A hen she had, whose tuneful clocks Drew after her a train of cocks; With eyes so piercing, yet so pleasant, You wou'd have fworn this hen a pheasant. All the plum'd beau-monde round her ga thers; Lord! what a brustling up of feathers ! Morning from noon there was no knowing, There was such flutt'ring, chuckling, crow ing: Each forward bird must thrust his head in, The feather'd dupe awakes content, O'erjoy'd to fee what God had fent; Thinks he'sthehen, clocks, keeps a pother, A foolish fofter-father-mother. Such, lady Mary, are your tricks; But fince you hatch, pray own your chicks; You shou'd be better skill'd in nocks, Nor like your capons serve your cocks. Written in a Lady's Ivory Table-Book. PERUSE my leaves through ev'ry part, And think thou see'st my owner's heart, Scrawl'd o'er with trifles thus, and quite As hard, as senseless, and as light; Expos'd to ev'ry coxcomb's eyes, But hid with caution from the wife. Here you may read, dear charming faint ; Beneath, a new receipt for paint : Here in beau-fpelling, tru tel deth ; There in her own, far 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 fide, laid out for shoes; Madam, I die without your grace ; Item, for half a yard of lace. Who that had wit wou'd place it here For ev'ry peeping fop to jeer? In pow'r 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 fuch a book, and fuch a heart, VERSES ON A LADY'S TABLE-BOOK. 69 If he be wealthy, and a fool, MRS. HARRIS'S PETITION. ! Written in the Year 1701. To their Excellencies the Lords Justices of Ireland *. The humble petition of Frances Harris, Humbly sheweth, That I went to warm myself in lady Betty's † chamber, because I was cold, And I had in a purse seven pound, four shillings, and fix pence, befides farthings, in money and gold : So, because I had been buying things for my lady last night, I was refolv'd to tell my money, to fee if it was right. * Earl of Berkeley, and earl of Galway. † Lady Betty Berkeley. Now you must know, because my trunk Therefore all the money I have, which, So, when I went to put up my purse, as God would have it, my smock was unript, And, instead of putting it into my pocket, down it flipt: Then the bell rung, and I went down to put my lady to bed; And, God knows, I thought my money was as safe as my maidenhead. So, when I came up again, I found my pocket feel very light: But when I fearch'd, and miss'd my purse, Lord! I thought I shou'd have funk outright. Lord! madam, fays 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! said Mary, I never stirr'd out of this place : Nay, faid I, I had it in lady Betty's chamber, that's a plain cafe. So 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 fet 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 ty'd in a rag the money was found. So next morning we told Whittle *, and he fell a swearing: Then my dame Wadgar+ came; and she, you know, is thick of hearing: Dame, faid I, as loud as I could bawl, do you know what a loss I have had? Nay, faid she, my lord ‡ Colway's folks are all very sad; For my lord § Dromedary comes a Tuesday without fail. Pugh! said I, but that's not the bus'ness that I ail. * Earl of Berkeley's valet. keeper. ‡ Galway. § Drogheda, who with the primate was to succeed the two earls. F4 Says |