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IMITATIONS

OF

ENGLISH POET S.

Done by the AUTHOR in his Youth.

1.

CHAUCER.

WOMEN ben full of Ragerie,

WOM

Yet fwinken nat fans fecrefie.
Thilke moral shall ye understond,
From Schoole-boy's Tale of fayre 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 Trowses hath he hent,
Not to be spied of Ladies gent.

"But ho! our Nephew, (crieth one)
"Ho! quoth another, Cozen John;
And ftoppen, and lough, and callen out,-
This fely Clerk full low doth lout:

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They asken that, and talken this,
"Lo here is Coz, and here is Miss..
But, as he glozeth 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 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.

15

20

II.

SPENSER.

The ALLE Y.

I.

N ev'ry Town, where Thamis rolls his Tyde,

IN

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 fhriller 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.

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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 failor's jacket hangs to dry.

10

At ev'ry door are fun-burnt matrons feen,

15

Mending old nets to catch the scaly fry;

Now finging fhrill, and fcolding eft between;

Scolds anfwer foul-mouth'd fcolds; bad neighbour

hood I ween.

III.

The fnappifh cur, (the paffengers annoy)

Close at my heel with yelping treble flies ;
The whimp'ring girl, and hoarfer-screaming boy,
Join to the yelping treble, fhrilling cries;
The fcolding Quean to louder notes doth rise,
And her full pipes thofe fhrilling cries confound; >
To her full pipes the grunting hog replies;

20

The grunting hogs alarm the neighbours round, And curs, girls, boys, and fcolds, in the deep bafe are drown'd.

IV.

Hard by a Sty, beneath a roof of thatch,

Dwelt Obloquy, who in her early days

Baskets of fish at Billinfgate did watch,

30

Cod, whiting, oyster, mackrel, fprat, or plaice: There learn'd fhe fpeech from tongues that never

ceafe.

Slander befide her, like a Mag-pie, chatters,
With Envy, (fpitting 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.

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Her dugs were mark'd by ev'ry Collier's hand,
Her mouth was black as bull-dogs at the stall:
She fcratched, bit, and fpar'd ne lace ne band,
And bitch and rogue her anfwer was to all;
Nay, e'en the parts of shame by name would call:

35

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