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That horrid word, at once, like lightning fpread, 15
Strook all our ears,The Lady Rich is dead!
Heart-rending news! and dreadful to thofe few
Who her resemble, and her steps purfue;

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That Death fhould licenfe have to range among
The fair, the wife, the virtuous, and the young! 20
The Paphian Queen* from that fierce battle borne,
With gored hand, and veil so rudely torn,
Like terrour did among th' immortals breed,
Taught by her wound that goddeffes may bleed.
All stand amazed! but beyond the rest
Th' heroick dame† whose happy womb the bleft,
Mov'd with just grief, expoftulates with Heav'n,
Urging the promise to th' obfequious giv'n,
Of longer life; for ne'er was pious foul
More apt t' obey, more worthy to control.
A skilful eye at once might read the race
Of Caledonian monarchs in her face,
And sweet humility : her look and mind
At once were lofty, and at once were kind.
There dwelt the scorn of vice, and pity too,
For those that did what she disdain'd to do:
So gentle and fevere, that what was bad,
At once her hatred and her pardon had.
Gracious to all; but where her love was due,
So faft, fo faithful, loyal, and fo true.

* Venus.

+ Chriftian Countess of Devonshire.

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That a bold hand as foon might hope to force

The rolling lights of heav'n as change her courfe.
Some happy angel, that beholds her there,
Inftruct us to record what she was here!

And when this cloud of forrow's overblown,

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Thro' the wide world we'll make her graces known.

So fresh the wound is, and the grief so vast,

That all our art and pow'r of speech is waste.

Here paffion fways, but there the Muse shall raise
Eternal monuments of louder praise.

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There our delight complying with her fame,
Shall have occafion to recite thy name,
Fair Sachariffa!-and now only fair!
To facred friendship we'll an altar rear,
(Such as the Romans did erect of old)
Where on a marble pillar shall be told
The lovely paffion each to other bare,
With the resemblance of that matchless pair.
Narciffus to the thing for which he pin'd

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Was not more like than your's to her fair mind, 60
Save that the grac'd the fev'ral parts of life,
A fpotlefs virgin, and a faultlefs wife.

Such was the fweet converfe 'twixt her and you,
As that she holds with her affociates now.

How falfe is Hope, and how regardless Fate, 65

That fuch a love fhould have fo fhort a date!
Lately I saw her, sighing, part from thee;
(Alas that that the last farewell fhould be!)

So look'd Aftræa, her remove defign'd,

On those diftreffed friends fhe left behind.
Confent in virtue knit your hearts so fast,
That still the knot, in spite of death, does laft;
For as your tears, and sorrow-wounded foul,
Prove well that on your part this bond is whole,
So all we know of what they do above,
Is that they happy are, and that they love.
Let dark oblivion, and the hollow grave,
Content themselves our frailer thoughts to have:
Well chofen love is never taught to die,

But with our nobler part invades the sky.
Then grieve no more that one fo heav'nly fhap'd
The crooked hand of trembling Age escap'd:
Rather, fince we beheld her not decay,
But that the vanifh'd so entire away,

Her wondrous beauty and her goodness merit
We should fuppofe that fome propitious fpirit
In that celestial form frequented here,
And is not dead, but ceases to appear.

XXII.

OF LOVE.

ANGER, in hafty words or blows,
Itself discharges on our foes;
And forrow, too, finds fome relief
In tears, which wait upon our grief:

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So ev'ry paffion, but fond love,
Unto its own redrefs does move;
But that alone the wretch inclines
To what prevents his own defigns;
Makes him lament, and figh, and weep,
Disorder'd, tremble, fawn, and creep;
Poftures which render him despis'd,
Where he endeavours to be priz'd.
For women, (born to be controll'd)
Stoop to the forward and the bold;
Affect the haughty and the proud,

The gay, the frolick, and the loud.
Who firft the gen'rous fteed oppreft,
Not kneeling did falute the beast;
But with high courage, life, and force,
Approaching, tam'd th' unruly horse.
Unwifely we the wiser East
Pity, fuppofing them oppreft
With tyrants' force, whofe law is will,
By which they govern, fpoil, and kill:
Each nymph, but moderately fair,
Commands with no lefs rigour here.
Should fome brave Turk, that walks among
His twenty laffes, bright and young,
And beckons to the willing dame,
Preferr'd to quench his prefent flame,
Behold as many gallants here,
With modeft guife and filent fear,

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All to one female idol bend,

While her high pride does scarce defcend
To mark their follies, he would fwear
That these her guard of eunuchs were,
And that a more majestick queen,
Or humbler flaves, he had not seen.
All this with indignation spoke,
In vain I struggled with the yoke

Of mighty Love: that conqu'ring look,
When next beheld, like lightning ftrook
My blasted foul, and made me bow
Lower than those I pity'd now.

So the tall ftag, upon the brink

Of fome smooth stream about to drink,
Surveying there his armed head,
With fhame remembers that he fled
The fcorned dogs, refolves to try
The combat next; but if their cry
Invades again his trembling ear,
He ftrait refumes his wonted care,
Leaves the untasted spring behind,
And, wing'd with fear, outflies the wind.

XXIII.

FOR DRINKING OF HEALTHS.

LET brutes and vegetals, that cannot think,
So far as drought and nature urges, drink;

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