AN
ELEGY
,
To
an
Old
BEAUTY
.
IN
vain
,
poor
Nymph
,
to
please
our
youthful
sight
You
sleep
in
Cream
and
Frontlets
all
the
Night
,
Your
Face
with
Patches
soil
,
with
Paint
repair
,
Dress
with
gay
Gowns
,
and
shade
with
foreign
Hair
.
If
Truth
in
spight
of
Manners
must
be
told
,
Why
really
Fifty
Five
is
something
old
.
Once
you
were
young
;
or
one
,
whose
Life's
so
long
She
might
have
born
my
Mother
,
tells
me
wrong
.
And
once
(
since
Envy's
dead
before
you
dye
,
)
The
Women
own
,
you
play'd
a
sparkling
Eye
,
Taught
the
light
Foot
a
modish
little
Trip
,
And
pouted
with
the
prettiest
purple
Lip
—
To
some
new
Charmer
are
the
Roses
fled
,
Which
blew
,
to
damask
all
thy
Cheek
with
red
;
Youth
calls
the
Graces
there
to
fix
their
Reign
,
And
Airs
by
thousands
fill
their
easy
Train
.
So
parting
Summer
bids
her
flow'ry
Prime
Attend
the
Sun
to
dress
some
foreign
Clime
,
While
with'ring
Seasons
in
Succession
,
here
,
Strip
the
gay
Gardens
,
and
deform
the
Year
.
But
thou
(
since
Nature
bids
)
the
World
resign
,
'Tis
now
thy
Daughter's
Daughter's
time
to
shine
.
With
more
Address
,
(
or
such
as
pleases
more
)
She
runs
her
Female
Exercises
o'er
,
Unfurls
or
closes
,
raps
or
turns
the
Fan
,
And
smiles
,
or
blushes
at
the
Creature
Man
.
With
quicker
Life
,
as
guilded
Coaches
pass
,
In
sideling
Courtesy
the
drops
the
Glass
.
With
better
Strength
,
on
Visit-days
she
bears
To
mount
her
fifty
Flights
of
ample
Stairs
.
Her
Mein
,
her
Shape
,
her
Temper
,
Eyes
and
Tongue
Are
sure
to
conquer
.
—
for
the
Rogue
is
young
;
And
all
that's
madly
wild
,
or
oddly
gay
,
We
call
it
only
pretty
Fanny's
way
.
Let
Time
that
makes
you
homely
,
make
you
sage
,
The
Sphere
of
Wisdom
is
the
Sphere
of
Age
.
'Tis
true
,
when
Beauty
dawns
with
early
Fire
,
And
hears
the
flatt'ring
Tongues
of
soft
Desire
,
If
not
from
Virtue
,
from
its
gravest
Ways
The
Soul
with
pleasing
Avocation
strays
.
But
Beauty
gone
,
'tis
easier
to
be
wise
;
As
Harpers
better
,
by
the
loss
of
Eyes
.
Henceforth
retire
,
reduce
your
roving
Airs
,
Haunt
less
the
Plays
,
and
more
the
publick
Pray'rs
,
Reject
the
Mechlin
Head
,
and
gold
Brocade
,
Go
pray
,
in
sober
Norwich
Crape
array'd
.
Thy
pendent
Diamonds
let
thy
Fanny
take
,
(
Their
trembling
Lustre
shows
how
much
you
shake
;
)
Or
bid
her
wear
thy
Necklace
row'd
with
Pearl
,
You'll
find
your
Fanny
an
obedient
Girl
.
So
for
the
rest
,
with
less
Incumbrance
hung
,
You
walk
thro'
Life
,
unmingled
with
the
young
;
And
view
the
Shade
and
Substance
as
you
pass
With
joint
Endeavour
trifling
at
the
Glass
,
Or
Folly
drest
,
and
rambling
all
her
Days
,
To
meet
her
Counterpart
,
and
grow
by
Praise
:
Yet
still
sedate
your
self
,
and
gravely
plain
,
You
neither
fret
,
nor
envy
at
the
Vain
.
'Twas
thus
(
if
Man
with
Woman
we
compare
)
The
wise
Athenian
crost
a
glittering
Fair
,
Unmov'd
by
Tongues
and
Sights
,
hewalk'd
the
place
,
Thro'
Tape
,
Toys
,
Tinsel
,
Gimp
,
Perfume
,
and
Lace
;
Then
bends
from
Mars's
Hill
his
awful
Eyes
,
And
What
a
World
I
never
want
?
he
cries
;
But
cries
unheard
:
For
Folly
will
be
free
.
So
parts
the
buzzing
gaudy
Crowd
,
and
He
:
As
careless
he
for
them
,
as
they
for
him
;
He
wrapt
in
Wisdom
,
and
they
whirl'd
by
Whim
.