But in a tower, and never to be loos'd,
The woeful captive kinsmen are inclos'd:
Thus year by year they pass, and day by day,
Till once, 'twas on the morn of cheerful May,
The young Emilia, fairer to be seen
Than the fair lily on the flowery green,
More fresh than May herself in blossoms new,
For with the rofy colour ftrove her hue,
Wak'd, as her custom was, before the day,
To do th' obfervance due to sprightly May:
For fprightly May commands our youth to keep
The vigils of her night, and breaks their fluggard
fleep;

Each gentle breast with kindly warmth fhe moves;
Infpires new flames, revives extinguish'd loves.
In this remembrance Emily ere day
Arofe, and dress'd herself in rich array;
Fresh as the month, and as the morning fair;
Adown her shoulders fell her length of hair:
A ribband did the braided treffes bind,

The reft was loofe, and wanton'd in the wind;
Aurora had but newly chas'd the night,
And purpled o'er the fky with blushing light,
When to the garden walk fhe took her way,
To fport and trip along in cool of day,
And offer maiden vows in honour of the May.
At every turn, fhe made a little stand,
And thrust among the thorns her lily hand
To draw the rose, and every rose she drew
She shook the ftalk, and brufh'd away the dew:
Then party-colour'd flowers of white and red
She wove, to make a garland for her head:
This done, fhe fung and carol'd out so clear,
That men and angels might rejoice to hear :
Ev'n wondering Philomel forgot to fing;
And learn'd from her to welcome in the spring.
The tower, of which before was mention made,
Within whofe keep the captive knights were laid,
Built of a large extent, and strong withal,
Was one partition of the palace wall:
The garden was inclos'd within the fquare,
Where young Emilia took the morning a.

It happen'd Palamon the prifoner knight,
Reftlefs for woe, arofe before the light,
And with his jaylor's leave defir'd to breathe
An air more wholesome than the damps beneath.
This granted, to the tower he took his way,
Cheer'd with the promife of a glorious day:
Then caft a languishing regard around,
And saw with hateful eyes the temples crown'd
With golden fpires, and all the hostile ground.
He figh'd, and turn'd his eyes, because he knew
'Twas but a larger goal he had in view :
Then look'd below, and from the castle's height
Beheld a nearer and more pleafing fight:
The garden, which before he had not seen,
In fpring's new livery clad of white and green,
Fresh flowers in wide parterres, and fhady walks
between.

This view'd, but not enjoy'd, with arms across
He flood, reflecting on his country's lofs;
Himfelf an object of the public fcorn,
And often with'd he never had been born.
At laft, for fo his deftiny requir'd,
With walking giddy, and with thinking tir'd,

He through a little window caft his fight, Though thick of bars that gave a scanty light: But ev'n that glimmering ferv'd him to defcry Th' inevitable charms of Emily.

Scarce had he feen, but,seiz'd with fudden smart, Stung to the quick, he felt it at his heart; Struck blind with over-powering light he stood, Then started back amaz'd, and cry'd aloud.

Young Arcite heard; and up he ran with hafte, To help his friend, and in his arms embrac'd; And afk'd him why he look'd fo deadly wan, And whence and how his change of cheer began? Or who had done th' offence? But if, faid he, Your grief alone is hard captivity;

For love of heaven, with patience undergo
A cureless ill, fince fate will have it fo:
So ftood our horofcope in chains to lie,
And Saturn in the dungeon of the sky,
Or other baleful afpect, rul'd our birth,
When all the friendly stars were under earth:
Whate'er betides, by deftiny 'tis done;
And better bear like men, than vainly feek to
fhun.

Nor of my bonds, said Palamon again,
Nor of unhappy planets I complain;
But when my mortal anguish caus'd my cry,
That moment I was hurt through either eye;
Pierc'd with a random shaft, I faint away,
And perifh with infenfible decay :

}

A glance of fome new goddess gave the wound,
Whom, like Acteon, unaware I found.
Look how the walks along yon fhady space,
Not Juno moves with more majestic grace;
And all the Cyprian queen is in her face.
If thou art Venus (for thy charms confefs
That face was form'd in heaven, nor art thou less;
Difguis'd in habit, undisguis'd in shape)
O help us captives from our chains to 'scape;
But if our doom be past in bonds to lie
For life, and in a loathsome dungeon die,
Then be thy wrath appeas'd with our disgrace,
And fhew compaflion to the Theban race,
Opprefs'd by tyrant power! While yet he spoke,
Arcite on Emily had fix'd his look;
'The fatal dart a ready paffage found,
And deep within his heart infix'd the wound:
So that if Palamon were wounded fore,
Arcite was hurt as much as he, or more:
Then from his inmoft foul he figh'd, and said,
The beauty I behold has ftruck me dead:
Unknowingly fhe ftrikes; and kills by chance;
Poifon is in her eyes, and death in every glance,
O, I must ak; nor afk alone, but move
Her mind to mercy, or muft die for love.

:

Thus Arcite and thus Palamon replies, (Eager his tone, and ardent were his eyes.) Speak'ft thou in earnest, or in jefting vein? Jefting, faid Arcite, fuits but ill with pain. It fuits far worfe (said Palamon again, And bent his brows) with men who honour weigh, Their faith to break, their friendship to betray; But worst with thee, of noble lineage born, My kinfman, and in arms my brother fworn. Have we not plighted each our holy oath, That one should be the common good of both;

One foul should both inspire, and neither prove
His fellows hindrance in pursuit of love?
To this before the Gods we gave our hands,
And nothing but our death can break the bands.
This binds thee, then, to further my design:
As I am bound by vow to further thine :
Nor canft, nor darst thou, traitor, on the plain
Appeach my honour, or thine own maintain,
Since thou art of my council, and the friend
Whofe faith I truft, and on whose care depend:
And would't thou court my lady's love, which I
Much rather than release would choose to die?
But thou, falfe Arcite, never fhalt obtain
Thy bad pretence; I told thee first my pain:
For first my love began ere thine was born;
Thou, as my council, and my brother sworn,
Art bound t'affift my eldership of right:
Or justly to be deem'd a perjur'd knight.

Thus Palamon: but Arcite with disdain In haughty language thus reply'd again; Forfworn thyself: the traitor's odious name I first return, and then difprove thy claim. If love be paffion, and that paffion nurft With strong defires, I lov'd the lady first. Canft thou pretend defire, whom zeal inflam'd To worship, and a power celeftial nam'd? Thine was devotion to the bleft above, I saw the woman, and defir'd her love; Firft own'd my paffion, and to thee commend Th' important fecret, as my chofen friend. Suppofe (which yet I grant not) thy defire A moment elder than my rival fire; Can chance of seeing first thy title prove? And know'st thou not, no law is made for love; Law is to things which to free choice relate; Love is not in our choice, but in our fate; Laws are but pofitive; love's power, we see, Is Nature's fanction, and her first decree. Each day we break the bond of human laws For love, and vindicate the common cause. Laws for defence of civil rights are plac'd, Love throws the fences down, and makes a general waste :

Maids, widows, wives, without distinction fall; The sweeping deluge, love, comes on, and covers all.

If then the laws of friendship I tranfgrefs,
I keep the greater, while I break the lefs;
And both are mad alike, fince neither can poffefs.
Both hopeless to be ranfom'd, never more
To fee the fun, but as he paffes o'er.

[want,

Like #fop's hounds contending for the bone, Each pleaded right, and would be lord alone : The fruitless fight continued all the day ; A cur came by, and fnatch'd the prize away. As courtiers therefore juftle for a grant, And when they break their friendship plead their So thou, if fortune will thy fuit advance, Love on, nor envy me my equal chance: For I must love, and am refolv'd to try My fate, or failing in th' adventure die.

Great was their ftrife, which hourly was renew'd, Till each with mortal hate his rival view'd: Now friends no more, nor walking hand in hand; But when they met, they made a furly ftand;

And glar'd like angry lions as they pafs'd,
And wish'd that every look might be their last.
It chanc'd at length, Pirithous came t'attend
This worthy Thefeus, his familiar friend;
Their love in early infancy began,
And rofe as childhood ripen'd into man.
Companions of the war; and lov'd fo well,
That when one dy'd, as ancient stories tell,
His fellow to redeem him went to hell.

}

But to pursue my tale; to welcome home
His warlike brother is Pirithous come:
Arcite of Thebes was known in arms long fince,
And honour'd by this young Theffalian prince.
Thefeus, to gratify his friend and guest,
Who made our Arcite's freedom his request,
Reftor'd to liberty the captive knight,
But on these hard conditions I recite:
That if hereafter Arcite should be found
Within the compass of Athenian ground,
By day or night, or on whate'er pretence,
His head should pay the forfeit of th' offence.
To this Pirithous for his friend agreed,
And on his promife was the prifoner freed.
Unpleas'd and penfive hence he takes his way,
At his own peril; for his life must pay.
Who now but Arcite mourns his bitter fate,
Finds his dear purchase, and repents too late?
What have I gain'd, he faid, in prifon pent,
If I but change my bonds for banishment?
And banish'd from her fight, I suffer more
In freedom, than I felt in bonds before;
Forc'd from her prefence, and condemn'd to
live:

Unwelcome freedom, and unthank'd reprieve:
Heaven is not, but where Emily abides;
And where fhe's abfent, all is hell befides.
Next to my day of birth, was that accurst,
Which bound my friendship to Pirithous first :
Had I not known that prince, I still had been
In bondage, and had still Emilia feen :
For though I never can her grace deserve,
'Tis recompence enough to fee and serve.
O Palamon, my kinsman and my friend,
How much more happy fates thy love attend!
Thine is th' adventure; thine the victory:
Well has thy fortune turn'd the dice for thee:
Thou on that angel's face may'ft feed thine eyes,
In prifon, no; but blifsful paradise !
Thou daily feeft that fun of beauty fhine,
And lov'ft at least in love's extremest line.
I mourn in absence, love's eternal night;
And who can tell but fince thou haft her fight,
And art a comely, young, and valiant knight,
Fortune (a various power) may ceafe to frown,
And by fome ways unknown thy wishes crown?
But I, the most forlorn of human kind,
Nor help can hope, nor remedy can find;
But, doom'd to drag my loathfome life in care,
For my reward, must end it in defpair.
Fire, water, air, and earth, and force of fates
That governs all, and heaven that all creates,
Nor art, nor nature's hand can eafe my grief;
Nothing but death, the wretch's last relief:
Then farewel youth, and all the joys that dwell,
With youth and life, and life itfelt farewel.

But why, alas do mortal men in vain Of fortune, fate, or Providence complain? God gives us what he knows our wants require, And better things than those which we defire: Some pray for riches; riches they obtain; But, watch'd by robbers, for their wealth are flain; Some pray from prifon to be freed; and come, When guilty of their vows, to fall at home; Murder'd by those they trufted with their life, A favour'd fervant, or a bofom wife. Such dear-bought bleffings happen every day, Because we know not for what things to pray. Like drunken fots about the street we roam: Well knows the fot he has a certain home; Yet knows not how to find th' uncertain place, And blunders on, and ftaggers every pace. Thus all feek happiness; but few can find; For far the greater part of men are blind. This is my cafe, who thought our utmost good Was in one word of freedom understood : The fatal bleffing came: from prifon free, I ftarve abroad, and lofe the fight of Emily. Thus Arcite; but if Arcite thus deplore His fufferings, Palamon yet fuffers more. For when he knew his rival freed and gone, He fwells with wrath; he makes outrageous moan: He frets, he fumes, he ftares, he ftamps the

ground;

[join'd,

The hollow tower with clamours rings around:
With briny tears he bath'd his fetter'd feet,
And dropt all o'er with agony of sweat.
Alas! he cry'd! I wretch in prison pine,
Too happy rival, while the fruit is thine:
Thou liv'ft at large, thou draw'ft thy native air,
Pleas'd with thy freedom, proud of my despair:
Thou may'ft, fince thou haft youth and courage
A fweet behaviour and a folid mind,
Affeinble ours, and all the Theban race,
To vindicate on Athens thy disgrace;
And after, by fome treaty made, poffefs
Fair Emily, the pledge of lafting peace.
So thine fhall be the beauteous prize, while I
Muft languish in defpair, in prifon die.
Thus all th' advantage of the ftrife is thine,
Thy portion double joys, and double forrows

mine.

The rage of Jealoufy then fir'd his foul, And his face kindled like a burning coal : Now cold Defpair, fucceeding in her ftead, To livid palenefs turns the glowing red. His blood, fearce liquid, creeps within his veins, Like water which the freezing wind constrains. Then thus he faid: Eternal Deities, Who rule the world with abfolute decrees, And write whatever time fhall bring to pafs, With pens of adamant, on plates of brats; What, is the race of human kind your care Beyond what all his fellow-creatures are? He with the reft is liable to pain, And like the fheep, his brother-beast, is flain. Cold, hunger, prifons, ills without a cure, All these he muft, and guiltlefs oft endure; Or does your juftice, power, or prefcience fail, When the good fuffer, and the bad prevail?

What worse to wretched virtue could befal
If fate or giddy fortune govern'd all ?
Nay, worfe than other beafts is our estate;
Them, to pursue their pleasures, you create;
We, bound by harder laws, muft curb our will,
And your commands, not our desires, fulfil;
Then when the creature is unjustly flain,
Yet after death at leaft he feels no pain;
But man in life furcharg'd with woe before,
Not freed when dead, is doom'd to fuffer more
A ferpent fhoots his fting at unaware;
An ambush'd thief forelays a traveller :
The man lies murder'd while the thief and fnake,
One gains the thickets, and one thrids the brake.
This let divines decide; but well I know,
Jaft or unjust, I have my fhare of woe,
Through Saturn feated in a luckless place,
And Juno's wrath, that perfecutes my race;
Or Mars and Venus, in a quartil, move
My pangs of jealoufy for Arcite's love.

Let Palamon opprefs'd in bondage mourn,
While to his exil'd rival we return.
By this the fun, declining from his his height,
The day had shorten'd, to prolong the night:
The lengthen'd night gave length of misery
Both to the captive lover and the free;
For Palamon in endless prifon mourns,
And Arcite forfeits life if he returns:
The banish'd never hopes his love to fee,
Nor hopes the captive lord his liberty:
'Tis hard to fay who fuffers greater pains : =
One fees his love, but cannot break his chains
One free, and all his motions uncontroul'd,
Beholds whate'er he would, but what he would

behold.

Judge as you please; for I will hafte to tell
What fortune to the banish'd knight befel.
When Arcite was to Thebes return'd again,
The lofs of her he lov'd renew'd his pain;
What could be worse, than never more to fee
His life, his foul, his charming Emily?
He rav'd with all the madness of despair,
He roar'd, he beat his breaft, he tore his hair,
Dry forrow in his ftupid eyes appears,
For, wanting nourishment, he wanted tears:
His eye-balls in their hollow fockets fink.
Bereft of fleep, he loaths his meat and drink,
He withers at his heart, and looks as wan
As the pale spectre of a murder'd man:
That pale turns yellow, and his face receives
The faded hue of fapless boxen leaves:
In folitary groves he makes his moan,
Walks early out, and ever is alone:
Nor, mix'd in mirth, in youthful pleasures fhares,
But fighs when fongs and inftruments he hears.
His fpirits are fo low, his voice is drown'd,
He hears as from afar, or in a fwoon,
Like the deaf murmurs of a diftant found:
Uncomb'd his locks, and fqualid his attire,
Unlike the trim of love and gay defire:
But full of mufeful mopings, which prefage
The lofs of reafon, and conclude in rage.
This when he had endur'd a year and more,
Now wholly chang'd from what he was before,

WHILE Arcite lives in blifs, the story turns
Where hopeless Palamon in prifon mourns.
For fix long years immur'd, the captive knight
Had dragg'd his chains, and fcarcely feen the
Loft liberty, and love, at once he bore: light:
His prifon pain'd him much, his passion more :
Nor dares he hope his fetters to remove,
Nor ever wishes to be free from love.

But when the fixth revolving year was run,
And May within the Twins receiv'd the fun,
Were it by chance, or forceful destiny,
Which forms in caufes first whate'er fhall be,
Affifted by a friend, one moonless night,
This Palamon from prifon took his flight:
A pleasant beverage he prepar'd before
Of wine and honey mix'd with added flore
Of opium; to his keeper this he brought,
Who fwallow'd unaware the fleepy draught,
And fnor'd fecure till morn, his fenfes bound
In flumber, and in long oblivion drown'd.
Short was the night, and careful Palamon
Sought the next covert e'er the rifing fun.

A thick fpread foreft near the city lay,
To this with lengthen'd ftrides he took his way
(For far he could not fly, and fear'd the day).
Safe from purfuit, he meant to fhun the light,
Till the brown fhadows of the friendly night
To Thebes might favour his intended flight.
When to his country come, his next defign
Was all the Theban race in arms to join,
And war on Thefeus, till he loft his life,
Or won the beauteous Emily to wife.
Thus while his thoughts the lingering day beguile,
To gentle Arcite let us turn our ftile;
Who little dreamt how nigh he was to care,
Till treacherous fortune caught him in the fnate.
The morning-lark, the meffenger of day,
Saluted in her fong the morning gray;
And foon the fun arofe with beams fo bright,
That all th' horizon laugh'd to see the joyous fight;
He with his tepid rays the rofe renews,
And licks the drooping leaves, and dries the dews;
When Arcite left his bed, refolv'd to pay
Obfervance to the month of merry May: