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The works of Mr. Thomas Brown

Serious and Comical, In Prose and Verse; In four volumes. The Fourth Edition, Corrected, and much Enlarged from his Originals never before publish'd. With a key to all his Writings

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Cupid turn'd Tinker.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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121

Cupid turn'd Tinker.

I

Fair Venus, they say,
On a Rainy Bleak Day,
Thus sent her Child Cupid a packing:
‘Get thee gone from my Door,
‘Like a Son of a Whore,
‘And elsewhere stand bouncing and cracking.

II

To tell the plain Truth,
Our little blind Youth
Beat the Hoof a long while up and down, Sir:
Till all Dangers past,
By good Fortune, at last
He stumbl'd into a great Town, Sir.

III

Then strait to himself
Crys this tiny sly Elf,
Since Begging brings little Relief, Sir:
A Trade I'll Commence
That shall bring in the Pence;
And so he set up for a Thief, Sir.

IV

At Play-House and Kirk,
Where he slily did lurk,
He stole Hearts both from young and old People;
Till at last, says my Song,
He had like to have swung
On a Gallows as high as a Steeple.

V

Then with Arrows and Bow,
He a Soldier must go,
And straight he shot Folks without Warning.
He thought it no Sin
When his Hand was in,
To kill you a Hundred each Morning.

122

VI

When he found that he made
Little Gains by his Trade,
What does our sly graceless Blinker?
But straight chang'd his Note,
As well as his Coat,
And needs he must pass for a Tinker.

VII

Have yo' any Hearts to mend?
Come, I'll be your Friend,
Or else I'll expect not a Farthing:
Tho' they're burnt to a Coal,
I'll soon make 'em whole;
And, Maids, is not this a fair Bargain?

VIII

But, Maids, have a care,
Of this Tinker beware,
Shun the Rogue, tho' he sets such a Face on't.
Where he stops up one Hole,
'Tis true, by my Soul,
He'll at least leave a Score in the Place on't.