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<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>The Quid Pro Quo; Or The Mistakes</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">DAME FORTUNE often loves a laugh to raise,<br>And, playing off her tricks and roguish ways,<br>Instead of giving us what we desire,<br>Mere quid pro quo permits us to acquire.<br>I've found her gambols such from first to last,<br>And judge the future by experience past.<br>Fair Cloris and myself felt mutual flame;<br>And, when a year had run, the sprightly dame<br>Prepared to grant me, if I may be plain,<br>Some slight concessions that would ease my pain.<br>This was her aim; but whatsoe'er in view,<br>'Tis opportunity we should pursue;<br>The lover, who's discreet, will moments seize;<br>And ev'ry effort then will tend to please.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">ONE eve I went this charming fair to see;<br>The husband happened (luckily for me)<br>To be abroad; but just as it was night<br>The master came, not doubting all was right;<br>No Cloris howsoe'er was in the way;<br>A servant girl, of disposition gay,<br>Well known to me, with pretty smiling face,<br>'Tis said, was led to take her lady's place.<br>The mistress' loss for once was thus repaid;<br>The barter mutual:--wife against the maid.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">WITH many tales like this the books abound;<br>But able hands are necessary found,<br>To place the incidents, arrange the whole,<br>That nothing may be forced nor feel control.<br>The urchin blind, who sees enough to lay<br>His num'rous snares, such tricks will often play.<br>The CRADLE in Boccace excels the most,<br>As to myself I do not mean to boast,<br>But fear, a thousand places, spite of toil,<br>By him made excellent, my labours spoil.<br>'Tis time howe'er with preface to have done,<br>And show, by some new turn, or piece of fun,<br>(While easy numbers from my pencil flow,)<br>Of Fortune and of Love the quid pro quo.<br>In proof, we'll state what happened at Marseilles:<br>The story is so true, no doubt prevails.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THERE Clidamant, whose proper name my verse,<br>Prom high respect, refuses to rehearse,<br>Lived much at ease: not one a wife had got,<br>Throughout the realm, who was so nice a lot,<br>Her virtues, temper, and seraphick charms,<br>Should have secured the husband to her arms;<br>But he was not to constancy inclined;<br>The devil's crafty; snares has often twined<br>Around and round, with ev'ry subtle art,<br>When love of novelty he would impart.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THE lady had a maid, whose form and size,<br>Height, easy manners, action, lips, and eyes,<br>Were thought to be so very like her own,<br>That one from t'other scarcely could be known;<br>The mistress was the prettiest of the two;<br>But, in a mask where much escapes the view,<br>'Twas very difficult a choice to make,<br>And feel no doubts which better 'twere to take.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THE Marseillesian husband, rather gay,<br>With mistress Alice was disposed to play;<br>(For such was called the maid we just have named <br>To show coquettish airs the latter aimed,<br>And met his wishes with reproof severe;<br>But to his plan the lover would adhere,<br>And promised her at length a pretty sum:<br>A hundred crowns, if to his room she'd come.<br>To pay the girl with kindness such as this,<br>In my opinion, was not much amiss.<br>At that rate what should be the mistress' price?<br>Perhaps still less: she might not be so nice.<br>But I mistake; the lady was so coy,<br>No spark, whatever art he could employ,<br>How cleverly soe'er he laid the snare,<br>Would have succeeded, spite of ev'ry care.<br>Nor presents nor attentions would have swayed;<br>Should I have mentioned presents as an aid?<br>Alas! no longer these are days of old!<br>By Love both nymph and shepherdess are sold;<br>He sets the price of many beauties rare;<br>This was a god;--now nothing but a mayor.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">O ALTERED times! O customs how depraved!<br>At first fair Alice frowardly behaved;<br>But in the sequel 'gan to change her way,<br>And said, her mistress, as the foll'wing day,<br>A certain remedy to take designed;<br>That, in the morning then, if so inclined,<br>They could at leisure in the cavern meet;--<br>The plan was pleasing: all appeared discreet.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THE servant, having to her mistress said,<br>What projects were in view: what nets were spread;<br>The females, 'tween themselves, a plot contrived,<br>Of Quid pro quo, against the hour arrived.<br>The husband of the trick was ne'er aware,<br>So much the mistress had her servant's air;<br>But if he had, what then? no harm of course;<br>She might have lectured him with double force.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">NEXT day but one, gay Clidamant, whose joy<br>Appeared so great, 'twas free from all alloy,<br>By hazard met a friend, to whom he told<br>(Most indiscreetly) what to him was sold;<br>How Cupid favoured what he most required,<br>And freely granted all he had desired.<br>Though large the blessing, yet he grudged the cost;<br>The sum gave pain: a hundred crowns were lost!<br>The friend proposed they should at once decide,<br>The charge and pleasure 'tween them to divide.<br>Our husband thought his purse not over strong,<br>That saving fifty crowns would not be wrong.<br>But then, on t'other hand, to lend the fair,<br>In ev'ry view had got an awkward air;<br>Would she, as was proposed, consent to two?<br>To keep things secret would their lips be true?<br>Or was it fair to sacrifice her charms,<br>And lay her open thus to dire alarms?</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THE friend this difficulty soon removed,<br>And represented that the cavern proved<br>So very dark, the girl would be deceived;<br>With one more shrewd the trick might be achieved.<br>Sufficient howsoever it would be,<br>If they by turns, and silent, could agree<br>To meet the belle, and leave to Love the rest,<br>From whom they hoped assistance if distressed.<br>Such silence to observe no hurt could do,<br>And Alice would suppose, a prudent view<br>Retained the tongue, since walls have often ears,<br>And, being mum, expressive was of fears.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">WHEN thus the two gallants their plan had laid,<br>And ev'ry promised pleasure fully weighed,<br>They to the husband's mansion made their way,<br>Where yet the wife between the bed-clothes lay.<br>The servant girl was near her mistress found;<br>Her dress was plain: no finery around;<br>In short, 'twas such that, when the moment came;<br>To fail the meeting could not be her aim.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THE friends disputed which the lead should take,<br>And strong pretentions both appeared to make;<br>The husband, honours home would not allow:<br>Such compliments were out of fashion now.<br>To settle this, at length three dice they took;<br>The friend was highest placed in Fortune's book.<br>The both together to the cavern flew,<br>And for the servant soon impatient grew;<br>But Alice never came, and in her room<br>The mistress, softly treading 'mid the gloom,<br>The necessary signal gently gave,<br>On which she entered presently the cave,<br>And this so suddenly, no time was found<br>To make remarks on change or errors round,<br>Or any diff'rence 'tween the friend and spouse;<br>In short, before suspicions 'gan to rouse,<br>Or alteration lent the senses aid:--<br>To LOVE, a sacrifice was fully made.<br>The lucky wight more pleasure would have felt,<br>If sensible he'd been with whom he dealt:<br>The mistress rather more of beauty had,<br>And QUALITY of course must something add.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THIS scene just ended, t'other actor came,<br>Whose prompt arrival much surprised the dame,<br>For, as a husband, Clidamant had ne'er<br>Such ardour shown, he seemed beyond his sphere.<br>The lady to the girl imputed this,<br>And thought, to hint it, would not be amiss.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THE entertainment o'er, away they went<br>To quit the dark abode they were intent.<br>The partner in amour repaired above;<br>But when the husband saw his wedded love<br>Ascend the stairs, and she the friend perceived,<br>We well may judge how bosoms beat and heaved.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">THE master of the house conceived it best<br>To keep the whole a secret in his breast.<br>But to discover ALL, his lovely rib<br>Appeared disposed, though wives can often fib;<br>The silliest of the throng (or high or low),<br>Most perfectly the science seem to know.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">SOME will pretend that Alice, in her heart<br>Was sorry she had acted such a part,<br>And not a better method sought to gain<br>The money which had caused her master's pain;<br>Lamented much the case, and tried to please<br>By ev'ry means that might his trouble ease.<br>But this is merely with design to make<br>The tale a more impressive feature take.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">TWO questions may agitate around;<br>The one, if 'mong the brotherhood renowned,<br>The husband, who thus felt disgraced,<br>Should (with the usual ornaments) be placed?<br>But I no grounds for such conclusion see:<br>Both friend and wife were from suspicion free;<br>Of one another they had never thought,<br>Though in the mystick scene together brought.<br>The other is:--Should she, who was misused,<br>Have sought revenge for being so abused?<br>Though this sufficiently I have maintained,<br>The lady inconsolable remained.</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><a href="http://www.citatepedia.com/comments.php?id=431389" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none">HEAV'N guard the FAIR, who meet with ills like these,<br>And nothing can their wounded minds appease:<br>I many know howe'er, who would but laugh,<br>And treat such accidents as light as chaff.<br>But I have done: no more of that or this;<br>May ev'ry belle receive her lot of bliss!</a></div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><a href="http://poems.citatepedia.com/">poem</a> by <strong><a rel="author" href="http://authors.citatepedia.com/by.php?a=La+Fontaine">La Fontaine</a></strong></div>