 | Poems on several subjects |  |
The young Woman's Litany in Choice of an Husband.
O heavenly powers, celestial and divine,
All things sublunar are entirely thine;
Young men and maids are under thy inspection,
And in my choice I come for thy direction.
May some kind genius from on high descend,
And guide the arrows which blind Cupid send.
If e'er my hap be that he shoot for me,
Grant I may find thy care to that degree,
So that I may have everlasting cause
To honour thee, and reverence thy laws.
All things sublunar are entirely thine;
Young men and maids are under thy inspection,
And in my choice I come for thy direction.
May some kind genius from on high descend,
And guide the arrows which blind Cupid send.
If e'er my hap be that he shoot for me,
Grant I may find thy care to that degree,
So that I may have everlasting cause
To honour thee, and reverence thy laws.
From gray and bald heads, and decrepit joints;
From all whose noses to the ale-house points;
From gustless gabs that cannot taste of love;
From those that daily in their fancies rove;
Prom pimps and rakes, and all such misery;
From fornicators, Heavens deliver me.
From all whose noses to the ale-house points;
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From those that daily in their fancies rove;
Prom pimps and rakes, and all such misery;
From fornicators, Heavens deliver me.
From beaus of pleasure, those adapt'd to pride;
From idle knaves, that no way can provide
For house nor wife, but spend away their time;
From epicures, that pamper much their wime;
From railers, liars, those stain'd with perjury;
And from all thieves, Heavens deliver me.
From idle knaves, that no way can provide
For house nor wife, but spend away their time;
From epicures, that pamper much their wime;
From railers, liars, those stain'd with perjury;
And from all thieves, Heavens deliver me.
From cursers, swearers, all profanely proud;
From clam'rous fools, that speak their folly loud;
From irreligious discontented sots;
From all oppressors who retain the spots
Of avarice; or cow'rdly seem to be;
From all dissemblers, Heavens deliver me.
From clam'rous fools, that speak their folly loud;
From irreligious discontented sots;
From all oppressors who retain the spots
Of avarice; or cow'rdly seem to be;
From all dissemblers, Heavens deliver me.
From thriftless spenders, careless of their home;
From sluggards save, lest in their hands I come;
From nasty blockheads, all dull clumsy sots;
From superstitious useless idiots;
From self-conceited peevish silly creatures;
Oh, Heav'ns! deliver me from all bad natures.
From sluggards save, lest in their hands I come;
From nasty blockheads, all dull clumsy sots;
From superstitious useless idiots;
From self-conceited peevish silly creatures;
Oh, Heav'ns! deliver me from all bad natures.
And send me one, both sturdy, tight and tall,
With an estate to suit the man withal.
One with a love-taste to admire a woman;
One who is stout, and yields his right to no man;
One who can daut me, and at night ly near me;
I thee beseech, kind Heaven, soon to hear me.
With an estate to suit the man withal.
One with a love-taste to admire a woman;
One who is stout, and yields his right to no man;
One who can daut me, and at night ly near me;
I thee beseech, kind Heaven, soon to hear me.
One who is bless'd with lib'ral education,
Sprung from an honest ancient generation;
One whose religion is sound orthodox;
One lightsome, and who innocently jokes;
One true and faithful, minding his affairs;
O Heav'ns! I thee beseech to hear my prayers.
Sprung from an honest ancient generation;
One whose religion is sound orthodox;
One lightsome, and who innocently jokes;
One true and faithful, minding his affairs;
O Heav'ns! I thee beseech to hear my prayers.
One of repute, good manners and good sense;
One with an air of purest eloquence;
One humbly kind, and with his state content;
One profitable to church and government:
O Cupid, hasten such comforts to my life,
For, troth, I long to be a married wife.
One in whose nature all perfections meet
To make an husband and a man complete;
And can with patience sometimes hear my bawling;
One diligent, who loves to use his calling;
In fine, let him exceed what I can say:
O Heavens! hear me, I thee humbly pray.
One with an air of purest eloquence;
One humbly kind, and with his state content;
One profitable to church and government:
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For, troth, I long to be a married wife.
One in whose nature all perfections meet
To make an husband and a man complete;
And can with patience sometimes hear my bawling;
One diligent, who loves to use his calling;
In fine, let him exceed what I can say:
O Heavens! hear me, I thee humbly pray.
While I'm a maid, I'm useless to the nation,
And do not build a future generation.
If all my sex would virgins always stay,
The world would run to ruin and decay;
But we have much more gen'rous thoughts about us,
Than to think men can well subsist without us.
And do not build a future generation.
If all my sex would virgins always stay,
The world would run to ruin and decay;
But we have much more gen'rous thoughts about us,
Than to think men can well subsist without us.
| Poems on several subjects | |