I.
W
CHAUCER.
OMEN ben full of Ragerie,
Yet fwinken nat fans fecrefie.
Thilke moral fhall ye understond,
From Schoole-boy's Tale of fayre Irelond:
Which to the Fennes hath him betake,
To filche the gray Ducke fro the Lake.
Right then, there paffen by the way
His Aunt, and eke her Daughters tway.
Ducke in his Trowfes hath he hent,
Not to be spied of Ladies gent.
"But ho! our Nephew, (crieth one)
"Ho! quoth another, Cozen 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, as he glozeth with Speeches soote, 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 spake: Mifs ftar'd; and gray Ducke crieth Quaake. "O Moder, Moder, (quoth the daughter) "Be thilke fame thing Maids longer a'ter? "Bette is to pyne on coals and chalke, "Then truft on Mon, whofe yerde can talke.”
25
I.
IN
N ev'ry Town, where Thamis rolls his Tyde, 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, 5 The short thick Sob, loud Scream, and thriller Squall:
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, 10
Doth many a stinking sprat and herring lie;
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, 15
Mending old nets to catch the fcaly fry;
Now finging fhrill, and scolding eft between;
Scolds anfwer foul-mouth'd fcolds; bad neigh-
bourhood I ween.
III.
The fnappifh cur (the paffengers annoy)
Close at my heel with yelping treble flies; 20
The whimp'ring girl, and hoarser-screaming 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; 25
The grunting hogs alarm the neighbours round,
And curs, girls, boys, and fcolds, in the deep bafe
are drown'd.
IV.
30
Hard by a Sty, beneath a roof of thatch,
Dwelt Obloquy, who in her early days
Baskets of fish at Billingfgate did watch,
Cod, whiting, oyfter, mackrel, fprat, or plaice:
There learn'd she speech from tongues that never
cease.
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