IMITATIONS

O F

ENGLISH POETS.

I.

CHAUCER.

WOMEN ben full of Ragerie,

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 paffen 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 stoppen, and lough, and callen out,-
This fely Clerk full low doth lout:

5

ΙΟ

They asken that, and talken this,
"Lo here is Coz, and here is Mifs.
But, as he glozeth with Speeches foote,
The Ducke fore tickleth his Erfe roote:
Fore-piece and buttons all-to-brest,
Forth thrust a white neck, and red crest.
Te-he, cry'd Ladies; Clerke nought spake:
Miss star'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, whose yerde can talke.

15

20

IN 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 foft 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 so? 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 fprat 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.

At ev'ry door are fun-burnt matrons seen, 15 Mending old nets to catch the fcaly fry;

Now finging fhrill, and scolding eft between; Scolds anfwer foul-mouth'd fcolds; bad neighbourhood I ween.

III.

20

The fnappish cur, (the paffengers annoy)
Clofe 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;
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 Billinfgate did watch,

30

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

ceafe.