Mean-time the jealous Juno, from on high,
Survey'd the fruitful Fields of Arcady;
And wonder'd that the Mift fhou'd over-run
The face of Day-light, and obfcure the Sun.
No Nat'ral Cause the found, from Brooks, or Bogs,
Or marshy Lowlands, to produce the Fogs:
Then round the Skies fhe fought for Jupiter,
Her faithlefs Hufband; but no Jove was there.
Sufpecting now the worft, Or I, fhe faid,
Am much mistaken, or am much betray'd.
With Fury the precipitates her Flight;
Difpels the Shadows of diffembled Night,
And to the Day reftores his native Light.
Th' Almighty Leacher, careful to prevent
The Confequence, foreseeing her Defcent,
Transforms his Miftrefs in a trice and now
In lo's place appears a lovely Cow.

So fleek her Skin, fo faultlefs was her Make,
E'en Juno did unwilling Pleasure take
To fee fo fair a Rival of her Love;

And what she was, and whence, enquir'd of Jove:
Of what fair Herd, and from what Pedigree ?
The God, half caught, was forc'd upon a Lye;
And faid fhe fprung from Earth. She took the Word,
And begg'd the beauteous Heifer of her Lord.
What shou'd he do? 'twas equal shame to Jove.
Or to relinquish, or betray his Love :

Yet to refuse so flight a Gift, wou'd be
But more t'increase his Confort's Jealousy :
Thus Fear, and Love, by turns, his Heart affail'd;
And stronger Love had fure, at length, prevail'd :
But fome faint Hope remain'd, his jealous Queen
Had not the Mistress through the Heifer feen.

The cautious Goddess, of her Gift poffeft,
Yet harbour'd anxious thoughts within her Breaft;
As the who knew the Falfhood of her Jove,
And juftly fear'd fome new Relapse of Love.
Which to prevent, and to secure her Care,
Te trufty Argus fhe commits the Fair.

The head of Argus (as with Stars the Skies) Was compafs'd round, and wore an hundred Eyes. But two by turns their Lids in Slumber steep; The reft on duty ftill their Station keep; Nor cou'd the total Conftellation sleep. Thus, ever prefent, to his Eyes, and Mind, His Charge was still before him, tho' behind. In Fields he fuffer'd her to feed by Day; But, when the setting Sun to Night gave way,, The Captive Cow he fummon'd with a Call, And drove her back, and ty'd her to the Stall. On Leaves of Trees, and bitter Herbs fhe fed, Heav'n was her Canopy, bare Earth her Bed; So hardly lodg'd: and to digeft her Food, She drank from troubled Streams, defil'd with Mud.. Her woeful Story fain she wou'd have told, With Hands upheld, but had no Hands to hold. Her Head to her ungentle Keeper bow'd, She ftrove to speak; she spoke not, but she low'd: Affrighted with the Noife, fhe look'd around, And feem'd t'inquire the Author of the Sound.

Once on the Banks where often she had play'd, (Her Father's Banks) fhe came, and there furvey'd Her alter'd Vifage, and her branching Head; And starting from her felf fhe wou'd have fled. Her fellow Nymphs, familiar to her Eyes, Beheld, but knew her not in this Disguise...

}

E'en Inachus himself was ignorant ;

And in his Daughter did his Daughter want.
She follow'd where her Fellows went, as fhe
Were ftill a Partner of the Company:

They stroke her Neck; the gentle Heifer stands,
And her Neck offers to their ftroking Hands.
Her Father gave her Grass; the Grass she took ;
And lick'd his Palms, and caft a piteous Look;
And in the Language of her Eyes the spoke.
She wou'd have told her Name, and afk'd Relief,
But, wanting Words, in Tears fhe tells her Grief:
Which, with her Foot, she makes him understand ;
And prints the name of Io in the Sand.

Ah wretched me! her mournful Father cry'd;
She, with a Sigh, to wretched me reply'd :
About her Milk-white Neck his Arms he threw ;
And wept, and then these tender Words enfue.
And art thou she, whom I have fought around
The World, and have at length so sadly found?
So found, is worse than loft: with mutual Words
Thou answer'ft not, no Voice thy Tongue affords :
But Sighs are deeply drawn from out thy Breaft
And Speech deny'd by Lowing is express'd.
Unknowing, I prepar'd thy Bridal Bed;
With empty Hopes of happy Iffue fed.
But now the Hufband of a Herd must be
Thy Mate, and bell'wing Sons thy Progeny.
Oh, were I mortal, Death might bring Relief:
But now my Godhead but extends my Grief;
Prolongs my Woes, of which no End I see,
And makes me curfe my Immortality.
More had he said, but, fearful of her Stay,
The Starry Guardian drove his Charge away,

To fome fresh Pasture; on a hilly Height
He fat himself, and kept her still in fight.

The Eyes of ARGUS Transform'd into a Peacock's Train.

Now Jove no longer cou'd her Suff'rings bear ;-
But call'd in hafte his airy Meffenger,
The Son of Maia, with fevere decree
To kill the Keeper, and to fet her free.
With all his Harness foon the God was fped ;
His flying Hat was faftned on his Head;
Wings on his Heels were hung, and in his Hand
He holds the Virtue of the Snaky Wand:
The liquid Air his moving Pinions wound,
And, in the moment, fhoot him on the Ground:
Before he came in fight, the crafty God
His Wings dismiss'd, but still retain'd his Rod:
That Sleep-procuring Wand wife Hermes took,
But made it seem to fight a Shepherd's Hook.
With this he did a Herd of Goats controul;
Which by the way he met, and flily ftole.
Clad like a Country Swain, he Pip'd, and Sung
And playing drove his jolly Troop along.

With pleasure Argus the Musician heeds;
But wonders much at those new vocal Reeds.
And, whofoe'er thou art, my Friend, faid he,
Up hither drive thy Goats, and play by me :
This Hill has Brouze for them, and Shade for thee.
The God, who was with ease induc'd to climb,
Began Discourse to pass away the Time;
And ftill betwixt his tuneful Pipe he plies;
And watch'd his Hour, to close the Keeper's Eyes.

With much ado, he partly kept awake;
Not fuff'ring all his Eyes Repose to take:
And afk'd the Stranger, who did Reeds invent,
And whence began so rare an Inftrument. ?

The Transformation of SYRINX into Reeds.

Then Hermes thus ; A Nymph of late there was,
Whofe Heav'nly Form her Fellows did furpafs.
The Pride and Joy of fair Arcadia's Plains;
Belov'd by Deities, ador'd by. Swains:
Syrinx her Name, by Sylvans oft purfu'd,
As oft fhe did the Luftful Gods delude:

The Rural, and the Woodland Pow'rs difdain'd ;-
With Cynthia hunted, and her Rites maintain'd :
Like Phabe clad, e'en Phabe's self she seems,
So Tall, fo Straight, fuch well-proportion'd Limbs :
The niceft Eye did no Distinction know,
But that the Goddess bore a Golden Bow:
Diftinguish'd thus, the Sight fhe cheated too.
Defcending from Lyceus, Pan admires

The matchlefs Nymph, and burns with new Defires.
A Crown of Pine upon his Head he wore;
And thus began her Pity to implore.
But ere he thus began, fhe took her flight.
So fwift, fhe was already out of fight..
Nor ftay'd to hear the Courtship of the God;:
But bent her courfe to Ladon's gentle Flood:
There by the River stopt, and tir'd before,
Relief from Water-Nymphs her Pray'rs implore.
Now while the Luftful God, with speedy pace,
Just thought to ftrain her in a ftrict Embrace,
He fills his Arms with Reeds, new rifing on the Place.

}

And