With this fhe feem'd to play, and, as in sport,
Tofs'd to her love, in prefence of the court;
Take it, she said; and when your needs require,
This little brand will ferve to light your fire.
He took it with a bow, and foon divin'd
The feeming toy was not for nought defign'd:
But when retir'd, fo long with curious eyes
He view'd his present, that he found the prize.
Much was in little writ; and all convey'd
With cautious care, for fear to be betray'd
By fome falfe confident, or fav'rite maid.
The time, the place, the manner how to meet,
Were all in punctual order plainly writ:
But fince a truft muft be, fhe thought it best
To put it out of laymen's power at least;
And for their folemn vows prepar'd a priest.

Guifcard (her fecret purpofe understood)
With joy prepar'd to meet the coming good;
Nor pains nor danger was refolv'd to spare,
But use the means appointed by the fair.

Next the proud palace of Salerno flood
A mount of rough afcent, and thick with wood.
Through this a cave was dug with vast expence
The work it feem'd of fome fufpicious prince,
Who, when abufing power with lawless might,
From public juftice would secure his flight.
The paffage made by many a winding way,
Reach'd ev'n the room in which the tyrant lay.
Fit for his purpose, on a lower floor,

He lodg'd, whose iffue was an iron door;

From whence, by ftairs defcending to the ground,
In the blind grot a safe retreat he found.

Its outlet ended in a brake o'ergrown

}

With brambles, choak'd by time, and now unknown. A rift there was, which from the mountain's height Convey'd a glimm'ring and malignant light,

A

A breathing-place to draw the damps away,
A twilight of an intercepted day.

The tyrant's den, whofe ufe, tho' loft to fame,
Was now th' apartment of the royal dame;
The cavern only to her father known,
By him was to his darling daughter fhown.
Neglected long fhe let the fecret rest,
Till love recall'd it to her lab'ring breast,
And hinted as the way by heav'n defign'd
The teacher, by the means he taught, to blind.
What will not women do, when need inspires
Their wit, or love their inclination fires!
Tho' jealoufy of state the invention found,
Yet love refin'd upon the former ground.
had referv'd, to fly
the tyrant
way,
Pursuing hate, now ferv'd to bring two lovers nigh.
The dame, who long in vain had kept the key,
Bold by defire, explor'd the fecret way;

That

Now try'd the stairs, and, wading thro' the night
Search'd all the deep recefs, and iffu'd into light.
All this her letter had fo well explain'd,

Th' inftructed youth might compass what remain'd;
The cavern's mouth alone was hard to find,
Because the path difus'd, was out of mind:
But in what quarter of the cops it lay,
His eye by certain level could furvey:

Yet (for the wood perplex'd with thorns he knew)
A frock of leather o'er his limbs he drew;
And thus provided, fearch'd the brake around,
Till the choak'd entry of the cave he found.
Thus, all prepar'd, the promis'd hour arriv'd
So long expected, and fo well contriv'd:
With love to friend, th' impatient lover went,
Fenc'd from the thorns, and trod the deep descent.
The confcious prieft, who was fuborn'd before,
Stood ready posted at the postern door;

L 3

The

The maids in diftant rooms were sent to reft,
And nothing wanted but th' invited guest.
He came, and knocking thrice without delay,
The longing lady heard, and turn'd the key;
At once invaded him with all her charms,
And the first step he made was in her arms:
The leathern outside boist'rous as it was,
Gave way, and bent beneath her ftrict embrace:
On either fide the kiffes flew fo thick,

That neither he nor she had breath to speak.
The holy man amaz'd, at what he saw,
Made hafte to fanctify the blifs by law;
And mutter'd fast the matrimony o'er,
For fear committed fin fhould get before.
His work perform'd, he left the pair alone,
Because he knew he could not go too foon;
His presence odious, when his task was done.
What thoughts he had beseems me not to say;
Tho' fome furmife he went to faft and
pray,
And needed both to drive the tempting thoughts away.
The foe once gone, they took their full delight;
'Twas reftless rage, and tempeft all the night;
For greedy love each moment would employ,
And grudg'd the fhorteft paufes of their joy.
Thus were their loves aufpiciously begun,
And thus with fecret care were carried on,
The stealth itself did appetite restore,
And look'd fo like a fin, it pleas'd the more.

The cave was now become a common way,
The wicket, often open'd, knew the key:
Love ripted fecure, and long enjoy'd,
Was ever eager, and was never cloy'd.

But as extremes are short, of ill and good,
And tides at highest mark regorge their flood;
So fate, that could no more improve their joy,
Took a malicious pleasure to destroy.

}

Tancred,

Tancred, who fondly lov'd, and whose delight
Was plac'd in his fair daughter's daily fight,
Of cuftom, when his ftate affairs were done,
Would pafs his pleasing hours with her alone;
And, as a father's privilege allow'd,

Without attendance of th' officious crow'd.

It happen'd once, that when in heat of day
He try'd to fleep, as was his usual way,
The balmy lumber fled his wakeful eyes,
And forc'd him, in his own defpite, to rife:
Of fleep forfaken, to relieve his care,
He fought the conversation of the fair;
But with her train of damfels fhe was gone,
In fhady walks the fcorching heat to fhun:
He would not violate that fweet recess,
And found befides a welcome heaviness,
That feiz'd his eyes; and flumber, which forgot
When call'd before to come, now came unfought.
From light retir'd, behind his daughter's bed,
He for approaching fleep compos'd his head;
A chair was ready, for that ufe defign'd,
So quilted, that he lay at ease reclin'd;
The curtains closely drawn, the light to skreen,
As if he had contriv'd to lie unseen:
Thus cover'd with an artificial night,
Sleep did his office foon, and feal'd his fight.
With heav'n ayerfe in this ill omen'd hour
Was Guifcard fummon'd to the fecret bow'r,
And the fair nymph, with expectation fir'd,
From her attending damfels was retir'd:
For, true to love, she measur'd time fo right,
As not to mifs one moment of delight,
The garden, feated on the level floor,
She left behind, and locking ev'ry door,
Thought all fecure; but little did she know,
Blind to her fate, she had enclos'd her foe.

Attending Guifcard, in his leathern frock,
Stood ready, with his thrice repeated knock:
Thrice with a doleful found the jarring grate
Rung deaf and hollow, and prefag'd their fate.
The door unlock'd, to known delight they haste,
And, panting in each other's arms embrac❜d,
Rush to the conscious bed, a mutual freight,
And heedlefs prefs it with their wonted weight.
The fudden bound awak'd the fleeping fire,
And fhew'd a fight no parent can defire;
His opening eyes at once with odious view
The love discover'd, and the lover knew:
He wou'd have cry'd; but hoping that he dreamt,
Amazement ty'd his tongue, and stopp'd th' attempt.
Th' enfuing moment all the truth declar'd,
But now he flood collected and prepar'd,

For malice and revenge had put him on his guard.
So like a lion that unheeded lay,

Diffembling fleep, and watchful to betray,
With inward rage he meditates his prey.
The thoughtless pair, indulging their defires;
Alternate, kindled, and then quench'd their fires ;
Nor thinking in the fhades of death they play'd,
Full of themselves, themselves alone furvey'd,
And, too fecure, were by themselves betray'd,
Long time diffolv'd in pleasure thus they lay,
Till nature could no more fuffice their play;
Then rofe the youth, and thro' the cave again
Return'd; the princess mingled with her train.
Refolv'd his unripe vengeance to defer,
The royal fpy, when now the coaft was clear;
Sought not the garden, but retir'd unfeen,
To brood in fecret on his gather'd spleen,
And methodize revenge: to death he griev'd;
And, but he saw the crime, had fcarce believ'd.

Th?