such Conversations there is always a Je ne scay quoy that is to be fear'd especially when Beauty is accompanied with Youth and Gayety and which they assume upon all Occasions that may serve their Turn And I consess 't is not an easie matter to be just in these Hours and Conversations The most certain Way of being so is to imagine I read all your Thoughts observe all your Looks and hear all your Words The Caution My Damon if your Heart be kind Do not too long with Beauty stay For there are certain Moments when the Mind Is hurry'd by the Force of Charms away In Fate a Minute Critical there lics That waits on Love and takes you by Surprise A Lover pleas'd with Constancy Lives still as if the Maid he lov'd were by As if his Actions were in View As if his Steps she did pursue Or that his very Soul she knew Take heed for tho' I am not present there My Love my Genius waits you every where I am very much pleas'd with the Remedy you say you make use of to defend your self from the Attacks that Beauty gives your Heart which in one of your Billets you said was this or to this purpose The Charm for Constancy Iris to keep my Soul entire and true It thinks each Moment of the Day on you And when a charming Face I see That does all other Eyes incline It has no Influence on me I think it ev'n deform'd to thine My Eyes my Soul and Sense regardless move To all but the dear Object of my Love But Damon I know all Lovers are naturally Flatterers though they do not think so themselves because every one makes a Sense of Beauty according to his own Fancy But perhaps you will say in your own Defence That 't is not Flattery to say an Unbeautiful Woman is Beautiful if he that says so believes she is so I shou'd be content to acquit you of the first provided you allow me the last And if I appear Charming in Damon's Eyes I am not fond of the Approbation of any other 'T is enough the World thinks me not altogether disagreeable to justifie his Choice but let your good Opinion give what Increase it pleases to my Beauty though your Approbation give me a Pleasure it shall not a Vanity and I am contented that Damon should think me a Beauty without my believing I am one 'T is not to draw new Assurances and new Vows from you that I speak this though Tales of Love are the only ones we desire to hear often told and which never tire the Hearers if addrest to themselves But 't is not to this End I now seem to doubt what you say to my Advantage No my Heart knows no Disguise nor can dissemble one Thought of it to Damon 't is all Sincere and Honest as his Wish 'T is therefore it tells you it does not credit every Thing you say though I believe you say abundance of Truths in a great Part of my Character But when you advance to that which my own Sense my Judgment or my Glass cannot perswade me to believe you must give me leave either to believe you think me vain enough to credit you or pleas'd that your Sentiments and mine are differing in this Point But I doubt I may rather reply in some Verses a Friend of yours and mine sent to a Person she thought had but indifferent Sentiments for her yet who nevertheless flatter'd her because he imagin'd she had a very great Esteem for him She is a Woman that you know naturally hates Flattery On the other side she was extreamly dis-satisfy'd and uneasie at his Opinion of his being more in her Favour than she desir'd he shou'd believe So that one Night having left her full of Pride and Anger she next Morning sent him these Verses instead of a Billet-doux The Defyance By Heaven 't is false I am not vain And rather wou'd the Subject be Of your Indifference or Disdain Than Wit or Raillery Take back the trifling Praise you give And pass it on same Easier Fool Who may th'Injuring Wit believe That turns her into Ridicule Tell her she 's Witty Fair and Gay With all the Charms that can subdue Perhaps she 'l credit what you say But Curse me if I do If your Diversion you design On my Good Nature you have prest Or if you do intend it mine You have mistook the Jest. Philander fly that guilty Art Your Charming Facil Wit will find It cannot play long on a Heart That is Sincere and Kind For Wit with Softness does reside Good Nature is with Pity stor'd But Flatt'ry's the Result of Pride And fawns to be Ador'd Nay even when you smile and bow 'T is to be render'd more compleat Your Wit with ev'ry Grace you shew Is but a Popular Cheat. Laugh on and call me Coxcomb do And your Opinion to improve Think all you think of me is true And to confirm it swear I love Then while you wreck my Soul with Pain And of a Cruel Conquest boast 'T is you Philander that are Vain And Witty at my Cost Possibly the angry Aminta when she writ these Verses was more offended that he believ'd himself belov'd than that he flatter'd though she wou'd seem to make that a great Part of the Quarrel and Cause of her Resentment For we are often in an Humour to seem more Modest in that Point than naturally we are being too apt to have a favourable Opinion of our selves And 't is rather the Effects of a Fear that we are flatter'd than our own ill Opinion of the Beauty flatter'd and that the Praiser does not think so well of it as we do our selves or as at least we wish he shou'd Not but there are Grains of Allowance for the Temper of him that speaks One Man's Humour is to talk much and he may be permitted to enlarge upon the Praise he gives the Person he pretends to without being accus'd of much Guilt Another hates to be Wordy from such an one I have known one soft Expression one tender Thing go as far as whole Days everlasting Protestations urg'd with Vows and mighty Eloquence And both the One and the Other indeed must be allow'd in good Manners to stretch the Complement beyond the Bounds of nice Truth and we must not wonder to hear a Man call a Woman a Beauty when she is not Ugly or another a Great Wit if she have but Common Sense above the Vulgar well Bred when well Drest and Good-Natur'd when Civil And as I shou'd be very Ridiculous if I took all you said for Absolute Truth so I shou'd be very Unjust not to allow you very Sincere in almost all you said besides and those Things the most Material to Love Honour and Friendship And for the rest Damon be it true or false this believe You speak with such a Grace that I cannot chuse but Credit you and find an infinite Pleasure in that Faith because I
love you And if I cannot find the Cheat I am contented you shou'd deceive me on because you do it so agreeably 6 A-Clock Walk without Design YOu yet have Time to Walk and my Watch fore-saw you cou'd not refuse your Friends You must to the Park or the Mall for the Season is fair and inviting and all the Young Beauties love those Places too well not to be there 'T is there that a Thousand Intrigues are carried on and as many more design'd 'T is there that every one is set out for Conquest and who aim at nothing less than Hearts Guard yours well my Damon and be not always Admiring what you see Do not in passing by sigh 'em silent Praises Suffer not so much as a guilty Wish to approach your Thoughts nor a heedful Glance to steal from your fine Eyes Those are Regards you ought only to have for her you Love But Oh! Above all have a Care of what you say You are not reproachable if you should remain silent all the Time of your Walk nor wou'd those that know you believe it the Effects of Dulness but Melancholy And if any of your Friends ask you Why you are so I will give you leave to sigh and say The Mal-Content Ah! Wonder not if I appear Regardless of the Pleasures here Or that my Thoughts are thus confin'd To the Just Limits of my Mind My Eyes take no Delight to rove O'er all the Smiling Charmers of the Grove Since She is absent whom they Love Ask me not Why the flow'ry Spring Or the Gay Little Birds that sing Or the Young Streams no more delight Or Shades and Arbours can't invite Why the soft Murmurs of the Wind Within the Thick-grown Groves confin'd No more my Soul transport or cheer Since all that 's Charming Iris is not here Nothing seems Glorious nothing Fair. Then suffer me to Wander thus With Down-cast Eyes and Arms a-cross Let Beauty unregarded go The Trees and Flowers unheeded grow Let purling Streams neglected glide With all the Spring 's adorning-Pride 'T is Iris only Soul can give To the Dull Shades and Plains and make 'em Thrive Nature and my lost Joys retrieve I do not for all this wholly confine your Eyes You may look indifferently on all but with a particular Regard on none You may praise all the Beauties in General but no single One too much I will not exact from you neither an entire Silence There are a Thousand Civilities you ought to pay to all your Friends and Acquaintance and while I caution you of Actions that may get you the Reputation of a Lover of some of the Fair that haunt those Places I wou'd not have you by an unnecessary and uncomplainsant Sullenness gain that of a Person too Negligent or Morose I wou'd have you remiss in no one Punctilio of Good Manners I wou'd have you very Just and pay all you Owe. But in these Affairs be not Over-generous and give away too much In fine You may Look Speak and Walk but Damon do it all without Design And while you do so remember that Iris sent you this Advice The Warning Take heed my Damon in the Grove Where Beauties with Design do walk Take heed my Damon how you look and talk For there are Ambuscades of Love The very Winds that softly blow Will help betray your Easie Heart And all the Flowers that blushing grow The Shades above and Rivulets below Will take the Victor's Part. Remember Damon all my Safety lies In the Just Conduct of your Eyes The Heart by Nature Good and Brave Is to those Treacherous Guards a Slave If they let in the Fair destructive Foe Scarce Honour can defend her Noble Seat Ev'n She will be corrupted too Or driv'n to a Retreat The Soul is but the Cully to the Sight And must be pleas'd in what that takes Delight Therefore examine your self well and conduct your Eyes during this Walk like a Lover that seeks nothing And do not stay too long in these Places 7 A-Clock Voluntary Retreat 'T Is Time to be weary 't is Night Take Leave of your Friends and retire Home 'T is in this Retreat that you ought to recollect in your Thoughts all the Actions of the Day and all those Things that you ought to give me an Account of in your Letter You cannot hide the least Secret from me without Treason against Sacred Love For all the World agrees that Confidence is one of the greatest Proofs of the Passion of Love and that Lover who refuses this Confidence to the Person he loves is to be suspected to love but very indifferently and to think very poorly of the Sense and Generosity of his Mistress But that you may acquit your self like a Man and a Lover of Honour and leave me no Doubt upon my Soul think of all you have done this Day that I may have all the Story of it in your next Letter to me But deal faithfully and neither add nor diminish in your Relation the Truth and Sincerity of your Confession will attone even for little Faults that you shall commit against me in some of those Things you shall tell me For if you have fail'd in any Point or Circumstance of Love I had much rather hear it from you than another For 't is a sort of Repentance to accuse your self and wou'd be a Crime unpardonable if you suffer me to hear it from any other And be assur'd while you confess it I shall be indulgent enough to forgive you The noblest Quality of Man is Sincerity and Damon one ought to have as much of it in Love as in any other Business of one's Life notwithstanding the most Part of Men make no Account of it there but will believe there ought to be double Dealing and an Art practis'd in Love as well as in War But Oh! beware of that Notion Sincerity Sincerity Thou greatest Good Thou Vertue which so many boast And art so nicely understood And often in the Searching lost For when we do approach thee near The fine Idea fram'd of thee Appears not now so charming fair As the more useful Flattery Thou hast no Glist'ring to invite Nor tak'st the Lover at first Sight The Modest Vertue shuns the Croud And lives like Vestals in a Cell In Cities 't will not be allow'd Nor takes Delight in Courts to dwell 'T is Nonsense with the Man of Wit And ev'n a Scandal to the Great For all the Toung and Fair unfit And scorn'd bywiser Fops of State A Vertue yet was never known To the false Trader or the falser Gown And Damon tho' thy Noble Blood Be most Illustr'ous and Refin'd Tho' ev'ry Grace and ev'ry Good Adorn thy Person and thy Mind Yet if this Vertue shine not there This God-like Vertue which alone Wer't thou less Witty Brave or Fair Wou'd for all these less priz'd attone My tender Folly I 'd controul And scorn the Conquest of thy Soul 8 A-Clock Impatient Demands AFter you have
does essay To fright the Tender Flatt'ring God away But still alas in vain What ere Delight What Care he takes the wanton Boy to fright Love still revenges it at Night 'T is then he baunts the Royal Tent The sleeping Hours in Sighs are spent And all his Resolutions does prevent In all his Pains Love mixt his Smart In every Wound he feels a Dart And the soft God is trembling in his Heart Then he retires to shady Groves And there in vain he seeks Repose And strives to fly from what he cannot lose While thus he lay Bellona came And with a generous fierce Disdain Upbraids him with his feeble Flame Arise The World 's great Terrour and their Care Behold the glitt'ring Host from far That waits the Conduct of the God of War Beneath these Glorious Lawrels which were made To crown the noble Victor's Head Why thus Supinely art thou laid Why on that Face where Awful Terrour grew Thy Sun-parcht Cheeks why do I view The shining Tracts of falling Tears bedew What God has wrought these universal Harms What fatal Nymph What fatal Charms Has made the Heroe deaf to War's Alarms Now let the Conqu'ring Ensigns up be furl'd Learn to be gay be soft and curl'd And Idle lose the Empire of the World In fond Effeminate Delights go on Lose all the Glories you have won Bravely resolve to love and be undone 'T is thus the Martial Virgin pleads Thus she the Am'rous God perswades To fly from Venus and the flow'ry Meads You see here that Poets and Warriors are oftentimes in Affliction even under the Shades of their Protecting-Lawrels and let the Nymphs and Virgins sing what they please to their Memory under the Mirtles and on Flowery Beds much better Days than in the Campagne Nor do the Crowns of Glory surpass those of Love The First is but an empty Name which is won kept and lost with Hazard but Love more nobly employs a brave Soul and all his Pleasures are solid and lasting and when one has a worthy Object of one's Flame Glory accompanies Love too But go to sleep the Hour is come and 't is now that your Soul ought to be entertain'd in Dreams 2 A-Clock Conversation in Dreams I Doubt not but you will think it very bold and arbitrary that my Watch shou'd pretend to rule even your sleeping Hours and that my Cupid shou'd govern your very Dreams which are but Thoughts disorder'd in which Reason has no Part Chimera's of the Imagination and no more But though my Watch does not pretend to counsel unreasonably yet you must allow it here if not to pass the Bounds at least to advance to the utmost Limits of it I am assur'd that after having thought so much of me in the Day you will think of me also in the Night And the first Dream my Watch permits you to make is to think you are in Conversation with me Imagine Damon that you are talking to me of your Passion with all the Transport of a Lover and that I hear you with Satisfaction That all my Looks and Blushes while you are speaking gives you new Hopes and Assurances that you are not indifferent to me and that I give you a Thousand Testimonies of my Tenderness all Innocent and Obliging While you are saying all that Love can dictate all that Wit and good Manners can invent and all that I wish to hear from Damon believe in this Dream all flattering and dear that after having shew'd me the Ardour of your Flame that I confess to you the Bottom of my Heart and all the loving Secrets there that I give you Sigh for Sigh Tenderness for Tenderness Heart for Heart and Pleasure for Pleasure And I wou'd have your Sense of this Dream so perfect and your Joy fo entire that if it happen you shou'd awake with the Satisfaction from this Dream you shou'd find your Heart still panting with the foft Pleasure of the dear deceiving Transport and you shou'd be ready to cry out Ah! How sweet it is to dream When charming Iris is the Theam For such I wish my Damon your sleeping and your waking Thoughts shou'd render me to your Heart 3 A-Clock Capricious Suffering in Dreams IT is but just to mix a little Chagrin with these Pleasures a little Bitter with your Sweet you may be cloy'd with too long an Imagination of my Favours And I will have your Fancy in Dreams represent me to it as the most capricious Maid in the World I know here you will accuse my Watch and blame me with unnecessary Cruelty as you will call it but Lovers have their little Ends their little Advantages to pursue by Methods wholly unaccountable to all but that Heart that contrives 'em And as good a Lover as I believe you you will not enter into my Design at first Sight and though on reasonable Thoughts you will be satisfy'd with this Conduct of mine at its first Approach you will be ready to cry out The Request Oh Iris Let my sleeping Hours be fraught With Joys which you deny my waking Thought Is 't not enough you absent are Is 't not enough I sigh all Day And languish out my Life in Care To e'ery Passion made a Prey I burn with Love and soft Desire I rave with Jealousie and Fear All Day for Ease my Soul I tire In vain I search it e'ery where It dwells not with the Witty or the Fair. It is not in the Camp or Court In Bus'ness Musick or in Sport The Plays the Park and Mall afford No more than the dull Basset-board The Beauties in the Drawing-room With all their Sweetness all their Bloom No more my faithful Eyes invite Nor rob my Iris of a Sigh or Glance Unless soft Thoughts of her incite A Smile or trivial Complaisance Then since my Days so anxious prove Ah cruel Tyrant Give A little Loose to Joys in Love And let your Damon live Let him in Dreams be happy made And let his Sleep some Bliss provide The nicest Maid may yield in Night's dark Shade What she so long by Day-light had deny'd There let me think you present are And court my Pillow for my Fair. There let me find you kind and that you give All that a Man of Honour dares receive And may my Eyes eternal Watches keep Rather than want that Pleasure when I sleep Some such Complaint as this I know you will make but Damon if the little Quarrels of Lovers render the reconciling Moments so infinitely Charming you must needs allow that these little Chagrins in capricious Dreams must awaken you to more Joy to find 'em but Dreams than if you had met with no Disorder there 'T is for this Reason that I wou'd have you suffer a little Pain for a coming Pleasure nor indeed is it possible for you to escape the Dreams my Cupid points you out You shall dream that I have a Thousand Foiblesses something of the Lightness of my Sex that my Soul is employ'd in
so sacred to the Queen of Love and so worshipt by Lovers 'T is with these soft Wreaths that those are crown'd who understand how to love well and faithfully The Smiles the Graces and the Sports That in the sacred Groves maintain their Courts Are with these Myrtles crown'd Thither the Nymphs their Garlands bring Their Beauties and their Praises sing While Ecchoes do the Songs resound Love tho' a God with Mirtle Wreaths Does his soft Temples bind More valu'd are those consecrated Leaves Than the bright Wealth in Eastern Rocks confin'd And Crowns of Glory less Ambition move Than those more sacred Diadems of Love The second Cypher IS crown'd with Olives and I add to the two Letters of our Names an R and an L for Reciprocal Love Every time that I have given you O lovely Iris Testimonies of my Passion I have been so blest as to receive some from your Bounty and you have been pleas'd to flatter me with a Belief that I was not indifferent to you I dare therefore say that being honour'd with the Glory of your Tenderness and Care Iought as a Trophy of my illustrious Conquest to adorn the Watch with a Cypher that is so advantageous to me Ought I not to esteem my self the most fortunate and happy of Mankind to have exchang'd my Heart with so charming and admirable a Person as Iris Ah! how sweet how precious is the Change and how vast a Glory arrives to me from it Oh! you must not wonder if my Soul abandon it self to a Thousand Extasies In the Merchandize of Hearts Oh! how dear it is to receive as much as one gives and barter Heart for Heart Oh! I wou'd not receive mine again for all the Crowns the Universe contains Nor ought you my Adorable make any Vows or Wishes ever to retrieve yours or shew the least Repentance for the Blessing you have given me The Exchange we made was confirm'd by a noble Faith and you ought to believe you have bestow'd it well since you are paid for it a Heart that is so conformable to yours so true so just and so full of Adoration And nothing can be the just Recompence of Love but Love and to enjoy the true Felicity of it our Hearts ought to keep an equal Motion and like the Scales of Justice always hang even 'T is the Property of Reciprocal Love to make the Heart feel the Delicacy of Love and to give the Lover all the Ease and Softness he can reasonably hope Such a Love renders all Things advantageous and prosperous Such a Love triumphs over all other Pleasures And I put a Crown of Olives over the Cypher of Reciprocal Love to make known that two Hearts where Love is justly equal enjoy a Peace that nothing can disturb Olives are never fading seen But always flourishing and green The Emblem 't is of Love and Peace For Love that 's true will never cease And Peace does Pleasure still increase Joy to the World the Peace of Kings imparts And Peace in Love distributes it to Hearts The third Cypher THe C and the L which are joyn'd to the Letters of our Names in this Cypher crown'd with Laurel explains a Constant Love It will not my fair Iris suffice that my Love is extream my Passion violent and my Wishes fervent or that our Loves are reciprocal But it ought also to be constant for in Love the Imagination is oftner carried to those things that may arrive and which we wish for than to things that Time has rob'd us of And in those agreeable Thoughts of Joys to come the Heart takes more delight to wander than in all those that are past though the Remembrance of 'em are very dear and very charming We shou'd be both unjust if we were not perswaded we are possest with a Vertue the Use of which is so admirable as that of Constancy Our Loves are not of that sort that can finish or have End but such a Passion so perfect and so constant that it will be a President for future Ages to love perfectly and when they wou'd express an extream Passion they will say They lov'd as Damon did the charming Iris. And he that knows the Glory of Constant Love will despise those fading Passions those little Amusements that serve for a Day What Pleasure or Dependance can one have in a Love of that sort What Concern What Raptures can such an Amour produce in a Soul And what Satisfaction can one promise one's self in playing with a false Gamester who though you are aware of him in spight of all your Precaution puts the false Dice upon you and wins all Those Eyes that can no better Conquest make Let 'em ne'er look abroad Such but the empty Name of Lovers take And so prophane the God Better they never shou'd pretend Than e'er begun to make an End Of that fond Flame what shall we say That 's born and languisht in a Day Such short-liv'd Blessings cannot bring The Pleasure of an Envying Who is 't will celebrate that Flame That 's damn'd to such a scanty Fame While constant Love the Nymphs and Swains Still sacred make in lasting Strains And chearful Lays throughout the Plains A constant Love knows no Decay But still advancing e'ery Day Will last as long as Life can stay With e'ery Look and Smile improves With the same Ardour always moves With such as Damon charming Iris loves Constant Love finds it self impossible to be shaken it resists the Attacks of Envy and a Thousand Accidents that endeavour to change it Nothing can disoblige it but a known Falseness or Contempt Nothing can remove it though for a short Moment it may lye sullen and resenting it recovers and returns with greater Force and Joy I therefore with very good Reason crown this Cypher of Constant Love with a Wreath of Laurel since such Love always triumphs over Time and Fortune though it be not her Property to besiege for she cannot overcome but in defending her self but the Victories she gains are never the less glorious For far less Conquest we have known The Victor wear the Lawrel Crown The Triumph with more Pride let him receive While those of Love at least more Pleasures give The fourth Cypher PErhaps my lovely Maid you will not find out what I mean by the S and the L in this last Cypher that is crown'd with Roses I will therefore tell you I mean Secret Love There are very few People who know the Nature of that Pleasure which so divine a Love creates And let me say what I will of it they must feel it themselves who wou'd rightly understand it and all its ravishing Sweets But this there is a great deal of Reason to believe the Secrecy in Love doubles the Pleasures of it And I am so absolutely perswaded of this that I believe all those Favours that are not kept secret are dull and paul'd very insipid and tasteless Pleasures And let the Favours be never so innocent that a
Lover receives from a Mistress she ought to value 'em set a Price upon 'em and make the Lover pay dear while he receives 'em with Difficulty and sometimes with Hazard A Lover that is not secret but suffers every one to count his Sighs has at most but a feeble Passion such as produces sudden and transitory Desires which dye as soon as born A true Love has not this Character for whensoever 't is made publick it ceases to be a Pleasure and is only the Result of Vanity Not that I expect our Loves shou'd always remain a Secret No I shou'd never at that Rate arrive to a Blessing which above all the Glories of the Earth I aspire to but even then there are a Thousand Joys a Thousand Pleasures that I shall be as careful to conceal from the foolish World as if the whole Preservation of that Pleasure depended on my Silence as indeed it does in a great Measure To this Cypher I put a Crown of Roses which are not Flowers of a very lasting Date And 't is to let you see that 't is impossible Love can be long hid We see every Day with what fine Dissimulation and Pains People conceal a Thousand Hates and Malices Disgusts Disobligations and Resentments without being able to conceal the least part of their Love but Reputation has an Ardour as well as Roses and a Lover ought to esteem that as the dearest and tenderest Thing not only that of his own which is indeed the least part but that of his Mistress more valuable to him than Life He ought to endeavour to give People no Occasion to make false Judgments of his Actions or to give their Censures which most certainly are never in the Favour of the fair Person for likely those false Censures are of the busie Female Sex the Coquets of that number whose little Spights and Railleries joyn'd to that fancy'd Wit they boast of sets 'em at Odds with all the Beautiful and Innocent And how very little of that kind serves to give the World a Faith when a Thousand Vertues told of the same Persons by more credible Witnesses and Judges shall pass unregarded so willing and inclin'd is all the World to credit the Ill and condemn the Good And yet Oh! what pity 't is we are compell'd to live in Pain to oblige this foolish scandalous World And though we know each others Vertue and Honour we are oblig'd to observe that Caution to humour the Talking Town which takes away so great a part of the Pleasure of Life 'T is therefore that among these Roses you will find some Thorns by which you may imagine that in Love Precaution is necessary to its Secrecy And we must restrain our selves upon a Thousand Occasions with so much Care that O Iris 't is impossible to be discreet without Pain but 't is a Pain that creates a Thousand Pleasures Where shou'd a Lover hide his Joys Free from Malice free from Noise Where no Envy can intrude Where no busie Rival's Spy Made by Disappointment rude May inform his Jealousie The Heart will their best Refuge prove Which Nature meant the Cabinet of Love What wou'd a Lover not endure His Mistress Fame and Honour to secure Iris the Care we take to be discreet Is the dear Toyl that makes the Pleasure sweet The Thorn that does the Wealth inclose That with less sawcy Freedom we may touch the Rose The Clasp of the Watch. AH charming Iris Ah my lovely Maid 'T is now in a more peculiar manner that I require your Aid in the Finishing of my Design and Compleating the whole Piece to the utmost Perfection and without your Aid it cannot be perform'd It is about the Clasp of the Watch a Material in all Appearance the most trivial of any Part of it But that it may be safe for ever I design it the Image or Figure of Two Hands that fair One of the adorable Iris joyn'd to mine with this Motto Inviolable Faith For this Case this Heart ought to be shut up by this Eternal Clasp Oh there is nothing so necessary as this Nothing can secure Love but Faith That Vertue ought to be a Guard to all the Heart thinks and all the Mouth utters Nor can Love say he triumphs without it And when that remains not in the Heart all the rest deserves no Regard Oh! I have not lov'd so ill to leave one Doubt upon your Soul Why then will you want that Faith O unkind Charmer that my Passion and my Services so justly merit When two Hearts entirely love And in one Sphere of Honour move Each maintains the other's Fire With a Faith that is entire For what heedless Touth bestows On a faithless Maid his Vows Faith without Love bears Vertue 's Price But Love without her Mixture is a Vice Love like Religion still shou'd be In the Foundation firm and true In Points of Faith shou'd still agree Tho' Innovations vain and new Love's little Quarrels may arise In Fundamentals still they 're just and wise Then charming Maid be sure of this Allow me Faith as well as Love Since that alone affords no Bliss Vnless your Faith your Love improve Either resolve to let me dye By fairer Play your Cruelty Than not your Love with Faith impart And with your Vows to give your Heart In mad Despair I 'd rather fall Than lose my glorious Hopes of Conqu'ring all So certain it is that Love without Faith is of no value In fine my adorable Iris this Case shall be as near as I can like those delicate Ones of Filligrin-Work which do not hinder the Sight from taking a View of all within You may therefore see through this Heart all your Watch. Nor is my Desire of Preserving this inestimable Piece more than to make it the whole Rule of my Life and Actions And my chiefest Design in these Cyphers is to comprehend in 'em the principal Vertues that are most necessary to Love Do not we know that Reciprocal Love is Justice Constant Love Fortitude Secret Love Prudence Though 't is true that Extream Love that is Excess of Love in one Sense appears not to be Temperance yet you must know my Iris that in Matters of Love Excess is a Vertue and that all other Degrees of Love are worthy Scorn alone 'T is this alone that can make good the glorious Title 'T is this alone that can bear the true Name of Love and this alone that renders the Lovers truly happy in spight of all the Storms of Fate and Shocks of Fortune This is an Antidote against all other Griefs This bears up the Soul in all Calamity and is the very Heaven of Life the last Refuge of all Worldly Pain and Care and may well bear the Title of Divine The Art of Loving well That Love may all Perfection be Sweet Charming to the last Degree The Heart where the bright Flame does dwell In Faith and Softness shou'd excel Excess of Love shou'd fill each Vein
And all its sacred Rites maintain The tend'rest Thoughts Heav'n can inspire Shou'd be the Fuel to its Fire And that like Incense burn as pure Or that in Vrns shou'd still endure No fond Desire shou'd fill the Soul But such as Honour may controul Jealousie I will allow Not the Amorous Winds that blow Shou'd wanton in my Iris Hair Or ravish Kisses from my Fair. Not the Flowers that grow beneath Shou'd borrow Sweetness of her Breath If her Bird she do caress How I grudge its Happiness When upon her Snowy Hand The Wanton does triumphing stand Or upon her Breast she skips And lays her Beak to Iris Lips Fainting at my ravisht Joy I cou'd the Innocent destroy If I can no Bliss afford To a little harmless Bird Tell me O thou dear lov'd Maid What Reason cou'd my Rage perswade If a Rival shou'd invade If thy charming Eyes shou'd dart Looks that sally from the Heart If you sent a Smile or Glance To another tho' by Chance Still thou giv'st what 's not thy own They belong to me alone All Submission I wou'd pay Man was born the Fair t' obey Your very Look I 'd understand And thence receive your least Command Never your Justice will dispute But like a Lover execute I wou'd no Vsurper be But in claiming sacred Thee I wou'd have all and every Part No Thought shou'd hide within thy Heart Mine a Cabinet was made Where Iris Secrets shou'd be laid In the rest without Controul She shou'd triumph o'er the Soul Prostrate at her Feet I 'd lye Despising Power and Liberty Glorying more by Love to fall Than rule the Vniversal Ball. Hear me O you Sawcy Youth And from my Maxims learn this Truth Wou'd you Great and Powerful prove Be an humble Slave to Love 'T is nobler far a Joy to give Than any Blessing to receive THE LOOKING-GLASS Sent from DAMON to IRIS HOw long O charming Iris shall I speak in vain of your adorable Beauty You have been just and believe I love you with a Passion perfectly tender and extream and yet you will not allow your Charms to be infinite You must either accuse my Flames to be unreasonable and that my Eyes and Heart are false Judges of Wit and Beauty or allow that you are the most perfect of your Sex But instead of that you always accuse me of Flattery when I speak of your infinite Merit and when I refer you to your Glass you tell me that flatters as well as Damon though one wou'd imagine that shou'd be a good Witness for the Truth of what I say and undeceive you of the Opinion of my Injustice Look and confirm your self that nothing can equal your Perfections All the World says it and you must doubt it no longer O Iris Will you dispute against the whole World But since you have so long distrusted your own Glass I have here presented you with One which I know is very true and having been made for you only can serve only you All other Glasses present all Objects but this reflects only Iris whenever you consult it it will convince you and tell you how much Right I have done you when I told you you were the fairest Person that ever Nature made When other Beauties look into it it will speak to all the fair Ones but let 'em do what they will 't will say nothing to their Advantage Iris to spare what you call Flattery Consult your Glass each Hour of the Day 'T will tell you where your Charms and Beauties lye And where your little wanton Graces play Where Love does revel in your Face and Eyes What Look invites your Slaves and what denies Where all the Loves adorn you with such Care Where dress your Smiles where arm your lovely Eyes Where deck the flowing Tresses of your Hair How cause your Snowy Breasts to fall and rise How this severe Glance makes the Lover dye How that more soft gives Immortality Where you shall see what 't is enslaves the Soul Where e'ery Feature e'ery Look combines When the adorning Air o'er all the Whole To so much Wit and so nice Vertue joyns Where the Belle Taille and Motion still afford Graces to be eternally ador'd But I will be silent now and let your Glass speak Iris's Looking-Glass DAmon O charming Iris has given me to you that you may sometimes give your self the Trouble and me the Honour of Consulting me in the great and weighty Affairs of Beauty I am my adorable Mistress a faithful Glass and you ought to believe all I say to you The Shape of Iris. I Must begin with your Shape and tell you without Flattery 't is the finest in the World and gives Love and Admiration to all that see you Pray observe how free and easie it is without Constraint Stiffness or Affectation those mistaken Graces of the Fantastick and the Formal who give themselves Pain to shew their Will to please and whose Dressing makes the greatest Part of its Fineness when they are more oblig'd to the Taylor than to Nature who add or diminish as Occasion serves to form a Grace where Heaven never gave it And while they remain on this Wreck of Pride they are eternally uneasie without pleasing any Body Iris I have seen a Woman of your Acquaintance who having a greater Opinion of her own Person than any Body else has screw'd her Body into so fine a Form as she calls it that she dares no more stir a Hand lift up an Arm or turn her Head aside than if for the Sin of such a Disorder she were to be turn'd into a Pillar of Salt the less stiff and fix'd Statue of the two Nay she dares not speak or smile lest she shou'd put her Face out of that Order she had set it in her Glass when she last lookt on her self And is all over such a Lady Nice excepting in her Conversation that ever made a ridiculous Figure And there are many Ladies more but too much tainted with that nauceous Formality that old-fashion'd Vice But Iris the charming the all-perfect Iris has nothing in her whole Form that is not free natural and easie and whose every Motion cannot please extreamly and which has not given Damon a Thousand Rivals Damon the Young the Am'rous and the True Who sighs incessantly for you Whose whole Delight now you are gone Is to retire to Shades alone And to the Ecchoes make his Moan By purling Streams the wishing Youth is laid Still sighing Iris Lovely charming Maid See in thy Absence how thy Lover dies While to his Sighs the Eccho still replies Then with the Stream he holds Discourse O thou that bendst thy liquid Force To lovely Thames upon whose Shore The Maid resides whom I adore My Tears of Love upon thy Surface bear And if upon thy Banks thou see'st my Fair In all thy softest Murmurs sing From Damon I this Present bring My e'ery Curl contains a Tear Then at her Feet thy Tribute pay But
midst of the Tranquility of these two Lovers Iris was obliged to go into the Country for some Months whither 't was impossible for Damon to wait on her he being oblig'd to attend the King his Master and being the most Amorous of his Sex suffer'd with extream Impatienco the Absence of his Mistress Nevertheless he fail'd not to send to her every day and gave up all his melancholy Hours to Thinking Sighing and Writing to her the softest Letters that Love could inspire So that Iris even blessed that Absence that gave her so tender and convincing Proofs of his Passion and found this dear way of Conversing even recompenced all her Sighs for his Absence After a little Intercourse of this kind Damon bethought himself to ask Iris a Discretion which he had won of her before she lest the Town and in a Billet-doux to that purpose prest her very earnestly for it Iris being infinitely pleas'd with his Importunity suffer'd him to ask it often and he never fail'd of doing so But as I do not here design to relate the Adventures of these two Amiable Persons nor give you all the Billet-douxes that past between them You shall here find nothing but the Watch this charming Maid sent her impatient Lover Iris to Damon IT must be confest Damon that you are the most importuning Man in the World Your Billets have an hundred times demanded a Discretion which you won of me and tell me you will not wait my Return to be paid You are either a very faithless Creditor or believe me very unjust that you dun with such Impatience But to let you see I am a Maid of Honour and value my Word I will acquit my self of this Obligation I have to you and send you a Watch of my fashion perhaps you never saw any so good It is not one of those that have always something to be mended in it but one that is without Fault very just and good and will remain so as long as you continue to love me But Damon know that the very Minute you cease to do so the String will break and it will go no more 'T is only useful in my Absence and when I return 't will change its Motion And though I have set it but for the Spring-time 't will serve you the whole Year round and 't will be necessary only that you alter the business of the Hours which my Cupid in the middle of my Watch points you out according to the length of the Days and Nights Nor is the Dart of that little God directed to those Hours so much to inform you how they pass as how you ought to pass them how you ought to employ those of your Absence from Iris. 'T is there you shall find the whole Business of a Lover from his Mistress sor I have design'd it a Rule to all your Actions The Consideration of the Work-man ought to make you set a Value upon the Work And though it be not an accomplisht and perfect Piece yet Damon you ought to be grateful and esteem it since I have made it for you alone But however I may boast of the Design I know as well as I believe you love me that you will not suffer me to have the Glory of it wholly but will say in your heart That Love the great Instructor of the Mind That forms anew and fashions every Soul Refines the gross Defects of Humane kind Humbles the Proud and Vain inspires the Dull Gives Cowards noble Heat in Fight And teaches feeble Woman how to write That doth the Vniverse command Does from my Iris Heart direct her Hand I give you the liberty to say this to your Heart if you please And that you may know with what Justice you do so I will confess in my turn The Confession That Love 's my Conduct where I go And Love instructs me all I do Prudence no longer is my Guide Nor take I Counsel of my Pride In vain does Honour now invade In vain does Reason take my part If against Love it do perswade If it rebel against my heart If the soft Ev'ning do invite And I incline to take the Air The Birds the Spring the Flowers no more delight 'T is Love makes all the Pleasure there Love which about me still I bear I 'm charm'd with what I thither bring And add a Softness to the Spring If for Devotion I design Love meets me even at the Shrine In all my Worships claims a part And robs even Heaven of my Heart All day does counsel and controul And all the night employs my Soul No wonder then if all you think be true That Love 's concern'd in all I do for you And Damon you know that Love is no ill Master and I must say with a Blush that he has found me no unapt Scholar and he instructs too agreeably not to succeed in all he undertakes Who can resist his soft Commands When he resolves What God withstands But I ought to explain to you my Watch. The naked Love which you will find in the middle of it with his Wings clip'd to shew you he is fix'd and constant and will not fly away points you out with his Arrow the four and twenty Hours that compose the Day and the Night Over every Hour you will find written what you ought to do during its Course and every Half-hour is marked with a Sigh since the quality of a Lover is to sigh day and night Sighs are the Children of Lovers that are born every hour And that my Watch may always be just Love himself ought to conduct it and your Heart should keep Time with the Movement My Present's delicate and new If by your Heart the Motion 's set According as that 's false or true Tou'l find my Watch will answer it Every hour is tedious to a Lover separated from his Mistress and to shew you how good I am I will have my Watch instruct you to pass some of them without Inquietude that the force of your Imagination may sometimes charm the Trouble you have for my Absence Perhaps I am mistaken here My Heart may too much Credit give But Damon you can charm my Fear And soon my Error undeceive But I will not disturb my Repose at this time with a Jealousie which I hope is altogether frivolous and vain but begin to instruct you in the Mysteries of my Watch. Cast then your Eyes upon the Eighth Hour in the Morning which is the Hour I would have you begin to wake You will find there written 8 A-Clock Agreeable Reverie DO not rise yet you may find Thoughts agreeable enough when you awake to entertain you longer in Bed And 't is in that hour you ought to recollect all the Dreams you have had in the Night If you have dream'd any thing to my Advantage confirm your self in that thought but if to my Disadvantage renounce it and dis-own the injurious Dream 'T is in this Hour also that I
had said too kind and too obliging before But where-ever you find that stop that Check in my Carriere of Love you will be sure to find something that follows it to favour you and deny that unwilling Imposition upon my Heart which lest you should mistake Love shews himself in Smiles again and flatters more agreeably disdaining the Tyranny of Honour and Rigid Custom that Imposition on our Sex and will in spight of me let you see he Reigns absolutely in my Soul The Reading my Billet-doux may detain you an Hour I have had Goodness enough to write you enough to entertain you so long at least and sometimes reproach my self for it but contrary to all my Scruples I find my self dispos'd to give you those frequent Marks of my Tenderness If yours be so great as you express it you ought to kiss my Letters a Thousand times you ought to read them with Attention and weigh every Word and value every Line A Lover may receive a Thousand indearing Words from a Mistress more easily than a Billet One says a great many kind Things of Course to a Lover which one is not willing to write or to give testify'd under one's Hand Sign'd and Seal'd But when once a Lover has brought his Mistress to that degree of Love he ought to assure himself she loves not at the common Rate Love's Witness Slight unpremeditated Words are born By every common Wind into the Air Carelesly utter'd dye as soon as born And in one Instant give both Hope and Fear Breathing all Contraries with the same Wind According to the Caprice of the Mind But Billets-doux are constant Witnesses Substantial Records to Eternity Just Evidences who the Truth confess On which the Lover safely may rely They 're serious Thoughts digested and resolv'd And last when Words are into Clouds devolv'd I will not doubt but you give Credit to all that is Kind in my Letters and I will believe you find a Satisfaction in the Entertainment they give you and that the Hour of Reading 'em is not dis-agreeable to you I cou'd wish your Pleasure might be Extream even to the Degree of suffering the Thought of my Absence not to diminish any Part of it And I cou'd wish too at the End of your Reading you wou'd sigh with Pleasure and say to your self The Transport O Iris While you thus can charm While at this Distance you can wound and warm My absent Torments I will bless and bear That give me such dear Proofs how kind you are Present the valu'd Store was only seen Now I am rifling the bright Mass within Every dear past and happy Day When Languishing at Iris Feet I lay When all my Prayers and all my Tears cou'd move No more than her Permission I should love Vain with my Glorious Destiny I thought beyond scarce any Heaven cou'd be But Charming Maid now I am taught That Absence has a thousand Joys to give On which the Lover present never thought That recompence the Hours we grieve Rather by Absence let me be undone Than forfeit all the Pleasures that has won With this little Rapture I wish you wou'd finish the Reading my Letters shut your Scrutore and quit your Cabinet for my Love leads to Eleven A-Clock 11 A-Clock The Hour to Write in IF my Watch did not inform you 't is now time to Write I believe Damon your Heart wou'd and tell you also that I should take it kindly if you wou'd employ a whole Hour that way and that you shou'd never lose an Occasion of Writing to me since you are assur'd of the Welcome I give your Letters Perhaps you will say an Hour is too much and that 't is not the Mode to write long Letters I grant you Damon when we write those indifferent ones of Gallantry in Course or necessary Compliment the handsom Comprising of which in the fewest Words renders 'em the most agreeable But in Love we have a Thousand foolish things to say that of themselves bear no great Sound but have a mighty Sense in Love for there is a peculiar Eloquence natural alone to a Lover and to be understood by no other Creature To those Words have a thousand Graces and Sweetnesses which to the Unconcerned appears Meanness and Easie Sense at the best But Damon you and I are none of those ill Judges of the Beauties of Love we can penetrate beyond the Vulgar and perceive the fine Soul in every Line through all the humble Dress of Phrase when possibly they who think they discern it best in Florid Language do not see it at all Love was not born or bred in Courts but Cottages and nurs'd in Groves and Shades smiles on the Plains and wantons in the Streams all Unador'd and Harmless Therefore Damon do not consult your Wit in this Affair but Love alone and speak all that He and Nature taught you and let the fine Things you learn in Schools alone Make use of those Flowers you have gather'd there when you converse with States-men and the Gown Let Iris possess your Heart in all its simple Innocence that 's the best Eloquence to her that loves and this is my Instruction to a Lover that would succeed in his Amours for I have a Heart very difficult to please and this is the nearest Way to it Advice to Lovers Lovers if you would gain a Heart Of Damon learn to win the Prize He 'll shew you all its tend ' rest Part And where its greatest Danger lies The Magazin of its Disdain Where Honour feebly guarded does remain If Present do but little say Enough the silent Lover speaks But wait and sigh and gaze all day Such Rhet'rick more than Language takes For Words the dullest way do move And utter'd more to shew your Wit than Love Let your Eyes tell her of your Heart Its Story is for Words too delicate Souls thus exchange and thus impart And all their Secrets can relate A Tear a broken Sigh She 'll understand Or the soft trembling Pressings of the Hand Or if your Pain must be in Words exprest Let 'em fall gently unassur'd and slow And where they fail your Looks may tell the rest Thus Damon spoke and I was conquer'd so The witty Talker has mistook his Art The modest Lover only charms the Heart Thus while all day you gazing sit And fear to speak and fear your Fate Tou more Advantages by Silence get Than the gay forward Touth with all his Prate Let him be silent here but when away Whatever Love can dictate let him say There let the Bashful Soul unvail And give a Loose to Love and Truth Let him improve the Amorous Tale With all the Force of Words and Fire of Touth There all and any thing let him express Too long he cannot write too much confess O Damon How well have you made me understand this soft Pleasure You know my Tenderness too well not to be sensible how I am charmed with your agreeable long Letters
same Sound and Air they had Originally when they came from the soft Heart of her who sigh'd 'em first to her lavish Lover Perhaps they are told again with Mirth or Joy unbecoming their Character and Business and then they lose their Graces for Love is the most Solemn Thing in Nature and the most unsuiting with Gayety Perhaps the soft Expressions sute not so well the harsher Voice of the Masculine Lover whose Accents were not form'd for so much Tenderness at least not of that sort for Words that have the same Meaning are alter'd from their Sense by the least Tone or Accent of the Voice and those proper and fitted to my Soul are not possibly so to yours though both have the same Efficacy upon us yours upon my Heart as mine upon yours and both will be mis-understood by the unjudging World Besides this there is a Holiness in Love that 's true that ought not to be prophan'd And as the Poet truly says at the latter End of an Ode of which I will recite the Whole The Invitation Aminta fear not to confess The charming Secret of thy Tenderness That which a Lover can't conceal That which to me thou shouldst reveal And is but what thy Lovely Eyes express Come whisper to my panting Heart That heaves and meets thy Voice half way That guesses what thou wou'dst impart And languishes for what thou hast to say Confirm my trembling Doubt and make me know Whence all these Blushings and these Sighings flow Why dost thou scruple to unfold A Mystery that does my Life concern If thoune'er speak'st it will be told For Lovers all things can discern From every Look from every bashful Grace That still succeed each other in thy Face I shall the dear Transporting Secret learn But 't is a Pleasure not to be exprest To hear it by thy Voice confest When soft Sighs breath it on my panting Breast All calm and silent is the Grove Whose shading Boughs resist the Day Here thou may'st blush and talk of Love While only Winds unheeding stay That will not bear the Sound away While I with solemn Awful Joy All my Attentive Faculties employ List'ning to ev'ry valu'd Word And in my Soul the Sacred Treasure hoard There like some Mystery Divine The Wondrous Knowledge I 'll enshrine Love can his Joys no longer call his own Than the dear Secret's kept unknown There is nothing more true than those two last Lines and that Love ceases to be a Pleasure when it ceases to be a Secret and one you ought to keep Sacred For the World who never makes a right Judgment of Things will mis-interpret Love as they do Religion every one judging it according to the Notion he has of if or the Talent of his Sense Love as a great Duke said is like Apparitions every one talks of 'em but few have seen 'em Every body thinks himself capable of understanding Love and that he is a Master in the Art of it when there is nothing so nice or difficult to be rightly comprehended and indeed cannot be but to a Soul very delicate Nor will he make himself known to the Vulgar There must be an uncommon Fineness in the Mind that contains him the rest he only visits in as many Disguises as there are Dispositions and Natures where he makes but a short Stay and is gone He can fit himself to all Hearts being the greatest Flatterer in the World And he possesses every one with a Considence that they are in the Number of his Elect and they think they know him perfectly when nothing but the Spirits refin'd possess him in his Excellency From this Difference of Love in different Souls proceeds those odd Fantastick Maxims which so many hold of so different Kinds And this makes the most innocent Pleasures pass oftentimes for Crimes with the unjudging Crowd who call themselves Lovers And you will have your Passion censur'd by as many as you shall discover it to and as many several Ways I advise you therefore Damon to make no Confifidents of your Amours and believe that Silence has with me the most powerful Charm 'T is also in these Conversations that those indiscreetly civil Persons often are who think to oblige a good Man by letting him know he is Belov'd by some one or other and making him understand how many good Qualities he is Master of to render him agreeable to the fair Sex if he wou'd but advance where Love and good Fortune calls and that a too constant Lover loses a great part of his Time which might be manag'd to more Advantage since Youth hath so short a Race to run By this and a Thousand the like indecent Complaisances give him a Vanity that sutes not with that Discretion which has hitherto acquir'd him so good a Reputation I wou'd not have you Damon act on these Occasions as many of the Easie Sparks have done before you who receive such Weakness and Flattery for Truth and passing it off with a Smile suffer 'em to advance in Folly 'till they have gain'd a Credit with 'em and they believe all they hear telling 'em they do so by consenting Gestures Silence or open Approbation For my part I shou'd not condemn a Lover that shou'd answer such a sort of civil Brokers for Love somewhat briskly and by giving 'em to understand they are already engaged or directing 'em to Fools that will possibly hearken to 'em and credit such Stuff shame 'em out of a Folly so insamous and disingenious In such a Case only I am willing you shou'd own your Passion not that you need tell the Object which has charm'd you And you may say you are already a Lover without saying you are Belov'd For so long as you appear to have a Heart unengag'd you are expos'd to all the little Arts and Addresses of this sort of obliging Procurers of Love and give way to the Hope they have of making you their Proselyte For your own Reputation then and my Ease and Honour shun such Conversations for they are neither credible to you nor pleasing to me And believe me Damon a true Lover has no Curiosity but what concerns his Mistress 5 A-Clock Dangerous Visits I Fore-see or fear that these busie impertinent Friends will oblige you to visit some Ladies of their Acquaintance or yours My Watch does not forbid you Yet I must tell you I apprehend Danger in such Visits and I fear you will have need of all your Care and Precaution in these Encounters That you may give me no Cause to suspect you perhaps you will argue that Civility obliges you to 't If I were assur'd there wou'd no other Design be carried on I shou'd believe it were to advance an Amorous Prudence too far to forbid you Only keep your self upon your Guard for the Business of most part of the fair Sex is to seek only the Conquest of Hearts All their Civilities are but so many Interests and they do nothing without Design And in
Maid I adore The Materials are glorious the Work delicate and the Movement just and even gives Rules to my Heart who shall observe very exactly all that the Cupid remarks to me even to the Minutes which I will point with Sighs though I am oblig'd to 'em there but every Half-hour You tell me sair Iris that I ought to preserve it tenderly and yet you have sent it me without a Case But that I may obey you justly and keep it dear to me as long as I live I will give it a Case of my Fashion It shall be delicate and sutable to the fine Present of such Materials too But because I wou'd have it perfect I will consult your admirable Wit and Invention in an Affair of so curious a Consequence The Figure of the Case I Design to give it the Figure of a Heart Does not your Watch Iris rule the Heart It was your Heart that contriv'd it and 't was your Heart you consulted in all the Management of it and 't was your Heart that brought it to so fine a Conclusion The Heart never acts without Reason and all the Heart projects it performs with Pleasure Your Watch my lovely Maid has explain'd to me a World of rich Secrets of Love And where shou'd Thoughts so sacred be stor'd but in the Heart where all the Secrets of the Soul are treasur'd up and of which only Love alone can take a View 'T is thence he takes his Sighs and Tears and all his little Flatteries and Arts to please All his fine Thoughts and all his mighty Raptures nothing is so proper as the Heart to preserve it nothing so worthy as the Heart to contain it and it concerns my Interest too much not to be infinitely careful of so dear a Treasure And believe me charming Iris I will never part with it The Votary Fair Goddess of my just Desire Inspirer of my softest Fire Since you from out the num'rous Throng That to your Altars do belong To me the sacred Myst'ry have reveal'd From all my Rival Worshippers conceal'd And toucht my Soul with Heavenly Fire Refin'd it from its grosser Sense And wrought it to a higher Excellence It can no more return to Earth Like Things that thence receive their Birth But still aspiring upward move And teach the World new Flights of Love New Arts of Secresie shall learn And render Youth discreet in Love's Concern In his soft Heart to hide the charming Things A Mistress whispers to his Ear And e'ery tender Sigh she brings Mix with his Soul and hide it there To bear himself so well in Company That if his Mistress present be It may be thought by all the Fair Each in his Heart does claim a Share And all are more belov'd than She. But when with the dear Maid apart Then at her Feet the Lover lies Opens his Soul shews all his Heart While Joy is dancing in his Eyes Then all that Honour may or take or give They both distribute both receive A Looker on wou'd spoyl a Lover's Joy For Love 's a Game where only Two can play And 't is the hardest of Love's Mysteries To feign Love where it is not hide it where it is After having told you my lovely Iris that I design to put your Watch into a Heart I ought to shew you the Ornaments of the Case I do intend to have 'em Crown'd Cyphers I do not mean those Crowns of Vanity which are put indifferently on all sorts of Cyphers No I must have such as may distinguish mine from the rest and may be true Emblems of what I wou'd represent My four Cyphers therefore shall be crown'd with these four Wreaths of Olive Laurel Myrtle and Roses And the Letters that begin the Names of Iris and Damon shall compose the Cyphers though I must intermix some other Letters that bear another Sense and have another Signification The first Cypher THe first Cypher is compos'd of an I and a D which are joyn'd by an L and an E Which signifies Love Extream And 't is but just O adorable Iris that Love shou'd be mixt with our Cyphers and that Love alone shou'd be the Union of ' em Love ought alone the Mystick Knot to tye Love that great Master of all Arts And this dear Cypher is to let you see Love unites Names as well as Hearts Without this charming Union our Souls cou'd not communicate those invisible Sweetnesses which compleat the Felicity of Lovers and which the most tender and passionate Expressions are too feeble to make us comprehend But my adorable Iris I am contented with the vast Pleasure I feel in Loving well without the Care of Expressing it well if you will imagine my Pleasure without expressing it For I confess 't wou'd be no Joy to me to adore you if you did not perfectly believe I did adore you Nay though you lov'd me if you had no Faith in me I shou'd languish and love in as much Pain as if you scorn'd and at the same time believ'd I dy'd for you For surely Iris 't is a greater Pleasure to please than to be pleas'd and the Glorious Power of Giving is infinitely a greater Satisfaction than that of Receiving there is so great and God-like a Quality in it I wou'd have your Belief therefore equal to my Passion extream as indeed all Love shou'd be or it cannot bear that Divine Name It can pass but for an indifferent Assection And these Cyphers ought to make the World find all the noble Force of delicate Passion For O my Iris what wou'd Love signifie if we did not love fervently Sisters and Brothers love Friends and Relations have Affections but where the Souls are joyn'd which are fill'd with Eternal soft Wishes Oh there is some Excess of Pleasure which cannot be exprest Your Looks your dear obliging Words and your charming Letters have sufficiently perswaded me of your Tenderness and you might surely see the Excess of my Passion by my Cares my Sighs and entire Resignation to your Will I never think of Iris but my Heart feels double Flames and pants and heaves with double Sighs and whose Force makes its Ardours known by a Thousand Transports And they are very much too blame to give the Name of Love to feeble easie Passions Such Transitory Tranquil Inclinations are at best but Well-wishers to Love and a Heart that has such Heats as those ought not to put it self into the Rank of those nobler Victims that are offer'd at the Shrine of Love But our Souls Iris burn with a more glorious Flame that lights and conducts us beyond a Possibility of losing one another 'T is this that flatters all my Hopes 'T is this alone makes me believe my self worthy of Iris And let her judge of its Violence by the Greatness of its Splendour Does not a Passion of this Nature so true so ardent deserve to be crown'd And will you wonder to see over this Cypher a Wreath of Mirtles those Boughs
for the Substance and that makes use of all the little Artifices of Subtilty and florid Talking to make the Out-side of the Argument appear fine and leave the In-side wholly mis-understood Who runs away with Words and never thinks of Sense But you O lovely Maid never make use of these affected Arts but without being too brisk or too severe too silent or too talkative you inspire in all your Hearers a Joy and a Respect Your Soul is an Enemy to that usual Vice of your Sex of using little Arguments against the Fair or by a Word or Jest make your self and Hearers pleasant at the Expence of the Fame of others Your Heart is an Enemy to all Passions but that of Love And this is one of your noble Maxims That every One ought to love in some Part of his Life And that in a Heart truly brave Love is without Folly That Wisdom is a Friend to Love and Love to perfect Wisdom Since these Maxims are your own do not O charming Iris resist that noble Passion And since Damon is the most tender of all your Lovers answer his Passion with a noble Ardour Your Prudence never falls in the Choice of your Friends and in chusing so well your Lover you will stand an eternal President to all unreasonable fair Ones O thou that dost excel in Wit and Youth Be still a President for Love and Truth Let the dull World say what it will A noble Flame 's unblameable Where a fine Sent'ment and soft Passion rules They scorn the Censure of the Fools Yield Iris then Oh yield to Love Redeem your dying Slave from Pain The World your Conduct must approve Your Prudence never acts in vain The Goodness and Complaisance of Iris. WHo but your Lovers fair Iris doubts but you are the most complaisant Person in the World And that with so much Sweetness you oblige all that you command in Yielding and as you gain the Heart of both Sexes with the Affability of your noble Temper so all are proud and vain of obliging you And Iris you may live assur'd that your Empire is eternally establisht by your Beauty and your Goodness Your Power is confirm'd and you grow in Strength every Minute Your Goodness gets you Friends and your Beauty Lovers This Goodness is not one of those whose Folly renders it easie to every Desirer but a pure Effect of the Generosity of your Soul such as Prudence alone manages according to the Merit of the Person to whom it is extended and those whom you esteem receive the sweet Marks of it and only your Lovers complain Yet even then you charm And though sometimes you can be a little disturb'd yet through your Anger your Goodness shines and you are but too much afraid that that may bear a false Interpretation For oftentimes Scandal makes that pass for an Effect of Love which is purely that of Complaisance Never had any Body more Tenderness sor their Friends than Iris Their Presence gives her Joy their Absence Trouble and when she cannot see 'em she finds no Pleasure like Speaking of 'em obligingly Friendship reigns in your Heart and Sincerity on your Tongue Your Friendship is so strong so constant and so tender that it charms pleases and satisfies All that are not your Adorers 'T is therefore Damon is excusable if he be not contented with your Noble Friendship alone for he is the most tender of that Number No! Give me all th'impatient Lover cries Without your Soul I cannot live Dull Friendship cannot mine suffice That dyes for all you have to give The Smiles the Vows the Heart must all be mine I cannot spare one Thought or Wish of thine I sigh I languish all the Day Each Minute ushers in my Groans To e'ery God in vain I pray In e'ery Grove repeat my Moans Still Iris Charms are all my Sorrows Theams They pain me Waking and they wrack in Dreams Return fair Iris Oh return Lest Sighing long your Slave destroys I wish I rave I faint I burn Restore me quickly all my Joys Your Mercy else will come too late Distance in Love more cruel is than Hate The Wit of Iris. YOu are deceiv'd in me fair Iris if you take me for one of those ordinary Glasses that represent the Beauty only of the Body I remark to you also the Beauties of the Soul And all about you declares yours the finest that ever was formed that you have a Wit that surprises and is always new 'T is none of those that loses its Lustre when one considers it the more we examine yours the more adorable we find it You say nothing that is not at once agreeable and solid 't is always quick and ready without Impertinence that little Vanity of the Fair who when they know they have Wit rarely manage it so as not to abound in Talking and think that all they say must please because luckily they sometimes chance to do so But Iris never speaks but 't is of use and gives a Pleasure to all that hears her She has the perfect Art of Penetrating even the most secret Thoughts How often have you known without being told all that has past in Damon's Heart For all great Wits are Prophets too Tell me Oh tell me Charming Prophetess For you alone can tell my Love's Success The Lines in my dejected Face I fear will lead you to no kind Result It is your own that you must trace Those of your Heart you must consult 'T is there my Fortune I must learn And all that Damon does concern I tell you that I love a Maid As bright as Heav'n of Angel-hue The softest Nature ever made Whom I with Sighs and Vows pursue Oh tell me charming Prophetess Shall I this lovely Maid possess A Thousand Rivals do obstruct my Way A Thousand Fears they do create They throng about her all the Day Whilst I at awful Distance wait Say Will the lovely Maid so fickle prove To give my Rivals Hope as well as Love She has a Thousand Charms of Wit With all the Beauty Heav'n e'er gave Oh! Let her not make use of it To flatter me into the Slave Oh! Tell me Truth to ease my Pain Say rather I shall dye by her Disdain The Modesty of Iris. I Perceive fair Iris you have a Mind to tell me I have entertain'd you too long with a Discourse on your self I know your Modesty makes this Declaration an Offence and you suffer me with Pain to unvail those Treasures you wou'd hide Your Modesty that so commendable a Vertue in the Fair and so peculiar to you is here a little too severe Did I flatter you you shou'd blush Did I seek by praising you to shew an Art of Speaking finely you might chide But O Iris I say nothing but such plain Truths as all the World can witness are so And so far I am from Flattery that I seek no Ornament of Words Why do you take such Care to conceal your Vertues They have too much Lustre not to be seen in spight of all your Modesty Your Wit your Youth and Reason oppose themselves against this dull Obstructer of our Happiness Abate O Iris a little of this Vertue since you have so many other to defend your self against the Attacks of your Adorers You your self have the least Opinion of your own Charms And being the only Person in the World that is not in love with 'em you hate to pass whole Hours before your Looking-glass and to pass your Time like most of the idle Fair in dressing and setting off those Beauties which need so little Art You more wise disdain to give those Hours to the Fatigue of Dressing which you know so well how to employ a Thousand Ways The Muses have blest you above your Sex and you know how to gain a Conquest with your Pen more absolutely than all the industrious Fair who trust to Dress and Equipage I have a Thousand things to tell you more but willingly resign my Place to Damon that faithful Lover he will speak more ardently than I For let a Glass use all its Force yet when it speaks its Best it speaks but coldly If my Glass O charming Iris have the good Fortune which I cou'd never entirely boast to be believ'd 't will serve at least to convince you I have not been so guilty of Flattery as I have a Thousand times been charg'd Since then my Passion is equal to your Beauty without Comparison or End believe O lovely Maid how I sigh in your Absence And be perswaded to lessen my Pain and restore me to my Joys for there is no Torment so great as the Absence of a Lover from his Mistress of which this is the Idea The Effects of Absence from what we love Thou one continu'd Sigh all over Pain Eternal Wish but Wish alas in vain Thou languishing impatient Hoper on A busie Toyler and yet still undone A breaking Glimpse of distant Day Inticing on and leading more astray Thou Joy in Prospect future Bliss extream But ne'er to be possest but in a Dream Thou fab'lous Goddess which the ravisht Boy In happy Slumbers proudly did enjoy But waking found an Airy Cloud he prest His Arms came empty to his panting Breast Thou Shade that only haunts the Soul by Night And when thou shou'dst inform thou fly'st the Sight Thou false Idea of the Thinking Brain That labours for the charming Form in vain Which if by Chance it catch thou' rt lost again FINIS
Licensed Aug. 2. 1686. R.L.S. LA MONTRE OR THE Lover's Watch. By M rs A. Behn LONDON Printed by R. H. for W. Canning at his Shop in Vine-Court Middle-Temple 1686. TO PETER WESTON Esq OF THE Honourable Society OF THE INNER-TEMPLE SIR WHen I had ended this little unlaboured Piece the Watch Iresolv'd to dedicate it to some One whom I cou'd fancy the nearest approacht the charming Damon Many fine Gentlemen I had in view of Wit and Beauty but still through their Education or a natural Propensity to Debauchery I found those Vertues wanting that shou'd compleat that delicate Character Iris gives her Lover and which at first Thought of You I found center'd there to Perfection Yes Sir I found You had all the Youth of Damon without the forward noisy Confidence which usually attends your Sex You have all the attracting Beauty of my young Hero all that can charm the Fair without the Affectation of those that set out for Conquests though You make a Thousand without knowing it or the Vanity of believing it You have our Damon's Wit with all his agreeable Modesty Two Vertues that rarely shine together And the last makes You conceal the noble Sallies of the first with that Industry and Care You wou'd an Amour And You wou'd no more boast of either of these than of your undoubted Bravery You are like our Lover too so discreet that the bashful Maid may without Fear or Blushing venture the soft Confession of her Soul with You reposing the dear Secret in Yours with more Safety than with her own Thoughts You have all the Sweetness of Youth with the Sobriety and Prudence of Age. You have all the Power of the gay Vices of Man but the Angel in your Mind has subdu'd you to the Vertues of a God! And all the vicious and industrious Examples of the roving Wits of the mad Town have only serv'd to give you the greater Abborrence to Lewdness And You look down with Contempt and Pity on that wretched unthinking Number who pride themselves in their mean Victories over little Hearts and boast their common Prizes with that Vanity that declares 'em capable of no higher Joy than that of the Ruin of some credulous Unfortunate And no Glory like that of the Discovery of the brave Atchievment over the next Bottle to the Fool that shall applaud ' em How does the Generosity and Sweetness of your Disposition despise these false Entertainments that turns the noble Passion of Love into Ridicule and Man into Brute Methinks I cou'd form another Watch that shou'd remain a Patern to succeeding Ages how divinely you pass your more sacred Hours how nobly and usefully you divide your Time in which no precious Minute is lost not one glides idly by but all turns to wondrous Account And all Your Life is one continu'd Course of Vertue and Honour Happy the Parents that have the Glory to own You Happy the Man that has the Honour of your Friendship But Oh! How much more happy the fair She for whom you shall sigh Which surely can never be in vain There will be such a Purity in Your Flame All You ask will be so chaste and noble and utler'd with a Voice so modest and a Look so charming as must by a gentle Force compel that Heart to yield that knows the true Value of VVit Beauty and Vertue Since then in all the Excellencies of Mind and Body where no one Grace is wanting you so resemble the All-perfect Damon suffer me to dedicate this Watch to You. It brings You nothing but Rules for Love delicate as Your Thoughts and innocent as Your Conversation And possibly 't is the only Vertue of the Mind You are not perfectly Master of the only noble Mystery of the Soul You have not yet studied And though they are Rules for every Hour You will find they will neither rob Heaven nor Your Friends of their Due those so valuable Devoirs of Your Life They will teach You Love but Love so pure and so devout that You may mix it even with Your Religion and I know Your fine Mind can admit of no other VVhen ever the God enters there fond and wanton as he is full of Arts and Guiles he will be reduc'd to that Native Innocency that made him so ador'd before inconstant Man corrupted his Divinity and made him wild and wandring How happy will Iris's VVatch be to inspire such a Heart How honour'd under the Patronage of so excellent a Man VVhose VVit will credit whose Goodness will defend it and whose noble and vertuous Qualities so justly merit the Character Iris has given Damon And which is believed so very much your Due by SIR Your most Obliged and Most Humble Servant A. Behn To the Admir'd Astrea I Never mourn'd my Want of Wit 'till now That where I do so much Devotion vow Brightest Astrea to your honour'd Name Find my Endeavour will become my Shame 'T is you alone who have the Art and Wit T' involve those Praises in the Lines y'have writ That we should give you could we have the Sp'rite Vigour and Force wherewith your self do write Too mean are all th' Applauses we can give You in your self and by your self shall live When all we write will only serve to shew How much in vain Attempt we flag below Some Hands write some things well are elsewhere lame But on all Theams your Power is the same Of Buskin and of Sock you know the Pace And tread in both with equal Skill and Grace But when you write of Love Astrea then Love dips his Arrows where you wet your Pen. Such charming Lines did never Paper grace Soft as your Sex and smooth as Beauty's Face And 't is your Province that belongs to you Men are so rude they fright when they wou'd sue You teach us gentler Methods such as are The fit and due Proceedings with the Fair. But why should you who can so well create So stoop as but pretend you do translate Could you who have such a luxuriant Vein As nought but your own Judgment could restrain Who are your self of Poesie the Soul And whose brave Fancy knocks at either Pole Descend so low as poor Translation To make an Author that before was none Oh! Give us henceforth what is all your own Yet we can trace you here in e'ery Line The Texture's good but some Threds are too fine We see where you let in your Silver Springs And know the Plumes with which you imp his Wings But I 'm too bold to question what you do And yet it is my Zeal that makes me so Which in a Lover you 'l not disapprove I am too dull to write but I can love Charles Cotton To the Incomparable Author WHile this poor Homage of our Verse we give We own at least your just Prerogative And tho' the Tribute's needless which we pay It serves to shew you reign and we obey Which adding nothing to your perfect Store Yet makes your
The Invention Ah! He who first found out the Way Souls to each other to convey Without dull Speaking sure must be Something above Humanity Let the fond World in vain dispute And the first Sacred Mystery impute Of Letters to the Learned Brood And of the Glory cheat a God 'T was Love alone that first the Art essay'd And Psyche was the first fair yielding Maid That was by the dear Billet-doux setray'd It is an Art too ingenious to have been found out by Man and too necessary to Lovers not to have been invented by the God of Love himself But Damon I do not pretend to exact from you those Letters of Gallantry which I have told you are fill'd with nothing but fine Thoughts and writ with all the Arts of Wit and Subtilty I wou'd have yours still all Tender unaffected Love Words unchosen Thoughts unstudied and Love unfeigned I had rather find more Softness than Wit in your Passion more of Nature than of Art more of the Lover than the Poet. Nor wou'd I have you write any of those little short Letters that are read over in a Minute In Love long Letters bring a long Pleasure Do not trouble your self to make 'em fine or writea great deal of Wit and Sense in a few Lines that is the Notion of a witty Billet in any Affair but that of Love And have a Care rather to avoid these Graces to a Mistress and assure your self dear Damon that what pleases the Soul pleases the Eye and the Largeness or Bulk of your Letter shall never offend me and that I only am displeased when I find them small A Letter is ever the best and most powerful Agent to a Mistress It almost always perswades 't is always renewing little Impressions that possibly otherwise Absence would deface Make use then Damon of your Time while 't is given you and thank me that I permit you to write to me Perhaps I shall not always continue in the Humour of suffering you to do so and it may so happen by some Turn of Chance and Fortune that you may be deprived at the same time both of my Presence and of the Means of Sending to me I will believe that such an Accident wou'd be a great Misfortune to you for I have often heard you say that To make the most happy Lover suffer Martyrdom one need only forbid him Seeing Speaking and Writing to the Object he loves Take all the Advantages then you can you cannot give me too often Marks too powerful of your Passion Write therefore during this Hour every Day I give you leave to believe that while you do so you are Serving me the most Obligingly and Agreeably you can while Absent and that you are giving me a Remedy against all Grief Uneasiness Melancholy and Despair Nay if you exceed your Hour you need not be asham'd The Time you employ in this kind Devoir is the Time that I shall be grateful for and no doubt will recompence it You ought not however to neglect Heaven for me I will give you time for your Devotion for my Watch tells you 't is time to go to the Temple 12 A-Clock Indispensible Duty THere are certain Duties which one ought never to neglect That of Adoring the Gods is of this nature and which we ought to pay from the bottom of our Hearts And that Damon is the only Time I will dispence with your not Thinking on me But I would not have you go to one of those Temples where the Celebrated Beauties and those that make a Profession of Gallantry go and which come thither only to see and be seen and whither they repair more to shew their Beauty and Dress than to honour the Gods If you will take my Advice and oblige my Wish you shall go to those that are least frequented and you shall appear there like a Man that has a perfect Veneration for all things Sacred The Instruction Damon if your Heart and Flame Tou wish should always be the same Do not give it leave to Rove Nor expose it to new Harms Eer you think on 't you may Love If you gaze on Beauty's Charms If with me you wou'd not part Turn your Eyes into your Heart If you find a new Desire In your Easie Soul take Fire From the Tempting Ruin fly Think it Faithless think it Base Fancy soon will fade and dye If you wisely cease to gaze Lovers should have Honour too Or they pay but half Love's Due Do not to the Temple go With design to Gaze or Show What e'er Thoughts you have abroad Though you can deceive elsewhere There 's no Feigning with your God Souls should be all Perfect there The Heart that 's to the Altar brought Only Heaven should fill its Thought Do not your sober Thoughts perplex By gazing on the Ogling Sex Or if Beauty call your Eyes Do not on the Object dwell Guard your Heart from the Surprize By thinking Iris doth excel Above all Earthly Things I 'd be Damon most Belov'd by Thee And only Heaven must Rival me 1 A-Clock Forc'd Entertainment I Perceive it will be very difficult for you to quit the Temple without being surrounded with Complements from People of Ceremony Friends and News-Mongers and several of those sorts of Persons who afflict and busie themselves and rejoyce at a Hundred things they have no Interest in Coquets and Politicians who make it the Business of their whole Lives to gather all the News of the Town adding or diminishing according to the Stock of their Wit and Invention and spreading it all abroad to the believing Fools and Gossips and perplexing every Body with a Hundred ridiculous Novels which they pass off for Wit and Entertainment Or else some of those Re-counters of Adventures that are always telling of Intrigues and that make a Secret to a Hundred People of a Thousand foolish things they have heard Like a certain Pert and Impertinent Lady of the Town whose Youth and Beauty being past sets up for Wit to uphold a feeble Empire over idle Hearts And whose Character is this The Coquet Milinda who had never been Esteem'd a Beauty at Fifteen Always Amorous was and Kind To every Swain she lent an Ear. Free as Air but False as Wind Tet none complain'd She was Severe She eas'd more than she made complain Was always Singing Pert and Vain Where e'er the Throng was she was seen And swept the Youths along the Green With equal Grace she flatter'd all And fondly Proud of all Address Her Smiles invite her Eyes do call And her vain Heart her Looks confess She Raillies this to that she Bow'd Was Talking ever Laughing loud On every Side she makes Advance And every where a Confidance She tells for Secrets all she knows And all to know she does pretend Beauty in Maids she treats as Foes But every handsom Youth as Friend Scandal still passes off for Truth And Noise and Nonsence Wit and Youth Coquet all o'er and every
am 3 A-Clock Visits to Friends DAmon my Watch is juster than you imagine it would not have you live Retired and Solitary but permits you to go and make Visits I am not one of those that believe Love and Friendship cannot find a Place in one and the same Heart And that Man wou'd be very unhappy who as soon as he had a Mistress shou'd be oblig'd to renounce the Society of his Friends I must confess I wou'd not that you shou'd have so much Concern for them as you have for me for I have heard a sort of a Proverb that says He cannot be very fervent in Love who is not a little cold in Friendship You are not ignorant that when Love establishes himself in a Heart he Reigns a Tyrant there and will not suffer even Friendship if it pretend to share his Empire there Cupid Love is a God whose charming Sway Both Heaven and Earth and Seas obey A Pow'r that will not mingled be With any dull Equality Since first from Heav'n which gave him Birth He rul'd the Empire of the Earth Jealous of Sov'raign Power he rules And will be Absolute in Souls I shou'd be very angry if you had any of those Friendships which one ought to desire in a Mistress only for many times it happens that you have Sentiments a little too tender for those Amiable Persons and many times Love and Friendship are so confounded together that one cannot easily discern one from t'other I have seen a Man flatter himself with an Opinion that he had but an Esteem for a Woman when by some Turn of Fortune in her Life as Marrying or Receiving the Addresses of Men he has found by Spight and Jealousies within that that was Love which he before took for Complaisance or Friendship Therefore have a Care for such Amities are dangerous Not but that a Lover may have Fair and Generous Female Friends whom he ought to visit and perhaps I shou'd esteem you less if I did not believe you were valued by such if I were perfectly assured they were Friends and not Lovers But have a care you hide not a Mistress under this Veil or that you gain not a Lover by this Pretence for you may begin with Friendship and end with Love and I shou'd be equally afflicted shou'd you give it or receive it And though you charge our Sex with all the Vanity yet I often find Nature to have given you as large a Portion of that common Crime which you wou'd shuffle off as asham'd to own and are as fond and vain of the Imagination of a Conquest as any Coquet of us all though at the same time you despise the Victim you think it adds a Trophy to your Fame And I have seen a Man dress and trick and adjust his Looks and Meen to make a Visit to a Woman he lov'd not nor ever cou'd love as for those he made to his Mistress and only for the Vanity of making a Conquest upon a Heart even unworthy of the little Pains he has taken about it And what is this but buying Vanity at the Expence of Sense and Ease and with Fatigue purchase the Name of a Conceited Fop besides that of a dishonest Man For he who takes pains to make himself Belov'd only to please his curious Humour though he should say nothing that tends to it more than by his Looks his Sighs and now and then breaking into Praises and Commendations of the Object by the Care he takes to appear well drest before her and in good Order he lies in his Looks he deceives with his Meen and Fashion and cheats with every Motion and every Grace he puts on He cozens when he sings or dances he dissembles when he sighs and every thing he does that wilfully gains upon her is Malice propense Baseness and Art below a Man of Sense or Vertue And yet these Arts these Coz'nages are the common Practices of the Town What 's this but that Damnable Vice of which they so reproach our Sex that of Jilting for Hearts And 't is in vain that my Lover after such foul Play shall think to appease me with saying He did it to try how easily he cou'd conquer and of how great Force his Charms were And why shou'd I be angry if all the Town lov'd him since he lov'd none but Iris Oh Foolish Pleasure How little Sense goes to the making of such a Happiness And how little Love must he have for one particular Person who wou'd wish to inspire it into all the World and yet himself pretend to be insensible But this Damon is rather what is but too much practised by your Sex than any Guilt I charge on you though Vanity be an Ingredient that Nature very seldom omits in the Composition of either Sex and you may be allow'd a Tincture of it at least And perhaps I am not wholly exempt from this Leaven in my Nature but accuse my self sometimes of finding a secret Joy of being Ador'd though I even hate my Worshipper But if any such Pleasure touch my Heart I find it at the same time blushing in my Cheeks with a guilty Shame which soon checks the petty Triumph and I have a Vertue at soberer Thoughts that I find surmounts my Weakness and Indiscretion and I hope Damon finds the same for should he have any of those Attachments I should have no Pity for him The Example Damon if you wou'd have me True Be you my President and Guide Example sooner we pursue Than the dull Dictates of our Pride Precepts of Vertue are too weak an Aim 'T is Demonstration that can best reclaim Shew me the Path you 'd have me go With such a Guide I cannot stray What you approve what e'er you do It is but just I bend that Way If true my Honour favours your Design If false Revenge is the Result of mine A Lover True a Maid Sincere Are to be priz'd as Things Divine 'T is Justice makes the Blessing dear Justice of Love without Design And She that Reigns not in a Heart alone Is never Safe or Easie on her Throne 4 A-Clock General Conversation IN this Visiting Hour many People will happen to meet at one and the same time together in a Place And as you make not Visits to Friends to be silent you ought to enter into Conversation with 'em but those Conversations ought to be General and of General Things for there is no necessity of making your Friend the Confident of your Amours 'T would infinitely displease me to hear you have reveal'd to them all that I have repos'd in you Though Secrets never so trivial yet since utter'd between Lovers they deserve to be priz'd at a higher Rate For what can shew a Heart more indifferent and indiscreet than to declare in any Fashion or with Mirth or Joy the Tender Things a Mistress says to a Lover and which possibly related at Second Hand bear not the same Sense because they have not the
sufficiently recollected your self of all the past Actions of the Day call your Page into your Cabinet or him whom you trusted with your last Letter to me where you ought to enquire of him a Thousand Things and all of me Ask impatiently and be angry if he answers not your Curiosity soon enough Think that he has a Dreaming in his Voice in these Moments more than at other Times and reproach him with Dulness For 't is most certain that when one loves tenderly we wou'd know in a Minute what cannot be related in an Hour Ask him How I did How I receiv'd his Letter And if he examin'd the Air of my Face when I took it If I Blusht or lookt Pale If my Hand trembl'd or I spoke to him with short interrupting Sighs If I askt him any Questions about you while I was opening the Seal or if I cou'd not well speak and was silent If I read it Attentively and with Joy And all this before you open the Answer I have sent you by him Which because you are impatient to read you with the more Haste and Earnestness demand all you expect from him and that you may the better know what Humour I was in when I writ that to you For Oh! a Lover has a Thousand little Fears and Dreads he knows not why In fine make him recount to you all that past while he was with me And then you ought to read that which I have sent that you may inform your self of all that passes in my Heart for you may assure your self all that I say to you that way proceeds from thence The Assurance How shall a Lover come to know Whether he 's Belov'd or no What dear Things must she impart To assure him of her Heart Is it when her Blushes rise And she languish in her Eyes Tremble when he does approach Look Pale and faint at ev'ry Touch Is it when a Thousand Ways She does his Wit and Beauty praise Or she venture to explain In less moving Words a Pain Tho' so indiscreet she grows To confirm it with her Vows These some short-liv'd Passion moves While the Object 's by she loves While the gay and sudden Fire Kindles by some fond Desire And a Coldness will ensue When the Lover's out of View Then she reflects with Scandal o're The easie Scene that past before Then with Blushes wou'd recall The unconsid ' ring Criminal In which a Thousand Faults she 'll find And chide the Errors of her Mind Such fickle Weight is found in Words As no substantial Faith affords Deceiv'd and baffl'd all may be Who trust that frail Security But a well-digested Flame That will always be the same And that does from Merit grow Establisht by our Reason too By a better Way will prove 'T is th' unerring Fire of Love Lasting Records it will give And that all she says may live Sacred and Authentick stand Her Heart confirms it by her Hand If this a Maid well born allow Damon believe her Just and True 9 A-Clock Melancholy Reflections YOu will not have much trouble to explain what my Watch designs here There can be no Thought more afficting than that of the Absence of a Mistress and which the Sighings of the Heart will soon make you find Ten Thousand Fears oppress him he is jealous of every Body and envies those Eyes and Ears that are charm'd by being near the Object ador'd He grows impatient and makes a Thousand Resolutions and as soon abandons 'em all He gives himself wholly up to the Torment of Incertainty and by degrees from one cruel Thought to another winds himself up to insupportable Chagrin Take this Hour then to think on your Misfortunes which cannot be small to a Soul that is wholly sensible of Love And every one knows that a Lover depriv'd of the Object of his Heart is depriv'd of all the World and Inconsolable For though one wishes without ceasing for the dear Charmer one loves and though you speak of her every Minute though you are writing to her every Day and though you are infinitely pleas'd with the dear and tender Answers yet to speak sincerely it must be confest that the Felicity of a true Lover is to be always near his Mistress And you may tell me O Damon what you please and say that Absence inspires the Flame which perpetual Presence wou'd satiate I love too well to be of that Mind and when I am I shall believe my Passion is declining I know not whether it advances your Love but surely it must ruin your Repose And is it impossible to be at once an absent Lover and Happy too For my part I can meet with nothing that can please in the Absence of Damon but on the contrary I see all Things with Disgust I will flatter my self that 't is so with you and that the least Evils appear great Misfortunes and that all thòse who speak to you of any thing but of what you love increase your Pain by a new Remembrance of her Absence I will believe that these are your Sentiments you are assur'd not to see me in some Weeks and if your Heart do not betray your Words all those Days will be tedious to you I wou'd not however have your Melancholy too extream and to lessen it you may perswade your self that I partake it with you for I remember in your Last you told me you wou'd wish we shou'd be both griev'd at the same Time and both at the same Time pleas'd and I believe I love too well not to obey you Love Secur'd Love of all Joys the sweetest is The most substantial Happiness The softest Blessing Life can crave The noblest Passion Souls can have Yet if no Interruptions were No Difficulties came between I wou'd not be render'd half so dear The Sky is gayest when small Clouds are seen The sweetest Flower the blushing Rose Amidst the Thorns securest grows If Love were one continu'd Joy How soon the Happiness wou'd cloy The wiser Gods did this fore-see And to preserve the Bliss entire Mixt it with Doubt and Jealousie Those necessary Fuels to the Fire Sustain'd the sleeting Pleasures with new Fears With little Quarrels Sighs and Tears With Absence that tormenting Smart That makes a Minute seem a Day A Day a Year to the impatient Heart That languishes in the Delay But cannot sigh the tender Pain away That still returns and with a greater Force Through every Vein it takes its grateful Course But whatsoe'er the Lover does sustain Tho'he still sigh complain and fear It cannot be a Mortal Pain When two do the Affiction bear 10 A-Clock Reflections After the afflicting Thoughts of my Absence make some Reflections on your Happiness Think it a Blessing to be permitted to love me Think it so because I permit it to you alone and never cou'd be drawn to allow it any other The first Thing you ought to consider is that at length I have suffer'd my self to be overcome to quit
be of my Opinion and that you will neither force your self against Nature nor find much Occasion to lavish out those excellent Things that must proceed from you when-ever you speak If all Women were like me I shou'd have more Reason to fear your Silence than your Talk for you have a Thousand Ways to charm without Speaking and those which to me shew a great deal more Concern But Damon you know the greatest Part of my Sex judge the fine Gentleman by the Volubility of his Tongue by his Dexterity in Repartee and cry Oh! He never wants fine Things to say He 's eternally Talking the most surprising Things But Damon you are well assur'd I hope that Iris is none of these Coquets at least if she had any Spark of it once in her Nature she is by the Excellency of your contrary Temper taught to know and scorn the Folly And take heed your Conduct never give me Cause to suspect you have deceiv'd me in your Temper 12 A-Clock Complaisance NEvertheless Damon Civility requires a little Complaisance after Supper and I am assur'd you can never want that though I confess you are not accus'd of too general a Complaisance and do not often make use of it to those Persons you have an Indifference for though one is not the less Esteemable for having more of this than one ought and though an Excess of it be a Fault 't is a very excusable one Have therefore some for those with whom you are You may laugh with 'em drink with 'em dance or sing with 'em yet think of me You may discourse of a Thousand indifferent Things with 'em and at the same time still think of me If the Subject be any beautiful Lady whom they praise either for her Person Wit or Vertue you may apply it to me And if you dare not say it aloud at least let your Heart answer in this Language Yes the fair Object whom you praise Can give us Love a Thousand Ways Her Wit and Beauty charming are But still my Iris is more fair No Body ever spoke before me of a faithful Lover but I still sigh'd and thought of Damon And ever when they tell me Tales of Love any soft pleasing Intercourses of an Amour Oh! with what Pleasure do I listen and with Pleasure answer 'em either with my Eyes or Tongue That Lover may his Silvia warm But cannot like my Damon charm If I have not all those excellent Qualities you meet with in those beautiful People I am however very glad that Love prepossesses your Heart to my Advantage And I need not tell you Damon that a true Lover ought to perswade himself that all other Objects ought to give place to her for whom his Heart sighs But see my Cupid tells you 't is One a-clock and that you ought not to be longer from your Apartment Where while you are Undressing I will give you leave to say to your self The Regret Alas And must the Sun decline Before it have inform'd my Eyes Of all that 's Glorious all that 's Fine Of all I sigh for all I prize How joyful were those happy Days When Iris spread her charming Rays Did my unwearied Heart inspire With never-ceasing awful Fire And e'ery Minute gave me new Desire But now alas All dead and pale Like Flow'rs that wither in the Shade Where no kind Sun-beams can prevail To raise its cold and fading Head I sink into my useless Bed I grasp the senseless Pillow as I lye A Thousand times in vain I sighing cry Ah! Wou'd to Heaven my Iris were as nigh 1 A-Clock Impossibility to Sleep YOu have been up long enough and Cupid who takes Care of your Health tells you 't is time for you to go to Bed Perhaps you may not sleep as soon as you are laid and possibly you may pass an Hour in Bed before you shut your Eyes In this Impossibility of Sleeping I think it very proper for you to imagine what I am doing where I am Let your Fancy take a little Journey then invisible to observe my Actions and my Conduct You will find me sitting alone in my Cabinet for I am one that do not love to go to Bed early and will find me very uneasie and pensive pleas'd with none of those Things that so well entertain others I shun all Conversation as far as Civility will allow and find no Satisfaction like being alone where my Soul may without Interruption converse with Damon I sigh and sometimes you will see my Cheeks wet with Tears that insensibly glide down at a Thousand Thoughts that present themselves soft and afflicting I partake of all your Inquietude On other Things I think with Indifference if ever my Thoughts do stray from the more agreeable Object I find however a little Sweetness in this Thought that during my Absence your Heart thinks of me when mine sighs for you Perhaps I am mistaken and that at the same Time that you are the Entertainment of all my Thoughts I am no more in yours And perhaps you are thinking of those Things that immortalize the Young and Brave either by those Glories the Muses flatter you with or that of Belloua and the God of War and Serving now a Monarch whose Glorious Acts in Arms has out-gone all the seign'd and real Heroes of any Age who has himself out-done what-ever History can produce of Greatand Brave and set so Illustrious an Example to the Under-World that it is not impossible as much a Lover as you are but you are thinking now how to render your self worthy the Glory of such a God-like Master by projecting a Thousand Things of projecting and Danger And though I confess such Thoughts are proper for your Youth your Quality and the Place you have the Honour to hold under our Soveraign yet let me tell you Damon you will not be without Inquietude if you think of either being a delicate Poet or a brave Warrior for Love will still interrupt your Glory however you may think to divert him either by Writing or Fighting And you ought to remember these Verses Love and Glory Beneath the kind protecting Lawrel's Shade For sighing Lovers and for Warriors made The soft Adonis and rough Mars were laid Both were design'd to take their Rest But Love the Gentle Boy opprest And false Alarms shook the slern Hero's Breast This thinks to soften all his Toyls of War In the dear Arms of the obliging Fair And That by Hunting to divert his Care All Day o'er Hills and Plains Wild Beasts he chac't Swift as the flying Winds his eager Haste In vain The God of Love pursues as fast But Oh! No Sports no Toyls divertive prove The Evening still returns him to the Grove To sigh and languish for the Queen of Love Where Elogies and Sonnets he does frame And to the list'ning Ecchoes sighs her Name And on the Trees carves Records of his Flame The Warrior in the Dusty Camp all Day With ratling Drums and Trumpets
haste O happy Stream away Lest charm'd too much thou shou'dst for ever stay And thou O gentle murm'ring Breeze That plays in Air and wantons with the Trees On thy young Wings where gilded Sun-beams play To Iris my soft Sighs convey Still as they rise each Minute of the Day But whisper gently in her Ear Let not the ruder Winds thy Message hear Nor ruffle one dear Curl of her bright Hair Oh! touch her Cheeks with sacred Reverence And stay not gazing on her lovely Eye But if thou bear'st her Rosie Breath from thence 'T is Incense of that Excellence That as thou mount'st 't will perfume all the Skies Iris's Complexion SAy what you will I am confident if you will confess your Heart you are every time you view your self in me surpriz'd at the Beauty of your Complexion and will secretly own you never saw any thing so fair I am not the first Glass by a Thousand that has assur'd you of this If you will not believe me ask Damon He tells it you every Day but that Truth from him offends you and because he loves too much you think his Judgment too little and since this is so perfect that must be defective But 't is most certain your Complexion is infinitely fine your Skin soft and smooth as polisht Wax or Ivory extreamly white and clear though if any Body speaks but of your Beauty an agreeable Blush casts it self all over your Face and gives you a Thousand new Graces And then two Flowers newly born Shine in your Heav'nly Face The Rose that blushes in the Morn Vsurps the Lilly's Place Sometimes the Lilly does prevail And makes the gen'rous Crimson pale Iris's Hair OH the beautiful Hair of Iris It seems as if Nature had crown'd you with a great Quantity of lovely fair brown Hair to make us know that you were born to rule and to repair the Faults of Fortune that has not given you a Diadem And do not bewail the Want of that so much your Merit 's Due since Heaven has so gloriously recompenc'd you with what gains more admiring Slaves Heav'n for Soveraignty has made your Form And you were more than for dull Empire born O'er Hearts your Kingdom shall extend Your vast Dominion know no End Thither the Loves and Graces shall resort To Iris make their Homage and their Court No envious Star no common Fate Did on my Iris Birth-day wait But all was happy all was delicate Here Fortune wou'd inconstant be in vain Iris and Love eternally shall reign Love does not make less use of your Hair for new Conquests than of all the rest of your Beauties that adorn you If he takes our Hearts with your fine Eyes it tyes 'em fast with your Hair and of it weaves a Chain not easily broken It is not of those sorts of Hair whose Harshness discovers ill Nature nor of those whose Softness shews us the Weakness of the Mind Not that either of these are Arguments without Exception but 't is such as bears the Character of a perfect Mind and a delicate Wit and for its Colour the most faithful discreet and beautiful in the World such as shews a Complexion and Constitution neither so cold to be insensible nor so hot to have too much Fire that is neither too white nor too black but such a Mixture of the two Colours as makes it the most agreeable in the World 'T is that which leads those captiv'd Hearts That bleeding at your Feet do lye 'T is that the Obstinate converts That dare the Power of Love deny 'T is that which Damon so admires Damon who often tells you so If from your Eyes Love takes his Fires 'T is with your Hair he strings his Bow Which touching but the feather'd Dart It never mist the destin'd Heart Iris's Eyes I Believe my fair Mistress I shall dazle you with the Lustre of your own Eyes They are the finest Blue in the World They have all the Sweetness that ever charm'd the Heart with a certain Languishment that 's irresistable and never any lookt on 'em that did not sigh after ' em Believe me Iris they carry unavoidable Darts and Fires and whoever expose themselves to their Dangers pay for their Imprudence Cold as my solid Chrystal is Hard and impenetrable too Yet I am sensible of Bliss When your charming Eyes I view Even by me their Flames are felt And at each Glance I fear to melt Ah how pleasant are my Days How my glorious Fate I bless Mortals never knew my Joys Nor Monarchs guest my Happiness Every Look that 's soft and gay Iris gives me every Day Spight of her Vertue and her Pride Every Morning I am blest With what to Damon is deny'd To view her when she is undrest All her Heaven of Beauty 's shown To triumphing Me alone Scarce the prying Beams of Light Or th'impatient God of Day Are allow'd so dear a Sight Or dare prophane her with a Ray When she has appear'd to me Like Venus rising from the Sea But Oh! I must those Charms conceal All too Divine for vulgar Eyes Shou'd I my secret Joys reveal Of Sacred Trust I break the Tyes And Damon wou'd with Envy dye Who hopes one Day to be as blest as I. Extravagant with my Joys I have stray'd beyond my Limits for I was telling you of the wondrous Fineness of your Eyes which no Mortal can resist nor any Heart stand the Force of their Charms and the most difficult Conquests they gain scarce cost 'em the Expence of a Look They are modest and tender chaste and languishing There you may take a View of the whole Soul and see Wit and good Nature those two inseparable Vertues of the Mind in an extraordinary Measure In fine you see all that fair Eyes can produce to make themselves ador'd And when they are angry they strike an unresistable Awe upon the Soul And those Severities Damon wishes may perpetually accompany them during their Absence from him for 't is with such Eyes he wou'd have you receive all his Rivals Keep lovely Maid the Softness in your Eyes To flatter Damon with another Day When at your Feet the ravisht Lover lies Then put on all that 's tender all that 's gay And for the Griefs your Absence makes him prove Give him the softest dearest Looks of Love His trembling Heart with sweetest Smiles caress And in your Eyes soft Wishes let him find That your Regret of Absence may confess In which no Sense of Pleasure you cou'd find And to restore him let your faithful Eyes Declare that all his Rivals you despise The Mouth of Iris. I Perceive your Modesty wou'd impose Silence on me But O fair Iris Do not think to present your self before a Glass if you wou'd not have it tell you all your Beauties Content your self that I only speak of 'em En Passant for shou'd I speak what I wou'd I shou'd dwell all Day upon each Particular and still say something new Give me