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A Ballad
MARGARITA first possest, | |
| If I remember well, my breast, | |
| Margarita first of all; | |
| But when a while the wanton Maid | |
| With my restless Heart had played, | 5 |
| Martha took the flying Ball. | |
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| Martha soon did it resign | |
| To the beauteous Catharine. | |
| Beauteous Catharine gave place | |
| (Though loth and angry she to part | 10 |
| With the possession of my Heart) | |
| To Elisa’s conquering face. | |
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| Elisa till this hour might reign | |
| Had she not evil counsels ta’ne. | |
| Fundamental laws she broke, | 15 |
| And still new favourites she chose, | |
| Till up in arms my Passions rose, | |
| And cast away her yoke. | |
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| Mary then and gentle Ann | |
| Both to reign at once began. | 20 |
| Alternately they sway’d, | |
| And sometimes Mary was the Fair, | |
| And sometimes Ann the Crown did wear, | |
| And sometimes both I’ obeyed. | |
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| Another Mary then arose | 25 |
| And did rigorous laws impose. | |
| A mighty Tyrant she! | |
| Long, alas, should I have been | |
| Under that iron-scepter’d Queen, | |
| Had not Rebecca set me free. | 30 |
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| When fair Rebecca set me free, | |
| ’Twas then a golden Time with me. | |
| But soon those pleasures fled, | |
| For the gracious Princess died | |
| In her Youth and Beauties’ pride, | 35 |
| And Judith reigned in her stead. | |
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| One month, three days, and half an hour | |
| Judith held the sovereign power. | |
| Wondrous beautiful her face, | |
| But so weak and small her wit, | 40 |
| That she to govern was unfit, | |
| And so Susanna took her place. | |
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| But when Isabella came | |
| Arm’d with a resistless flame | |
| And th’ artillery of her eye; | 45 |
| Whilst she proudly marcht about | |
| Greater conquests to find out, | |
| She beat out Susan by the By. | |
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| But in her place I then obey’d | |
| Black-ey’d Besse, her Viceroy-Maid, | 50 |
| To whom ensu’d a vacancy. | |
| Thousand worse Passions then possest | |
| The interregnum of my breast. | |
| Bless me from such an anarchy! | |
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| Gentle Henriette than | 55 |
| And a third Mary next began, | |
| Then Jone, and Jane, and Audria. | |
| And then a pretty Thomasine, | |
| And then another Katharine, | |
| And then a long Et caetera. | 60 |
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| But should I now to you relate, | |
| The strength and riches of their state, | |
| The Powder, Patches, and the Pins, | |
| The Ribbans, Jewels, and the Rings, | |
| The Lace, the Paint, and warlike things | 65 |
| That make up all their Magazins: | |
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| If I should tell the politic arts | |
| To take and keep men’s hearts, | |
| The Letters, Embassies, and Spies, | |
| The Frowns, and Smiles, and Flatteries, | 70 |
| The Quarrels, Tears, and Perjuries, | |
| Numberless, Nameless Mysteries! | |
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| And all the little lime-twigs laid | |
| By Matchavil the waiting-maid; | |
| I more voluminous should grow | 75 |
| (Chiefly if I like them should tell | |
| All change of weathers that befell) | |
| Then Holinshead or Stow. | |
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| But I will briefer with them be, | |
| Since few of them were long with Me. | 80 |
| An higher and a nobler strain | |
| My present Emperess does claim, | |
| Heleonora, First o’ th’ Name; | |
| Whom God grant long to reign! | |
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