The offender, taught his lesson by the way,
  And by his counsel order’d what to say,
  Thus bold began:  My lady liege, said he,
  What all your sex desire is Sovereignty. 
  The wife affects her husband to command; 280
  All must be hers, both money, house, and land. 
  The maids are mistresses even in their name;
  And of their servants full dominion claim. 
  This, at the peril of my head, I say,
  A blunt plain truth, the sex aspires to sway,
  You to rule all, while we, like slaves, obey. 
  There was not one, or widow, maid, or wife,
  But said the knight had well deserved his life. 
  Even fair Geneura, with a blush, confess’d
  The man had found what women love the best.

    Upstarts the beldam, who was there unseen, 290
  And, reverence made, accosted thus the queen: 
  My liege, said she, before the court arise,
  May I, poor wretch, find favour in your eyes,
  To grant my just request? ’twas I who taught
  The knight this answer, and inspired his thought;
  None but a woman could a man direct
  To tell us women what we most affect. 
  But first I swore him on his knightly troth,
  (And here demand performance of his oath) 300
  To grant the boon that next I should desire;
  He gave his faith, and I expect my hire: 
  My promise is fulfill’d; I saved his life,
  And claim his debt, to take me for his wife. 
  The knight was ask’d, nor could his oath deny,
  But hoped they would not force him to comply. 
  The women, who would rather wrest the laws,
  Than let a sister-plaintiff lose the cause,
  (As judges on the bench more gracious are,
  And more attent to brothers of the bar) 310
  Cried one and all, the suppliant should have right,
  And to the grandame hag adjudged the knight.

    In vain he sigh’d, and oft with tears desired
  Some reasonable suit might be required. 
  But still the crone was constant to her note;
  The more he spoke, the more she stretch’d her throat. 
  In vain he proffer’d all his goods, to save
  His body destined to that living grave. 
  The liquorish hag rejects the pelf with scorn;
  And nothing but the man would serve her turn. 320
  Not all the wealth of eastern kings, said she,
  Have power to part my plighted love, and me;
  And, old and ugly as I am, and poor,
  Yet never will I break the faith I swore;
  For mine thou art by promise, during life,
  And I thy loving and obedient wife.

    My love! nay, rather, my damnation thou,
  Said he:  nor am I bound to keep my vow: 
  The fiend thy sire hath sent thee from below,
  Else how couldst thou my secret sorrows know? 330
  Avaunt, old witch! for I renounce thy bed: