Online Texts for Craig White's Literature Courses

• Not a critical or scholarly text but a reading text for a seminar

The Author To Her Book

[1]   Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain,
[2]   Who after birth did'st by my side remain,
[3]   Till snatcht from thence by friends, less wise than true,
[4]   Who thee abroad exposed to public view,
[5]   Made thee in rags, halting to th' press to trudge,   [rags = pun: rags can mean "pages"]
[6]   Where errors were not lessened (all may judge).
[7]   At thy return my blushing was not small,
[8]   My rambling brat (in print) should mother call.
[9]   I cast thee by as one unfit for light,
[10] The visage was so irksome in my sight,              [visage = face]
[11] Yet being mine own, at length affection would
[12] Thy blemishes amend, if so I could.
[13] I washed thy face, but more defects I saw,
[14] And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.
[15] I stretcht thy joints to make thee even feet,           [feet = pun for metrical feet]
[16] Yet still thou run'st more hobbling than is meet.
[17] In better dress to trim thee was my mind,
[18] But nought save home-spun cloth, i' th' house I find.
[19] In this array, 'mongst vulgars may'st thou roam.        [vulgars = common people]
[20] In critic's hands, beware thou dost not come,
[21] And take thy way where yet thou art not known.
[22] If for thy father askt, say, thou hadst none;
[23] And for thy mother, she alas is poor,
[24] Which caused her thus to send thee out of door.