The Unpublished and Uncollected Poems of William Cowper Edited by Thomas Wright |
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The Degeneracy of the Clergy.
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 | The Unpublished and Uncollected Poems of William Cowper |  |
47
The Degeneracy of the Clergy.
WRITTEN ON A LACE-BUYER'S BILL. (POSSIBLY EXCISED FROM THE “PROGRESS OF ERROR.”)
Methinks I see thee decently arrayedIn long-flowed nightgown of stuff damask made,
Thy cassock underneath it closely braced
With surcingle about thy moderate waist.
Thy morning wig, grown tawny to the view,
Though once a grizzle, and thy square-toed shoe.
The day was when the sacerdotal race
Esteemed their proper habit no disgrace,
Or rather when the garb their order wears
Was not disgraced as now by being theirs.
| The Unpublished and Uncollected Poems of William Cowper | |