Oh, spotless paper, fair and white!
| First Line | Oh, spotless paper, fair and white! |
|---|---|
| Author | Laetitia Lewen Pilkington |
| Date | 1732 |
| Description | Occasional (on writing verses) [Literature; Family]. Transcribed from "A young Lady of 12 Years of age, having promised her Brother, who was making his Exercise to write him some Verses, if he would tell her what to write upon. What, replied he smartly, but upon Paper? Her Answer and Performance were in the following Lines." The Gentleman's Magazine: and historical chronicle, vol. 2, Nov. 1732, p. 1077. ProQuest, [ProQuest document ID:] 8306368. |
| Links |
Transcription
Oh, spotless paper, fair and white!
On thee by force constrain'd to write;
Is it not hard I should destroy
Thy purity, to please a boy!
Ungrateful I, thus to abuse
The fairest servant of the muse;
Dear friend, to whom I oft impart
The choicest secrets of my heart:
Ah, what atonement can be made
For spotless innocence betray'd?
How fair, how lovely didst thou show,
Like lilly'd banks, or falling snow!
But now alas! become my prey,
Not floods can wash thy stains away:
Yet this small comfort can I give,
That, when destroy'd, shall make thee live.
Beinecke Osborn c360 (1/3)
| Title | Untitled |
|---|---|
| Period | 1731-1760 |
| Archive | Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library |
p. 10
Local title: XIX Verses by Miss Talbot a young Lady of 12 Years of Age.
Attributed author: "Miss Talbot" then corrected to "Miss Laetitia Van Lewen," see below.
Adaptation: n/a
Other variants: n/a
Other: On p. 9v: "Miss Talbot disowns these Verses. they were written by a young Lady in Dublin. viz: Miss Laetitia Van Lewen, who afterwards Married the Revd Mr Pilkington but making an Elopement went to London where she turn’d a common Prostitute of the Town, and publish’d her Memoirs. She Died in Dublin on Sunday July the 29 1750."
Clark MS 1986.003
| Title | Negotiolum bellae. |
|---|---|
| Period | 1731-1760 |
| Archive | Clark Library |
pp. 74–75
Local title: A Young Lady of 12 years of age having promised her Brother who was making his exersise[sic] to write him some verses if he would tell her what to write upon what replied he smartly but upon paper, her answer and performance wear as follows.
Attributed author: n/a
Adaptation: n/a
Other variations: n/a
Other: n/a