The Figures which the spacious Portals grace,
With Human Motion feem to leave their Place;
In ev'ry Vifage, an expreffive Mind
Th'inimitable Artift had defign'd,
And Life in all their Looks and Geftures fhin'd.
Nor Speech was wanting, Fancy that fupplies;
They breath and speak while each confults his Eyes.
The Story firft with Hercules begins,
With Virgins feated here he tamely fpins:
The God-like Man, who Hell's ftrong Paffage gain'd,
And Heav'n, and all its rolling Orbs fuftain'd,
A Spindle wields, and with soft Tales beguiles
The flying Hours ; fond Love ftands by and fmiles:
His useless Club the Fair Iole holds,
The Lion's rugged Skin her tender Limbs infolds.
Remote from this a Sea its Surges rears,
Hoary with Foam the azure Field appears;
Two Warlike Fleets, advance on either fide,
And o'er the Waves with equal Terror ride:
The Flashes which from brandish'd Weapons came,
With dreadful Splendor all the Deep inflame.
Confpicuous far the bright Egyptian Queen,
Urging the fierce Encounter on is fecn:
Antonius here conducts the Eastern Kings,
The mighty Romans there Illuftrious Cafar brings.
As when two floating Ifles amidst the Main,
Puf'd on by Winds, each others Shock sustain,
And Mountains clash with Mountains on the watry
Plain :
With fuch a Force the Hoftile Fleets ingage,
Their thund'ring Chiefs oppos'd with equal Rage;
While Javelins, Darts, and flaming Torches fly,
And Foreign Spoils above the Waters lye.
To Cafar now the Victory inclines,
The beauteous Queen the liquid Field resigns;
She flies, nor wou'd the fond Antonius stay,
But madly left the scarce-decided Day,
And threw the Empire of the World away,
VOL V,
Nor touch'd with Fear, nor conquer'd by his Foes,
Th' unhappy Man the doubtful Field foregoes,
But by his Love betray'd; yet gen'rous Shame
With Martial Honour oft his Thoughts reclaim:
And now he wou'd the fainting Fight renew,
And now the charming Fugitive purfue;
With her Inglorious to the Shoar he flies,
And careless there, and loft in Pleasure lies;
Abandon'd loosely to her fatal Charms,
Refolves to foften Fate in Cleopatra's Arms.
The Champions all these coftly Wonders view,
And thro' the Palace now their Course pursue:
As wild Meander winds along his Shores,
Now finks, and now his Silver Wave reftores,
Now to the Ocean runs in various ways,
And backward now with wanton Motion plays;
Such crooked Paths, fuch Labyrinths they pass,
As they the dubious Structure's Windings trace;
And thro' th' uncertain Maze they ftill had err'd,
But the Wife Magus Scheme their Paffage clear'd;
Whence difengag'd, before their ravish'd Eyes
The beauteous Garden's pleafant Profpe&t lies;
The fhining Lakes, and moving Crystal here,
The Flow'rs, and various Plants at once appear;
At once a fhady Vale, and funny Hill,
And Groves, and moffie Caves the Landskip fill;
At once its felf the charming Scene reveals,
And all its wife Contriver's Art conceals:
Nor Art does copying Nature here appear,
But sportive Nature imitating her.
The Air was mild, and calm the Morning Breeze,
Which breath'd Eternal Verdure on the Trees;
The Trees their Branches proudly here difplay
With full-ripe Fruits, and Purple Bloffoms gay;
Beneath one spreading Leaf a bending Twig
Presents the immature and rip'ning Fig:
Depending on a loaded Branch are seen
The Gold, the blushing Apple, and the Green:
The lofty Vines their various Clusters show,
Ungrateful thofe, while these with Nectar flow.
The joyful Birds beneath the happy Shade,
In guided Parts a tuneful Confort made.
The whisp'ring Winds, and Waters murm❜ring fall,
With trembling Cadence foftly anfwer'd all,
Now ceas'd the Birds, the Winds and Waters high,
In warbling Sounds return the Harmony ;
But falling, now the Birds resume their Part,
Yet fcarce this Order feems th' Effect of Art:
But one with gawdy Plumes, among the reft,
And purple Bill, fuperiour Skill expreft;
Now imitating Human Words begun,
The sweet, the fhrill, the melting Note her own:
The wing'd Musicians all stood mute to hear,
The Winds fufpend their Murmurs in the Air,
And lift'ning staid while she her Song recites,
Which in alluring Strains to Love invites:
Her Part perform'd, the feather'd Chorus round,
Thro' all the Groves their glad Affent refound.
The penfive Doves in Sighs their Pain reveal,
The whifp'ring Trees a Paffion feem to feel:
The Floods, the Fields, and lightsom Air above
Confefs the Flame, and gently breath out Love.
Unconquer'd yet the stedfaft Knights remain,
And all the tempting Baits of Vice disdain;
But now retir'd beneath a pleasant Shade,
The Lovers at a distance they furvey❜d:
Armida feated on the Flow'rs they find,
And in her Lap Rinaldo's Head reclin'd;
Inspiring Love, and languishing her Air,
Unbound and curling to the Winds her Hair:
Her careless Robes flow with an am'rous Grace,
And rofie Blushes paint her lovely Face.
Fix'd on her Charms he fed his wanton Fires,
And feeding ftill increas'd his fierce Defires;
Plung'd in licentious Pleasures thus he lay,
And melts his Life ingloriously away.
At certain times Armida to her Cells
Retires to practise her mysterious Spells:
The Hour was come, fhe fighs a foft Adieu,
And from his Arms unwillingly withdrew.
In glitt'ring Armour rushing from the Wood,
Before him ftraight the pious Heroes stood.
As the fierce Steed, for Jufts and Battel bred,
Now useless grown, with Herds in Paftures fed,
Ranges at large, and lives ignobly free
From former Toils; if Arms he chance to fee,
Or hears from far the Trumpet's sprightly Sounds,
He Neighs aloud, and breaks the flow'ry Bounds;
Longs on his Back to feel the hardy Knight,
Measure the Lifts, and meet the promis'd Fight.
Their Sight the brave Rinaldo thus alarm'd,
Recall'd his Honour, and his Courage warm'd;
Its long inglorious Sleep his Virtue broke,
And Martial Ardour sparkled in his Look.
When with a friendly Scorn Ubaldo held
Before the Youth his Adamantine Shield;
Surpriz'd he meets his own Reflection there,
His gawdy Robes hung loose, his flowing Hair
Clouds with the rich Perfume, and fweetens all the
Air.
A bright, but useless Sword adorns his Side;
Afham'd he views this nice fantastick Pride,
And, like a Man that long in idle Dreams
Has lain, deluded to himself he seems:
Enrag'd the hateful Object now he flies,
Confus'd and filent downward bends his Eyes,
Half wifh'd the cleaving Ground might open wide,
Or overwhelming Seas his Shame wou'd hide.
Ubaldo fees the Time, and thus begun,
While Fame, while fo much Glory may be won,
While Afia, while all Europe are in Arms,
And shake the Universe with loud Alarms;
Bertoido's Son alone exempt from Fear,
Remains a Woman's noble Champion here;
- What Lethargy, what fatal Spells control
Thy vigorous Honour, and unman thy Soul?
Come on, the Camp and mighty Godfrey send,
Fortune and Victory thy Sword attend,
The deftin'd Heroe thou the doubtful War to end:
Conclude the Conqueft o'er thy Pagan Foes,
What Might can thy refiftless Arm oppofe?
Speechless he stood, and now a decent Shame,
And now a gen'rous Pride his Looks inflame:
He rends the Badges of his lewd Difgrace,
And flies with Horror the detefted Place.
The MOSAIC STORY of the Creation.
By JOHN HANBURY, Efq;
NE only God the World's Foundation laid,
he
For once before this Frame of Nature was, [made;
The Heav'ns and Earth were one unfashion'd Mafs,
Of Form and Motion void, and void of Light,
'Twas all Confusion, and unbounded Night;
'Till the creating Spirit with Wings of Love,
Spread o'er the deep Abyfs did kindly move;
With quick'ning Energy the whole comprest,
And wak'd the Chaos from Eternal Reft;
Motion and Time began, and Silence broke,
When thro' the Deep thus the Creator spoke,
Let there be Light.-----
The Beams of Day fhot thro' the parting Shade,
Old Night before the lovely Stranger fled;
His bright Firft-born with Joy th' Almighty view'd,
He faw 'twas wond'rous Fair, and call'd it Good.
He bleft the Birth-day of his Infant Light,
That Day th' Eternal World struck out of Night.
The Reft of Nature undistinguish'd lay,
Blended in one were Heav'n and Earth and Seas
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