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But at the fecond (difmal wonder!)
Unfolds, clafps, cuts his heart asunder.

You'll fay, perhaps, I love to rail, We'll end the matter with a tale.

A Robin once, who lov'd to ftray,
And hop about from spray to spray,
Familiar as the folks were kind,
Nor thought of mischief in his mind,
Slight favours make the bold presume,
Would flutter round the lady's room,
And careless often take his stand
Upon the lovely Flavia's hand.

The nymph, 'tis said, his freedom fought,
-In fhort, the trifling fool was caught;
And happy in the fair one's grace,
Would not accept an Eagle's place.
And while the nymph was kind as fair,
Wish'd not to gain his native air.
But thought he bargain'd to his coft,
To gain the liberty he lost.

Till at the laft, a fop was seen, A parrot, drefs'd in red and green,

Who

"Nonsense and noife will oft prevail,
"When honour and affection fail."
The lady lik'd her foreign guest,
For novelty will please the best;
And whether it is lace or fan,
Or filk, or china, bird or man,
None fure can think it wrong, or strange
That ladies should admire a change.
The Parrot now came into play,
The Robin! he had had his day,
But could not brook the nymph's disdain,
So fled-and ne'er came back again.

THE

COBLER OF TISSINGTON'S LETTER

TO DAVID GARRICK, ESQ. 1761,

My predeceffors often use

To coble verfe as well as fhoes;

AS PARTRIDGE (vide SWIFT's difputes)
Who turned BOOTES into boots,

Ah!-PARTRIDGE! - I'll be bold to fay
Was a rare scholar in his day;

He'd tell you when t'wou'd rain, and when
The weather would be fine agen;
Precisely when your bones fhould ache,
And when grow found, by th' almanack,
For he knew ev'ry thing, d'ye see,
By what d'ye call't, aftrology,
And skill'd in all the starry system,
Foretold events, and often mist 'em.
And then it griev'd me fore to look
Juft at the heel-piece of his book,

Where ftood a man, Lord blefs my heart!
(No doubt by matthew maticks art,)

Naked,

Naked, expos'd to public view,

And darts stuck in him through and through:
I warrant him fome hardy fool,

Who fcorn'd to follow wifdom's rule,

And dar'd blafphemously despise

Our doctor's knowledge in the skies.

Full dearly he abides his laugh,

I'm fure 'tis SwIFT, or BICKERSTAFF.

Excufe this bit of a digreffion,
A cobler's is a learn'd profeffion,
Why may not I too couple rhimes?
My wit will not disgrace the times;
I too, forfooth, among the reft,
Claim one advantage, and the best,
I scarce know writing, have no reading,
Nor any kind of scholar breeding;

And wanting that's the fole foundation
Of half your poets' reputation.
While genius, perfect at its birth,

Springs up, like mushrooms from the earth.

You know they send me to and fro

To carry meffages or fo;

And tho' I'm fomewhat old and crazy,
I'm ftill of fervice to the lazy.

For

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For our good fquire has no great notion
Of much alacrity in motion,

And when there's miles betwixt, you know
Would rather fend by half, than go;
Then I'm difpatch'd to travel hard,
And bear myself by way of card.
I'm a two-legg'd excuse to show
Why other people cannot go ;
And merit fure I muft affume,
For once I went in GARRICK's room.

In my old age, 'twere wond'rous hard
To come to town, as trav'lling card,
Then let the poft convey me there,
The clerk's direction tell him where,
For, tho' I ramble at this rate
He writes it all, and I dictate;

For I'm refolv'd-by help of neighbour,
(Who keeps a school, and goes to labour)
To tell you all things as they paft;
Coblers will go beyond their last,

And fo I'm told will authors too,

-But that's a point I leave to you; Cobling extends a thoufand ways, Some coble fhoes, fome coble plays;

Some

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