Page:Royal riddle book.pdf/18

 And with no care oppress’d;

I boldly spread my charms around,

Till some rude lover breaks the mound,

And takes me to his breast;

Here soon I sicken and decay,

My beauty’s lost, I’m turn'd away,

And thrown upon the street;

Where I despis’d and rolling lie,

See no Samaritan pass by,

But numerous insults meet:

Ladies contemplate well my fate,

Reflect upon my wretched state ;

Implore th’ Almighty’s aid,

Lest you, (which heav’n avert) like me,

Shou’d come to want and misery,

Be ruin d and betray'd.

Look at the rainbow in the sky,

See summer morning cloud pass by.

Go search the gardens and the fields,

Observe what bounteous nature yields;

You’ll scarcely find a flower or plant,

Whose beauty or colour I want;

Thus furnish’d l oblige the fair,

And change mv colour every year.

Attend the gen’ral, grace the lord,

And to both sexes joy a word.

But held, methinks too far I go,

Being oft the messenger of woe.

Consult the glass with decent air,

My nature, use, and name declare.