Lysidas that haughty Swain With many Beauties in a Train All sighing for the Swain whilst he Barely returns Civility Yet once to each much Love he Vowd And strange Fantastique Passion show'd Poor Doris and Lucinda too And many more whom thou dost know Who had not power his Charms to shun Too late do find themselves Undone His Eyes are Black and do transcend All Fancy e'er can comprehend And yet no Softness in 'em move They kill with Fierceness not with Love Yet he can dress 'em when he list With Sweetness none can e'er resist His Tongue no Amorous Parley makes But with his Looks alone he speaks And though he languish yet he 'l hide That grateful knowledge with his Pride And thinks his Liberty is lost Not in the Conquest but the Boast Nor will but Love enough impart To gain and to secure a heart Of which no sooner he is sure And that its Wounds are past all Cure But for New Victories he prepares And leaves the Old to its Despairs Success his Boldness does renew And Boldness helps him Conquer too He having gain'd more hearts then all Th' rest of the Pastoral Cabal Mr. Ed. Bed With him Philander who nere paid A Sigh or Tear to any Maid So innocent and young he is He cannot guess what Passion is But all the Love he ever knew On Lycidas he does bestow Who pays his Tenderness again Too Amorous for a Swain to a Swain A softer Youth was never seen His Beauty Maid but Man his Mein And much more gay than all the rest And but Alexis finest Dress'd His Eyes towards Lycidas still turn As sympathising Flowers to the Sun Whilst Lycidas whose Eyes dispense No less a grateful Influence Improves his Beauty which still fresher grows Who would not under two such Suns as those Cloris you sigh what Amorous grown Pan grant you keep your heart at home For I have often heard you Vow If any cou'd your heart subdue Though Lycidas you nere nad seen It must be him or one like him Alas I cannot yet forget How we have with Amyntas sat Beneath the Boughs for Summer made Our heated Flocks and Us to shade Where thou wou'dst wond'rous Stories tell Of this Agreeable Infidel By what Devices Charms and Arts He us'd to gain and keep his Hearts And whilst his Falsehood we wou'd Blame Thou woud'st commend and praise the same And did no greater pleasure take Then when of Lycidas we spake By this and many Sighs we know Thou' rt sensible of Loving too Come Cloris come along with us And try thy power with Lycidas See if that Vertue which you prize Be proof against those Conquering Eyes That Heart that can no Love admit Will hardly stand his shock of VVit Come deck thee then in all that 's fine Perhaps the Conquest may be thine They all attend let 's hast to do What Love and Musick calls us to SONG The Willing Mistriss AMyntas led me to a Grove Where all the Trees did shade us The Sun it self though it had Strove It could not have betray'd us The place secur'd from humane Eyes No other fear allows But when the Winds that gently rise Doe Kiss the yeilding Boughs Down there we satt upon the Moss And did begin to play A Thousand Amorous Tricks to pass The heat of all the day A many Kisses he did give And I return'd the same Which made me willing to receive That which I dare not name His Charming Eyes no Aid requir'd To tell their softning Tale On her that was already fir'd 'T was Easy to prevaile He did but Kiss and Clasp me round Whilst those his thoughts Exprest And lay'd me gently on the Ground Ah who can guess the rest SONG Love Arm'd LOve in Fantastique Triumph satt Whilst Bleeding Hearts a round him flow'd For whom Fresh paines he did Create And strange Tyranick power he show'd From thy Bright Eyes he took his fire Which round about in sport he hurl'd But 't was from mine he took desire Enough to undo the Amorous World From me he took his sighs and tears From thee his Pride and Crueltie From me his Languishments and Feares And every Killing Dart from thee Thus thou and I the God have arm'd And sett him up a Deity But my poor Heart alone is harm'd Whilst thine the Victor is and free SONG The Complaint AMyntas that true hearted Swaine Upon a Rivers Banck was lay'd Where to the Pittying streames he did Complaine On Silvia that false Charming Maid VVhile shee was still regardless of his paine Ah! Charming Silvia would he cry And what he said the Echoes wou'd reply Be kind or else I dy Ech I dy Be kind or else I dy Ech I dy Those smiles and Kisses which you give Remember Sylvia are my due And all the Joyes my Rivall does receive He ravishes from me not you Ah Silvia can I live and this believe Insensibles are toucht to see My Languishments and seem to pitty me Which I demand of thee Ech of thee Which I demand of thee Ech of thee Set by Mr. Banister SONG The Invitation DAmon I cannot blame your will 'T was Chance and not Design did kill For whilst you did prepare your Charmes On purpose Silvia to subdue I met the Arrows as they flew And sav'd her from their harms Alas she cannot make returnes Who for a Swaine already Burnes A Shepherd whom she does Caress With all the softest marks of Love And 't is in vaine thou seek'st to move The cruel Shepherdess Content thee with this Victory Think me as faire and young as she I 'le make thee Garlands all the day And in the Groves we 'l sit and sing I 'le Crown thee with the pride o' th' Spring When thou art Lord of May. SONG VVHen Jemmy first began to Love He was the Gayest Swaine That ever yet a Flock had drove Or danc't upon the Plaine T' was then that I weys me poor Heart My Freedom threw away And finding sweets in every smart I cou'd not say him nay And ever when he talkt of Love He wou'd his Eyes decline And every sigh a Heart would move Gued Faith and why not mine He 'd press my hand and Kiss it oft In silence spoke his Flame And whilst he treated me thus soft I wisht him more to Blame Sometimes to feed my Flocks with him My Jemmy wou'd Invite me Where he the Gayest Songs wou'd sing On purpose to delight me And Jemmy every Grace displayd Which were enough I trow To Conquer any Princely Maid So did he me I vow But now for Jemmy must I mourn VVho to the VVarrs must go His Sheephook to a Sword must turne Alack what shall I do His Bag-pipe into War-like Sounds Must now Exchanged bee Instead of Braceletts fearful Wounds Then what becomes of me To Mr. Creech under the Name of Daphnis on his Excellent Translation of Lucretius THou great Young Man Permit amongst the Crowd Of those that sing thy mighty Praises lowd
Waves o'er Shining Pebbles curl'd Or when young Zephirs fan'd the Gentle Breez Gath'ring fresh Sweets from Balmy Flow'rs and Trees Then bore 'em on their Wings to perfume all the Air While to their soft and tender Play The Gray-Plum'd Natives of the Shades Unwearied sing till Love invades Then Bill then sing agen while Love and Musick makes the Day III. The stubborn Plough had then Made no rude Rapes upon the Virgin Earth Who yeilded of her own accord her plentious Birth Without the Aids of men As if within her Teeming Womb All Nature and all Sexes lay Whence new Creations every day Into the happy World did come The Roses fill'd with Morning Dew Bent down their loaded heads T' Adorn the careless Shepherds Grassy Beds While still young opening Buds each moment grew And as those withered drest his shaded Couch a new Beneath who 's boughs the Snakes securely dwelt Not doing harm nor harm from others felt With whom the Nymphs did Innocently play No spightful Venom in the wantons lay But to the touch were Soft and to the sight were Gay IV. Then no rough sound of Wars Alarms Had taught the World the needless use of Arms Monarchs were uncreated then Those Arbitrary Rulers over men Kings that made Laws first broke 'em and the Gods By teaching us Religion first first set the World at Odds Till then Ambition was not known That Poyson to Content Bane to Repose Each Swain was Lord o'er his own will alone His Innocence Religion was and Laws Nor needed any troublesome defence Against his Neighbours Insolence Flocks Herds and every necessary good Which bounteous Nature had design'd for Food Whose kind increase o'er-spread the Meads and Plaines Was then a common Sacrifice to all th' agreeing Swaines V. Right and Property were words since made When Power taught Mankind to invade When Pride and Avarice became a Trade Carri'd on by discord noise and wars For which they barter'd wounds and scarrs And to Inhaunce the Merchandize miscall'd it ' Fame ' And Rapes Invasions Tyrannies Was gaining of a Glorious Name Stiling their salvage slaughters Victories Honour the Error and the Cheat Of the Ill-natur'd Bus'ey Great Nonsence invented by the Proud Fond Idol of the slavish Crowd Thou wert not known in those blest days Thy Poyson was not mixt with our unbounded Joyes Then it was glory to pursue delight And that was lawful all that Pleasure did invite Then 't was the Amorous world injoy'd its Reign And Tyrant Honour strove t' usurp in Vain VI. The flowry Meads the Rivers and the Groves Were fill'd with little Gay-wing'd Loves That ever smil'd and danc'd and Play'd And now the woods and now the streames invade And where they came all things were gay and glad When in the Myrtle Groves the Lovers sat Opprest with a too fervent heat A Thousand Cupids fann'd their wings a-loft And through the Boughs the yielded Ayre would waft Whose parting Leaves discovered all below And every God his own soft power admir'd And smil'd and fann'd and sometimes bent his Bow Where e'er he saw a Shepherd uninspir'd The Nymphs were free no nice no coy disdain Deny'd their Joyes or gave the Lover pain The yielding Maid but kind Resistance makes Trembling and blushing are not marks of shame But the Effect of kindling Flame Which from the sighing burning Swain she takes VVhile she with tears all soft and down-cast-eyes Permits the Charming Conqueror to win the prize VII The Lovers thus thus uncontroul'd did meet Thus all their Joyes and Vows of Love repeat Joyes which were everlasting ever new And every Vow inviolably true Not kept in fear of Gods no fond Religious cause Nor in Obedience to the duller Laws Those Fopperies of the Gown were then not known Those vain those Politick Curbs to keep man in VVhoby a fond mistake Created that a Sin VVhich freeborn we by right of Nature claim our own Who but the Learned and dull moral Fool Could gravely have forseen man ought to live by Rule VIII Oh cursed Honour thou who first didst damn A VVoman to the Sin of shame Honour that rob'st us of our Gust Honour that hindred mankind first At Loves Eternal Spring to squench his amorous thirst Honour who first taught lovely Eyes the art To wound and not to cure the heart VVith Love to invite but to forbid with Awe And to themselves prescribe a Cruel Law To Veil 'em from the Lookers on When they are sure the slave 's undone And all the Charmingst part of Beauty hid Soft Looks consenting Wishes all deny'd It gathers up the flowing Hair That loosely plaid with wanton Air. The Envious Net and stinted order hold The lovely Curls of Jet and shining Gold No more neglected on the Shoulders hurl'd Now drest to Tempt not gratify the VVorld Thou Miser Honour hord'st the sacred store And starv'st thy self to keep thy Votaries poor IX Honour that put'st our words that should be free Into a set Formality Thou base Debaucher of the generous heart That teachest all our Looks and Actions Art What Love design'd a sacred Gift What Nature made to be possest Mistaken Honour made a Theft For Glorious Love should be confest For when confin'd all the poor Lover gains Is broken Sighs pale Looks Complaints Pains Thou Foe to Pleasure Nature's worst Disease Thou Tyrant over mighty Kings What mak'st thou here in Shepheards Cottages Why troublest thou the quiet Shades Springs Be gone and make thy Fam'd resort To Princes Pallaces Go Deal and Chaffer in the Trading Court That busie Market for Phantastick Things Be gone and interrupt the short Retreat Of the Illustrious and the Great Go break the Polititians sle ep Disturb the Gay Ambitious Fool That longs for Scepters Crowns and Rule Which not his Title nor his Wit can keep But let the humble honest Swain go on In the blest Paths of the first rate of man That nearest were to Gods Alli'd And form'd for love alone disdain'd all other Pride X. Be gone and let the Golden age again Assume its Glorious Reign Let the young wishing Maid confess What all your Arts would keep conceal'd The Mystery will be reveal'd And she in vain denies whilst we can guess She only shows the Jilt to teach man how To turn the false Artillery on the Cunning Foe Thou empty Vision hence be gone And let the peaceful Swain love on The swift pac'd hours of life soon steal away Stint not yee Gods his short liv'd Joy The Spring decays but when the Winter 's gone The Trees and Flowers a new comes on The Sun may set but when the night is fled And gloomy darkness does retire He rises from his Watry Bed All Glorious Gay all drest in Amorous Fire But Sylvia when your Beauties fade VVhen the fresh Roses on your Cheeks shall die Like Flowers that wither in the Shade Eternally they will forgotten lye And no kindSpring their sweetness will supply VVhen Snow shall on those lovely Tresses lye And
Secrets did Unfold And did the dull Unloving World defy VVhilst each the Hearts fond Story told If all these Conjurations nought Prevail Not Prayers or Sighs or Tears avail But Heaven has Destin'd we Depriv'd must be Of so much Youth Wit Beauty and of Thee I will the Deaf and Angry Powers defie Curse thy Decease Bless thee and with thee die To Lysander on some Verses he writ and asking more for his Heart then 't was worth I. TAke back that Heart you with such Caution give Take the fond valu'd Trifle back I hate Love-Merchants that a Trade wou'd drive And meanly cunning Bargains make II. I care not how the busy Market goes And scorn to Chaffer for a price Love does one Staple Rate on all impose Nor leaves it to the Traders Choice III. A Heart requires a Heart Unfeign'd and True Though Subt'ly you advance the Price And ask a Rate that Simple Love ne'er knew And the free Trade Monopolize IV. An Humble Slave the Buyer must become She must not bate a Look or Glance You will have all or you 'll have none See how Loves Market you inhaunce V. Is 't not enough I gave you Heart for Heart But I must add my Lips and Eies I must no friendly Smile or Kiss impart But you must Dun me with Advice VI. And every Hour still more unjust you grow Those Freedoms you my life deny You to Adraste are oblig'd to show And give her all my Rifled Joy VII Without Controul she gazes on that Face And all the happy Envyed Night In the pleas'd Circle of your fond imbrace She takes away the Lovers Right VIII From me she Ravishes those silent hours That are by Sacred Love my due VVhilst I in vain accuse the angry Powers That make me hopeless Love pursue IX Adrastes Ears with that dear Voice are blest That Charms my Soul at every Sound And with those Love-Inchanting Touches prest VVhich I ne'er felt without a Wound X. She has thee all whilst I with silent Greif The Fragments of thy Softness feel Yet dare not blame the happy licenc'd Thief That does my Dear-bought Pleasures steal XI Whilst like a Glimering Taper still I burn And waste my self in my own flame Adraste takes the welcome rich Return And leaves me all the hopeless Pain XII Be just my lovely Swain and do not take Freedoms you 'll not to me allow Or give Amynta so much Freedom back That she may Rove as well as you XIII Let us then love upon the honest Square Since Interest neither have design'd For the sly Gamester who ne'er plays me fair Must Trick for Trick expect to find To the Honourable Edward Howard on his Comedy called The New Utopia I. BEyond the Merit of the Age You have adorn'd the Stage So from rude Farce to Comick Order brought Each Action and each Thought To so Sublime a Method as yet none But Mighty Ben alone Cou'd e'er arive and he at distance too Were he alive he must resign to you You have out-done what e'er he writ In this last great Example of your Wit Your Solymour does his Morose destroy And your Black Page undoes his Barbers Boy All his Collegiate Ladies must retire While we thy braver Heroins do admire This new Utopia rais'd by thee Shall stand a Structure to be wondered at And men shall cry this this is he Who that Poetick City did create Of which Moor only did the Model draw You did Compleat that little World and gave it Law II. If you too great a Prospect doe allow To those whom Ignorance does at distance Seat 'T is not to say the Object is less great But they-want sight to apprehend it so The ancient Poets in their times When thro' the Peopl'd Streets they sung their Rhimes Found small applause they sung but still were poor Repeated Wit enough at every door T' have made 'em demy Gods but 't wou'd not do Till Ages more refin'd esteem'd 'em so The Modern Poets have with like Success Quitted the Stage and Sallyed from the Press Great Johnson scarce a Play brought forth But Monster-like it frighted at its Birth Yet he continued still to write And still his Satyr did more sharply bite He writ tho certain of his Doom Knowing his Pow'r in Comedy To please a wiser Age to come And though he Weapons wore to Justify The reasons of his Pen he cou'd not bring Dull Souls to Sense by Satyr nor by Cudgelling III. In vain the Errors of the Times You strive by wholesom Precepts to Confute Not all your Pow'r in Prose or Rhimes Can finish the Dispute 'Twixt those that damn and those that do admire The heat of your Poetick fire Your Soul of Thought you may imploy A Nobler way Then in revenge upon a Multitude Whose Ignorance only makes 'em rude Shou'd you that Justice do You must for ever bid adieu To Poetry divine And ev'ry Muse o' th' Nine For Malice then with Ignorance would join And so undo the World and You So ravish from us that delight Of seeing the VVonders which you Write And all your Glories unadmir'd must lye As Vestal Beauties are Intomb'd before they dye IV. Consider and Consult your VVit Despise those Ills you must indure And raise your Scorne as great as it Be Confident and then Secure And let your rich-fraught Pen Adventure out agen Maugre the Stormes that do opose its course Stormes that destroy without remorse It may new Worlds descry VVhich Peopl'd from thy Brain may know More than the Universe besides can show More Arts of Love and more of Gallantry Write on and let not after Ages say The Whistle or rude Hiss cou'd lay Thy mighty Spright of Poetry Which but the Fools and Guilty fly Who dare not in thy Mirror see Their own Deformity Where thou in two the World dost Character Since most of Men Sir Graves or Peacocks are V. And shall that Muse that did ere while Chant forth the Glories of the British Isle Shall shee who lowder was than Fame Now useless lie and tame Shee who late made the Amazons so Great And shee who Conquered Scythia too Which Alexander ne're coud do Will you permitt her to retreat Silence will like Submision show And give Advantage to the Foe Undaunted let her once gain appear And let her lowdly Sing in every Ear Then like thy Mistris Eyes who have the skill Both to preserve a kill To thou at once maist be revengd on those That are thy Foes And on thy Friends such Obligations lay As nothing but the Deed the Doer can repay To Lysander at the Musick-Meeting IT was too much ye Gods to see and hear Receiving wounds both from the Eye and Ear One Charme might have secur'd a Victory Both rais'd the Pleasure even to Extasie So Ravisht Lovers in each others Armes Faint with excess of Joy excess of Charmes Had I but gaz'd and fed my greedy Eyes Perhaps you 'd pleas'd no farther than surprize That Heav'nly Form
might Admiration move But not without the Musick charm'd with Love At least so quick the Conquest had not been You storm'd without and Harmony within Nor cou'd I listen to the sound alone But I alas must look and was undone I saw the Softness that compos'd your Face While your Attention heightend every Grace Your Mouth all full of Sweetness and Content And your fine killing Eyes of Languishment Your Bosom now and than a sigh wou'd move For Musick has the same effects with Love Your Body easey and all tempting lay Inspiring wishes which the Eyes betray In all that have the fate to glance that way A carless and a lovely Negligence Did a new Charm to every Limb dispence So look young Angels Listening to the sound When the Tun'd Spheres Glad all the Heav'ns a-round So Raptur'd lie amidst the wondering Crowd So Charmingly Extended on a Cloud When from so many ways Loves Arrows storm Who can the heedless Heart defend from harm Beauty and Musick must the Soul disarme Since Harmony like Fire to VVax does fit The softned Heart Impressions to admit As the brisk sounds of Warr the Courage move Musick prepares and warms the Soul to Love But when the kindling Sparks such Fuel meet No wonder if the Flame inspir'd be great An Ode to Love I DUll Love no more thy Senceless Arrows prize Damn thy Gay Quiver break thy Bow 'T is only young Lysanders Eyes That all the Arts of Wounding know II. A Pox of Foolish Politicks in Love A wise delay in Warr the Foe may harme By Lazy Siege while you to Conquest move His fiercer Beautys vanquish by a Storme III. Some wounded God to be reveng'd on thee The Charming Youth form'd in a lucky houre Drest him in all that fond Divinity That has out-Rivall'd thee a God in Pow'r IV. Or else while thou supinely laid Basking beneath som Mirtle shade In careless sleepe or tir'd with play When all thy Shafts did scatterd ly Th'unguarded Spoyles he bore away And Arm'd himself with the Artillery V. The Sweetness from thy Eyes he took The Charming Dimples ftom thy Mouth That wonderous Softness when you spoke And all thy Everlasting Youth VI. Thy bow thy Quiver and thy Darts Even of thy Painted Wings has rifled thee To bear him from his Conquer'd broken Hearts To the next Fair and Yeilding She. Love Reveng'd A Song I. CElinda who did Love Disdain For whom had languisht many a Swain Leading her Bleating Flock to drink She spy'd upon the Rivers Brink A Youth whose Eyes did well declare How much he lov'd but lov'd not her II. At first she Laught but gaz'd the while And soon she lessen'd to a Smile Thence to Surprize and Wonder came Her Breast to heave her Heart to flame Then cry'd she out Now now I prove Thou art a God Almighty Love III. She would have spoke but shame deny'd And bid her first consult her Pride But soon she found that Aid was gone For Love alas had left her none Oh how she burns but 't is too late For in her Eyes she reads her Fate SONG To a New Scotch Tune I. YOung Jemmy was a Lad Of Royal Birth and Breeding With ev'ry Beauty Clad And ev'ry Grace Exceeding A face and shape so wondrous fine So Charming ev'ry part That every Lass upon the Green For Jemmy had a Heart II. In Jemmy's Powerful Eyes Young Gods of Love are playing And on his Face there lies A Thousand Smiles betraying But Oh he dances with a Grace None like him e'er was seen No God that ever fancy'd was Has so Divine a Miene III. To Jemmy ev'ry Swaine Did lowly doff his Bonnet And every Nymph would strain To praise him in her Sonnet The Pride of all the Youths he was The Glory of the Groves The Joy of ev'ry tender Lass The Theam of all our Loves IV. But Oh Unlucky Fate A Curse upon Ambition The Busie Fopps of State Have ruin'd his Condition For Glittering Hopes he'as left the Shade His Peaceful Hours are gone By flattering Knaves and Fools betray'd Poor Jemmy is undone The Cabal at Nickey Nackeys I. A Pox of the Statesman that 's witty Who watches and Plots all the Sleepless Night For Seditious Harangues to the Whiggs of the City And Maliciously turns a Traytor in Spight Let him Wear and Torment his lean Carrion To bring his Sham-Plots about Till at last King Bishop and Barron For the Publick Good he have quite rooted out II. But we that are no Polliticians But Rogues that are Impudent Barefac'd and Great Boldly head the Rude Rable in times of Sedition And bear all down before us in Church in State Your Impudence is the best State-Trick And he that by Law meanes to rule Let his History with ours be related And tho' we are the Knaves we know who 's the Fool. A Paraphrase on the Eleventh Ode Out of the first Book of Horace DEar Silvia let 's no farther strive To know how long we have to Live Let Busy Gown-men search to know Their Fates above while we Contemplate Beauties greater Power below Whose only Smiles give Immortality But who seeks Fortune in a Star Aims at a Distance much too far She 's more inconstant than they are What though this year must be our last Faster than Time our Joys let 's hast Nor think of Ills to come or past Give me but Love and Wine I 'll ne'er Complain my Destiny 's severe Since Life bears so uncertain Date With Pleasure we 'll attend our Fate And Chearfully go meet it at the Gate The Brave and Witty know no Fear or Sorrow Let us enjoy to day we 'll dye to Morrow A Translation I. LYDIA Lovely Maid more fair Than Milk or whitest Lilies are Than Polisht Indian Iv'ry shows Or the fair unblushing Rose II. Open Maid thy Locks that hold Wealth more bright than shining Gold Over thy white shoulders laid Spread thy Locks my Charming Maid III. Lydia ope ' thy starry Eyes Shew the Beds where Cupid lies Open Maid thy Rosie-Cheeks Red as Sun-declining streaks IV. Shew thy Coral Lips my Love Kiss me softer than the Dove Till my Ravisht Soul does lie Panting in an Ecstasie V. Oh hold and do not pierce my Heart Which beats as life wou'd thence depart Hide thy Breasts that swell and rise Hide 'em from my wishing Eyes VI. Shut thy Bosome white as Snow Whence Arabian perfumes flow Hide it from my Raptur'd Touch I have gaz'd and kist too much VII Cruel Maid on Malice bent Seest thou not my Languishment Lydia Oh I faint I die With thy Beauties Luxury A PARAPHRASE On Ovid's Epistle of OENONE to PARIS THE ARGUMENT Hecuba being with Child of Paris dream'd she was delivered of a Firebrand Priam consulting the Prophets was answer'd the Child shou'd be the Destruction of Troy wherefore Priam commanded it should be deliver'd to wild Beasts as soon as born but Hecuba conveys it secretly to Mount Ida there to be foster'd by the Shepherds
's Fetter'd is an Owl I found it very convenient and happy to disingage from Love and I have wondred a thousand times at the Follies that God has made me commit And though I somtimes thought on Silvia I thought her less charming and fair than she was before her fall and the Humour I now was in represented her no more meriting that Passion I once had for her and I fancied she had lost all those Graces for which once I lov'd her In fine I was so wholly recovered of my disease of Love for Silvia that I began to be uneasie for want of imploying my Addresses and a change from so violent a Passion to such a degree of coldness became insupportable to one of my Youth and natural Gayety insomuch that I was seized with a Dulness or Languishment and so great a fit of Melancholy as I had never felt the like and my Heart that was so accustomed to Love was so out of Humour that it had no Object or Business for thought that it lost all its Harmony and Wit it having nothing to excite it to Life and Motion passing from so vast a degree of tenderness to an unconcern equally extream I thought it rude ill-bred and idle to live so indifferent and insignificant a Life And walking perpetually by myself or with those of my own Sex that could not make my diversion I sung all day this following Song to a Hum-drum Tune to myself Not to sigh and to be tender Not to talk and prattle Love Is a Life no good can render And insipidly does move Unconcern do's Life destroy Which without Love can know no Joy Life without adoring Beauty Will be useless all the day Love's a part of Human Duty And 't is Pleasure to obey In vain the Gods did Life bestow Where kinder Love has nought to do What is Life but soft desires And that Soul that is not made To entertain what Love inspires Oh thou dull immortal Shade thou 'dst better part with Flesh and Blood Than be where Life 's not understood These were my notions of Life and I found myself altogether useless in the World without Love methought I had nothing to animate me to Gallant things without Love or Women I had no use of Wit or Youth without the fair and yet I did not wish wholly to ingage myself neither a second time having been so ill-treated before by Love But I found there were ways to entertain one's self agreeably enough without dying or venturing the breaking of a heart for the matter That there were Beauties to be obtained without the hazard of hanging or drowning one's self I never had tryed but I found it natural enough to my Humour and Constitution to flatter and dissemble swear and lye I viewed my self in my Glass and found myself very well recovered from the Ruins my first Amour had made and believed myself as fit for Conquest as any Sir Fopling or Sir Courtly Nice of 'em all To this fine Person and good Meen and Shape as I thought I added handsom Dressing the thing that takes the Heart infinitely above all your other Parts and thus set out a snare for vain Beauty I every day went out of the City of Indifference to see what new Adventures I could meet withal One day I incountred a Woman who at first sight appeared very agreeable she had an Air easie free and Galliard such as fails not to take at first view This was Coquettre who the very first time she saw me Addrest herself to me with very great Complisance and good Humour and invited me to her Apartment where she assured me I should not fail to be entertained very agreeably and at the same time pulling out of her Pocket a Paper she shewed me these Words written Let Love no more your Heart inspire Thô Beauty every hour you see Pass no farther than desire If you 'll truly happy be Every day fresh Objects view And for all have Complisance Search all places still for new And to all make some Advance For where Wit and Youth agree There 's no Life like Gallantry Laura's Heart you may receive And tomorrow Julia's prise Take what young Diana gives Pity Lucia when she dies Portia's Face you must admire And to Clorin's Shape submit Phillis Dancing gives you Fire Celia's Softness Clara's Wit Thus all at once you may persue 'T is too little to Love two The powerful smiling God of Hearts So much tenderness imparts You must upon his Altars lay A thousand Offerings every day And so soft is kind desire Oh! so Charming is the Fire That if nice Adraste scorns Gentler Ariadne burns Still Another keep in play If One refuse to give you Joy Cease therefore to disturb your Hours For having two desires A Heart can manage two Amours And burn with several Fires The day has hours enough in store To visit two or half a score I gave her thanks for her good Counsel and found I needed not much persuasion to follow Coquettre to a City that bears her Name and I saw over the Gate of the City at my Entrance these Verses writ in Gold Letters The God of Love beholding every day Slaves from his Empire to depart away For Hearts that have been once with Love fatigu'd A second time are ne'r again intrigu'd No second Beauty e'r can move The Soul to that degree of Love This City built that we might still obey Thô we refus'd his Arbitrary Sway 'T is here we find a grateful Recompence For all Loves former Violence Tir'd with his Laws we hither come To meet a kinder softer doom 'T is here the God without the Tyrant Reigns And Laws agreeable ordains Here 't is with Reason and with Wit he Rules And whining Passion Ridicules No check or bound to Nature gives But kind desire rewarded thrives Peevish uneasy Pride the God Has banish'd from the blest abode All Jealousies all Quarrels cease And here Love lives in perfect Peace This agreeable description gave me new desire to enter into the City where I incountred a thousand fine Persons all gloriously drest as if they were purposely set out for Conquest There was nothing omitted of Cost and Gallantry that might render 'em intirely Charming and they employ'd all their Arts of Looks and Dress to gain Hearts It is in a word from these fair Creatures you are to draw your Satisfaction and 't is indeed at a dear rate you buy it yet notwithstanding the Expence a world of People persue ' em When I came into the City I was soon perceived to be a Stranger there and while I was considering whither I should go or how to address myself to these fair Creatures a little Coquett Cupid presented himself to me for a kind Instructer and to explain him this in a word is his Character He is of the same Race with the other Cupids has the same Mother too Venus He wears a Bow and Arrows like the rest of the young Loves
but he has no Bando nothing to cover his Eyes but he sees perfectly nor has he any Flambeau And all the Laws of Coquettre he understands and observes exactly I had no sooner received the little Charming God but he instructed me in all the most powerful Arts to please in all his little wiles and agreeable deceits all which he admits of as the most necessary Recourses to that great end of Man his true diversion With all which I was so extreamly pleased that resolving to be his Votary I followed him to the most delightful place in the World the City of Gallantry Gallantry is a City very magnificent at the Entrance of the Gate you incounter Liberality a Woman of great Wit delicate Coversation and Complisance This Lady gives her Pasport to all that enter and without which you cannot pass or at least with great difficulty and then too you pass your time but very ill and the more Pasports you have the better you are received from the fair Inhabitants and pass your time more agreeable with the fine Conversation you meet with in this City Love told me this and it was therefore that I took a great many Pasports from this acceptable Person Liberality But what renders you yet more Favoured by the Fair and the Young who reside at Gallantry is to have a delicate soft Wit an assiduous Address and a tender way of Conversing but that which best cullies and pleases the Generality of People there is Liberality and Complisance This place of so great Divertisement is refrequented with all the Parties of the best and most amiaable Company where they invent a thousand new Pleasures every day Feasting Balls Comedies and Sports Singing and Serinads are what employs the whole Four and twenty hours By the Virtue of my Pasports from Liberality I was introduced to all the fine Conversations and Places that afford Pleasure and Delight I had the good Fortune to make Parties insomuch that I was soon known to all the Company in the City and past the day in Feasting going with the Young and Fair to delightful Villa's Gardens or Rivers in Chaces and a thousand things that pleas'd and the Nights I passed in Serinading so that I did not give myself time for Melancholy and yet for all this I was wearied and fatigued for when once one has tasted of the Pleasure of Loving and being Beloved all that comes after that is but flat and dull and if one's Heart be not a little inflamed all things else are insignificant and make but very slight touches I began therefore for all this to be extreamly Shagreen and out of Humour amid'st all these Pleasures till one lucky day I met with an Adventure that warmed my Heart with a tender flame which it had not felt since my happy beginning one for Silvia One day as I said I was conducted by my officious Cupid into a Garden very beautiful where there are a thousand Labyrinths and Arbours Walks Grotto's Groves and Thickets and where all the Fair and the Gay resorted 't was here I incountred a young Beauty called Bellinda she was well made and had an admirable meen an Air of Gayety and Sweetness but that which charmed me most of all was her Wit which was too ingaging for me to defend my Heart against I found mine immediately submitting to her Conversation and you may imagine I did not part with her so long as Decency and good Manners permitted me to stay with her which was as long as any Company was in the place nor then till by my importunity I had gained so much upon her to suffer my Visits which she did with a Condescention that gave me abundance of hope I was no sooner gone but my Cupid who took care of me and entertained me to the best Advantage carryed me that Evening to a Ball where there were a world of Beauties among the rest one fair as imagination can conceive she had all the Charmes of Youth and Beauty though not so much Wit and Air as Bellinda To this young adorable I made my Court all the time I remained there and fancied I never found myself so Charmed I fancied all the Graces had taken up their dwelling in her Divine Face and that to subdue one so fair and so innocent must needs be an extream Pleasure Yet did I not so wholly fix my desires on this lovely Person but that the Wit of Bellinda shared my Heart with the Beauty and Youth of Bellimante so was this young Charmer called I was extreamly well pleas'd to find I could a-new take fire and infinitely more when I found I should not be subdued by one alone nor confined to dull Dotage on a single Beauty but that I was able to attain to the greatest Pleasure that of Loving two amiable Persons at once If with two I hoped I might with Two score if I pleas'd and had occasion and though at first it seemed to be very strange and improbable to feel a Passion for two yet I found it true and could not determin which I had the greatest tenderness for or inclination to But 't is most certain that this Night I found or thought I found more for Bellimante who fired me with every Smile I confess she wanted that Gayety of Spirit Bellinda had to maintain that fire she raised And ever when I was thoughtful a moment Coquettre who is ever in all the Conversation and where she appears very magnificent and with a great Train would smiling sing softly in my Ear this Song for she is very Galliard Cease to defend your Amorous Heart Against a double flame Where two may claim an equal Part Without reproach or shame 'T is Love that makes Life's happiness And he that best wou'd live By Love alone must Life caress And all his Darts receive Coquettre is a Person that endeavours to please and humour every Body but of all those who every day fill her Train she caresses none with that Address and Assiduity as she did me for I was a new Face to whom she is ever most obliging and entertaining However notwithstanding the Advice of Coquettre I fancied this young Charmer had ingaged all my Soul and while I gazed on her Beauty I thought on Bellinda no more but believed I should wholly devote myself to Bellimante whose Eyes alone seemed capable to inflame me I took my leave with Sighs and went home extream well pleas'd with this days Adventure All this Night I slept as well as if no tenderness had toucht my Heart and though I Lov'd infinitely it gave me no disturbance the next morning a thousand pleasant things Bellinda had said to me came into my mind and gave me a new inclination to entertain myself with that witty Beauty and dressing myself in haste with the desire I had to be with her I went again the morning being very inviting to the Garden where before I had seen her and was so lucky to encounter her I found
Portia's name Who for one single wound atchiev'd such fame When 't was but female cunning at the best To buy the secret from her Husbands breast 'T was Lust of curiosity alone Thy undesigning valor 's all thy own Born in thy mighty Soul and lives and Reigns Scorning returns of mercenary gains Had'st thou bin Portia thou had'st farther gone And not content the great design t' have known Had'st help't the Generous youth the deed to do And 'mongst the number fixt thy Dagger two She but th' indulgent Wife exprest alone But thou much more the Wife and Friend had'st shewn And with a just disdain of Tyrannie Assisted in the noble Victory On thy firm faith great Brutus might rely Who seeing him conquer'd cou'd as bravely dy Let Rome adore recorded Portia's fame While Britain boast's alone thy mightier na SONG on occasion ALL Joy to mortals Joy and mirth Eternal Io's sing The Gods of Love descend to Earth Their Darts have lost the sting The Youth shall now complain no more On Silvias needless scorn But she shall Love if he Adore And melt when he shall Burn. The Nymph no longer shall be shy But leave the gilting Road And Daphne now no more shall fly The wounded panting God! But all shall be serene and fair No sad complaints of Love Shall fill the gentle whispering Air No Ecchoing sighs the Grove Beneath the shade's young Strephon lies Of all his wish possest Gazing on Silvia's charming Eyes Whose Soul is there confest All soft and sweet the Maid appears With looks that know no Art And tho' she yield with trembling fears She yeilds with all her Heart On an ungrateful and undeserving Mistress whom he cou'd not help Loving Being a Paraphrastical Translation of Ovid's 10th Elegie Lib. 3. Amorum I Have too long endur'd her guilty scorn Too long her falsness my fond love has born My freedom and my Wit at length I claim Be gon base Passion dy unworthy flame My life 's sole torment and my honours stain Quit this tir'd heart and end my lingring pain I have resolv'd to be myself once more Long banisht reason to her rights restore And throw off Loves Tyrannick sway that still incroching powr My growing shame I see at last thô late And my past follies both despise and hate Hold out my heart nor let her Beauti 's move Be constant in thy Anger as thy Love Thy present pains shall give thee future ease As bitter Potions cure thô they displease 'T is for this end for freedom more assur'd I have so long such shameful pains endur'd Like a scorn'd slave before her door I lay And proud repulses suffer'd every day Without complayning banisht from her sight On the cold ground I spent the tedious night While some glad Rival in her Arms did lye Glutted with Love and surfeited with Joy Thence have I seen the tir'd Adulterer come Dragging a weak exhausted Carkass home And yet this curse a blessing I esteem Compar'd to that of being seen by him By him descry'd attending in the street May my Foes onely such disgraces meet What toyl and time has this false Woman cost How much of unreturning Youth has for her sake bin lost How long did I where fancy led or fate Unthank'd unminded on her Rambles waite Her steps her looks were still by mine persu'd And watch'd by me she charm'd the gazing crowd My diligent Love and over-fond desire Has bin the means to kindle Others fire What need I mention every little wrong Or curse the softness of her soothing Tongue The private love-signs that in publick pass Between her and some common staring Ass The Coqutes Arts her faithless heart allows Or tax her with a thousand broken vowes I hear she 's sick and with wild haste I run Officious haste and visit Importune Entring my Rival on her bed I see The Politique sickness onely was to me With this and more oft has my Love been try'd Some other Coxcomb let her now provide To bear her jilting and maintayn her pride My batter'd Bark has reach'd the Port at last Nor fears again the billows it has past Cease your soft Oaths and that still ready showre Those once dear words have lost their wonted Power In vain you flatter I am now no more That easy fool you found me heretofore Anger and Love a doubtful fight maintain Each strive by turns my staggering heart to gain But what can long against Loves Power contend My Love I fear will Conquer in the end I 'll do what e're I can to hate you still And if I Love know 't is against my will So the Bull hates the Plowmans Yoke to wear Yet what he hates his stubborn neck must bear Her Manners oft my indignation raise But streight her Beauty the short storm always Her Life I loath her Person I adore Much I condemn her but I Love her more Both with her and without her I 'm in pain And rage to lose what I shou'd blush to gain Uncertain yet at what my wishes aim Loth to abandon Love or part with Fame That Angel-Form ill suits a Soul all sin Ah! be less fair without or more within When those soft smiles my yeilding powers invade In vain I call her Vices to my Ayd Thô now disdaining the disguise of Art In my esteem her conduct claims no part Her Face a natural right has to my heart No crimes so black are to deform her Eyes Those Clouds must scatter when these Suns shall rise Enough fair Conquerour the day 's your own See at your feet Lov 's Uanquish'd Rebel thrown By those dear Joys Joys dear thô they are past When in the kindest links of Love we held each other fast By the injur'd Gods your false Oaths did profane By all those Beauties that inspire disdain By that Lov'd face from the whole sex elect To which I all my Vows and Pray'rs direct And equal with a Power divine respect By every feature of a form so fine And by those Eyes that charm and dazle mine Spare from new triumph cherish without Art This ever faithful this too tender heart A heart that was respectful while it strove But yeilding is all blind impetuous Love Live as you please torment me as you will Still are you fair and I must Love you still Think only if with just and clement Reign A willing subject you wou'd chuse to gain Or drag a Conquer'd Vassal in a chain But to what ever conduct you incline Do suffer be what my worst fears divine You are you ought you must you shall be Mine Reason for ever the vain strife give o're Thy cruel wisdom I can bear no more Let me indulge this one soft Passions rule Curb vexing Sence and be a happy fool With ful-spread Sayls the tempting gale obey That down Loves-current drives me fast away On the Death of Melantha WEep all you Virgins meet o're this sad Hearse And you great Goddess of Immortal Verse Come here a while
fire burns with a constant flame Like what you write and always is the same Rise all ye weeping Youth rise and appear Whom gloomy Fate has damn'd to black Despair Start from the ground and throw your Mourning by Loves great Sultana says you shall not die The dismal dark half year is over past The Sea is op'd the Sun shines out at last And Trading's free the storms are husht as death Or happy Lovers ravisht out of breath And listen to Astraea's Harmony Such power has elevated Poetry T. C. To the Lovely Witty Astraea on her Excellent Poems OH wonder of thy Sex Where can we see Beauty and Knowledge join'd except in thee Such pains took Nature with your Heav'nly Face Form'd it for Love and moulded every Grace I doubted first and fear'd that you had been Unfinish'd left like other She 's within I see the folly of that fear and find Your Face is not more beauteous than your Mind Whoe'er beheld you with a Heart unmov'd That sent not sighs and said within he lov'd I gaz'd and found a then unknown delight Life in your looks and Death to leave the sight What joys new Worlds of joys has he possest That gain'd the sought-for welcome of your Breast Your Wit wou'd recommend the homeliest Face Your Beauty make the dullest Humour please But where they both thus gloriously are join'd All Men submit you reign in every Mind What Passions does your Poetry impart It shews th'unfathom'd thing a Woman's Heart Tells what Love is his Nature and his Art Displays the several Scenes of Hopes and Fears Love's Smiles his Sighs his Laughings and his Tears Each Lover here may reade his different Fate His Mistress kindness or her scornfull hate Come all whom the blind God has led astray Here the bewildred Youth is shew'd his way Guided by this he may yet love and find Ease in his Heart and reason in his Mind Thus sweetly once the charming W lr strove In Heavenly sounds to gain his hopeless Love All the World listned but his scornfull Fair Pride stopt her ears to whom he bent his prayer Much happier you that can't desire in vain But what you wish as soon as wish'd obtain Upon these and other Excellent Works of the Incomparable Astraea YE bold Magicians in Philosophy That vainly think next the Almighty three The brightest Cherubin in all the Hierarchy Will leave that Glorious Sphere And to your wild inchantments will appear To the fond summons of fantastick Charms As Barbarous and inexplicable Terms As those the trembling Scorcerer dreads When he the Magick Circle treads And as he walks the Mystick rounds And mutters the detested sounds The Stygian fiends exalt their wrathfull heads And all ye bearded Drudges of the Schools That sweat in vain to mend predestin'd fools With senseless Jargon and perplexing Rules Behold and with amazement stand Behold a blush with shame and wonder too What Divine Nature can in Woman doe Behold if you can see in all this fertile Land Such an Anointed head such an inspired hand II. Rest on in peace ye blessed Spirits rest With Imperial bliss for ever blest Upon your sacred Urn she scorns to tread Or rob the Learned Monuments of the dead Nor need her Muse a foreign aid implore In her own tunefull breast there 's wonderous store Had she but flourisht in these times of old When Mortals were amongst the Gods inrolld She had not now as Woman been Ador'd But with Diviner sacrifice Implor'd Temples and Altars had preserv'd her name And she her self been thought Immortal as her fame III. Curst be the balefull Tongue that dares abuse The rightfull off-spring of her Godlike Muse And doubly Curst be he that thinks her Pen Can be instructed by the best of men The times to come as surely she will live As many Ages as are past As long as Learning Sense or wit survive As long as the first principles of Bodies last The future Ages may perhaps believe One soft and tender Arm cou'd ne'er atchieve The wonderous deeds that she has done So hard a prize her Conqu'ring Muse has won But we that live in the great Prophetesses days Can we enough proclaim her praise We that experience every hour The blest effects of her Miraculous power To the sweet Mcsick of her charming tongue In numerous Crowds the ravisht hearers throng And even a Herd of Beasts as wild as they That did the Thracian Lyre obey Forget their Madness and attend her song The tunefull Shepherds on the dangerous rocks Forsake their Kinds and leave their bleating Flocks And throw their tender Reeds away As soon as e'er her softer Pipe begins to play No barren subject no unfertile soil Can prove ungratefull to her Muses Toil Warm'd with the Heavenly influence of her Brain Upon the dry and sandy plain On craggy Mountains cover'd o'er with Snow The blooming Rose and fragrant Jes'min grow When in her powerfull Poetick hand She waves the mystick wand Streight from the hardest Rocks the sweetest numbers flow IV. Hail bright Urania Erato hail Melpomene Polymnia Euterpe hail And all ye blessed powers that inspire The Heaven-born Soul with intellectual fire Pardon my humble and unhallow'd Muse If she too great a veneration use And prostrate at your best lov'd Darling's feet Your holy Fane with sacred honour greet Her more than Pythian Oracles are so divine You sure not onely virtually are Within the glorious Shrine But you your very selves must needs be there The Delian Prophet did at first ordain That even the mighty Nine should reign In distant Empires of different Clime And if in her triumphant Throne She rules those learned Regions alone The fam'd Pyerides are out-done by her omnipotent Rhime In proper Cells her large capacious Brain The images of all things does contain As bright almost as were th'Ideas laid In the last model e'er the World was made And though her vast conceptions are so strong The powerfull eloquence of her charming tongue Does clear as the resistless beams of day To our enlightned Souls the noble thoughts convey Well chosen well appointed every word Does its full force and natural grace afford And though in her rich treasury Confus'd like Elements great Numbers lie When they their mixture and proportion take What beauteous forms of every kind they make Such was the Language God himself infus'd And such the style our great Forefather us'd From one large stock the various sounds he fram'd And every Species of the vast Creation nam'd While most of our dull Sex have trod In beaten paths of one continued Road Her skilfull and well manag'd Muse Does all the art and strength of different paces use For though sometimes with slackned force She wisely stops her fleetest course That slow but strong Majestick pace Shews her the swiftest steed of all the chosen Race V. Well has she sung the learned Daphnis praise And crown'd his Temples with immortal Bays And all that reade him must indeed confess
Giver Captive was His Eyes their best Attracts put on Designing some should be undone For he could at his pleasure move The Nymphs he lik'd to fall in Love Yet so he order'd every Glance That still they seem'd but Wounds of Chance He well cou'd feign an Innocence And taught his Silence Eloquence Each Smile he us'd had got the force To Conquer more than soft Discourse Which when it serv'd his Ends he 'd use And subtilly thro' a heart infuse His Wit was such it cou'd controul The Resolutions of a Soul That a Religious Vow had made By Love it nere wou'd be betra'd For when he spoke he well cou'd prove Their Errors who dispute with Love With all these Charms he did Address Himself to every Shepherdess Until the Bag-pipes which did play Began the Bus'ness of the day And in the taking forth to Dance The Lovely Swain became my Chance To whom much Passion he did Vow And much his Eyes and Sighs did show And both imploy'd with so much Art I strove in vain to guard my Heart And ere the Night our Revels crost I was intirely won and lost Let me advise thee Amoret Fly from the Baits that he has set In every grace which will betray All Beauties that but look that way But thou hast Charms that will secure A Captive in this Conquerour Our Cabal COme my fair Cloris come away Hast thou forgot 't is Holyday And lovely Silvia too make haste The Sun is up the day does waste Do'st thou not hear the Musick loud Mix'd with the murmur of the Crowd How can thy active Feet be still And hear the Bagpipes chearful Trill Mr. V. U. Urania's drest as fine and gay As if she meant t' out-shine the day Or certain that no Victories Were to be gain'd but by her Eyes Her Garment's white her Garniture The springing Beauties of the Year Which are in such nice Order plac'd That Nature is by Art disgrac'd Her natural Curling Ebon Hair Does loosly wanton in the Air. Mr. G. V. With her the young Alexis came Whose Eyes dare only speak his Flame Charming he is as fair can be Charming without Effeminacy Only his Eyes are languishing Caus'd by the Pain he feels within Yet thou wilt say that Languishment Is a peculiar Ornament Deck'd up he is with Pride and Care All Rich and Gay to please his Fair The price of Flocks h' has made a Prey To th' Usual Vanity of this day My dear Brother J. C. After them Damon Piping came Who laughs at Cupid and his Flame Swears if the Boy should him approach He 'd burn his Wings with his own Torch But he 's too young for Love t' invade Though for him languish many a Maid His lovely Ayr his chearful Face Adorn'd with many a Youthful Grace Beget more Sighs then if with Arts He should design to conquer Hearts The Swains as well as Nymphs submit To 's Charms of Beauty and of VVit He 'll sing he 'll dance he 'll pipe and play And wanton out a Summers day And wheresoever Damon be He 's still the Soul o' th' Companie My dear Amoret Mris. B. Next Amoret the true Delight Of all that do approach her sight The Sun in all its Course ne'er met Ought Fair or Sweet like Amoret Alone she came her Eyes declin'd In which you 'l read her troubled Mind Yes Silvia for she 'l not deny She loves as well as thou and I. 'T is Philocles that Proud Ingrate That pays her Passion back with Hate VVhilst she does all but him despise And clouds the lustre of her Eyes But once to her he did address And dying Passion too express But soon the Amorous Heat was laid He soon forgot the Vows he 'd made VVhilst she in every Silent Grove Bewails her easie Faith and Love Numbers of Swains do her adore But she has vow'd to love no more Mr. J. B. Next Jolly Thirsis came along VVith many Beauties in a Throng Mr. Je. B. VVith whom the young Amyntas came The Author of my Sighs and Flame For I 'll confess that Truth to you VVhich every Look of mine can show Ah how unlike the rest he appears VVith Majesty above his years His Eyes so much of Sweetness dress Such Wit such Vigour too express That 't wou'd a wonder be to say I 've seen the Youth and brought my Heart away Ah Cloris Thou that never wert In danger yet to lose a Heart Guard it severely now for he Will startle all thy Constancy For if by chance thou do'st escape Unwounded by his Lovely Shape Tempt not thy Ruine lest his Eyes Joyn with his Tongue to win the Prize Such Softness in his Language dwells And Tales of Love so well he tells Should'st thou attend their Harmony thou 'dst be Undone as well as I For sure no Nymph was ever free That could Amyntas hear and see Mr. N. R. V. With him the lovely Philocless His-Beauty heightned by his Dress If any thing can add a Grace To such a Shape and such a Face Whose Natural Ornaments impart Enough without the help of Art His Shoulders cover'd with a Hair The Sun-Beams are not half so fair Of which the Virgins Bracelets make And wear for Philocless's sake His Beauty such that one would swear His Face did never take the Air. On 's Cheeks the blushing Roses show The rest like whitest Daisies grow His Lips no Berries of the Field Nor Cherries such a Red do yield His Eyes all Love Soft'ning Smile And when he speaks he sighs the while His Bashful Grace with Blushes too Gains more then Confidence can do With all these Charms he does invade The Heart which when he has betray'd He slights the Trophies he has won And weeps for those he has Undone As if he never did intend His Charms for so severe an End And all poor Amoret can Gain Is pitty from the Lovely Swain And if Inconstancy can seem Agreeable 't is so in him And when he meets Reproach for it He does excuse it with his Wit Mr. E. B. and Mrs. F M. Next hand in hand the smilling Pair Martillo and the Lovely Fair A Bright-Ey'd Phillis who they say Ne'er knew what Love was till to day Long has the Gen'rous Youth in vain Implor'd some Pity for his Pain Early abroad he would be seen To wait her coming on the Green To be the first that t' her should pay The Tribute of the New-born Day Presents her Bracelets with their Names And Hooks carv'd out with Hearts and Flames And when a stragling Lamb he saw And she not by to give it Law The pretty Fugitive he 'd deck With Wreaths of Flowers around its Neck And gave her ev'ry mark of Love Before he could her Pity move But now the Youth no more appears Clouded with Jealousies and Fears Nor yet dares Phillis softer Brow Wear Unconcern or Coldness now But makes him just and kind Returns And as He does so now She burns Mr. J. H. Next
prize The more deserving Glories of your Eyes If you permit him on an Amorous score To be your Slave who was my Slave before He oft has Fetters worn and can with ease Admit 'em or dismiss 'em when he please A Virgin-Heart you merit that ne'er found It could receive till from your Eyes the Wound A Heart that nothing but your Force can fear And own a Soul as Great as you are Fair. Song to Ceres In the Wavering Nymph or Mad Amyntas I. CEres Great Goddess of the bounteous Year Who load'st the Teeming Earth with Gold and Grain Blessing the Labours of th' Industrious Swain And to their Plaints inclin'st thy gracious Ear Behold two fair Cicilian Lovers lie Prostrate before thy Deity Imploring thou wilt grant the Just Desires Of two Chaste Hearts that burn with equal Fires II. Amyntas he brave generous and young Whom yet no Vice his Youth has e'er betray'd And Chaste Urania is the Lovely Maid His Daughter who has serv'd thy Altars long As thy High Priest A Dowry he demands A the young Amorous Shepherds hands Say gentle Goddess what the Youth must give E'er the Bright Maid he can from thee receive Song in the same Play by the Wavering Nymph PAN grant that I may never prove So great a Slave to fall in love And to an Unknown Deity Resign my happy Liberty I love to see the Amorous Swains Unto my Scorn their Hearts resign With Pride I see the Meads and Plains Throng'd all with Slaves and they all mine Whilst I the whining Fools despise That pay their Homage to my Eyes The Disappointment I. ONe day the Amorous Lysander By an impatient Passion sway'd Surpriz'd fair Cloris that lov'd Maid Who could defend her self no longer All things did with his Love conspire The gilded Planet of the Day In his gay Chariot drawn by Fire Was now descending to the Sea And left no Light to guide the VVorld But what from Cloris Brighter Eyes was hurld II. In a lone Thicket made for Love Silent as yielding Maids Consent She with a Charming Languishment Permits his Force yet gently strove Her Hands his Bosom softly meet But not to put him back design'd Rather to draw 'em on inclin'd VVhilst he lay trembling at her Feet Resistance 't is in vain to show She wants the pow'r to say Ah! What d' ye do III. Her Bright Eyes sweet and yet severe VVhere Love and Shame confus'dly strive Fresh Vigor to Lysander give And breathing faintly in his Ear She cry'd Cease Cease your vain Desire Or I 'll call out What would you do My Dearer Honour ev'n to You I cannot must not give Retire Or take this Life whose chiefest part I gave you with the Conquest of my Heart IV. But he as much unus'd to Fear As he was capable of Love The blessed minutes to improve Kisses her Mouth her Neck her Hair Each Touch her new Desire Alarms His burning trembling Hand he prest Upon her swelling Snowy Brest VVhile she lay panting in his Arms. All her Unguarded Beauties lie The Spoils and Trophies of rhe Enemy V. And now without Respect or Fear He seeks the Object of his Vows His Love no Modesty allows By swift degrees advancing where His daring Hand that Altar seiz'd VVhere Gods of Love do sacirfice That Awful Throne that Paradice VVhere Rage is calm'd and Anger pleas'd That Fountain where Delight still flows And gives the Universal VVorld Repose VI. Her Balmy Lips incountring his Their Bodies as their Souls are joyn'd VVhere both in Transports Unconfin'd Extend themselves upon the Moss Cloris half dead and breathless lay Her soft Eyes cast a Humid Light Such as divides the Day and Night Or falling Stars whose Fires decay And now no signs of Life she shows But what in short-breath'd Sighs returns goes VII He saw how at her Length she lay He saw her rising Bosom bare Her loose thin Rohes through which appeat A Shape design'd for Love and Play Abandon'd by her Pride and Shame She does her softest Joys dispence Off'ring her Virgin-Innocence A Victim to Loves Sacred Flame While the o'er-Ravish'd Shepherd lies Unable to perform the Sacrifice VIII Ready to taste a thousand Joys The too transported hapless Swain Found the vast Pleasure turn'd to Pain Pleasure which too much Love destroys The willing Garments by he laid And Heaven all open'd to his view Mad to possess himself he threw On the Defenceless Lovely Maid But Oh what envying God conspires To snatch his Power yet leave him the Desire IX Nature's Support without whose Aid She can no Humane Being give It self now wants the Art to live Faintness its slack'ned Nerves invade In vain th' inraged Youth essay'd To call its fleeting Vigor back No motion 't will from Motion take Excess of Love his Love betray'd In vain he Toils in vain Commands The Insensible fell weeping in his Hand X. In this so Amorous Cruel Strife Where Love and Fate were too severe The poor Lysander in despair Renounc'd his Reason with his Life Now all the brisk and active Fire That should the Nobler Part inflame Serv'd to increase his Rage and Shame And left no Spark for New Desire Not all her Naked Charms cou'd move Or calm that Rage that had debauch'd his Love XI Cloris returning from the Trance Which Love and soft Desire had bred Her timerous Hand she gently laid Or guided by Design or Chance Upon that Fabulous Priapas That Potent God as Poets feign But never did young Shepherdess Gath'ring of Fern upon the Plain More nimbly draw her Fingers back Finding beneath the verdant Leaves a Snake XII Than Cloris her fair Hand withdrew Finding that God of her Desires Disarm'd of all his Awful Fires And Cold as Flow'rs bath'd in the Morning-Dew Who can the Nymph's Confusion guess The Blood forsook the hinder Place And strew'd with Blushes all her Face Which both Disdain and Shame exprest And from Lysander's Arms she fled Leaving him fainting on the Gloomy Bed XIII Like Lightning through the Grove she hies Or Daphne from the Delphick God No Print upon the grassey Road She leaves t' instruct Pursuing Eyes The Wind that wanton'd in her Hair And with her Ruffled Garments plaid Discover'd in the Flying Maid All that the Gods e'er made if Fair. So Venus when her Love was slain With Fear and Haste flew o'er the Fatal Plain XIV The Nymph's Resentments none but I Can well Imagine or Condole But none can guess Lysander's Soul But those who sway'd his Destiny His silent Griefs swell up to Storms And not one God his Fury spares He curs'd his Birth his Fate his Stars But more the Shepherdess's Charms Whose soft bewitching Influence Had Damn'd him to the Hell of Impotence On a Locket of Hair Wove in a True-Loves Knot given me by Sir R. O. WHat means this Knot in Mystick Order Ty'd And which no Humane Knowledge can divide Not the Great Conqu'rours Sword can this undo Whose very Beauty would divert the Blow
where he falls in love with the Nymph OEnone but at last being known and own'd he sails into Greece and carries Helen to Troy which OEnone understanding writes him this Epistle TO thee dear Paris Lord of my Desires Once tender Partner of my softest Fires To thee I write mine while a Shepherd's Swain But now a Prince that Title you disdain Oh fatal Pomp that cou'd so soon divide What Love and all our sacred Vows had ty'd What God our Love industrious to prevent Curst thee with power and ruin'd my Content Greatness which does at best but ill agree With Love such Distance sets 'twixt Thee and Me. Whilst thou a Prince and I a Shepherdess My raging Passion can have no redress Wou'd God when first I saw thee thou hadst been This Great this Cruel Celebrated thing That without hope I might have gaz'd and bow'd And mixt my Adorations with the Crowd Unwounded then I had escap'd those Eyes Those lovely Authors of my Miseries Not that less Charms their fatal pow'r had drest But Fear and Awe my Love had then supprest My unambitious Heart no Flame had known But what Devotion pays to Gods alone I might have wondr'd and have wisht that He Whom Heaven shou'd make me love might look like Thee More in a silly Nymph had been a sin This had the height of my Presumption been But thou a Flock didst feed on Ida's Plain And hadst no Title but The lovely Swain A Title which more Virgin Hearts has won Than that of being own'd King Priam's Son Whilst me a harmless Neighbouring Cotager You saw and did above the rest prefer You saw and at first sight you lov'd me too Nor cou'd I hide the wounds receiv'd from you Me all the Village Herdsmen strove to gain For me the Shepherds sigh'd and su'd in vain Thou hadst my heart and they my cold disdain Not all their Offerings Garlands and first born Of their lov'd Ewes cou'd bribe my Native scorn My Love like hidden Treasure long conceal'd Cou'd onely where 't was destin'd be reveal'd And yet how long my Maiden blushes strove Not to betray my easie new-born Love But at thy sight the kindling Fire wou'd rise And I unskill'd declare it at my Eyes But oh the Joy the mighty Ecstasie Possest thy Soul at this Discovery Speechless and panting at my feet you lay And short breath'd Sighs told what you cou'd not say A thousand times my hand with Kisses prest And look'd such Darts as none cou'd e'er resist Silent we gaz'd and as my Eyes met thine New Joy fill'd theirs new Love and shame fill'd mine You saw the Fears my kind disorder show'd And breaking Silence Faith anew you vow'd Heavens how you swore by every Pow'r Divine You wou'd be ever true be ever mine Each God a sacred witness you invoke And wish'd their Curse when e'er these Vows you broke Quick to my Heart each perjur'd Accent ran Which I took in believ'd and was undone Vows are Love's poyson'd Arrows and the heart So wounded rarely finds a Cure from Art At least this heart which Fate has destin'd yours This heart unpractis'd in Love's mystick pow'rs For I am soft and young as April Flowers Now uncontroll'd we meet uncheck'd improve Each happier Minute in new Joys of Love Soft were our hours and lavishly the Day We gave intirely up to Love and Play Oft to the cooling Groves our Flocks we led And seated on some shaded flowery Bed Watch'd the united Wantons as they fed And all the Day my list'ning Soul I hung Upon the charming Musick of thy Tongue And never thought the blessed hours too long No Swain no God like thee cou'd ever move Or had so soft an Art in whisp'ring Love No wonder for thou art Ally'd to Jove And when you pip'd or sung or danc'd or spoke The God appear'd in every Grace and Look Pride of the Swains and Glory of the Shades The Grief and Joy of all the Love-sick Maids Thus whilst all hearts you rul'd without Controul I reign'd the absolute Monarch of your Soul Each Beach my Name yet bears carv'd out by thee Paris and his OEnone fill each Tree And as they grow the Letters larger spread Grow still a witness of my Wrongs when dead Close by a silent silver Brook there grows A Poplar under whose dear gloomy Boughs A thousand times we have exchang'd our Vows Oh may'st thou grow t' an endless date of Years Who on thy Bark this fatal Record bears When Paris to OEnone proves untrue Back Xanthus Streams shall to their Fountains flow Turn turn your Tides back to your Fountains run The perjur'd Swain from all his Faith is gone Curst be that day may Fate appoint the hour As Ominous in his black Kalendar When Venus Pallas and the Wife of Jove Descended to thee in the Mirtle Grove In shining Chariots drawn by winged Clouds Naked they came no Veil their Beauty shrouds But every Charm and Grace expos'd to view Left Heav'n to be survey'd and judg'd by you To bribe thy voice Juno wou'd Crowns bestow Pallas more gratefully wou'd dress thy Brow With Wreaths of Wit Venus propos'd the choice Of all the fairest Greeks and had thy Voice Crowns and more glorious Wreaths thou didst despise And promis'd Beauty more than Empire prize This when you told Gods what a killing fear Did over all my shivering Limbs appear And I presag'd some ominous Change was near The Blushes left my Cheeks from every part The Bloud ran swift to guard my fainting heart You in my Eyes the glimmering Light perceiv'd Of parting Life and on my pale Lips breath'd Such Vows as all my Terrors undeceiv'd But soon the envying Gods disturb'd our Joy Declar'd thee Great and all my Bliss destroy And now the Fleet is Anchor'd in the Bay That must to Troy the glorious Youth convey Heavens how you look'd and what a Godlike Grace At their first Homage beautify'd your Face Yet this no Wonder or Amazement brought You still a Monarch were in Soul and thought Nor cou'd I tell which most the News augments Your Joys of Pow'r or parting Discontents You kist the Tears which down my Cheeks did glide And mingled yours with the soft falling Tide And 'twixt your Sighs a thousand times you said Cease my OEnone Cease my charming Maid If Paris lives his Native Troy to see My lovely Nymph thou shalt a Princess be But my Prophetick Fears no Faith allow'd My breaking Heart resisted all you vow'd Ah must me part I cry'd that killing word No farther Language cou'd to Grief afford Trembling I fell upon thy panting Breast Which was with equal Love and Grief opprest Whilst sighs and looks all dying spoke the rest About thy Neck my feeble Arms I cast Not Vines nor Ivy circle Elms so fast To stay what dear Excuses didst thou frame And fansiedst Tempests when the Seas were calm How oft the Winds contrary feign'd to be When they alas were onely so to me How oft new Vows of lasting
belov'd and blest by you No vain desire of being ally'd t' a King Love is the onely Dowry I can bring And tender Love is all I ask again Whilst on her dang'rous Smiles fierce War must wait With Fire and Vengeance at your Palace gate Rouze your soft Slumbers with their rough Alarms And rudely snatch you from her faithless Arms Turn then fair Fugitive e'er 't is too late E'er thy mistaken Love procures thy Fate E'er a wrong'd Husband does thy Death design And pierce that dear that faithless Heart of thine A TABLE THE Golden Age a Paraphrase on a Translation out of French page 1. A Farewell to Celladon on his going into Ireland 13. On a Juniper-Tree cut down to make Busks 19. On the Death of Mr. Grinhill the famous Painter 24. A Ballad on Mr. J. H. to Amoret asking why I was so sad 29. Our Caball 33. The willing Mistress a Song 44. Love Arm'd a Song 45. The Complaint a Song 46. The Invitation a Song 47. A Song 48. To Mr Creech under the name of Daphnis on his Excellent Translation of Lucretius 50. To Mrs. W. on her excellent Verses writ in praise of some I had made on the late Earl of Rochester written in a fit of sickness 57. The sense of a Letter sent me made into Verse to a New Tune 61. The Return 62. On a Copy of Verses made in a Dream and sent to me in a Morning before I was awake 63. To my Lady Morland at Tunbridge 65. Song to Ceres in the wavering Nymph or mad Amyntas 68. A Song in the same Play by the wavering Nymph 69. The Disappointment 70. On a Locket of Hair wove in a True-lovers Knot given me by Sir R. O. 77. The Dream a Song 78. A Letter to a Brother of the Pen in Tribulation 80. The Reflexion a Song 83. A Song to Pesibles Tune 86. A Song on her loving two Equally set by Capt. Pack 88. The Counsel a Song set by the same hand 89. The Surprise a Song set by Mr. Farmer 91. A Song 92. The Invitation a Song to a New Scotch Tune 93. Sylvia's Complaint a Song to a fine Scotch Tune 95. In Imitation of Horace 98. To Lysander who made some Virses on a Discourse of Loves Fire 101. A Dialogue for an entertainment at Court between Damon and Sylvia 102. On Mr. J. H. In a fit of sickness 106. To Lysander on some Verses he writ and asking more for his Heart than 't was worth 109. To the Honourable Lord Howard on his Comedy called the New Utopia 113. To Lysander at the Musick meeting 118. An Ode to Love 120. Love Reveng'd a Song 122. A Song to a New Scotch Tune 123. The Caball at Nickey Nackeys 125. A Paraphrase on the eleventh Ode out of the first Book of Horace 126. A Translation 127. A Paraphrase on Oenone to Paris 129. A Voyage to the Isle of Love 144. FINIS A VOYAGE TO THE Isle of LOVE An Account from Lisander to Lysidas his Friend AT last dear Lysidas I 'l set thee Free From the disorders of Uncertainty Doubt's the worst Torment of a generous Mind Who ever searching what it cannot find Is roving still from wearied thought to thought And to no settled Calmness can be brought The Cowards Ill who dares not meet his Fate And ever doubting to be Fortunate Falls to that Wretchedness his fears Create I should have dy'd silent as Flowers decay Had not thy Friendship stopt me on my way That friendship which our Infant hearts inspir'd E're them Ambition or false Love had fir'd Friendship which still enlarg'd with years and sense Till it arriv'd to perfect Excellence Friendship Mans noblest bus'ness without whom The out-cast Life finds nothing it can own But Dully dyes unknowing and unknown Our searching thought serves only to impart It 's new gain'd knowledge to anothers Heart The truly wise and great by friendship grow That best instruct 'em how they should be so That only sees the Error of the Mind Which by its soft reproach becomes Refin'd Friendship which even Loves mighty power controuls When that but touches this Exchanges Souls The remedy of Grief the safe retreat Of the scorn'd Lover and declining great This sacred tye between thy self and me Not to be alter'd by my Destiny This tye which equal to my new desires Preserv'd it self amidst Loves softer Fires Obliges me without reserve 't impart To Lycidas the story of my Heart Tho' 't will increase its present languishment To call to its remembrance past content So drowning Men near to their native shore From whence they parted near to visit more Look back and sigh and from that last Adieu Suffer more pain then in their Death they do That grief which I in silent Calms have born It will renew and rowse into a Storm The TRUCE With you unhappy Eyes that first let in To my fond Heart the raging Fire With you a Truce I will begin Let all your Clouds let all your Show'rs retire And for a while become serene And you my constant rising Sighs forbear To mix your selves with flying Air But utter Words among that may express The vast degrees of Joy and Wretchedness And you my Soul forget the dismal hour When dead and cold Aminta lay And no kind God no pittying Power The hasty fleeting Life would stay Forget the Mad the Raving pain That seiz'd Thee at a sight so new When not the Wind let loose nor raging Main Was so destructive and so wild as thou Forget thou saw'st the lovely yielding Maid Dead in thy trembling Arms Just in the Ravishing hour when all her Charms A willing Victim to thy Love was laid Forget that all is fled thou didst Adore And never never shall return to bless Thee more Twelve times the Moon has borrow'd Rays that Night Might favour Lovers stealths by Glimmering Light Since I imbarqu'd on the inconstant Seas With people of all Ages and Degrees All well dispos'd and absolutely bent To visit a far Country call'd Content The Sails were hoisted and the Streamers spread And chearfully we cut the yielding Floud Calm was the Sea and peaceful every Wind As if the Gods had with our Wishes joyn'd To make us prosperous All the whispering Air Like Lovers Joys was soft and falsly fair The ruffling Winds were hush'd in wanton sleep And all the Waves were silenc'd in the deep No threatning Cloud no angry Curl was found But bright serene and smooth 't was all around But yet believe false Iris if she weep Or Amorous Layis will her promise keep Before the Sea that Flatters with a Calm Will cease to ruin with a rising Storm For now the Winds are rows'd the Hemisphere Grows black and frights the hardy Mariner The Billows all into Dis-order hurl'd As if they meant to bury all the World And least the Gods on us should pity take They seem'd against them too a War to make Now each affrighted to his Cabin Flyes And with Repentance Load
ALL Trembling in my Arms Aminta lay Defending of the Bliss I strove to take Raising my Rapture by her kind delay Her force so charming was and weak The soft resistance did betray the Grant While I prest on the Heaven of my desires Her rising Breasts with nimbler Motions Pant Her dying Eyes assume new Fires Now to the height of languishment she grows And still her looks new Charms put on Now the last Mystery of Love she knows We Sigh and Kiss I wak'd and all was done 'T was but a Dream yet by my Heart I knew Which still was Panting part of it was true Oh how I strove the rest to have believ'd Asham'd and Angry to be undeceiv'd But now LOVE calls me forth and scarce allows A Moment to the Gods to pay my Vows He all Devotion has in dis-esteem But that which we too fondly render him LOVE drest me for the day and both repair With an impatient hast to Little Care Where many days m' advantage I pursu'd But Night returns me to Inquietude There suffer'd all that absent Lovers griev'd And only knew by what I felt I liv'd A thousand little Fears afflict my Heart And all its former order quite subvert The Beauty 's which all day my hope imploy'd Seem now too excellent to be enjoy'd I number all my RIVALS over now Then Raving Mad with Jealousie I grow Which does my Flame to that vast height increase That here I found I lov'd to an Excess These wild Distractions every Night increase But day still reconciles me into Peace And I forget amidst their soft Delights The un-imagin'd torment of the Nights 'T was thus a while I liv'd at little Care Without advance of Favour or of fear When fair Aminta from that Court departs And all her Lovers leave with broken Hearts On me alone she does the Grace confer In a Permission I shou'd wait on her Oh with what eager Joy I did obey Joy which for fear it shou'd my Flame betray I Veil'd with Complisance which Lovers Eyes Might find transported through the feign'd disguise But hers were unconcern'd or wou'd not see The Trophies of their new gain'd Victory Aminta now to Good Reception goes A place which more of Entertainment shows Then State or Greatness where th' Inhabitants Are Civil to the height of Complisance They Treat all Persons with a chearful Grace And show 'em all the pleasures of the Place By whose Example bright Aminta too Confirm'd her self and more obliging grew Her Smiles and Air more Gracious now appear And her Victorious Eyes more sweetness wear The wonderous Majesty that drest her Brow Becomes less Awful but more Charming now Her Pride abating does my Courage warm And promises success from every Charm She now permits my Eyes with timorous Fears To tell her of the Wounds she 'as made by hers Against her Will my Sighs she does approve And seems well pleas'd to think they come from Love Nothing oppos'd it self to my delight But absence from Aminta every Night But LOVE who recompences when he please And has for every Cruelty an ease Who like to bounteous Heaven assigns a share Of future Bliss to those that suffer here Led me to HOPE A City fair and large Built with much Beauty and Adorn'd with Charge HOPE 'T IS wonderous Populous from the excess Of Persons from all parts that thither press One side of this magnifick City stands On a foundation of unfaithful Sands Which oftentimes the glorious Load destroys Which long designing was with Pomp and Noise The other Parts well founded neat and strong Less Beautiful less Business and less Throng 'T is built upon a Rivers Bank who 's clear And Murmuring Glide delights the Eye and Ear. The River of PRETENSION THis River 's call'd Pretension and its source T' a bordering Mountain owes from whence with force It spreads into the Arms of that calm space Where the proud City dayly sees her face 'T is treacherously smooth and falsly fair Inviting but undoing to come near 'Gainst which the Houses there find no defence But suffer undermining Violence Who while they stand no Palaces do seem In all their Glorious Pomp to equal them This River's Famous for the fatal Wrecks Of Persons most Illustrious of both Sex Who to her Bosom with soft Whispers drew Then basely smil'd to see their Ruin too 'T is there so many Monarchs perisht have And seeking Fame alone have found a Grave 'T was thither I was tempted too and LOVE Maliciously wou'd needs my Conduct prove Which Passion now to such a pass had brought It gave admittance to the weakest thought And with a full carreer to this false Bay I ran But met Precaution in my way With whom Respect was who thus gravely said Pretension is a River you must Dread Fond Youth decline thy fatal Resolution Here unavoidably thou meets Confusion Thou fly'st with too much hast to certain Fate Follow my Counsel and be Fortunate Asham'd all Blushing I decline my Eyes Yet Bow'd and Thank'd Respect for his advice From the bewitching River straight I hy'd And hurried to the Cities farthest side Where lives the Mighty Princess Hope to whom The whole Isle as their ORACLE do come Tho' little Truth remains in what she says Yet all adore her Voice and her Wise Conduct praise The Princess HOPE I. SHe blows the Youthful Lovers flame And promises a sure repose Whilst with a Treason void of shame His fancy'd Happiness o're-throws Her Language is all soft and fair But her hid Sense is naught but Air And can no solid reason bear As often as she speaks Her faithless Word she breaks Great in Pretension in Performance small And when she Swears 't is Perjury all Her Promises like those of Princes are Made in Necessity and War Cancell'd without remorse at ease In the voluptuous time of Peace II. These are her qualities but yet She has a Person full of Charms Her Smiles are able to beget Forgiveness for her other harms She 's most divinely shap'd her Eyes are sweet And every Glance to please she does employ With such address she does all persons treat As none are weary of her flattery She still consoles the most afflicted Hearts And makes the Proud vain of his fancy'd Arts. Amongst the rest of those who dayly came T' admire this Princess and oblige their flame Conducted thither by a false report That Happiness resided in her Court Two young successless Lovers did resort One so above his Aim had made pretence That even to Hope for him was Impudence Yet he 'gainst Reasons Arguments makes War And vainly Swore his Love did merit her Boldly Attempted daringly Addrest And with unblushing Confidence his flame confest The other was a Bashful Youth who made His Passion his Devotion not his Trade No fond opiniater who a price Sets on his Titles Equipage or Eyes But one that had a thousand Charms in store Yet did not understand his Conquering Pow'r This Princess with a kind
but that I made So many friendships as did soon perswade The yielding Boy who Smil'd resolv'd and staid He rais'd my Head and did again renew His Flatteries and all the Arts he knew To call my Courage to its wonted place What cry'd he sweetly Angry shall a Face Arm'd with the weak resistance of a Frown Force us to lay our Claims and Titles down Shall Cruelty a peevish Woman prove Too strong to be overcome by Youth and Love No! rally all thy Vigor all thy Charms And force her from the cruel Tyrants Arms Come once more try th' incens'd Maid to appease Death 's in our pow'r to grasp when ere we please He said And I the heavenly voice attend Whilst towards the Rock our hasty steps we bend Before the Gates with all our forces lye Resolv'd to Conquer or resolv'd to dye In vain Love all his feeble Engines rears His soft Artillery of Sighs and Tears Were all in vain against the Winds were sent For she was proof 'gainst them and languishment Repeated Vows and Prayers mov'd no Remorse And 't was to Death alone I had Recourse Love in my Anguish bore a mighty part He pityed but he cou'd not ease my Heart A thousand several ways he had assay'd To touch the Heart of this obdurate Maid Rebated all his Arrow 's still return For she was fortify'd with Pride and Scorn The useless Weapons now away he flung Neglected lay his Ivory Bow unstrung His gentle Azure Wings were all unprun'd And the gay Plumes a fading Tinct assum'd Which down his snowy sides extended lay And now no more in wanton Motions play He blusht to think he had not left one dart Of force enough to wound Aminta's Heart He blusht to think she shou'd her freedom boast Whilst mine from the first Dart he sent was lost Thus tir'd with our Complaints whilst no relief Rescu'd the fleeting Soul from killing Grief We saw a Maid approach who 's lovely Face Disdain'd the Beauties of the common race Soft were her Eyes where unfeign'd Sorrow dwelt And on her Cheeks in pitying Show'rs they melt Soft was her Voice and tenderly it strook The eager listening Soul when e're she spoke And what did yet my Courage more augment She wore this sadness for my languishment And sighing said ah Gods have you Beheld this dying Youth and never found A pity for a Heart so true Which dyes adoring her that gave the Wound His Youth his Passion and his Constancy Merits ye God's a kinder Destiny With pleasure I attended what she said And wonder'd at the friendship of the Maid Of LOVE I ask'd her name who answer'd me 'T was Pity Enemy to Cruelty Who often came endeavouring to abate The Languishments of the unfortunate And said if she wou'd take my injur'd part She soon wou'd soften fair Aminta's Heart For she knows all the subtillest Arts to move And teach the timorous Virgin how to love With Joy I heard and my Address apply'd To gain the Beauteous Pity to my Side Nothing I left untold that might perswade The listening Virgin to afford her aid Told her my Passions Sorrows Pains and Fears And whilst I spoke confirm'd 'em with my Tears All which with down-cast Eyes she did attend And blushing said my Tale had made a Friend I bow'd and thankt her with a chearful look Which being return'd by hers her leave she took Now to Aminta all in haste she hyes Whom she assail'd with sorrow in her Eyes And a sad story of my Miseries Which she with so much tenderness exprest As forc'd some Sighs from the fair Charmers Breast The subtil Pity found she should prevail And oft repeats th' insinuating Tale And does insensibly the Maid betray Where Love and I Panting and Trembling lay Where she beheld th' effects of her disdain And in my languid Face she read my Pain Down her fair Cheeks some pitying drops did glide Which cou'd not be restrain'd by feebler Pride Against my anguish she had no defence Such Charms had grief my Tears such Eloquence My Sighs and Murmurs she began t' approve And listen'd to the story of my LOVE With tenderness she did my Sufferings hear And even my Reproaches now cou'd bear At last my trembling Hand in hers she took And with a charming Blush these Words she spoke I. FAithful Lisander I your Vows approve And can no longer hide My Sense of all your suffering Love With the thin Veil of Pride II. 'T was long in Vain that Pity did assail My cold and stubborn Heart Ere on th' insensible she cou'd prevail To render any Part. III. To her for all the tenderness Which in my Eyes you find You must your gratitude express 'T is Pity only makes me kind IV. Live then Lisander since I must confess In spight of all my native modesty I cannot wish that you shou'd Love me less Live then and hope the Circling Sun may see In his swift course a grateful change in me And that in time your Passion may receive All you dare take and all a Maid may give Oh Lysidas I cannot here relate The Sense of Joy she did in me create The sudden Blessing overcame me so It almost finisht what Grieffail'd to do I wanted Courage for the soft surprize And waited re-enforcements from her Eyes At last with Transports which I cou'd not hide Raising my self from off the ground I cry'd The TRANSPORT REjoyce my new made happy Soul Rejoyce Bless the dear minute bless the Heav'nly voice That has revok't thy fatal doom Rejoyce Aminta leads thee from the Tomb. Banish the anxious thoughts of dying hours Forget the shades and melancholy Bow'rs Thy Eyes so oft bedew'd with falling show'rs Banish all Thoughts that do remain Of Sighing Days and Nights of Pain When on neglected Beds of Moss thou 'st lain Oh happy Youth Aminta bids thee live Thank not the sullen God's or defer Stars Since from her Hand thou dost the Prize receive Hers be the Service as the bounty hers For all that Life must dedicated be To the fair God-like Maid that gave it Thee Now Lysidas behold my happy State Behold me Blest behold me Fortunate And from the height of languishing despair Rais'd to the Glory of Aminta's care And this one moment of my Heaven of Joy Did the remembrance of past Griefs destroy And Pity ceas'd not here but with new Eloquence Obliges the shy Maid to visit Confidence CONFIDENCE A Lady lovely with a charming Meen Gay frank and open and an Air serene In every Look she does her Soul impart With ease one reads the Sent'ments of her Heart Her Humour generous and her Language free And all her Conversation graceful Liberty Her Villa is Youth 's general Rendezvous Where in delightful Gardens winding Groves The happy Lovers dwell with secresie Un-interrupted by fond Jealousie 'T is there with Innocence they do and say A thousand things to pass the short-liv'd day There free from censuring Spies they entertain And pleasures tast
the young God we laid With equal Flames they Burnt with equal Joy But with a Fire that neither did destroy Soft was its Force and Sympathy with them Dispers'd it self through every trembling Limb We cou'd not hide our tender new surprize We languisht and confest it with our Eyes Thus gaz'd we when the Sacrifice perform'd We found our Hearts entire but still they burn But by a Blessed change in taking back The lovely Virgin did her Heart mistake Her Bashful Eyes favour'd Love's great design I took her Burning Victim and she mine Thus Lysidas without constraint or Art I reign'd the Monarch of Aminta's Heart My great my happy Title she allows And makes me Lord of all her tender Vows All my past Griefs in coming Joys were drown'd And with eternal Pleasure I was Crown'd My Blessed hours in the extream of Joy With my soft Languisher I still imploy When I am Gay Love Revels in her Eyes When sad there the young God all panting lies A thousand freedoms now she does impart Shows all her tenderness dis-rob'd of Art But oh this cou'd not satisfy my Heart A thousand Anguishes that still contains It sighs and heaves and pants with pleasing pains We look and Kiss and Press with new desire Whilst every touch Blows the unusual Fire For Love's last Mystery was yet conceal'd Which both still languisht for both wisht reveal'd Which I prest on and faintly she deny'd With all the weak efforts of dying Pride Which struggled long for Empire in her Soul Where it was wont to rule without controul But Conquering Love had got possession now And open'd every Sally to the Foe And to secure my doubting happiness Permits me to conduct her to the Bow'r of Bliss That Bow'r that does eternal Pleasures yield Where Psyche first the God of Love beheld But oh in entering this so blest abode All Gay and Pleas'd as a Triumphing God I new unlook'd for difficulties meet Encountring Honour at the sacred Gate HONOUR I. HOnour 's a mighty Phantom which around The sacred Bower does still appear All Day it haunts the hollow'd ground And hinders Lovers entering there It rarely ever takes its flight But in the secret shades of night Silence and gloom the charm can soonest end And are the luckyest hours to lay the Fiend Then 't is the Vision only will remove With Incantations of soft Vows of Love II. But as a God he 's Worshipt here By all the lovely young and fair Who all their kind desires controul And plays the Tyrant o're the Soul His chiefest Attributes are Pride and Spight His pow'r is robbing Lovers of delight An Enemy to Humane kind But most to Youth severe As Age ill-natur'd and as ignorance Blind Boasting and Baffled too as Cowards are Fond in opinion obstinately Wise Fills the whole World with bus'ness and with noise III. Where wert thou born from what didst thou begin And what strange Witchcraft brought thy Maxims in What hardy Fool first taught thee to the Crowd Or who the Duller Slaves that first believ'd Some Woman sure ill-natur'd old and proud Too ugly ever to have been deceiv'd Unskill'd in Love in Virtue or in Truth Preach'd thy false Notions first and so debaucht our Youth IV. And as in other Sectuaries you find His Votaries most consist of Womankind Who Throng t' adore the necessary Evil But most for fear as Indians do the Devil Peevish un-easy all for in Revenge Love shoots 'em with a thousand Darts They feel but not confess the change Their false Devotion cannot save their Hearts Thus while the Idol Honour they obey Swift time comes on and blooming Charms decay And Ruin'd Beauty does too late the Cheat betray This Goblin here the lovely Maid Alarms And snatch'd her even from my Trembling Arms With all the Pow'r of Non-sence he commands Which she for mighty Reason understands Aminta fly he crys fly heedless Maid For if thou enter'st this Bewitching shade Thy Flame Content and Lover all are lost And thou no more of Him or Fame shall boast The charming Pleasure soon the Youth will cloy And what thou wouldst preserve that will destroy Oh hardy Maid by too much Love undone Where are thy Modesty and Blushes gone Where 's all that Virtue made thee so Ador'd For Beauty stript of Virtue grows abhorr'd Dyes like a flower whose scent quick Poyson gives Though every gawdy Glory paints its leaves Oh fly fond Maid fly that false happiness That will attend Thee in the Bower of Bliss Thus spoke the Phantom while the listening Maid Took in the fatal Councel and obey'd Frighted she flys even from the Temple door And left me fainting on the sacred floor LOVE saw my Griefs and to my rescue came Where on his Bosom thus I did complain The LOSS WEep weep Lysander for the lovely Maid To whom thy sacred Vows were paid Regardless of thy Love thy Youth thy Vows The Dull Advice of Honour now pursues Oh say my lovely Charmer where Is all that softness gone Your tender Voice and Eyes did were VVhen first I was undone Oh whether are your Sighs and Kisses fled VVhere are those clasping Arms That left me oft with Pleasures dead VVith their Excess of Charms VVhere is the Killing Language of thy Tongue That did the Ravisht Soul surprize VVhere is that tender Rhetorick gone That flow'd so softly in thy Eyes That did thy heavenly face so sweetly dress That did thy wonderous Soul so well express All fled with Honour on a Phantom lost Where Youth 's vast store must perish unpossest Ah my dear Boy thy loss with me bemoan The lovely Fugitive is with Honour gone Love laughing spread his Wings and mounting flies As swift as Lightning through the yielding Skies Where Honour bore away the Trembling Prize There at her Feet the Little Charmer falls And to his Aid his powerful softness calls Assails her with his Tears his Sighs and Crys Th' unfailing Language of his Tongue and Eyes Return said he return oh fickle Maid Who solid Joys abandon'st for a shade Turn and behold the Slaughter of thy Eyes See the Heart-broken Youth all dying lyes Why dost thou follow this Phantastick spright This faithless Ignis Fatuus of the Light This Foe to Youth and Beauties worst Disease Tyrant of Wit of Pleasure and of Ease Of all substantial Harms he Author is But never pays us back one solid Bliss You 'l urge your Fame is worth a thousand Joys Deluded Maid trust not to empty noise A sound that for a poor Esteem to gain Damns thy whole Life t' uneasyness and pain Mistaken Virgin that which pleases me I cannot by another tast and see And what 's the complementing of the World to thee No no return with me and there receive What poor what scanted Honour cannot give Starve not those Charms that were for pleasure made Nor unpossest let the rich Treasure fade When time comes on Honour that empty word Will leave thee then fore-slighted Age to guard Honour
Transporting softnesses beyond his hopes 'T is here fair Eyes all languishing impart The secrets of the fond inclining Heart Fine Hands and Arms for tender Pressings made In Love's dear business always are imploy'd The soft Inchantments of the Tongue That does all other Eloquence controul Is breath'd with broken Sighs among Into the Ravish'd Shepherds Soul VVhilst all is taken all is given That can compleat a Lovers Heav'n And Io Peans through the VVoods do ring From new fletch'd God in Songs all Ravishing Oh my dear Lysidas my faithful Friend Woud I cou'd here with all my Pleasures end 'T was Heaven 't was Extasie each minute brought New Raptures to my Senses Soul and Thought Each Look each Touch my Ravisht fancy charm'd Each Accent of her Voice my Blood Alarm'd I pant with every Glance faint with a Kiss Oh Judge my Transports then in higher Bliss A while all Dead between her Arms I lay Unable to possess the conquer'd Joys But by degrees my Soul its sense retriev'd Shame and Confusion let me know I liv'd I saw the trembling dis-appointed Maid With charming angry Eyes my fault up-braid While Love and Spight no kind Excuse affords My Rage and Softness was above dull Words And my Misfortune only was exprest By Sighing out my Soul into her Brest A thousand times I breath'd Aminta's name Aminta call'd but that increas'd my flame And as the Tide of Love flow'd in so fast My Low my Ebbing Vigor out did hast But 't was not long thus idly and undone I lay before vast Seas came rowling on Spring-tides of Joy that the rich neighboring shoar And down the fragrant Banks it proudly bore O're-flow'd and ravisht all great Natures store Swoln to Luxurious heights no bounds it knows But wantonly it Triumphs where it flows Some God inform Thee of my blest Estate But all their Powers divert thee from my Fate 'T was thus we liv'd the wonder of the Groves Fam'd for our Love our mutual constant Loves Young Amorous Hero's at her Feet did fall Despair'd and dy'd whilst I was Lord of All Her Empire o're my Soul each moment grew New Charms each minute did appear in view And each appointment Ravishing and New Fonder each hour my tender Heart became And that which us'd t' allay increas'd my Flame But on a day oh may no chearful Ray Of the Sun's Light bless that succeeding day May the black hours from the account be torn May no fair thing upon thy day be born May fate and Hell appoint thee for their own May no good deed be in thy Circle done May Rapes Conspiricies and Murders stay Till thou com'st on and hatch em in thy day 'T was on this day all Joyful Gay and Fair Fond as desire and wanton as the Air Aminta did with me to the blest Bower repair Beneath a Beechy Shade a flowry Bed Officious Cupid's for our Pleasure spred Where never did the Charmer ere impart More Joy more Rapture to my ravisht Heart 'T was all the first 't was all beginning Fire 'T was all new Love new Pleasure new Desire Here stop my Soul Stop thy carreer of Vanity and Pride And only say 'T was here Aminta dy'd The fleeting Soul as quickly dis-appears As leaves blown off with Winds or falling Stars And Life its flight assum'd with such a pace It took no farewel of her lovely Face The Fugitive not one Beauty did surprize It scarce took time to languish in her Eyes But on my Bosom bow'd her charming Head And sighing these surprizing words she said Joy of my Soul my faithful tender Youth Lord of my Vows and Miracle of Truth Thou soft obliger of thy Sex the best Thou blessing too Extream to be possest The Angry God designing we must part Do render back the Treasure of thy Heart When in some new fair Breast it finds a room And I shall ly-neglected-in my Tomb Remember-oh remember-the fair she Can never love thee darling Youth like me Then with a Sigh she sunk into my Brest While her fair Eyes her last farewel exprest To aiding God's I cry'd but they were Deaf And no kind pow'r afforded me relief I call her name I weep I rave and faint And none but Eccho's answer my Complaint I Kiss and Bathe her stiffening Face with Tears Press it to mine as cold and pale as her's The fading Roses of her Lips I press But no kind Word the silenc'd Pratlers will confess Her lovely Eyes I kiss and call upon But all their wonted answering Rhetorick's gone Her charming little Hands in vain I ask Those little Hands no more my Neck shall grasp No more about my Face her Fingers play Nor brede my Hair or the vain Curls display No more her Tongue beguiling Stories tell Whose wonderous Wit cou'd grace a Tale so well All all is fled to Death's cold Mansion gone And I am left benighted and undone And every day my Fate is hasting on From the inchanting Bower I madly fly That Bower that now no more affords me Joy Love had not left for me one Bliss in store Since my Aminta cou'd dispence no more Thence to a silent Desert I advance And call'd the Desert of Remembrance A solitude upon a Mountain plac'd All gloomy round and wonderous high and vast From whence Love's Island all appears in view And distant Prospects renders near and true Each Bank each Bower each dear inviting Shade That to our Sacred Loves was conscious made Each flowry Bed each Thicket and each Grove Where I have lain Charm'd with Aminta's Love Where e're she chear'd the day and blest the Night Eternally are present to my Sight Where e're I turn the Landskip does confess Something that calls to mind past happiness This Lysidas this is my wretched state 'T is here I languish and attend my Fate But e're I go 't wou'd wonderous Pleasure be If such a thing can e're arrive to me To find some Pity Lysidas from thee Then I shou'd take the Wing and upward fly And loose the Sight of this dull World with Joy Your Lysander LYCIDUS OR THE Lover in Fashion Being an Account from LYCIDUS to LYSANDER Of his Voyage from the ISLAND of LOVE From the French By the same AUTHOR Of the Voyage to the Isle of LOVE Together with a MISCELLANY OF New Poems By Several HANDS LONDON Printed for Joseph Knight and Francis Saunders at the Blew Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New-Exchange 1688. TO THE Earl of Melford c. KNIGHT Of the most Noble Order OF THE THISTLE My LORD THis Epistle Dedicatory which humbly lays this Little Volume at your Lordships feet and begs a Protection there is rather an Address than a Dedication to which a great many hands have subscrib'd it Presenting your Lordship a Garland whose Flowers are cull'd by several Judgments in which I claim the least part whose sole Ambition is this way to congratulate your Lordships new A ddition of Honour that of the Most Noble Order of the
whole days in an hundred places she would find such probable Excuse and lye with such a Grace no mortal cou'd have accused her so that all the whole Island took notice that I was a baffled Cuckold before I could believe she would deceive me so heartily she damn'd herself Through all the Groves I was the pointed Coxcomb laught at aloud and knew not where the jest lay but thought myself as secure in the Innocence of my deceiving fair One as the first hour I Charmed her and like a keeping Cully lavish'd out my Fortune my plenteous Fortune to make her fine to Cuckold me ' Sdeath how I scorn the Follies of my Dotage and am resolv'd to persue Love for the future in such a manner as it shall never cost me a Sigh This shall be my method A Constancy in Love I 'll prise And be to Beauty true And doat on all the lovely Eyes That are but fair and new On Cloris Charms to day I 'll feed To morrow Daphne move For bright Lucinda next I 'll bleed And still be true to Love But Glory only and Renown My serious hours shall charm My Nobler Minutes those shall Crown My looser hours my Flame All the Fatigues of Love I 'll hate And Phillis's new Charms That hopeless Fire shall dissipate My Heart for Cloe warms The easie Nymph I once enjoy'd Neglected now shall pass Possession that has Love destroy'd Shall make me pitiless In vain she now attracts and mourns Her moving Power is gone Too late when once enjoy'd she burns And yeilding is undone My Friend the little charming Boy Conforms to my desires And 't is but to augment my Joy He pains me with his Fires All that 's in happy Love I 'll tast And rifle all his store And for one Joy that will not last He brings a thousand more Perhaps my Friend at this Account of my Humor you may smile but with a reasonable consideration you will commend it at least though you are not so wise as to persue my Dictates Yet I know you will be diverted with my Adventures though there be no love in 'em that can resemble 'em to yours Take then the History of my Heart which I assure you boasts itself of the Conquests it has made A thousand Martyrs I have made All sacrific'd to my desire A thousand Beauties have betray'd That languish in resistless Fire The untam'd Heart to hand I brought And fixt the wild and wandring Thought I never vow'd nor sigh'd in vain But both thô false were well receiv'd The Fair are pleas'd to give us pain And what they wish is soon believ'd And thô I talk'd of Wounds and Smart Loves Pleasures only toucht my Heart Alone the Glory and the Spoil I always Laughing bore away The Triumphs without Pain or Toil Without the Hell the Heav'n of Joy And while I thus at random rove Despise the Fools that whine for Love I was a great while like you before I forgot the remembrance of my first Languishments and I almost thought by an excess of Melancholy that the end of my Misfortunes were with my Life at hand Yet still like a fond Slave willing to drag my Fetterson I hop'd she would find Arguments to convince me she was not false and in that Humor fear'd only I should not be handsomly and neatly jilted Could she but have dissembled well I had been still her Cully Could she have play'd her Game with discretion but vain of her Conquest she boasted it to all the World and I alone was the kind keeping Blockhead to whom 't was unperceived so well she swore me into belief of her Truth to me Till one day lying under a solitary Shade with my sad Thoughts fixt on my declining Happiness and almost drown'd in Tears I saw a Woman drest in glorious Garments all loose and flowing with the wind scouring the Fields and Groves with such a pace as Venus when she heard her lov'd Youth was slain hasted to behold her ruin She past me as I lay with an unexpressable swiftness and spoke as she run with a loud Voice At her first approach I felt a strange trembling at my Heart without knowing the reason and found at last this Woman was Fame Yet I was not able to tell from whence proceeded my Inquietude When her Words made me but too well understand the Cause The fatal Subject of what she cry'd in passing by me were these Poor Lycidus for shame arise And wipe Loves Errors from thy Eyes Shake off the God that holds thy Heart Since Silvia for another burns And all thy past Indurement scorns While thou the Cully art I believed as she spoke that I had ill understood her but she repeated it so often that I no longer doubted my wretchedness I leave you who so well can guess to imagin what Complaints I made filling the Grove where I was laid with my pitious Cries somtimes I rose and raved and rail'd on Love and reproached the fair Fugitive But the tender God was still pleading in my Heart and made me ever end my noisy Griefs in Sighs and silent Tears A thousand Thoughts of revenge I entertained against this happy Rival and the charming ingrate But those Thoughts like my Rage would also end in soft reproaching murmurs and regret only And I would somtimes argue with Love in this manner Ah cruel Love when will thy Torments cease And when shall I have leave to dye in Peace And why too charming and too cruel Maid Cou'd'st thou not yet thy fleeting Heart have stay'd And by degrees thy fickle Humor shewn By turns the Enemy and Friend put on Have us'd my Heart a little to thy scorn The loss at least might have been easier born With feigned Vows that poor Expence of Breath Alas thou might'st have sooth'd me to my death Thy Coldness and thy visible decays In time had put a period to my days And lay'd me quietly into my Tomb Before thy proof of Perjuries had come You might have waited yet a little space And sav'd mine and thy Honour this disgrace Alas I languish'd and declin'd apace I lov'd my Life too eagerly away To have disturb'd thee with too long a stay Ah! cou'd you not my dying Heart have fed With some small Cordial Food till I was dead Then uncontroul'd and unreproach'd your Charms Might have been render'd to my Rival's Arms. Then all my right to him you might impart And Triumph'd o're a true and broken Heart Though I complained thus for a good while was not without some secret hope that what I had heard was not true nor would I be persuaded to undeceive myself of that hope which was so dear and precious to me I was not willing to be convinced I was intirely miserable out of too great a fear to find it true and there were some Moments in which I believed Fame might falsly accuse Silvia and it did not seem reasonable to me that after all the Vows and Oaths she had
her blush at my approach which I counted a good O men of my future happiness she received me with all the Gayety and Joy good liking and Wit could inspire Nor was I backward on my part but addrest myself to her with all imaginable respect and as much Love in my Eyes as I was able to put on which I found she saw with Pleasure she had not entertained me half an hour but I was so absolutely charmed that I forgot there was a Bellaminte in the World Thus for several days I lived every day visiting both these attracting Beauties and at Night when I was retired was not able to inform myself which I liked best Both were equally beloved and it was now that methought I began to tast of true Joy I found myself in Love without any sort of inquietude when I was Melancholy I went to visit Bellinda and she with her Gayety and Wit would inspire me with good Humour If I were over-prest with good Company and too much Conversation and Noise I would visit Bellimante who by a certain softness in her discourse and a natural Languishment in her Eyes and Manners charmed and calmed me to a reposed tranquillity so that to make me fortunate in Love I could not have fixed my desires better I had too little Love to be wretched and enough to make my happiness and Pleasure After I had past my time a while thus in Coquettre this little Love who was my Guide carried me to Declaration I thought then upon the time of my first Arrival on the Isle of Love and how Respect that awful hinderer of our Pleasure prevented me from going to this Place I urg'd this very argument Respect then made me to my Coquet Love now who for answer return'd me nothing but loud Laughter and when I askt his reason he replyd that Respect did not forbid any to go to Declaration but those only who knew not how to behave themselves well there and who were not so well fashion'd and bred as they ought to be who go thither And that it was a mere cheat in Respect to conduct people to Love by Discretion that being much the farthest way about and under favor to Monsieur Respect he is but a troublesome companion to a Lover who designs to cure those wounds the fair has given him and if he have no better counsellor he may languish all his life without revealing the secret of his soul to the object belov'd and so never find redress But this Sir Formal Respect says Love is a very great favorite of the Lady's who is always in fee with them as a Jilt with a Justice who manages their Fools just as they wou'd have 'em for it is the most agreeable thing in the World to them and what the most feeds their vanity to see at their feet a thousand Lovers sigh burn and languish the fair are never angry to find themselves belov'd nor ever weary of being Ador'd I was extreamly pleas'd at this frank Humour of my little Love who told me this and without much scruple or consideration to Respect I follow'd him towards Declaration and in my way he gave me this Advice When you Love or speak of it Make no serious matter on 't 'T will make but subject for her wit And gain her scorn in lieu of Grant Sneeking whining dull Grimasses Pale the Appetite they 'd move Only Boys and formal Asses Thus are Ridicul'd by Love While you make a Mystery Of your Love and awful flame Young and tender Hearts will fly Frighted at the very name Always brisk and gayly court Make Love your pleasure not your pain 'T is by wanton play and sport Heedless Virgins you will gain By this time we were arriv'd to Declaration which is a very little Village since it is only for Passengers to pass thrô and none live there the Country is very Perilous and those that make a false step run a great risque of falling from some Precipice Round about rises a very great mist and people have much ado to know each other of these mists there are two sorts The one on the side of Denial the other on that of Permission the first is very disagreeable and draws a very ill consequence with it the other directs you to a place of intire divertisment but I had so good a guide that the entrance gave me no trouble at all When I came to the Village I found Bellimante and Bellinda to whom by turns I told all my heart and discover'd all its passion or its tenderness which was to me much better When to the charming Bellinda I came With my heart full of Love and desire To gain my wisht end I talkt of a flame Of sighing and dying and fire I swore to her charms that my soul did submit And the slave was undone by the force of her Wit To fair Bellimante the same tale I told And I vow'd and I swore her fair Eyes No Heart-Ravisht mortal cou'd ever behold But he panting and languishing Dys And while I was vowing the ardor of youth Made myself even believe what I swore was all truth I confess to you my dear Lysander that it was a great while before I cou'd make myself be believ'd by Bellinda or gain any credit upon her heart she had a great deal of Wit and cou'd see farther into the designs of her Lovers than those who had not so much or had had so many vows pay'd them I perceiv'd well enough I was not hated by her and that she had not a heart wholly insensible so that I never quitted her till I had gain'd so much upon her to accompany me to Permission where for some time we pass our days very pleasantly and having so good fortune with Bellinda I had now a great desire to try my power over Bellimante and where indeed contrary to my expectation I was not so happy But she went from me to Denial and I was for that hour oblig'd to return again to Bellinda it was some time I searcht her in vain but at last found her at a little Village extreamly agreeable There are very few Inhabitants but those that are live in perpetual union yet do not talk much for they understand one another with half words A sign of the Hand the Head or the Eye a glance or smile is sufficient to declare a great part of the Inclination It is here where the Lover takes all freedoms without controul and says and dos all that soft Love can permit And every day they take and give a secret Entertainment speaking a particular Language which every body does not understand and none but Lovers can reply too in effect there are as many Languages as persons The Governess of this Village is very charming to those that are acquainted with her and as disagreeable to those that are not she is a person of a great deal of Wit and knows all things She has a thousand ways to make herself
upon Addressing myself to her and the other person had no sooner left her but I advanced towards her with as good a grace as I cou'd put on she was a little surprised and blushing at first but I soon reconcil'd her to my conversation I found her handsom enough to ingage me and she was as well pleased with me as I was with her both having the same design which was that of revenge and you may Imagin our business being the same our entertainment was not at first extraordinary but as my cause of Anger was more reasonable than hers I began to find myself to soften into liking of this new fair one who was called Cemena and who to spight her former Lover endeavor'd to be seen with me in all the publick places she cou'd which gave him Infinite torments of Jealousie One day as I was walking with this Cemena in a place where the young and the fair frequent Bellinda and Bellimante often passed by us and saw us both well pleas'd and in good humour I cou'd perceive their colour goe and come and that they were as uneasy at this object as my heart cou'd wish and by their quitting of the place immediatly after I was assured of all my hope and believed I had gained my Point at the end of two or three days one Morning walking alone in the same place I incountered Bellimante who hapned to be attended with her Woman onely she chang'd colour at my approach and wou'd have passed me by but I stay'd her by the Robe and said a thousand things to her that angry Love inspir'd me with while she on her side did the same till we had talk'd ourselves by degrees into reason and good understanding I found her Resentment to be only the excess of Love and all those faults are easily forgiven I immediatly threw myself at her Feet and made her a thousand protestations of my fidelity and she in her turn excused herself with all the tenderness imaginable she made me a thousand new vowes and caresses and forgot nothing that might persuade me that all she did was by the Counsel of Spight Oh! how soft it is to see The fair one we believe untrue Eagar and impatient be To be reconcil'd a new When their little cheats of Love Shall with reasons be excus'd Oh! how soft it is to prove With what ease we are abus'd When we come to understand How unjust are all our fears And to feel the lovely hand Wiping from our Eyes the tears And a thousand Favors pay For every drop they kiss away Oh! how soft it is to yeild To the maid just reconcil'd I found this accommodement extreamly agreeable and it was in these transports the Lovely Bellimante detain'd me for some days without quiting her but I found too much Joy in a new reconciliation not to endeavor to make one also with Bellinda as soon then as Bellimante grew a little off my heart by so long a conversation with one and the same Woman I on pretence of some affairs left her extreamly charm'd and satisfi'd and hasted to Bellinda who methought was now a new Beauty at least I found her too considerable to lose the Glory of ingaging her intirely t is possible that both these Ladys being agitated with as little faith as myself deceiv'd me with the same design I did them to make their pleasure only and thô this very often came into my thoughts yet it gave me no great inquietude they dissembl'd well and I cou'd not see it I had the satisfaction and the vanity of 'em that was as much as I desir'd from any of the fair since Silvia toucht my heart they both swore they lov'd and both fear'd to displease if they were unfaithful they had a thousand stratagems to hide their infidelity and took a great deal of care to keep me which shew'd a value in me above all the rest of my Rivals and I beheld myself with some Pride and esteem for having so much power when ever they offended me they had all the Arts to mollify me and who wou'd be so critically in love as not to be willing to be so well abus'd For my part I will not be so nice as to penetrat into their thoughts to find what wou'd but displease me if found but content myself with all I see and find that looks like Love at least and good humour Nay even in their worst I find a thousand pleasures those of their quarrels which somtimes happen twenty times a day when every reconciliation is like a new Mistress so well they strive to please and be reconcil'd But all these pleasures did not satisfy me there were greater yet behind which I had not arriv'd to with these fair charmers and however I liv'd at Amusement making a thousand Amours with a hundred of the most Beautiful still I had a desire to subdue intirely to my pleasure these two the most hard to gain but now I was pretty well secur'd of both their hearts and yet neither knew they were each others Rivals in mine They knew one another converst and play'd and walkt together yet so discreet I was in this Amour that neither was jealous of the other nor suspected I lov'd both with an equal Ardor when I hapned to be with 'em both I carried myself so equally Gallant that both commended my conduct and imagin'd I did it to hide the secret passion I had for herself and so many little Arts my Coquet love had taught me I cou'd with ease manage abundance of intregues at one and the same time But as I said this did not suffice nor cou'd the fires that some more willing Beauties allay'd hinder me from wishing and burning and persuing those two fair persons with an Ardor that had no appearance of decay from any others goodness to me but in my daily visits to 'em I eternally solicited them to suffer me to accompany them to that charming place call'd Favors which is a very Beautiful Castle rais'd in a Vally I confest to you that my Coquet Cupid advis'd me not to go for fear of attaching myself too much to a place so extreamly agreeable the Mountains that inviron this Castle are very high and full of hollow Rocks which made the scituation very sullen The Castle itself was delicately built and surrounded with tall Trees so thick that one cou'd hardly see the Edifice nor cou'd the Sun-beams dart throw the gloomy shade and eternal Night seem'd to sit there in awful state and pleasure For the more obscure this place is and secret from all Eyes the better and more acceptable it is to all that enter there and thô this Vally have many inhabitants it appears to have none at all because they love solitude and banishing all Publick society content themselves only to be but two in company together if there be more they are receiv'd with a very ill welcome for a third Person in this place wou'd destroy the
tears but all untrue To your Gilting tricks and quillets I for ever bid adieu The Table TO a fair Lady sent with a Miscellany of Poems P. 1 To Urania in Mourning 2 SONG 3 On Beauty A Pindarick 4 SONG 10 SONG Ibid. To the Heroick Antonia 11 To Laurinda 13 On a Lady singing 15 To Mr. W. 16 Armida Or the fair Gill. 17 Predictions for Saturday next 21 To Astrea on her sending me a Bottle of Orange Flower-Water 22 To Cloris going into the Country 23 SONG 24 To a Lady whom he never saw nor had any description of to prove he loves her By a Person of Quality 24 Song by the same hand 26 Sleeping on her fair hand 28 To Gloriana on saying I had a tough heart Ibid. Sent with Ovid's Epistles to a fair Lady 29 Sent with a Basket of Fruit. 30 Love cannot be indifferent 31 To Astrea On her absence during which I could not write 32 To the most accomplisht Heroick and incomparable the Lady Antonia 33 Sent with Cowley's Works to Astrea 35 To my Heart 36 Dialogue Thirsis and Clarona 39 SONG 40 Strephon to his three Mistresses 42 To the Fam'd Antonia On her Duelling 44 SONG 47 On an ungrateful and undeserving Mistress whom he could not help loving 49 On the Death of Melantha 55 To the Nightingal coming in the Spring 60 A Pastoral on the Marriage of the Right Honourable the Earl of Ossory to the Lady Mary Somerset By Edw. Arwaker M. A. 71 A SONG 80 A Pastoral on the Death of His late Majesty writtet by M. Otway 81 SONG 83 Strephons complaint banisht from Sacarisa 84 An Elegie written by Mr. W. O. 85 A Pindarick to Mrs. Behn on her Poem on the Coronation written by a Lady 89 To Mr. Wolseley on his Preface to Valentinan By a Lady of Quality 95 Mr. Wolseley's Answer to the foregoing Copy 96 To the Honourable Sir Francis Fane on his Play called the Sacrifice by Mrs. A. B. 102 Cato's Answer to Labienus when he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consult the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Goveâ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 SONG 〈…〉 To Damon 〈…〉 Song of Basset by Sir George Etherege 〈◊〉 To the Lord Bishop of Rochester on his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plot. 120 Upon the arrival of his Excellency the Earl of Clarendon in Ireland by a M. of A. 122 A Poem against Fruition by Alexis 127 To Alexis in Answer to his Poem against Fruition 129 To Alexis on his saying I lov'd a man that talkt much by Mrs. B. 132 A Pastoral on the Marriage of the Right Honourable the Earl of Dorset and Middlesex to the Lady Mary Compton by Mrs. Behn 134 On desire A Pindarick by Mrs. B. 145 Song By a Person of Quality 152 Song By a Person of Quality 153 Song By the same hand 154 A Pastoral Song on the late King 157 The departure by Damon Novemb. 78. 159 To Amintas upon reading the lives of some of the Romans by Mrs. B. 161 On the first discovery of falseness in Aminta by Mrs. B. 164 SONG 167 On a Blew spot made in a Ladys neck by Gun-powder by a Person of Quality 168 On Dido 169 SONG Ibid. The Choice 170 A Letter to Astrea 171 To Mrs. B. from a Lady who had a desire to see her 172 To the fair Clarinda who made Love to me imagin'd more than Woman By Mrs. B. 175 FINIS A Miscellany OF POEMS To a Fair Lady sent with a Miscellany of Poems FAir Charmer see how various Poets meet To lay their several Labours at your Feet Whose different Fancies different Passions move The grinning Satyr and the smiling Love And sure there 's somthing that you may approve The Volume like a Landskip will appear Some parts less Beautiful some Bright and Clear But where Defects i' th' Picture you shall spy Be pleas'd their want of Lustre to supply And gild it with a Beam from your bright Eye To Urania in Mourning SEE where she sits in mourning Robes aray'd Like Night's bright Goddess shining thro' a shade What Charms has this fair Mourner that can make The sable dress of Grief such Beauty take Dull Custom has prescrib'd this sad Attire When Sorrow reigns and Beauty wou'd retire But Sorrows self when by Urania worn Looks fair and charming as the rising Morn Thus when descending Angels would disguise Their bright celestial Form from human Eyes Their Splendor thro' the borrow'd shape will shine And we perceive an Excellence Divine But while this lovely mourning Nymph we view We sigh weep languish and turn Mourners too Yet with this difference that while others weep For Friends expir'd and lodg'd in Death's calm Sleep A restless waking Passion makes our Grief That ne're can dye nor ever hope Relief Yet would Urania from her Sorrows spare To my Distress one balmy pitying Tear That Charity wou'd make me bless my Pain And never wish to be at Ease again SONG AS wretched vain and indiscreet Those Matches I deplore Whose Bartering Friends in Counsel meet To huddle in a Wedding Sheet Some miserable Pair that never met before Poor Love of no account must be Tho' ne're so fixt and true No Merit but in Gold they see So Portion and Estate agree No matter what the Bride and Bridegroom do Curst may all covetous Husbands be That Wed with such Design And Curst they are For while they ply Their Wealth some Lover by the By Reaps the true Bliss and digs the richer Mine On Beauty A PINDARIC SAY all ye Judging wise Who into Nature's Secrets dive And can her unknown Reasons give From whence great Beauties wond'rous power do's rise Whose Universal Tyranny Subdues the Tributary World and brings In equal Fetters Slaves and Kings To languish in a soft Captivity It triumphs o're the Strong and Proud It calms the Stormy and the Loud The stubborn and the frozen Cold dissolves Perverts the wise Mans best Resolves The Genius of the Wits and Braves imploys In the important Subject of its Praise The Fool and Coward too inspires This with prevailing Wit that with Heroick Fires Judah's wise King when he Had studied Nature o're and o're Surveying all her hidden Store Even from the Reed to the triumphant Tree Thro' all the spacious Universal round Soft Beauty was the only good he found Worth setting his select Affections on 'T was there he bounded his Delights His chearful Days and charming Nights On that most perfect Bliss beneath the Sun Beauty alone inspir'd him with the Theme Of the bright Virgins of Hierusalem From that alone his Divine Raptures sprung Beauty his Business was and Love was all his Song When Alexander had his Conquest hurl'd O're all the yielding Tributary World And found no more that could afford New Business for his Glory and his Sword 'T is said He wept but when the Persian Maid With greater Charms the Hero had survey'd He found the toil of Conquering her much more Than all his worthless Worlds before He sigh'd and bow'd lookt
Thirsis lay With his Silvia reconcil'd Whose Eyes did brighter beams display While the lovely charmer smil'd With Joy transported cry'd my dear Let us let us often jar Peace always sweetest do's appear After sharpe fatigues of War No said the Nymph mistaken swain 'T is best our quarrels to give o're Kingdoms may jar and close again But broken Love cements no more The Choyce SIlvia of all your Amorous train The Black the Brown or Fair The wealthy Lord or humble Swain For whom will you declare If wealth or Beauty do prevail My claim I then resign If truth and love I cannot faile And Silvia must be mine A Letter to Astrea THe Muse which fair Astrea first inspir'd Has droopt and lost its flame since she retir'd And to the feather'd Poets which belong To Groves resigns her fainting Song Nor is this Lethargy her fate alone For general dulness has possest the Town The Town that now can boast no crowded street Where none but sharp-set younger Brothers meet For well they know their mirth and Wit alas Their only coyn will not i' th country pass Yet in a cloud of smoke o're Coffee dry What pleasure t is to hear the Sharpers cry Pox o' this business that still sticks and dwells Upon my hands and keeps me from the Wells But I resolve a bold escape to make And to throng'd Tunbridg a short Jorney take My humblest service to Eliza give And when your Gloriana shall receive Your next let my respects have then a place Let fair Astrea last be pleas'd to grace These lines with her acceptance and excuse The broken Language of a dying Muse. Since she 's already drawing to a close To write in verse I can no more propose What next I send expect in honest prose To Mrs B. from a Lady who had a desire to see her and who complains on the ingratitude of her fugitive Lover KInd are my Stars indeed but that so late And I stranger to a gentle fate If such a one I meet and chance to know I have not proper words to call it so Wondering at happiness surpris'd as far As a rough General always train'd to War Snatch'd from the midst of cruel fierce alarms Into a thousand unexpected charms A joy like this how shall I entertain With a heart wounded and a soul in pain In my laborious enterprises crost My life near Finis and the Day quite lost Cleone had a Swain and lov'd the youth Not for his Beauty but his seeming truth Not for a goodly herd or high descent Ah that no God my ruin would prevent What thô the Swain had neither Sheep nor land I scorn'd the goods of fortunes partial hand So generous was my passion for the slave Because I equally suppos'd him brave Oh! give me leave to sigh one sad adieu Then wholly dedicate myself to you I have no business here but to complain Of all the treasons of an ingrate Swain Since my inhumane perjur'd Shepherd 's gone Night four seven times has put her mantle on And three seven times Aurora has appear'd Since last I from the cruel Strephon heard Whither he lives is dead or on what shore Patience ye Gods alas I know no more Then why my Stars do my destruction press Send me your pity bounteous Shepherdess That I the face of grief no more may know If I deserve it that cou'd Love so low Consult not that but charity and give One tender pittying sigh that I may live That I may thus make my complaint to you Kind are my Stars indeed at last 't is true Let not my rude and untam'd griefs destroy The early glimmerings of an infant joy And add not your neglect for if you doe Cleone finds her desolation too Know this it yet remains in your fair breast To render me the happy or unblest You may act miracles if you 'l be kind Make me true joys in real sorrows find And bless the hour I hither did pursue A faithless Swain and found access to you Accept the heart I here to you present By the ingratitude of Strephon rent Till then gay noble full of brave disdain And unless yours prevent shall be again As once it was if in your generous brest It may be Pensioner at my request No more to Treasons subject as before To be betray'd by a fair tale no more As large as once as uncontroul'd and free But yet at your command shall always be To the fair Clarinda who made Love to me imagin'd more than Woman By Mrs. B. FAir lovely Maid or if that Title be Too weak too Feminine for Nobler thee Permit a Name that more Approaches Truth And let me call thee Lovely Charming Youth This last will justifie my soft complaint While that may serve to lessen my constraint And without Blushes I the Youth persue When so much beauteous Woman is in view Against thy Charms we struggle but in vain With thy deluding Form thou giv'st us pain While the bright Nymph betrays us to the Swain In pity to our Sex sure thou wer 't sent That we might Love and yet be Innocent For sure no Crime with thee we can commit Or if we shou'd thy Form excuses it For who that gathers fairest Flowers believes A Snake lies hid beneath the Fragrant Leaves Thou beauteous Wonder of a different kind Soft Cloris with the dear Alexis join'd When e'r the Manly part of thee wou'd plead Thou tempts us with the Image of the Maid While we the noblest Passions do extend The Love to Hermes Aphrodite the Friend FINIS * So he called a Sweating-Tub a Lent b I wanted a Prologue to a Play c He pretended to 〈◊〉 Write * Little Arts to please * Duty The Earl of Rochester her Uncle