VI. At Leicester-Fields, a house full high, With door all painted green, Where ribbons wave upon the tye, (A Milliner I mean ;) There may you meet us three to three, For Gay can well make two of Me. With a fa, la, la. VII. But shou'd you catch the prudish itch, With a fa, la, la. VIII. And thus, fair maids, my ballad ends ; With a fa, la, la. NOTES. * This Ballad was written anno 1717. NOTWITHSTANDING Pope's affected contempt of the Court, he was proud of the acquaintance of some of the beautiful young women belonging to it. The Ladies mentioned in this Ballad, Pope speaks of in a letter: " I met the Prince, with all his Ladies on horseback, coming from hunting. "Mrs. B-(Bellenden) and Mrs. L- (Lepell) took me into protection (contrary to the law against harbouring Papists), and gave me a dinner." Bowles. 1 THE THREE GENTLE SHEPHERDS. Or gentle Philips will I ever sing, 5 Ver. 10. And from all wits that have a knack, Curl said, that in prose he was equal to Pope, but that in verse Pope had merely a particular knack. Bowles. EPIGRAM, ENGRAVED ON THE COLLAR OF A DOG, WHICH I GAVE TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS. I AM his Highness's Dog at Kew; The idea of this inscription is taken from Sir William Temple's "Heads designed for an Essay on Conversation." " Mr. Grantam's Fool's reply to a great Man that asked, whose fool he was"-I am Mr. Grantam's fool-pray tell me whose fool are you?"-Vol. i. p. 311, fol. ed. 1720. |