RPO -- Mary Barber : To a Lady, Who Valu'd Herself on Speaking Her Mind in a Blunt Manner, Which She Call'd Being Sincere

Mary Barber (ca. 1685-1755)

To a Lady, Who Valu'd Herself on Speaking Her Mind in a Blunt Manner, Which She Call'd Being Sincere

1WELL you Sincerity display,

2 A virtue wond'rous rare !

3Nor value, tho' the world should say,

4 You're rude, so you're sincere.

5To be sincere, then, give me leave ;

6 And I will frankly own,

7Since you but this one virtue have,

8'Twere better you had none.

Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: Poems by Eminent Ladies (London: R. Baldwin, 1755). B-10 6457 Fisher Rare Book Library
First publication date: 1755
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1996-2000.
Recent editing: 2:2002/1/16

Rhyme: ababcdcd

Other poems by Mary Barber