But thus to style you fair, your sex's praise, Gives you but myrtle, who may challenge bays; From armed foes to bring a Royal prize,
Shews your brave heart victorious as your eyes.
If Judith, marching with the General's head,
Can give us paffion when her story 's read;
What may the living do, which brought away
Though a lefs bloody, yet a nobler prey?
Who from our flaming Troy, with a bold hand,
Snatch'd her fair charge, the Princess, like a brand:
A brand! preferv'd to warm fome Prince's heart;
And make whole kingdoms take her † Brother's part.
So Venus, from prevailing Greeks, did fhrowd
The hope of Rome, and fav'd him in a cloud.
This gallant act may cancel all our rage,
Begin a better, and abfolve this age.
Dark fhades become the portrait of our time;
Here weeps Misfortune, and there triumphs Crime!
Let him that draws it hide the reft in night;
This portion only may endure the light,
Where the kind Nymph, changing her faultlefs fhape,
Becomes unhandfome, handfomely to scape,
When through the guards, the river, and the sea,
Faith, beauty, wit, and courage, made their way.
As the brave eagle does with forrow fee
The forest wafted; and that lofty tree
*Henrietta Maria, youngest Daughter to K. Ch. I.
Which holds her neft about to be ce'rthrown,
Before the feathers of her young are grown;
She will not leave them, nor fhe cannot stay,
But bears them boldly on her wings away:
So fled the dame, and o'er the ocean bore
Her princely burthen to the Gallic fhore.
Born in the storms of war, this Royal Fair,
Produc'd like lightning in tempeftuous air,
Though now she flies her native isle (less kind,
Lefs fafe for her than either fea or wind!)
Shall, when the bloffom of her beauty 's blown,
See her great Brother on the British throne:
Where peace fhall smile, and no dispute arife, ・
But which rules moft, his fceptre, or her eyes.
TRANGE! that fuch horror, and fuch grace,
Should dwell together in one place;
A Fury's arm, an Angel's face!
'Tis innocence, and youth, which makes
In Chloris' fancy fuch mistakes,
To start at love, and play with fnakes.
By this, and by her coldnefs, barr'd,
Her fervants have a task too hard:
The tyrant has a double guard!
Thrice happy fnake! that in her sleeve
May boldly creep; we dare not give
Our thoughts fo unconfin'd a leave.
Contented in that neft of fnow
He lies, as he his blifs did know;
And to the wood no more would go.
Take heed, fair Eve! you do not make
Another tempter of this fnake :
A marble one, fo warm'd, would fpeak.
NIGHT-PIECE,
Or, a Pi&ure drawn in the Dark.
DARKNESS, which fairest nymphs difarms,
Defends us ill from Mira's charms:
Mira can lay her beauty by,
Take no advantage of the eye;
Quit all that Lely's art can take,
And yet a thousand captives make.
Her fpeech is grac'd with sweeter found,
Than in another's fong is found :
And all her well-plac'd words are darts,
Which need no light to reach our hearts.
As the bright stars, and Milky Way,
Shew'd by the night, are hid by day:
So we, in that accomplish'd mind,
Help'd by the night, new graces find,
Which by the fplendor of her view,
Dazzled before, we never knew.
While we converfe with her, we mark
No want of day, nor think it dark :
́Her shining image is a light
Fixt in our hearts, and conquers night.
Like jewels to advantage fet,
Her beauty by the fhade does get:
There, blushes, frowns, and cold difdain,
All that our paffion might restrain,
Is hid, and our indulgent mind
Prefents the fair idea kind.
Yet, friended by the night, we dare
Only in whispers tell our care :
He that on her his bold hand lays
With Cupid's pointed arrows plays;
They with a touch (they are so keen !)
Wound us unshot, and the unfeen.
All near approaches threaten death,
We may be ship-wreck'd by her breath:
Love, favour'd once with that sweet gale,
Doubles his hafte, and fills his fail;
Till he arrive where the muft prove
The haven, or the rock, of love.
So, we th' Arabian coast do know
At distance, when the spices blow;
By the rich odour taught to steer,
Though neither day nor stars appear.
Part of the Fourth Book of VIRGIL'S ÆNEIS
Beginning at Verse 437.
** Talefque miferrima fletus "Fertque refertque foror.
"Adnixi torquent spumas, et cærula verrunt.” Ver.583.
LL this her weeping* fifter does repeat
To the ftern† man, whom nothing could intreat;
Loft were her prayers, and fruitless were her tears!
Fate, and great Jove, had stopt his gentle ears.
As when loud winds a well-grown oak would rend
Up by the roots, this way and that they bend
His reeling trunk; and with a boisterous found
Scatter his leaves, and ftrew them on the ground:
He fixed ftands; as deep his roots do lie
Down to the centre, as his top is high:
No lefs on every fide the Hero prest,
Feels love, and pity, shake his noble breast;
And down his cheeks though fruitless tears do roll,
Unmov'd remains the purpose of his foul.
Then Dido, urged with approaching fate,
Begins the light of cruel heaven to hate.
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