tway :
Ducke in his trowzes hath he hent,
Not to be spied of ladies gent.
"But ho! our nephew, (crieth one,)
"Ho! quoth another, couzen John;"
And stoppen, and lough, and callen out,--
This sely clerk full low doth lout.
They asken that, and talken this,
" Lo here is coz, and here is miss."

But,

But, as he gloz'd with speeches foote, The ducke fore tickleth his erse roote: Fore-piece and buttons all to-breft, Forth thrust a white neck and red creft. Te-he, cry'd 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 truston mon, whose yerde can talke.

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 stream is ey'd, And many a boat soft fliding to and fro : There oft' are heard the notes of infant woe, The short thick fob, loud scream, and shriller

fquall:

How can ye, mothers, vex your children so? Some play, fome eat, fome cack againft the

wall,

And, as they crouchen low, for bread and

butter call.

2

II. And

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, arefeeding

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

III.

The snappish cur (the passengers annoy) Close at my heel with yelping treble flies; The whimp'ring girl and hoarfer-fcreaming

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boy

Join to the yelping treble shrilling cries;

The scolding quean to louder notes doth

rife,

And her full pipes those shrilling cries con

found;

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.

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 ceafe.

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

all to tatters.

V.

Her dugswere mark'd by ev'ry collier'shand, Her mouth was black as bull-dogs 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

wou'd call.

Whene'er she passed by a lane or nook, Wou'd greet the man who turn'd him to

the wall,

And by his hand obscene the porter took, Nor ever did askance like modeft virgin look. VI. Such

F

VI.

Such place hath Deptford, navy-building

town;

Woolwich and Wapping, smelling strong of pitch:

SuchLambeth, envy of each band and gown; And Twick'nam fuch, which fairer scenes

enrich,

Grots, statues, urns, and Jo--n's dog and bitch:

Ne village is without, on either fide,
All up the filver Thames, or all a-down;
Ne Richmond's felf, from whose tall front are

ey'd

Vales, spires, meandring streams, and Windfor's tow'ry pride.

* THE CAPON'S TALE,

To a Lady who father'd her Lampoons upon her Acquaintance.

IN Yorkshire dwelt a fober yeoman, Whose wife, a clean, pains-taking wo

man,

Fed num'rous poultry in her pens,
And faw her cocks well serve her hens.

I

A hen

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