There, fweet to fenfe, and fair to fhow,
New-planted Edens feem to blow,
Trees, that delicious poifon bear;
For death is vegetable there..
Hence is the frame of health unbrac'd,,
Each finew flack'ning at the taste ;
The foul to paffion yields her throne,
And fees with organs not her own ;
While, like the flumb'rer in the night,.
Pleas'd with the shadowy dream of light,,
Before her alienated eyes
The scenes of fairy-land arife;
The puppet world's amusing show,
Dipt in gayly-colour'd bow ;.
Scepters, and wreaths, and glitt'ring things,,
The toys of infants, and of kings,.
That tempt, along the baneful plain,
The idly wife, and lightly vain,
Till, verging on the gulphy shore,
Sudden they fink, and rise no more..
But, lift to what thy fates declare;
Tho' thou art woman, frail as fair,
If once thy fliding foot fhould ftray,.
Once quit yon heav'n-appointed way,,
For thee, loft maid, for thee alone,
Nor pray'rs fhall plead, nor tears atone ;;
Reproach, fcorn, infamy, and hate,
On thy returning fteps fhall wait;:
Thy form be loath'd by ev'ry eye,,
And ev'ry foot thy prefence fly..
Thus, arm'd with words of potent found,
Like guardian-angels plac'd around,
A charm, by truth divinely cast,
Forward our young advent'rer pafs'd.
Forth from her facred eye-lids fent,
Like morn, fore-running radiance went,
While Honour, hand-maid late affign'd,
Upheld her lucid train behind.
Awe-ftruck, the much-admiring crowd
Before the virgin vifion bow'd,
Gaz'd with an ever new delight,
And caught freth virtue at the fight;
For not of earth's unequal frame
They deem'd the heav'n-compounded Dame,
If matter, fure the moft refin'd,
High wrought, and temper'd into mind,
Some darling daughter of the day,
And body'd by her native ray.
Where-e'er the paffes, thousands bend,
And thousands, where the moves, attend;
Her ways obfervant eyes confefs,
Her fteps pursuing praises bless;
While to the elevated maid
Oblations, as to Heav'n, are paid.
'Twas on an ever-blithsome day, The jovial birth of rofy May,
When genial warmth, no more fupprefs'd,
New melts the froft in ev'ry breast,
The cheek with fecret flufhing dyes,
And looks kind things from chastest eyes ;
The fun with healthier vifage glows,
Afide his clouded kerchief throws,
And dances up th' etherial plain,
Where late he us'd to climb with pain,
While Nature, as from bonds set free,
Springs out, and gives a loose to glee.
And now,
for momentary reft,
The nymph her travell'd step repress'd,
Juft turn'd to view the ftage attain'd,
And glory'd in the height the gain'd.
Out-ftretch'd before her wide furvey,
The realms of fweet Perdition lay,
And Pity touch'd her foul with woe,
To fee a world fo loft below;
When strait the breeze began to breathe
Airs, gently wafted from beneath,
That bore commiffion'd witchcraft thence,
And reach'd her sympathy of sense;
No founds of discord, that disclose
A people funk, and loft in woes,
But, as of prefent good poffefs'd,
The very triumph of the bless'd,
The maid in wrapt attention hung,
While thus approaching Sirens fung.
Hither, faireft, hither hafte,
Brightest beauty come and tafte
What the pow'rs of blifs unfold,
Joys, too mighty to be told;
Tafte what extafies they give,
Dying raptures taste, and live.
In thy lap, difdaining measure,
Nature empties all her treasure,
Soft defires, that sweetly languish,
Fierce delights, that rise to anguish;
Faireft, dost thou yet delay ?
Brightest beauty, come away.
Lift not, when the froward chide,
Sons of pedantry, and pride,
Snarlers, to whofe feeble fenfe
April funfhine is offence;
Age and Envy will advise
Ev'n against the joy they prize.
Come, in Pleafure's balmy bowl,
Slake the thirstings of thy foul,
Till thy raptur'd pow'rs are fainting
With enjoyment, past the painting;
Fairest, doft thou yet delay.
Brightest beauty, come away.
So fung the Sirens, as of yore,
Upon the falfe Aufonian hore;
And, O! for that preventing chain,
That bound Ulyffes on the main,
That, fo, our Fair-One might withstand,
The covert ruin now at hand.
The fong her charm'd attention drew,
When now the tempters flood in view;
Curiofity, with prying eyes,
And hands of bufy, bold emprise ;
Like Hermes, feather'd were her feet,
And, like fore-running fancy, fleet,
By fearch untaught, by toil untir'd,
To novelty fhe still afpir'd,
Tasteless of ev'ry good possess'd,
And but in expectation bless'd.
With her, affociate, Pleasure came,
Gay Pleasure, frolic-loving dame;
Her mien all swimming in delight,
Her beauties half reveal'd to fight;
Loose flow'd her garments from the ground,
And caught the kiffing winds around.
As, erft, Medufa's looks were known
To turn beholders into ftone,
A dire reverfion here they felt,
And in the eye of Pleasure melt.
Her glance with fweet perfwafion charm'd,
Unnerv'd the strong, the steel'd, difarm'd ;
No fafety e'en the flying find,
Who, vent'rous, look but once behind.
Thus was the much admiring maid,
While distant, more than half betray'd.
With fmiles, and adulation bland,
They join'd her fide, and feiz'd her hand;
Their touch envenom'd sweets inftill'd,
Her frame with new pulfations thrill'd;
While, half confenting, half denying,
Repugnant now, and now complying,
Amidst a war of hopes, and fears,
Of trembling wishes, smiling tears,
Still down, and down, the winning pair
Compell'd the ftruggling, yielding fair.
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