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Expostulatory Address, to the Ragged Spectre, Poverty, An

Haggard harlot! why thus dare
To wage with me eternal war,
Shall I bear it? no, thou strumpet!
Here I swear, in voice like trumpet,
Soon's thou shows thy visage elf,
Meet thy fate and blame thyself.
Did I e'er invite, or wrong thee?
Did I vow e'er to belong t' thee?
Do I welcome? Do I nurse thee?
No, thou ly'st — I hate, I curse thee;
Why, then, black, presumpt'ous ghost,
Why thus stern invade my coast?
Some thou throws but shadows o'er them,
Fly'st thyself, and all adore them.
Why thus partial? If the Muse

To Delia

On her insisting to know who was the subject of a certain Panegyric.

Beauteous maid! no more enquire on
Who thus warms my raptur'd strain;
Here I'll strive to paint the fair one,
Though, alas! I strive in vain.

Tall and graceful is her stature;
Loose and dazzling is her dress;
Cupids sport from every feature,
And in ev'ry jet black tress.

Mild she's, as the dewy morning,
When exulting warblers sing;

To the Bee

Thrice blest! sweet wanderer of the vale,
Who in my Delia's chaplet strays,
Could I like thee 'midst Lilys pale
For one short moment tune my Lays.

Oh! as in some sequester'd Bower
Round her you sing soft Lullabies,
Tell her I pine like that same flower
That droops, forsaken — fades, and dies!

To the Ladies of Wimbledon

Whilom the Nine all careless took their way
By brook or pathless vale, in shady grove
List'ning where'er that Wight,
Recluse from mortal sight,
In Valombrosa's bowers bemoaned his Love,
Or Grecian maid tuned soft her sweetest lay!

But now, more social grown, ne Groves allure,
Ne streamlet's flowery brim their steps beguile.
They dwell secure, I ween,
On Wimbledon's smooth green,
And, far from their forsaken haunts, awhile
To hold sweet converse deign with Mortals pure!

Song

Where the bright beam no passage finds,
Let me beneath yon Grotto lie,
While all above the playful winds
Around the waving woodbine fly!

There wrapt in Fancy's pleasing dream,
My Lyre shall soft attune thy praise,
While every breeze applauds my theme,
And every Echo joins my Lays.

The Green-Sickness Beauty

From thy pale look, while angry Love doth seem
With more imperiousness to give his Law,
Then where he blushingly doth beg esteem,
We may observe py'd beauty in such aw;
That the brav'st Colour under her command
Affrighted, oft before you doth retire,
While, like a Statue of your self, you stand
In such symmetrique form, as doth require
No lustre but his own: As then in vain
One should flesh-colouring to Statues add,
So were it to your native White a Stain,
If it in other ornaments were clad,
Then what your rich proportions do give,

Melander Suppos'd to Love Susan, but Did Love Ann

Who doth presume my Mistress's name to scan,
Goes about more then any way he can,
Since all men think that it is Susan . Echo Ann .

What say'st? Then tell who is as white as Swan,
While others set by her are pale and wan,
Then, Echo , speak, Is it not Susan ? Ec. Ann .

Tell, Echo , yet, whose middle's but a span,
Some being gross as bucket, round as pan;
Say, Echo , then, Is it not Susan ? Ec. Ann .

Say, is she not soft as meal without bran,
Though yet in great hast once from me she ran,
Must I not however love Susan ? Ec. Ann .

Apollo and the Pedlar

A Tale.

Dark hangs the drousy murm'ring moonless night;
Clouds wrap each twinkler from the useless fight;
Hous'd is each swain, worn with the day's long toil,
Wielding the flail, or turning o'er the soil;
Lone now the fields, the banks, the meadows all,
Save where frogs croak, or noisome lizards crawl.

Seen from the hill, Edina's turrets glow
With beaming lamps, in many a glittering row,
That glad the sight, while slow approaching near,