On FLORELLA's Birth-Day. Stephen Duck Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
Taylor Institution Library St Giles' Oxford OX1 3NA UK info@eighteenthcenturypoetry.org https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/
Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. T90234 K073280.000 Duck, Stephen, 1705-1756. Poems on several occasions: By Stephen Duck. London printed for the author 1736 pp. 171-172. xl,334,[2]p. ; 4⁰.

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On FLORELLA's Birth-Day . THE Queen of Love , and PALLAS once , 'tis said , Had both agreed to form a finish'd Maid : Upon a noted Day they flew to Earth , A Day still noted by FLORELLA's Birth : Both Deities employ'd their utmost Care , To make their darling Lady wise and fair : This gave her Beauty , that a sprightly Wit , Which render'd Soul and Body justly fit : But MERCURY , that nimble-winged Thief , Who loves his Joke , as dearly as his Life , Down from Olympus to his Sisters flew , When just to Life their little Embryo grew ; And pour'd a little Folly in her Breast ; A little Folly leaven'd all the rest : Hence 'tis , she's sometimes sprightly , sometimes dull ; And sometimes witty , sometimes quite a Fool ; Scarce foolish now , nor witty , sprightly neither ; But sprightly , witty , foolish , all together .