 | Poems on Several Occasions |  |
184
BUT.
A Fable.
Envy
, a Spectre, frightful, thin,
The darling progeny of Sin;
(Her Sire, as ancient Poets tell,
The lowest, meanest Fiend of Hell;)
A bleer-ey'd Hagg, whose only food
Is human hearts and human blood;
And in her mouth, instead of tongue,
Ten thousand pointed arrows hung:—
Long had this pestilential foe
Peopled King Satan's realms below,
When his black Highness, as in duty
Bound to her goodness and her beauty,
Pour'd favours multiplied upon her,
Made her a Maid or Hagg of Honor;
And order'd Pride, his King at Arms,
(No stranger to Miss Envy's charms)
To make her out an Ancestry,
Long as a Welshman's pedigree;
And spite of Truth and Virtue prove,
If possible, she sprung from Jove.—
This, Herald-like, Pride soon effected,
Nor was her Coat of Arms neglected:
The Shield was sable; the Device,
Two Toads, two Snakes, and ditto Lice;
Three Vipers gnawing at her breast,
Serv'd Madam Envy for her Crest;
In short, the Blaze and the whole Coat,
The Fair One's mighty worth denote:—
The Fair One!—Let not that perplex,
Females are all of the Fair Sex;
And be they olive, dingy, brown,
They're Fair Ones call'd throughout the town.
The darling progeny of Sin;
(Her Sire, as ancient Poets tell,
The lowest, meanest Fiend of Hell;)
A bleer-ey'd Hagg, whose only food
Is human hearts and human blood;
And in her mouth, instead of tongue,
Ten thousand pointed arrows hung:—
Long had this pestilential foe
Peopled King Satan's realms below,
When his black Highness, as in duty
Bound to her goodness and her beauty,
Pour'd favours multiplied upon her,
Made her a Maid or Hagg of Honor;
And order'd Pride, his King at Arms,
(No stranger to Miss Envy's charms)
To make her out an Ancestry,
Long as a Welshman's pedigree;
And spite of Truth and Virtue prove,
If possible, she sprung from Jove.—
This, Herald-like, Pride soon effected,
Nor was her Coat of Arms neglected:
The Shield was sable; the Device,
Two Toads, two Snakes, and ditto Lice;
Three Vipers gnawing at her breast,
Serv'd Madam Envy for her Crest;
In short, the Blaze and the whole Coat,
The Fair One's mighty worth denote:—
185
Females are all of the Fair Sex;
And be they olive, dingy, brown,
They're Fair Ones call'd throughout the town.
The Arms made out, some small dispute
Arose, What Motto best wou'd suit;
Quoth Envy, grinning out a smile,
Which spoke her spleen, and eke her guile,
“My Motto, good friend Pride, shall be
“Three fav'rite Letters, B, U, T.—
“By Hell and all the Fiends below,
“To But, that syllable, I owe
“More hellish joys—nay stare not, Pride,
“Than to all other words beside;
“Search the whole Dictionary round,
“No word so envious can be found;
“Aided by But, I dare commend,
“And stab beneath the veil of Friend:
“With Praise Suspicion I disarm,
“And then comes But with hellish charm,
“And rankles in the inmost core,
“Pois'ning the Praise was giv'n before;—
“Thus Poison's best in Sweets conceal'd,
“Thus Falshood's hid beneath Truth's shield.
Arose, What Motto best wou'd suit;
Quoth Envy, grinning out a smile,
Which spoke her spleen, and eke her guile,
“My Motto, good friend Pride, shall be
“Three fav'rite Letters, B, U, T.—
“By Hell and all the Fiends below,
“To But, that syllable, I owe
“More hellish joys—nay stare not, Pride,
“Than to all other words beside;
“Search the whole Dictionary round,
“No word so envious can be found;
“Aided by But, I dare commend,
“And stab beneath the veil of Friend:
“With Praise Suspicion I disarm,
“And then comes But with hellish charm,
“And rankles in the inmost core,
“Pois'ning the Praise was giv'n before;—
“Thus Poison's best in Sweets conceal'd,
“Thus Falshood's hid beneath Truth's shield.
“No word like But my spite conveys,
“But be my Motto—But my Praise.”
“But be my Motto—But my Praise.”
Dear ------, my best, my worthiest Friend,
To you I dedicate this Fable;
Goodness like yours it can't offend,
Your Heart's so very—veritable.
To you I dedicate this Fable;
Goodness like yours it can't offend,
Your Heart's so very—veritable.
| Poems on Several Occasions | |