That had a Lady to recover,
And did not steer a nearer Course,
To fall aboard in his Amours?

And what at first was held a Crime,
Has turn'd to Honourable in time.

To what a height did Infant Rome,
By Ravishing of Women come?
When Men upon their Spouses siez'd,
And freely Marry'd where they pleas'd:
They ne'er Forswore themselves nor Ly'd,
Nor in the Minds they were in, Dy'd:
Nor took the pains t'address and sue,
Nor plaid the Masquerade to wooe.
Disdain'd to stay for Friends Consents,
Nor juggled about Settlements :
Did need no License, nor no Priest,
Nor Friends, nor Kindred to assist;
Nor Lawyers, to joyn Land, and Money,
In th' Holy State of Matrimony:
Before they setled Hands and Hearts,
Till Alimony, or Death departs:
Nor would endure to stay, until
Th'had got the very Bride's Good Will.
But took a wise and shorter Course,
To win the Lady's, Down-right Force.
And justly made 'em Prisoners then,
As they have often since, us Men;
With Acting Plays, and Dancing Figgs,
The luckiest of all Love's Intrigues :
And when they had them at their pleasure,
Then talk'd of Love, and Flames, at leisure.
For, after Matrimony's over,

He that holds out but Half a Lover,

Deserves for ev'ry Minute, more

Than half a Year of Love before:

For which the Dames, in Contemplation

Of that best way of Application,

Prov'd Nobler Wives than e'er were known,
By Suit, or Treaty, to be won :

And such as all Posterity

Could never equal, nor come nigh.

For Women first were made for Men,
Not Men for them.- -It follows then,
That Men have Right to every one,
And they no Freedom of their own:
And therefore Men have pow'r to chuse,
But they no Charter to refuse.
Hence 'tis apparent, that what Course
So e'er we take to your Amours,
Though by the indirectest way,
'Tis no Injustice, nor Foul Play.
And that you ought to take that Course,
As we take you, for Bett'r or Worse;
And gratefully submit to those
Who you, before another, chose :
For why should every Savage Beast
Exceed his Great Lord's Interest?
Have freer Pow'r, than he, in Grace,
And Nature, o'er the Creature has?
Because the Laws he since has made
Have cut off all the Pow'r he had;
Retrench'd the absolute Dominion,
That Nature gave him, over Women.
When all his Pow'r will not extend,
One Law of Nature to suspend :
And but to offer to repeal
The smallest Clause, is to rebel.
This, if Men rightly understood

Their Privilege, they would make good;
And not, like Sots, permit their Wives
T'encroach on their Prerogatives.

For which Sin, they deserve to be
Kept, as they are, in Slavery.
And this, some precious Gifted Teachers
Unrev'rently reputed Leachers;
And disobey'd in making Love,
Have vow'd to all the World, to prove

And make ye suffer, as ye ought,
For that uncharitable Fault.

But, I forget my self, and rove
Beyond th Instructions of my Love.
Forgive me (Fair) and only blame
Th'extravagancy of my Flame,

Since 'tis too much, at once to shew
Excess of Love, and Temper too.
All I have said that's bad, and true,
Was never meant to aim at you;
Who have so Sov'rain a Controul
O'er that poor Slave of yours, my Soul:
That, rather than to forfeit you,
Has ventur'd loss of Heaven too.
Both with an equal Pow'r possest,
To render all that serve you blest:
But none like him, who's destin'd, either
To have, or lose you, both together.
And if you'l but this fault release,
(For so it must be, since you please,)
I'll pay down all that Vow, and more,
Which you commanded, and I swore.
And expiate upon my Skin,

The Arrears in full of all my Sin.
For, 'tis but just, that I should pay
Th'accruing Penance for Delay.
Which shall be done, until it move
Your equal pity, and your Love.

The Knight, perusing this Epistle,
Believ'd h'had brought her to his Whistle;
And read it, like a jocund Lover,
With great Applause t'himself, twice over;
Subscrib'd his Name, but at a Fit,
And humble distance, to his wit:
And dated it with wondrous Art,
Giv'n from the bottom of his heart:
Then seal'd it with his Coat of Love
A smoaking Faggot and above

Upon a Scroll I burn, and weep,

And near it

For her Ladyship;

Of all her Sex, most excellent,
These to her gentle Hands present.
Then gave it to his Faithful Squire,
With Lessons how t'observe and

eye

her.

She first consider'd which was better,
To send it back, or burn the Letter:
But, guessing that it might import,
Though nothing else, at least, her Sport.
She open'd it, and read it out,

With many a smile, and learing Flout:
Resolv'd to answer it in kind,

And thus perform'd what she design'd.

T

THE

LADY'S ANSWER

TO THE

KNIGHT.

Hat you'r a Beast, and turn'd to Grass,
Is no strange News, nor ever was;

At least, to me, who once, you know,
Did from the Pound, Replevin you.

When both your Sword, and Spurs, were won
In Combat, by an Amazon;

That Sword, that did (like Fate) determine
Th'Inevitable Death of Vermine:

And never dealt its furious blows,
But cut the Threds of Pigs and Cows;
By Trulla was, in single Fight,
Disarm'd and wrested from its Knight.
Your Heels Degraded of your Spurs,
And in the Stocks, close Prisoners.
Where still th'had Layn in base Restraint,
If I, in pity of your Complaint,
Had not on Honourable Conditions,
Releast 'em from the worst of Prisons;
And what Return that favour met,
You cannot (though you would) forget;
When being free, you strove t'evade
The Oaths you had in Prison made:
Forswore your self, and first deny'd it;
But after own'd, and justify'd it:
And when y'had falsely broke one Vow,
Absolv'd your self by breaking two.
For while you sneakingly submit,
And beg for Pardon at our Feet: