[Page 173]

The PROPOSAL.

1 WITH aking Fingers, twinging Nose,
2 And vex'd, dear Madam, we'll suppose:
3 (To leave yourself and Parlour-fire)
4 Trudg'd Mira to her own good Sire;
5 Beneath a cold and gloomy Sky
6 Walk'd cheek by jole the Muse and I:
7 The list'ning Gossip, tho' unseen,
8 Had watch'd the Talk that pass'd between
9 Myself and you: And much offended
10 (It seems) at what was there intended.
11 'So cries the peevish Maid, (and squinting)
12 'Methinks I heard you talk of Printing:
13 'Have I bestow'd a world of Pains,
14 'To spirit up your blockish Brains,
15 'To get from thence an idle Rhyme,
16 'That made me blush to call it mine?
[Page 174]
17 'And shall I see the crippl'd Crew
18 'Discarded from their Seat and you,
19 'Turn'd out to skip from hand to hand
20 'In dirty Gazettes round the Land,
21 'To grace the Knee of ev'ry Sot,
22 'And catch the Droppings of his Pot,
23 'While in a Rage the drowsy Swains
24 'Perhaps may curse you for your Pains,
25 'Protesting with a Critick's Spite,
26 'That none since Durfey knew to write?
27 'But, Mira, if you want a Muse,
28 'To grace the Page of weekly News,
29 'The Task is much too low for me,
30 'Yet I've a Maid of less Degree,
31 '(With Spirit suiting to her State)
32 'Will serve you at an easy Rate:
33 'Whose Voice, tho' hoarse, is loud and strong,
34 'An Artist at a ranting Song,
35 'Can chaunt Lampoons without much straining,
36 'Or Epigrams with double Meaning,
37 'To join the Tavern-Harp or Viol:
38 'Now if you'll take her upon trial,
[Page 175]
39 'To her Deservings suit your Pay,
40 'And then you take the safest way:
41 'Perhaps you'll prosper in the End,
42 'I'll say no more: But ask your Friend,
43 'Here ends the Muse — Dear Madam, say,
44 'Shall I reject her or obey?

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Title (in Source Edition): The PROPOSAL.
Author: Mary Leapor
Themes:
Genres: narrative verse

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Leapor, Mrs. (Mary), 1722-1746. Poems upon several occasions: By Mrs. Leapor of Brackley in Northamptonshire. London: printed: and sold by J. Roberts, 1748, pp. 173-175. 15,[5],282p. ; 8⁰. (ESTC T127827; Foxon p. 413; OTA K101776.000) (Page images digitized from a copy at University of California Libraries.)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

Other works by Mary Leapor