himself, who is still living, and, fiction-like as it appears, it is strictly and literally true."[1]
One of the poems found in the chair is "The Ladies' Petition to the House of Commons," the suffragettes of the day. It is founded on the old ballad of "Nice Young Maidens."
Here's a pretty set of us
Nice young maidens.
Here's a pretty set of us
All for husbands at a loss
But we cannot tarry thus,
Nice young maidens.
There is a Scottish version of the same, "Puir auld Maidens," borrowed from England.
Gay wrote:—
Sirs:—We, the maids of Exon-City,
The maids—good lack! the more's the pity!
We humbly offer this petition
To represent our sad condition.
Which, once made known, our hope and trust is
Your honoured House will do us justice.
First you shall hear—but can't you guess?—
The reason of our sad distress.
A maiden was designed by nature
A weakly and imperfect creature,
So liable to err and stray,
She wants a guide, requires a stay:
And then, so timorous of sprites,
She dreads to be alone at nights.
Say what she will, do what she can,
Her heart still gravitates to man.
As Mr. Chanter has pointed out, Gay has scarcely received due credit for the number of proverbial couplets and sayings which have entwined themselves in our daily language ; for instance:—
When a lady's in the case
You know all other things give place.
- ↑ "The Early Poetry of Devonshire" in the Transactions of the Devonshire Association for 1874.
