Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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ID |
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Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
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A67452
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Letters and poems, amorous and gallant
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Walsh, William, 1663-1708.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing W647; ESTC R8169
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35,279
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138
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a Letter to tell me That I shou'd meet you in at Five a Clock in the Afternoon Now Madam I am really so sensible of my guilt of disappointing you in this manner that after having arraign'd judg'd and condemn'd my self for it I am just now upon the point of Execution I must confess some People have advis'd me to the contrary and tell me you cannot take it ill that I did not meet you when you know how late it was before I receiv'd the Letter But I told them That after having written to you I ought never to have stirr'd from home but staid in expectation of an answer For tho' it was urg'd in my Defence That I had some great Business which call'd me out and that I had little hopes you shou'd have granted me the Honour of meeting you so soon yet this Excuse does not satisfie me in the least For why a Devil shou'd a Man pretend to make Love when he has great Business and little Hope This Consideration has absolutely determin'd me for a sudden Execution and whatever you may think upon the first sight of this Letter yet before you can have read it out you may assure your self I shall be no more Your c. Postscript I have a thing just now come into my Head that may possibly make me deferr my Execution till I hear farther from you Different People having different Tastes and there being as many ways of killing Lovers as there are of dressing Eggs it wou'd anger me very much if I shou'd stab my self for your sake when you wou'd rather have me hang'd or drown'd LETTER XIV To the same IT is well Madam you prepared me for a Disappointment in your Letter otherwise I confess I am very impatient under those Circumstances I hope it was not in revenge for my missing the other Assignation if it be reckon we are upon the square now You will certainly grant you have all the reason in the World to make me amends for this and it is with a great deal of impatience I expect a more favourable Opportunity In recompence you shall dispose of me in whatever manner you please and I am sure you must allow That if I am not the most passionate Lover in the World I am at least the most convenient For whenever you have a mind to give Sir or Mr. opportunities of saying soft things you shall see that I manage the other Party to your advantage as naturally as can be Then Madam if after this you have any occasion to make 'em jealous again there is no Man in the World fitter for such an Employment than my self You may make use of me Madam in any of these Capacities but still make use of me and you will not only oblige your self but Your c. LETTER XV. To the same CErtainly the Lady who accus'd me of Indifference last night has the least reason in the World to do so Is it indifference to be always following her up-and-down Is it indifference to shun all Company for hers Is it indifference to gaze upon her with all the tenderness in Nature These are but the outward Signs but oh cou'd she look within and accuse of Indifference a Heart that burns with the most violent Passion that ever was It is true Madam the rest of the World may with justice enough tax me with it For as there is but one Person living who can make me otherwise so Prudence obliges me to manage things so as to disguise my Passion from all the World beside And is there no return due to this but a Resolution to deceive me Well Madam it is some comfort to me however That if you can but for one half hour delude me into an Opinion that I am belov'd by you that short Cheat will be a greater Satisfaction than all Womankind can grant me beside LETTER XVI To the same I See I am destin'd to destruction Why O Heaven did I ever see her Or since I did why did any Body else Had I never I cou'd never have been happy and by having seen you I am the most miserable Wretch breathing These will appear Mysteries perhaps to you and if you think me distracted when I writ this you will think right Love Rage Iealousie and Despair are tearing my Soul in pieces If you have any Compassion for a Man whom you have rendred the most miserable in the World give me an Opportunity of meeting you to day though it be but for one half hour I wou'd not have you come to the Walks after this Rain for fear you shou'd catch cold and a meeting at Shops or Indian Houses may make People suspicious Though I die if I see you not yet I wou'd rather do so than bring your Health or Reputation in any danger Think oh think upon some way of satisfying my Request and do not apprehend that this Distraction which I show you shou'd appear to any body else to your prejudice I wish every one were as careful of you as I am yet I lye I do not wish it for to be so they must love you at the same rate and I had rather allow 'em all the Favours you can grant than that Adieu I am alas I know not what I am but that I am miserable and that I am Yours LETTER XVII To the same I Think I have taken all the ways imaginable to convince you that I love you above the World however Madam you shall see I will yet do more which is never to see you again It is true Mrs. told me I might come to you to day but she told me at the same time That you thought it improper for me to come so often Had you any kindness for me you cou'd not have refus'd my Visits upon so cold a Reason as their being improper and if you have not you cannot be pleas'd that I make 'em at all You shall see therefore Madam how much I value your Quiet above my own since I engage my Word to you and I am sure Madam neither you nor any Woman in the World can say I have ever broken my Word with 'em that I will never make you another Visit or come into any place where you are except you give me very good assurance that my Company will be more acceptable to you than I have reason to believe it has been of late LETTER XVIII To the same THat this parting has not been sought of my side Heaven can be my Witness and how little satisfaction I take in it every Vein in my Heart can testifie No I tremble I am all confusion and I die when I think upon it and it is only in complaisance to you that I have resolv'd it I see you are picking little Occasions of quarrelling with me I see you are uneasie when I am with you and I see you do not make a return that is suitable to a Passion so violent and so sincere as mine is Heavens Madam what wou'd
from an ancient Greek Manuscript whose Author was intimately acquainred with Endymion and protests That he never saw a Man less apt to bark at People in his Life than he was But if all the little Currs of the Town have always bark'd at the Moon it is very hard that Endymion who was never known to bark at any body must be supposed the Author of all that Noise But pray Madam inform your self a little better from the Author of what follows Was there ever any Mouse or was there any Fable wherein there was a Mouse did plead He had deserv'd t' aspire to Princess Bed For if the thing be really true it was the most impudent Mouse that ever I heard of and we must both the Clerk and I agree with the Author in the just resentment he shews for so horrible a Presumption But to be a little more serious Madam Tho' I can allow a Iest as far as any body yet I wou'd not have People imagine I shall bear such things as these You may advise the Author therefore for his own sake to keep his Name conceal'd How great soever his Quality may be for if I can guess at all at him he 's a Person of considerable Quality let him not imagine that shall protect him from my Revenge Had the Great Mogul written such a Copy of Verses against me not that I have any particular Pique to the Great Mogul without any respect at all to his Quality I wou'd have printed the Verses and put his Name to ' em However Madam in the midst of my Fury he shall see how much more like a Christian I treat him than he has done me For tho' he has maliciously insinuated That Mr. Dryden writes for me and that I am covetous of M. L. D.'s Company yet I must do him the justice to declare I do not in the least believe Mr. Dryden has any hand in his Works or that he ever found any great Satisfaction in the Conversation of M. L. D. I am Madam Your c. The Clerk presents his Service to the Author and has written the Enclosed which he desires may be delivered to him LETTER XX. To the most Noble Author of that incomparable Poem on the Author of a Dialogue concerning Women c. Most Noble Sir YOu cannot imagine with what unexpressible satisfaction I read over your late Poem It pleases me extreamly to see that notwithstanding the Endeavours of our Enemies the Wits there are still some generous Spirits who tread in the Steps of our Predecessors and imitate those hidden Graces that lie undiscover'd in the Works of Mr. Thomas Sternhold and Mr. Robert Wisdom of Blessed Memory I have seen several modern Lampoons that have gone some steps towards it but I may say without flattery I have seen no Man who has gone so far in it as your self And whereas most of the Pieces now in vogue are dull flat things taken from the Ancients Yours is brisk sharp and all your own Envy it self cannot say you have stoln one good thing from any body and truly I think it will be very difficult for any Man to steal one from you There is a Saying of Virgil's concerning Homer for I wou'd scorn to compare such a Poet as you to any thing less than Homer That it was casier to take the Club from Hercules than a Verse from him What was perhaps but a Compliment when said of Homer's Verses may with a great deal of Iustice be affirmed of your Iests I do no less approve your Generosity in undertaking the Moon 's Cause than your Address in the management of it I fansie if your Modesty wou'd give you leave to own it you are deeper in her Favour than ever Endymion was At least all the World must own she has a very great influence upon you and I fansie your Fit of Poetry comes upon you when she is at the full No more at present but that with all due Respects to her and the Mouse presented I remain Yours while W. S. LETTER XXI To a Friend Written from the Country THe Dialogues of Plato with your last Letter have quite turn'd my Head What delicacy of Invention What sublimity of Thought I talk no more of Women of Gallantry I think of nothing but Philosophy and Seraphick Love Oh Vanity of Pomp of Glory of Trifles falsly called Pleasures They appear beautiful to the sight but once tasted they leave nothing but Shame Sorrow and Repentance Let us give others leave to play the Fool while we enjoy the sweetness of Philosophy O charming Quiet Oh dear Repose Oh Life truly celestial Mounted upon the lofty tops of Philosophy we regard at our ease the Vanity the Folly the Madness of the World The greatest Cities appear nothing but great Herds of Madmen so many Men so many Follies Suave mari magno turbantibus aethera ventis Eterrâ magnum alterius spectare laborem Sed nil dulcius est bene quam munita tenere Edita doctrinâ sapientum templa serena Despicere unde queas alios passimque videre Errare atque vias palantes quaerere vitae The Soul of Man according to Plato has two Wings the one coelestial with which she flies up to the Empyreal Heaven the other terrestrial which pulls her down to the Earth again It is the first of these that raises you to those lofty divine Paths reach'd by none but the greatest Wits the noblest Souls The other brings Men down to the things of this World to Vanity to Sin to Marriage Poor Husbands you have truly observ'd how soon Beauty flies away but alas Love flies away much sooner Uncomplaisant Companion that he is who tho' he comes with Beauty will not stay with it Great Politicians without doubt these Husbands who suffer an eternal slavery for a thing of so little duration But what signifies that to us Let us leave 'em in peace if there be any such thing as Peace in Marriage and love me as I love you LETTER XXII To the same From London IT is so long since I wrote to you that I am almost asham'd of doing it now But to say the truth I have too just an Excuse for my neglect being relaps'd into my former malady and notwithstanding all the Assistance of Philosophy fallen in love ten times more than ever I am asham'd to tell you how long I have been so but I am ten times more asham'd to tell you I do not yet find the least decay in my Passion tho' I have reason enough to believe the Lady did not care tho' she saw me hanging up at her Gate Well we may put as good a face upon the matter as we will but first or last I see Constancy comes upon us all In the humor I am at present I had a good mind to forswear ever being in love again And yet upon better thoughts I think I had as good try it once more For of three Amours I have had in my Life-time