Unknowing of the choice, till fhe beheld
The god approach to crown her in the field.
Th' unwilling maid, with wond'rous modesty, fo
Difclaim'd her right, and put the laurel by:
Warm blushes on her tender cheeks arife,
And donub e foftnefs beautify'd her eyes.
At this, more charm'd, the rather I bestow,
Said Love, these honours you in vain forego; 65
Take then the wreath, which you, victorious
fair,
Have most deferv'd, yet least affect to wear.
BEAUTIFUL LADY,
PLAYING ON THE ORGAN.
HEN fam'd Cecilia on the organ play'd,
Wand fill'd with moving founas the tune
Drawn by the charm, to hear the facred maid,
From heaven, 'tis faid, a liftening angel came.
Thus ancient legends would our faith abuse;
In vain for were the bold tradition true, While your harmonious touch that charm re
Again the feraph would appear to you. O happy fair! in whom with pureft light,
AINTER, if thou canft safely gaze
On all the wonders of that face;
If thou hast charms to guard a heart
Secure by fecrets of thy art;
O! teach the mighty charm, that we
May gaze fecurely too, like thee.
Can't thou Love's brightest lightning draw,
Which none e'er yet unwounded faw?
To what then wilt thou next a pire,
Unless to imitate Jove's fire!
Which is a lefs adventurous pride,
Though 'twas for that Salmoneus dy'd.
That beauteous, that victorious fair,
Whose chains fo many lovers wear;
Who with a look can arts infufe,
Create a Painter, or a Mufe;
Whom crowds with awful rapture view;
She fits fer ne, and fmiles on you!
Your genius thus infpir'd will foar
To wondrous heights unknown before,
And to her beauty you will own
Your future fkill and fix'd renown.
So when of old great Ammon's fon,
Adorn'd with spoils in battle won,
In graceful picture chofe to ftand,
The work of fam'd Apelles' hand;
"Exert thy fire, the monarch faid,
"Now be thy boldeft ftrokes difplay'd,
"To let admiring nations fee
fight,«Their dreaded victor drawn by thee;
"To others thou may'st life impart.
"But I'll immortalize thy art!"
Virtue's united beams with beauty fhine! ΙΟ
Should heavenly guests descend to bless our
What form more lovely could they wear than
thine?
As when Camilla once, a warlike dame,
In bloody battles won immortal fame,
For fook her female arts, and chofe to bear
The ponderous fhield, and heave the mafly fpear,
Superior to her fex, fo fwift the flew,
That friends and foes, alike furpris'd, behold
The brave Virago defperately bold,
And thought her Pallas in a human mould.
Such is our wonder, matchlefs maid! to fee
The tragic laurel thus deferv'd by thee.
Still greater praife is yours; Camilla shines
For ever bright in Virgil's facred lines,
You in your own.~~
Nor need you to another's bounty owe,
For what yourself can on yourself bestow;
So monarchs in full health are wont to rear,
At their own charge, their future fepulchre.
Who thy perfections fully would commend,
Mu think how ethers their vain hours misspend,
In trifling vifits, pride, impertinence,
Dreis, dancing, and d fcourfe devoid of fenfe;
To twirl a fan, to please fome forlife beau,
And fing an empty fong, the most they know;
In body weak, more impotent of mind.
Thus fome have reprefented woman-kind.
But you, your fex's champion, are come forth
To fight their quarrel, and affert their worth;
Our Salick law of wit you have destroy'd,
Establish'd female claim, and triumph'd o'er our
pride.
While we look on, and with repining eyes
Behold you bearing off fo rich a prize,
Spite of ill-nature, we are forc'd t' approve
Such dazzling charms, and, spite of envy, love.
Nor is this all th' applause that is your due, 35
You ftand the first of stage-reformers too;
No vicious ftrains pollute your moral scene,
Strains fuch as yours the stricteft teft will bear :)
Sing boldly then, nor buly cenfure fear,
Your virgin voice offends no virgin ear.
Proceed in tragic numbers to difcipfe
Strange turns of fate, and unexpected woes.
Reward, and punish! awfully difpenfe
Heaven's judgments, and declare a Providence ;
Nor let the comic Mufe your labours fhare,
Tis meannefs, after this, the fock to wear:
Though that too merit praife, 'tis nob'er toil
T'extort a tear, than to provoke a smile.
What hand, that can design a history,
Would copy low-land boors at Snic-a-Snce?
Accept this tribute, madam, and excuse
The hafty raptures of a tranger Muse.
1598.
Look, Mars, fhe faid; look down, and fee
A child of royal race!
Let's crown the bright nativity
With every princely grace:
50 Thy heavenly image let me bear,
And shine a Mars below;
Form you his mind to warlike care,
Ill folter gifts bestow.
Thus at his birth two deities
Their bleffings did impart;
And love was breath'd into his eyes,
For him, as he for arms. 1699.
Infpir'd her thought, and, fmiling, faid, I'll fee How well this fair one's art can copy me.
So to her favourite Titian once the came, To guide his pencil, and attest his fame, With tranfport granting all that fhe could give, And bid his works to wondering ages live.
Nor with lefs tranfport here the goddess fees The curious piece advance by flow degrees; At laft such skill in every part was shown, It feem'd a new creation of her own; She starts, to view the finish'd figure rife, And spreads his ample train enrich'd with eyes; To fec, with lively grace, his form exprefs'd, The stately honours of his rifing creft, His comely wings, and his foft filky breast! The leaves of creeping vines around him play, And Nature's leaves lefs perfect feem than they. O matchlefs bird! whofe race, with nicest
Heaven seems in pleasure to have form'd fo fair!
From whofe gay plumes ev'n Phoebus with delight
Sees his own rays reflected doubly bright!
Though numerous rivals of the wing there be
That fhare our praise, when not compar'd to thee,
Soon as thy rifing glories ftrike our eyes, 30
Their beauty' fhines no more, their luftre dies.
So when Molinda, with fuperior charms,
Dazzles the ring, and other nymphs difarms,
To her the rallying Loves and Graces fly,
And, fixing there, proclaim the victory.
No wonder, then, fince fhe was born t' excel, This bird's fair image fhe defcribes fo well: Happy, as in fome temple thus to stand, Immortaliz'd by her fuccefsful hand.
CTORIA comes! fhe leaves the forag'd
groves!
Her flying camp of Graces and of Loves
Strike all their tents, and for the march prepare,
And to new scenes of triumph wait the fair
Unlike the flaves which other warriors gain, 5 That loath fubjection, and would break their chain,
Her rural flaves their abfent victor mourn,
And with ot liberty, but her return.
The conquer'd countries droop, while he's away,
And flowly to the spring their contribution pay.
While cooing turtles, doubly now alone,
With their loft loves another lofs bemoan.
Tempt thee again to raife a Trojan tower; Troy, plac'd beneath malignant ftars, "Haunted with omens ftill the fame, "Rebuilt fhall but renew the former flame, "Jove's wife and fifter leading on the wars. "Thrice let her fhine with brazen walls, Rear'd up by heavenly bands;
"And thrice in fatal duft fhe falls,
By faithful Grecian hands;
Thrice the dire fcene fhall on the world re
Behold where bright Urania dees advance, And lightens through the trees with every. glan c !
A carelefs pleafure in her air is feen;
Diana fhines with fuch a graceful mien,
When in her darling woods fhe s feign'd to rove,
The chace purfuing, and avoiding love.
At flying deer the goddefs boafts her aim,
But Cupid fhews the nymph a nobler game.
Th' unerring fhafts fo various fly around,
'Tis hard to fee which gives the deepest wound.
Or if with greater glory we fubmit,
Fierc'd by her eyes, her humour, or her wir.
See next her charming fifter, young and gay, 40 In beauty s bloom like the fweet month of May !: The fportful nymph, once in the neighbouring
Surpriz d by chance the fleeping god of love;
His head reclin'd upon a tuft of green,
And by him fcatter'd lay his arrows bright and
keen;
She ty'd hi wings, and ftole his wanton darts,
Then, laughing, wak d the tyrant lord of hearts.
He fmil'd, and faid-Tis well, infulting fair!
Yet how you fport with fleeping Love beware!
My lofs of darts I quickly can fupply,
Your looks fhall triumph for Love's deity:
And though you now my feeble power difdain,
You once perhaps may feel a lover s pain.
Though Helen s form, and Cleopatra's charms, The boatt of fame, once kindled dire alarms: 55 Thofe dazzling lights the world no more muft view,
And fearce would think the bright defcription
Be ftill, ye whispering winds, and moving trees! A fecond Mirà does all hearts furprise, At once victorious with her voice and eyes. Her heavenly voice improves the young defire, lier eyes alone can tendereft love infpire, } Kk༢、
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