To the DUCHESS, when he prefented this Book to her ROYAL HIGHNESS.
And with the Beauties, of a former age :
Wishing you may with as great pleasure view,
This, as we take in gazing upon you,
Thus we writ then: your brighter eyes inspire
A nobler flame, and raise our genius higher.
While we your wit, and early knowledge, fear,
To our productions we become fevere:
Your matchless beauty gives our fancy wing;
Your judgment makes us careful how we fing.
Lines not compos'd, as heretofore, in hafte,
Polish'd like marble, shall like marble last :
And make you through as many ages shine,
AS TASSO has the Heroes of your line.
Tho' other names our wary writers ufe,
You are the fubject of the BRITISH Mufe:
Dilating mischief to yourself unknown,
Men write, and die, of wounds they dare not own, So, the bright fun burns all our grass away,
While it means nothing but to give us day.
Thefe VERSES were writ in the TASSO of her ROYAL HIGHNESS.
ASSO knew how the fairer fex to grace;
But in no one durft all perfection place :
In her alone that owns this book, is seen
CLORINDA's fpirit, and her lofty meen ;
SOPHRONIA's piety, ERMINIA's truth,.
ARMIDA's charms, her beauty, and her youth.
Our Princefs here, as in a glafs, does drefs.
Her well-taught mind; and ev'ry grace express,
More to our wonder, than RINALDO fought:
The H e excels the Poet's thought.
Floriferis ut apes in faltibus omnia libant;
Sic nos SCRIPTURÆ depafcimur aurea dicta;
Aurea! purpetuâ femper dignissima vitâ! * *
Nam DIVINUS AMOR cum cæpit vociferari,
Diffugiunt animi terrores. * *
Exul eram, requiefque mihi, non fama, petita eft,
Mens intenta fuis ne foret ufque malis: **
Namque ubi mota calent sacrâ mea pectora Musâ,
Altior humano fpiritus ille malo eft.
OVID. de Trift. Lib. 4. El. 1.
SSERTING the authority of the Scripture, in which this Love is reveal'd.
II. The preference and Love of GOD to
III. The fame Love more amply declar'd in our Redemp
IV. How necessary this Love is to reform mankind, and how excellent in itself.
V. Shewing how happy the world would be, if this Love were univerfally embrac'd.
VI. Of preferving this Love in our memory; and how useful the contemplation thereof is.
HEGRECIAN Mufe has all their Gods furviv'd,
Nor Jove at us, nor PHOEBUS is arriv'd:
Frail Deities! which firft the Poets made,
And then invok'd, to give their fancies aid,
Yet, if they ftill divert us with their rage;
What may be hop'd for in a better age;
When, not from HELICON's imagin'd fpring,
But Sacred Writ, we borrow what we sing?
This with the fabric of the world begun;
Elder than light, and shall out-last the sun.
Before this oracle, like DAGON, all
The falfe pretenders, DELPHOS, AMMON, fall:
Long fince defpis'd, and filent, they afford
Honor, and triumph, to th' eternal Word.
As late philofophy our globe has grac❜d,
And rowling earth among the planets plac'd :
So has his book intitled us to heav'n;
And rules, to guide us to that mansion, giv❜n:
'Tells the conditions how our peace was made
And is our pledge for the Great AUTHOR's aid.
His pow'r in nature's ample book we find ;
But the lefs volume does exprefs his mind.
This light unknown, bold EPICURUS taught,
That his bleft GODS vouchfafe us not a thought:
But unconcern'd, let all below them slide,
As Fortunes does or human wisdom, guide.
Religion thus remoy'd, the facred yoke,
And band of all society, is broke:
What use of oaths, of promise, or of test,
Where men regard no God, but intereft?
What endless war would jealous nations tear,
If none above did witness what they fwear?
Sad fate of unbelievers, and yet juft,
Among themselves to find fo little truft!
Were Scripture filent, nature would proclaim,
Without a God, our falfhood, and our shame.
To know our thoughts the object of his eyes,
Is the first step tow'rds being good, or wife :
For, tho' with judgment we on things reflect,
Our will determines, not our intellect :
Slaves to their paffion, reafon men employ
Only to compars what they would enjoy.
His fear, to guard us from ourselves, we need
And Sacred Writ our reafon does exceed.
For, tho' heav'n fhews the glory of the LORD.
Yet fomething fhines more glorious in his Word:
His mercy this, (which all his work excells!)
His tender kindnefs, and compaffion, tells:
While we, inform'd by that cœleftial Book,
Into the bowels of our MAKER look.
Love there reveal'd, (which never fhall have end,
Nor had beginning) fhall our fong commend:
Defcribe itself, and warm us with that flame,
Which firft from heav'n, to make us happy, came.
CANTO II.
HE fear of hell, or aiming to be bleft,
Savors too much of private intereft.
This mov'd not MOSES, nor the zealous PAUL;
Who for their friends abandon'd foul and all:
A greater yet from heav'n to hell defcends,
To fave, and make his enemies his friends,
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