On a bay courfer, goodly to behold,

The trappings of his horfe adorn'd with barb'rous gold.
Not Mars beftrode a fteed with greater grace;

His furcoat o'er his arms was cloth of Thrace,
Adorn'd with pearls, all orient, round, and great;
His faddle was of gold, with emeralds fet,
His fhoulders large a mantle did attire,
With rubies thick, and sparkling as the fire:
His amber-colour'd locks in ringlets run,
With graceful negligence, and fhone against the fun,
His nofe was aquiline, his eyes were blue.
Ruddy his lips, and fresh and fair his hue:
Some fprinkled freckles on his face were feen,
Whofe dufk fet off the whitenefs of the fkin:
His awful prefence did the croud furprize,
Nor durft the rafh fpectator meet his
Eyes that confefs'd him born for kingly fway,
So fierce, they flath'd intolerable day.
His age in nature's youthful prime appear'd,
And just began to bloom his yellow beard.
Whene'er he spoke, his voice was heard around,
Loud as a trumpet, with a filver found,

eyes,

A laurel wreath'd his temples, fresh, and green;
And myrtle fprigs, the marks of love, were mix'd between,
Upon his fift he bore, for his delight,

An eagle well reclaim'd, and lilly white.

His hundred knights attend him to the war, All arm'd for battle; fave their heads were bare. Words and devices blaz'd on ev'ry fhield,

And pleafing was the terror of the field.

For kings, and dukes, and barons, you might fee,
Like fparkling ftars, though different in degree,
All for th' increase of arms, and love of chivalry.
Before the king tame leopards led the way,
And troops of lions innocently play.

So Bacchus thro' the conquer'd Indies rode,

And beafts in gambols frisk'd before their honeft god.

}

In this array the war of either fide

Through Athens pafs'd with military pride.

At prime, they enter'd on the Sunday morn;
Rich tap'stry spread the streets, and flow'rs the pofts adorn.
The town was all a jubilee of feasts;

So Thefeus will'd, in honour of his guests;
Himself with open arms the king embrac❜d,
Then all the rest in their degrees were grac❜d.
No harbinger was needful for the night,
For ev'ry houfe was proud to lodge a knight.
I pass the royal treat, nor must relate
The gifts bestow'd, nor how the champions fate:
Who first, or laft, or how the knights addrefs'd
Their vows, or who was faireft at the feaft;
Whose voice, whose graceful dance did most surprise;
Soft am'rous fighs, and filent love of eyes.
The rivals call my Mufe another way,
To fing their vigils for the enfuing day.
'Twas ebbing darkness, past the noon of night:
And Phosphor, on the confines of the light;
Promis'd the fun, ere day began to fpring;
The tuneful lark already ftretch'd her wing,
And flick'ring on her neft, made fhort effays to fing.
When wakeful Palamon, preventing day,

Took, to the royal lifts, his early way,

To Venus at her fane, in her own houfe, to pray.
There, falling on his knees before her shrine,
He thus implor'd with pray'rs her pow'r divine.
Creator Venus, genial pow'r of love,

The blifs of men below, and Gods above!
Beneath the fliding fun thou runn'ft thy race,
Doft faireft shine, and beft become thy place.
For thee the winds their eaftern blafts forbear,

}

Thy month reveals the fpring, and opens all the year.
Thee, Goddefs, thee the ftorms of winter fly,
Earth fmiles with flow'rs renewing, laughs the fky,
And birds to lays of love their tuneful notes apply.
VOL. III,

E

For

For thee the lion loaths the taste of blood,
And roaring hunts his female through the wood:
For thee the bulls rebellow through the groves,
And tempt the ftream, and fnuff their abfent loves.
"Tis thine, whate'er is pleasant, good, or fair:
All nature is thy province, life thy care:
Thou mad'ft the world, and doft the world repair.
Thou gladder of the mount of Cytheron,
Increase of Jove, companion of the fun;
If e'er Adonis touch'd thy tender heart,
Have pity, Goddefs, for thou know'st the smart.
Alas! I have not words to tell my grief;
To vent my
forrow would be fome relief;
Light fuff'rings give us leifure to complain;
We groan, but cannot speak, in greater pain.
O Goddefs, tell thyfelf what I would fay,
Thou know'st it, and I feel too much to pray.
So grant my fuit, as I enforce my might;
In love to be thy champion, and thy knight;
A fervant to thy fex, a flave to thee,
A foe profest to barren chastity.
Nor ask I fame or honour of the field,
Nor choose I more to vanquish than to yield:
In my divine Emelia make me bleft,

Let fate, or partial chance, difpofe the reft:
Find thou the manner, and the means prepare;
Poffeffion, more than conqueft, is my care.
Mars is the warrior's god; in him it lies,
On whom he favors to confer the prize;
With fmiling afpect you ferenely move
In your fifth orb, and rule the realm of love.
The fates but only fpin the coarfer clue,
The fineft of the wool is left for you.
Spare me but one fmall portion of the twine,
And let the fifters cut below your line:
The reft among the rubbish may they sweep,
Or add it to the yarn of fome old mifer's heap.

}

But, if you this ambitious pray'r deny,
(A wish, I grant, beyond mortality,)

Then let me fink beneath proud Arcite's arms,
And I, once dead, let him poffefs her charms.
Thus ended he; then, with obfervance due
The facred incenfe on her altar threw :
The curling smoke mounts heavy from the fires;
At length it catches flame, and in a blaze expires;
At once the gracious Goddess gave the fign,

Her ftatue fhook, and trembled all the fhrine:
Pleas'd Palamon the tardy omen took :

For, fince the flames purfu'd the trailing fmoke,,
He knew his boon was granted; but the day
To distance driv'n, and joy adjourn'd with long delay,
Now morn with rofy light had streak'd the sky,
Up rofe the fun, and up rofe Emily;
Addrefs'd her early fteps to Cynthia's fane,
In state attended by her maiden train,
Who bore the vefts that holy rites require,
Incense, and od'rous gums, and cover'd fire.

The plenteous horns with pleafant mead they crown,
Nor wanted ought befides in honour of the moon.
Now while the temple fmok'd with hallow'd steam,
They wash the virgin in a living ftream
The fecret ceremonies I conceal,
Uncouth, perhaps unlawful, to reveal:
But fuch they were as pagan use requir'd,
Perform'd by women when the men retir'd,
Whofe eyes profane their chafte mysterious rites
Might turn to fcandal, or obfcene delights.
Well-meaners think no harm; but for the reft,
Things facred they pervert, and filence is the best.
Her fhining hair, uncomb'd, was loosely spread,
A crown of mastless oak adorn'd her head:
When to the fhrine approach'd, the fpotlefs maid
Had kindling fires on either altar laid :

E 2

(The

(The rites were fuch as were observ'd of old,
By Statius in his Theban ftory told.)

Then kneeling with her hands acrofs her breaft,
Thus lowly the preferr'd her chaste request.

O Goddess, haunter of the woodland green,
To whom both heav'n and earth and feas are feen;
Queen of the nether skies, where half the year
Thy filver beams defcend, and light the gloomy sphere;
Goddefs of maids, and confcious of our hearts,

So keep me from the vengeance of thy darts,
Which Niobe's devoted iffue felt,

When hiffing through the skies the feather'd deaths were dealt ;

As I defire to live a virgin life,

Nor know the name of mother or of wife.
Thy votress from my tender years I am,

And love like thee, the woods and fylvan game.
Like death, thou know'ft, I loath the nuptial ftate,
And man, the tyrant of our fex, I hate,

A lowly fervant, but a lofty mate;
Where love is duty on the female fide;

}

On their's meer fenfual guft, and fought with furly pride.
Now by thy triple fhape, as thou art feen

In heav'n, earth, hell, and ev'ry where a queen,
Grant this my firft defire; let difcord cease,
And make betwixt the rivals lasting peace:
Quench their hot fire, or far from me remove
The flame, and turn it on fome other love,
Or if my frowning ftars have fo decreed,
That one must be rejected, one fucceed,
Make him my lord, within whofe faithful breaft
Is fix'd my image, and who loves me beft.
But, oh! ev'n that avert! I chufe it not,
But take it as the leaft unhappy lot.
A maid I am, and of thy virgin train ;
Oh, let me ftill that spotlefs name retain !

Frequent