POSE TIN WIA  Peies 
A school girl next, she curls her hair in papers, 
And mimics father’s gout and mother’s vapours, 
Discards her doll, bribes Betty for romances 5 
Playful at church, and serious when she dances ; 
Tramples alike on customs and on toes, 
And whispers all she hears to all she knows ; 
Terror of caps and wigs and sober notions ! 
A romp! that longest of perpetual motions ! 
—Till tam’d and tortur’d into foreign graces, 
She sports her lovely face at public places ; 
And with blue, laughing eyes, behind her fan, 
First acts her part with that great actor Man. 
Too soon a flirt, approach her and she flies, 
. Frowns when pursu’d, and, when entreated sighs ! 
‘Plays with unhappy men as cats with mice ; 
Till fading beauty hints the late advice. 
Her prudence dictates what her pride disdain’d, 
And now she sues to slaves herself had chain’d. 
Then comes that good old character a wife, 
With all the dear, distracting cares of life ; 
A thousand cards aeday at doors to leave, 
And in return, a thousand cards receive. 
Rouge high, play deep, to lead the ton aspire, 
With nightly blaze set Portland-place on fire; 
Snatch half a glimpse at Concert, Opera, Ball, 
A Meteor trac’d by none, tho’ seen by all ; 
And when her shatter’d nerves forbid to roam, 
In very spleen—rehearse the girl at home. 
Last the grey dowager, in ancient flounces, 
With snuff and spectacles the age denounces ; 
Boasts how the Sires of this degenerate Isle 
Knelt for a look and duel’d for a smile; 
The scourge and ridicule of Goth and Vandal, 
Her tea she sweetens, as she sips, with scandal ; 
With modern belles eternal warfare wages, 
Like her own birds that clamour from ‘their cages ; 
And shuffles round to bear her tale to all, 
Like some old ruin, “§ nodding to its fall.” 
Thus woman makes her entrance and her exit, 
Then most an actress when she least suspects it. 
Each lesson lost, each poor pretence forgot ; 
Yet nature oft peeps out and marks the plot; 
Full oft, with energy that scorns control, 
At once lights up the features of the soul ; 
Unlocks each thought chain’d down by coward art, 
And to full day the latent passions start ! 
3 ut 
