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Poem
February 18, 1875
The Kenosha Telegraph
Kenosha, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
What is this article about?
A 1726 ballad composed by John Gay with Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift, published in Mist's Journal on August 27, celebrates the beauty and charm of Miss Mary Mogg, daughter of an innkeeper at Wrothingham, in a witty and droll style that captivated the public.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
MOLLY MOGG.
In the year 1726, Gay the poet, in conjunction with Pope and Swift, composed a ballad on Miss Mary Mogg, which appeared in Mist's Journal Aug. 27. The production was written in a very droll vein, which tickled the ear of the public and created a great sensation at the time. Miss Mogg was the daughter of an innkeeper at Wrothingham, and was possessed of remarkable beauty. In this droll composition the wits seemed to have found a rhyme that would match the name of their heroine.
The schoolboy delights in a play-day,
The schoolmaster's joy is to flog.
The milkmaid's delight is in May-day,
But mine is in sweet Molly Mogg.
Will-o'-wisp leads the traveler a-gadding
Through ditch and through quagmire and bog,
No light can e'er set me a-padding
But the eyes of my sweet Molly Mogg.
For guineas in other men's breeches
Your gamesters will palm and will cog;
But I envy them none of their riches.
So I palm my sweet Molly Mogg.
The hart that's half wounded in ranging,
It here and there leaps like a frog;
But my heart can never be changing,
It's so fixed on my sweet Molly Mogg.
I know that by wits 'tis recited
That women at best are a clog,
But I'm not so easily frightened
From loving my sweet Molly Mogg.
A letter when I am inditing,
Comes Cupid and gives me a jog,
And I fill all my paper and writing
Of nothing but sweet Molly Mogg.
I feel I'm in love to distraction,
My senses are lost in a fog.
And in nothing can find satisfaction
But in thoughts of my sweet Molly Mogg.
If I would not give up the three Graces,
I wish I were hanged like a dog,
And at court all the drawing-room faces,
For a glance at my sweet Molly Mogg.
For those faces want nature and spirit.
And seem as cut out of a log:
Juno, Venus, and Pallas' merit
Unite in my sweet Molly Mogg.
Were Virgil alive with his Phillis.
And writing another Eclogue,
Both his Phillis and fair Amaryllis
He'd give for my sweet Molly Mogg.
When she smiles on each guest like her liquor,
Then jealousy sets me agog;
To be sure she's a bit for the vicar,
And so I shall lose Molly Mogg.
In the year 1726, Gay the poet, in conjunction with Pope and Swift, composed a ballad on Miss Mary Mogg, which appeared in Mist's Journal Aug. 27. The production was written in a very droll vein, which tickled the ear of the public and created a great sensation at the time. Miss Mogg was the daughter of an innkeeper at Wrothingham, and was possessed of remarkable beauty. In this droll composition the wits seemed to have found a rhyme that would match the name of their heroine.
The schoolboy delights in a play-day,
The schoolmaster's joy is to flog.
The milkmaid's delight is in May-day,
But mine is in sweet Molly Mogg.
Will-o'-wisp leads the traveler a-gadding
Through ditch and through quagmire and bog,
No light can e'er set me a-padding
But the eyes of my sweet Molly Mogg.
For guineas in other men's breeches
Your gamesters will palm and will cog;
But I envy them none of their riches.
So I palm my sweet Molly Mogg.
The hart that's half wounded in ranging,
It here and there leaps like a frog;
But my heart can never be changing,
It's so fixed on my sweet Molly Mogg.
I know that by wits 'tis recited
That women at best are a clog,
But I'm not so easily frightened
From loving my sweet Molly Mogg.
A letter when I am inditing,
Comes Cupid and gives me a jog,
And I fill all my paper and writing
Of nothing but sweet Molly Mogg.
I feel I'm in love to distraction,
My senses are lost in a fog.
And in nothing can find satisfaction
But in thoughts of my sweet Molly Mogg.
If I would not give up the three Graces,
I wish I were hanged like a dog,
And at court all the drawing-room faces,
For a glance at my sweet Molly Mogg.
For those faces want nature and spirit.
And seem as cut out of a log:
Juno, Venus, and Pallas' merit
Unite in my sweet Molly Mogg.
Were Virgil alive with his Phillis.
And writing another Eclogue,
Both his Phillis and fair Amaryllis
He'd give for my sweet Molly Mogg.
When she smiles on each guest like her liquor,
Then jealousy sets me agog;
To be sure she's a bit for the vicar,
And so I shall lose Molly Mogg.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
Song
What themes does it cover?
Love Courtship
Satire Society
What keywords are associated?
Molly Mogg
Gay Pope Swift
Love Ballad
1726
Mist Journal
Wrothingham
Innkeeper Daughter
What entities or persons were involved?
Gay The Poet, In Conjunction With Pope And Swift
Poem Details
Title
Molly Mogg
Author
Gay The Poet, In Conjunction With Pope And Swift
Subject
Ballad On Miss Mary Mogg
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
The Schoolboy Delights In A Play Day,
The Schoolmaster's Joy Is To Flog.
The Milkmaid's Delight Is In May Day,
But Mine Is In Sweet Molly Mogg.
No Light Can E'er Set Me A Padding
But The Eyes Of My Sweet Molly Mogg.
Juno, Venus, And Pallas' Merit
Unite In My Sweet Molly Mogg.
When She Smiles On Each Guest Like Her Liquor,
Then Jealousy Sets Me Agog;
To Be Sure She's A Bit For The Vicar,
And So I Shall Lose Molly Mogg.