NATURE and FORTUNE. To the Earl of CHESTERFIELD. Philip Fletcher Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
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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. T131163 K104099.003 Dodsley, Robert, 1703-1764. A Collection of Poems in Six Volumes. By Several Hands. Vol. III. London printed by J. Hughs, for R. and J. Dodsley 1763 [1st ed. 1758] pp. 281-282. 6v.: music; 8⁰.

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NATURE and FORTUNE . To the Earl of CHESTERFIELD . NATURE and fortune blith and gay , To pass an hour or two , In frolick mood agreed to play At " What shall this man do ? " Come , I'll be judge then , FORTUNE cries , And therefore must be blind ; Then whipt a napkin round her eyes , And ty'd it fast behind . NATURE had now prepar'd her list Of names on scraps of leather , Which roll'd , she gave them each a twist , And husled them together . Thus mixt , which ever came to hand She very surely drew ; Then bade her sister give command , For what that man should do . 'Twould almost burst one's sides to hear What strange commands she gave ; That C—R should the laurel wear , And C—E an army have . At length when STANHOPE'S name was come , Dame NATURE smil'd and cry'd , Now tell me , sister , this man's doom , And what shall him betide ? That man , said FORTUNE , shall be one Blest both by you and me : — Nay , then , quoth NATURE , let's have done ; Sister , I'm sure you see .