[Page 49]

Jupiter and the Farmer.

1 WHen Poets gave their God in Crete a Birth,
2 Then Jupiter held Traffick with the Earth,
3 And had a Farm to Lett: the Fine was high,
4 For much the Treas'ry wanted a Supply,
5 By Danaë's wealthy Show'r exhausted quite, and dry.
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6 But Merc'ry, who as Steward kept the Court,
7 So rack'd the Rent, that all who made Resort
8 Unsatisfy'd return'd, nor could agree
9 To use the Lands, or pay his secret Fee;
10 'Till one poor Clown (thought subt'ler than the rest,
11 Thro' various Projects rolling in his Breast)
12 Consents to take it, if at his Desire
13 All Weathers tow'rds his Harvest may conspire;
14 The Frost to kill the Worm, the brooding Snow,
15 The filling Rains may come, and Phoebus glow.
16 The Terms accepted, sign'd and seal'd the Lease,
17 His Neighbours Grounds afford their due Encrease
18 The Care of Heav'n; the Owner's Cares may cease.
19 Whilst the new Tenant, anxious in his Mind,
20 Now asks a Show'r, now craves a rustling Wind
21 To raise what That had lodg'd, that he the Sheaves may bind.
22 The Sun, th'o'er-shadowing Clouds, the moistning Dews
23 He with such Contrariety does chuse;
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24 So often and so oddly shifts the Scene,
25 Whilst others Load, he scarce has what to Glean.
26 O Jupiter! with Famine pinch'd he cries,
27 No more will I direct th' unerring Skies;
28 No more my Substance on a Project lay,
29 No more a sullen Doubt I will betray,
30 Let me but live to Reap, do Thou appoint the way.

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Title (in Source Edition): Jupiter and the Farmer.
Themes: mythology
Genres: allegory

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Source edition

Winchilsea, Anne Kingsmill Finch, Countess of, 1661-1720. Miscellany poems, on several occasions: Written by the Right Honble Anne, Countess of Winchilsea. London: printed for J. B. and sold by Benj. Tooke, William Taylor, and James Round, 1713, pp. 49-51. [8],390p. ; 8⁰. (ESTC T94539; Foxon pp. 274-5; OTA K076314.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Buxton 100].)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

Other works by Anne Finch (née Kingsmill), countess of Winchilsea