GAY'S "TRIVIA" (1716).
Trivia was one of the earliest productions of John Gay, and although its poetical merit is by no means conspicuous, it is one of the poet's most notable productions, as a vivid description of the streets of London two hundred years ago. The piece is too long to print in full, but the extracts which are given are typical and representative of the general style and matter of the poem.
But when the swinging signs your ears offend
With creaking noise, then rainy floods impend;
Soon shall the kennels swell with rapid streams,
And rush in muddy torrents to the Thames.
The bookseller, whose shop's an open square,
Forsees the tempest, and with early care
Of learning strips the rails; the rowing crew,
To tempt a fare, clothe all their tilts in blue;