CHAUCER.
WOMEN 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 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 ftoppen, and laugh, and callen out,
This filly Clerk full low doth lout :
They afken 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-breft,
Forth thrust a white neck, and red creft.
Te-he, cry'd Ladies; Clerke nought fpake:
Mifs ftar'd; and gray Ducke eryeth Quaake.
"O Moder, Moder, (quoth the daughter)-
"Be thilke fame thing Maids longen_a'ter ?
"Bette is to pyne on coals and chalke,
"Then truft on Mon, whofe yerde can talke.
N ev'ry Town where Thamis rolls his Tyde, A narrow Pafs there is, with Houfes 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, 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,
And on the broken pavement, here and there, 10 Doth many a ftinking 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,
Mending old nets to catch the fcaly fry,
Now finging fhrill, and sçolding eft between ; Scolds anfwer foul-mouth'd fcolds; bad neighboure hood I ween.
The fnappifh cur, (the paffengers annoy)
Close at my heel with yelping treble flies;
The whimp'ring girl, and hoarfer-fcreaming 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;
The grunting hogs alarm the neighbours round,
And curs, girls, boys, and fcolds, in the deep base
are drown'd.
Hard by a Sty. beneath a roof of thatch,
Dwelt Obloquy, who in her early days
Baskets of fish at Billinsgate did watch,
Cod, whiting, oyfter, mackrel, fprat, or plaice:
There learn'd fhe fpeech from tongues that never cease.
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
Her dugs were mark'd by ev'ry Collier's hand,
Her mouth was black as bulldogs at the ftall:
She fcratched, bit, and spar'd ne lace ne band,
And birch and rogue her anfwer was to all;
Nay, e'en the parts, of fhame by name would call:
Yea, when the paffed by or lane or nook,
Would greet the man who turn'd him to the Wall,
And by his hand obfcene the porter took,
Nor ever did afkance like modeft Virgin look. 45
Such place hath Deptford, navy-building town,
Woolwich and Wapping, finelling ftrong of pitch;
Such Lambeth, envy of each band and gown,
And Twick'nam fuch, which fairer fcenes enrich,
Grots, ftatnes, urns, and Jo-n's Dog and Bitch, so
Ne village is without, on either fide,
All up the filver Thames, or all adown;
Ne Richmond's felf, from whofe tall front are ey'd Vales, fpires, meandring ftreams, and Windfor's tow'ry pride.
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