The cat, if you but finge her tabby skin,

The chimney keeps, and fits content within;

But once grown fleek, will from her corner run,
Sport with her tail, and wanton in the fun;
She licks her fair round face, and frifks abroad,
To fhow her furr, and to be catterwaw'd.

145

Lo thus, my friends, I wrought to my defires
These three right ancient venerable fires.
I told 'em, thus you fay, and thus you do-
And told 'em false, but Jenkin swore 'twas true.

I, like a dog, could bite as well as whine,

And first complain'd, whene'er the guilt was mine.
I tax'd them oft' with wenching and amours,

150

When their weak legs fcarce dragg'd 'em out of doors; 155
And swore the rambles that I took by night,
Were all to spy what damfels they bedight.
That colour brought me many hours of mirth;
For all this wit is giv'n us from our birth.
Heav'n gave to woman the peculiar grace
To fpin, to weep, and cully human race.

160

By this nice conduct, and this prudent course,

By murm'ring, wheedling, ftratagem, and force,

165

I still prevail'd, and would be in the right,
Or curtain-lectures made a reftless night.
If once my husband's arm was o'er my fide,
What! fo familiar with your spouse? I cry'd:
I levied first a tax upon his need;
Then let him-'twas a nicety indeed!
Let all mankind this certain maxim hold,
Marry who will, our fex is to be fold.
With empty hands no taffels you can lure,
But fulfome love for gain we can endure;
For gold we love the impotent and old,

170

And heave, and pant, and kifs, and cling, for gold, 175

Yet with embraces, curfes oft' I mixt,

Then kifs'd again, and chid and rail'd betwixt.

Well, I may make my will in peace, and die,

For not one word in man's arrears am I.

To

To drop a dear difpute I was unable,
Ev'n tho' the pope himself had fet at table.

But when my point was gain'd, then thus I spoke, "Billy, my dear, how fheepishly you look ? "Approach, my spouse, and let me kiss thy cheek; "Thou fhould't be always thus, refign'd and meek! 185 "Of Job's great patience fince so oft' you preach, "Well fhould you practise, who fo well can teach. 'Tis difficult to do, I muft allow,

190

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195

"But I, my deareft, will inftru&t you how. "Great is the bleffing of a prudent wife, "Who puts a period to domeftic ftrife. "One of us two muft rule, and one obey; "And fince in man right reafon bears the fway, Let that frail thing, weak woman, have her way. "The wives of all my family have rul'd "Their tender husbands, and their paffions cool'd. Fye, 'tis unmanly thus to figh and groan; "What! would you have me to yourself alone? "Why take me, love! take all and ev'ry part ! "Here's your revenge! you love it at your heart. "Would I vouchfafe to fell what nature gave, "You little think what cuftom I could have? "But fee! I'm all your own-nay hold-for fhame ! "What means my dear-indeed--you are to blame." Thus with my firft three lords I paft my life; A very woman, and a very wife.

200

205

210

What fums from these old spouses I could raise,
Procur'd young husbands in my riper days.
Tho' paft my bloom, not yet decay'd was I,
Wanton and wild, and chatter'd like a pye.
In country dances ftill I bore the bell,
And fung as sweet as evening Philomel.
To clear my quail-pipe, and refresh my foul,
Full oft' I drain'd the fpicy nut-brown bowl;
Rich lufcious wines, that youthful blood improve, 215
And warm the fwelling veins to feats of love :.
For 'tis as fure, as cold ingenders hail,.

A liqu'rish mouth must have a lech'rous tail;

Wine

Wine lets no lover unrewarded go,

As all true gamefters by experience know.
But oh good gods! whene'er a thought I cast
On all the joys of youth and beauty past,
To find in pleafures I have had my part,
Still warms me to the bottom of my heart.
This wicked world was once my dear delight;
Now all my conquefts, all my charms, good night!
The flour confum'd, the beft that now I can,
Is e'en to make my market of the bran.

My fourth dear fpoufe was not exceeding true;
He kept, 'twas thought, a private miss or two:
But all that score I paid-as how? you'll fay,
Not with my body, in a filthy way :

But I fo drefs'd, and danc'd, and drank, and din'd;

220

225

230

And view'd a friend, with eyes fo very kind,

As ftung his heart, and made his marrow fry
With burning rage, and frantic jealousy.
His foul, I hope, enjoys eternal glory,
For here on earth I was his purgatory.
Oft', when his fhoe the moft feverely wrung,
He put on careless airs, and fat and fung.
How fore I gall'd him, only heav'n could know,
And he that felt, and I that caus'd the woe.
He dy'd, when last from pilgrimage I came,
With other goffips, from Jerufalem ;
And now lies buried underneath a rood,
Fair to be feen, and rear'd of honeft wood.
A tomb, indeed, with fewer fculptures grac'd,
Than that Maufolus' pious widow plac'd,
Or where infhrin'd the great Darius lay;
But coft on graves is merely thrown away,
The pit fill'd up, with turf we cover'd o'er;
So blefs the good man's foul, I fay no more.

Now for my fifth lov'd lord, the last and best;
(Kind heav'n afford him everlafting reft)
Full hearty was his love, and I can fhew
The tokens on my ribs, in black and blue;

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245

256

VOL. I.

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Yety

Yet, with a knack, my heart he could have won,
While yet the smart was fhooting in the bone.
How quaint an appetite in women reigns!

Free gifts we fcorn, and love what cofts us pains:
Let men avoid us, and on them we leap;
A glutted market makes provifion cheap.
In pure good will I took this jovial spark,
Of Oxford he, a moft egregious clerk.
He boarded with a widow in the town,
A trufty goffip, one dame Alifon.
Full well the fecrets of my foul she knew,
Better than e'er our parish priest could do.
To her I told whatever could befall;
Had but my husband pifs'd against a wall,
Or done a thing that might have coft his life,
She and my niece-and one more worthy wife,
Had known it all: what moft he would conceal,
To these I made no fcruple to reveal.

260

265

270

Oft' has he blufh'd from ear to ear for fhame,
That e'er he told a fecret to his dame.

275

It fo befel, in holy time of Lent, That oft' a day I to this goffip went;

(My husband, thank my ftars, was out of town)
From house to houfe we rambled up and down,
This clerk, myfelf, and my good neighbour Alfe,
To fee, be seen, to tell, and gather tales.
Vifits to ev'ry church we daily paid,
And march'd in ev'ry holy masquerade,
The Stations duly, and the Vigils kept;
Not much we fafted, but fcarce ever flept.

280

285

At fermons too I fhone in fcarlet gay;

The wafting moth ne'er fpoil'd my beft array,

The cause was this, I wore it ev'ry day.

'Twas when fresh May her early bloffoms yields, 290 This clerk and I were walking in the fields.

We grew fo intimate, I can't tell how,

I pawn'd my honour, and engag'd my vow,
If e'er I laid my husband in his urn,
That he, and only he, fhould ferve my turn.

295

We

We ftrait ftruck hands, the bargain was agreed;
I ftill have shifts against a time of need:
The mouse that always trufts to one poor hole,
Can never be a moufe of any foul.

I vow'd I fcarce could fleep fince firft I knew him, 300
And durft be fworn he had bewitch'd me to him;
If e'er I flept, I dream'd of him alone,

And dreams foretel, as learned men have fhown;
All this I faid; but dream, firs, I had none :
I follow'd but my crafty croney's lore,
Who bid me tell this lye-and twenty more.
Thus day by day, and month by month we paft;
It pleas'd the lord to take my spouse at last.
I tore my gown, I foil'd my locks with duft,
And beat my breafts, as wretched widows-muft.
Before my face my handkerchief I fpread,

To hide the flood of tears I didnot shed.
The good man's coffin to the church was born;
Around, the neighbours, and my clerk too, mourn.
But as he march'd, good gods! he show'd a pair
Of legs and feet, fo clean, fo ftrong, fo fair?
Of twenty winters age he feem'd to be;
I (to fay truth) was twenty more than he ;
But vig'rous ftill, a lively buxom dame;
And had a wond'rous gift to quench a flame.
A conj'rer once, that deeply could divine,
Affur'd me, Mars in Taurus was my fign.
As the ftars order'd, fuch my life has been:
Alas, alas, that ever love was fin!

}

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310

315

320

Fair Venus gave me fire, and sprightly grace,

325

And Mars affurance, and a dauntless face.
By virtue of this pow'rful conftellation,

I follow'd always my own inclination.

But to my tale: A month fearce pass'd away,

With dance and fong we kept the nuptial day,

330

All I poffefs'd I gave to his command,

But oft' repented, and repent it ftill;

My goods and chattels, money, house, and land:

He prov'd a rebel to my fov'reign will:

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Nay