V.

As men in hell are from diseases free,
So from all other ills am I;
Free from their known formality;
But all pains eminently lie in thee.
Alas! alas! I hope in vain

My conquer'd foul from out thine hands to gain,
Since all the natives there thou 'aft overthrown,
And planted garrifons of thine own.

MAIDENHEAD.

1.

THOU worft eftate ev'n of the sex that 's worst,
Therefore by Nature made at first

T'attend the weakness of our birth!

Slight outward curtain to the nuptial bed!

Thou cafe to buildings not yet finished!

Who, like the centre of the earth,
Doft heaviest things attract to thee,

Tho' thou a point imaginary be.

II.

A thing God thought for mankind so unfit,

That his firft bleffing ruin'd it.

Cold frozen nurfe of fiercest fires!

Who, like the parched plains of Afric's fand, (A fteril and a wild unlovely land)

Art always fcorch'd with hot defires,

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Yet barren quite, didft thou not bring

Monsters and ferpents forth thyfelf to sting!

III.

Thou that bewitcheft men, whilft thou doft dwell
Like a clofe conjurer in his cell!

And fear'ft the Day's discov'ring eye!

No wonder 't is at all that thou shouldft be

Such tedious and unpleasant company,

Who liv'ft fo melancholily!

Thou thing of fubtile, slippery kind,

Which women lofe, and yet no man can find!

IV.

Altho' I think thou never found wilt be,
Yet I'm refolv'd to fearch for thee;
The fearch itself rewards the pains:

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So tho' the chymick his great fecret mifs,
(For neither it in art nor nature is)

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Yet things well worth his toil he gains,
And does his charge and labour pay

With good unfought experiments by the way.

V.

Say what thou wilt, chastity is no more

Thee, than a porter is his door.

In vain to honour they pretend,

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Who guard themselves with ramparts and with walls;

Them only Fame the truly valiant calls,

Who can an open breach defend.

Of thy quick lofs can be no doubt,

Within fo hated, and fo lov'd without.

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IMPOSSIBILITIES.

I.

IMPOSSIBILITIES! Oh, no, there's none;
Could mine bring thy heart captive home,
As eas❜ly other dangers were o'erthrown,
As Cæfar after vanquish'd Rome

His little Afian foes did overcome.

II.

True lovers oft' by Fortune are envy'd,
Oft' earth and hell against them ftrive;
But Providence engages on their fide,
And a good end at last does give;

At last just men and lovers always thrive.

III.

As ftars, (not pow'rful elfe) when they conjoin,
Change, as they please. the world's eftate;

So thy heart in conjunction with mine

Shall our own fortunes regulate,

And to our stars themselves prescribe a fate.

IV.

"Twould grieve me much to find some bold romance That should two kind examples fhow,

Which before us in wonders did advance;

Not that I thought that story true,

But none fhould fancy more than I would do.

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V.

Thro' fpite of our worst enemies, thy friends,
Thro' local banishment from thee;

'Thro' the loud thoughts of lefs-concerning ends,
As eafy fhall my paffage be,

As was the am'rous youth's o'er Helle's fea.

VI.

In vain the winds, in vain the billows, roar ;
In vain the stars their aid deny'd;

He faw the Seftian tow'r on th' other fhore;
Shall th' Hellefpont our loves divide?

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No, not th' Atlantick ocean's boundless tide.

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VII.

Such feas betwixt us eas'ly conquer'd are;
But, gentle Maid! do not deny

To let thy beams fhine on me from afar,
And ftill the taper let me' efpy,

For when thy light goes out I fink and die.

SILENCE.

I.

CURSE on the tongue that has my heart betray'd,

And his great fecret open laid!

For of all perfons chiefly she

Should not the ills I fuffer know,

Since 't is a thing might dang'rous grow,

Only in her to pity me;

Since 't is for me to lofe my life more fit,

Than 't is for her to fave and ransome it.

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II.

Ah! never more shall thy unwilling ear
My helpless flory hear.

Difcourfe and talk awake does keep
The rude unquiet pain

That in my breast does reign;
Silence, perhaps, may make it fleep:

I'll bind that fore up I did ill reveal;

The wound, if once it close, may chance to heal.
III.

No, 't will ne'er heal; my love will never die,
Tho' it should speechlefs lie.

A river, ere it meet the sea,
As well might stay its fource
As my love can his course,
Unless it join and mix with thee.

If any end or flop of it be found,

ΤΟ

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We know the flood runs ftill, tho' under ground. 24

THE DISSEMBLER.

I.

UNHURT, untouch'd, did I complain,
And terrify'd all others with the pain;
But now I feel the mighty evil;

Ah! there's no fooling with the devil!

So wanton men, whilst others they would fright, 5

Themselves have met a real spright.