A HUE AND CRY AFTER FAIR AMORET

by: William Congreve (1670-1729)

AIR Amoret is gone astray--

Pursue and seek her, ev'ry lover;

I'll tell the signs by which you may

The wand'ring Shepherdess discover.

 

Coquette and coy at once her air,

Both studied, tho' both seem neglected;

Careless she is, with artful care,

Affecting to seem unaffected.

 

With skill her eyes dart ev'ry glance,

Yet change so soon you'd ne'er suspect them,

For she'd persuade they wound by chance,

Tho' certain aim and art direct them.

 

She likes herself, yet others hates

For that which in herself she prizes;

And, while she laughs at them, forgets

She is the thing that she despises.

• William Congreve - A biography of the Restoration dramatist.
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• William Congreve (1670-1729) - A biography of the English dramatist, plus links to purchase all of his works currently in print.
• Restoration Drama - An overview of Restoration theatre; includes information on the appearance of women on the English stage, the persistance of Elizabethan plays, parody of heroic drama, the nature of Restoration comedy, women playwrights, and Collier's attack on the stage.
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