Ne'er had my pcn, by struggling paffions prov'd,
How weak I reason, and how madly lov'd.
Left wand'ring eyes perufe my written shame,
And babbling tongues declare the finner's name,
Beware, Alcanor; for the world must own,
I only lov'd, but never finn'd alone.

When honeft wine fhall ask the blufhing truth,
Let prudence feal the candid lip of youth;
Oh let me drop from off this guilty stage,
By youth unfought for, and unmourn'd by age.
When midnight veils the guilty blush of woe
And heav'n itself seems hid from fin below,
Oft did the form of Suicide appear,
With all her curfed remedies for care;
But heav'n reviv'd its fading grace, to fave
The struggling finner from the guilty grave.
Anticipation, with prophetic fear,
Whispers encrease of sorrow in my ear-
Should't thou thy Claudia, 'midft those wret-
ches trace,

(Those wand'ring monuments of man's difgrace) Prefs'd by the mad despair of fquander'd fame, Buying existence with increase of shame,

How could'st thou lift an eye of hope to heav'n,
Or truft Alcanor, e'er to be forgiv'n?
For I am doom'd their wretched pangs to share,
Who once, like me, were innocent and fair.

Is man our fex's standard of defence,
Or does feduction prove superior sense?
Does weaker reason hold the female mind,
To make us bow obedient to mankind?
Beauty, beware, for since thy reign began,
The greatest enemy thou haft—is man.
Yet, dear Alcanor !-but no more of love-
Oh let my mind fome nobler duty prove!
Let refignation fuit my foul to fate,
And penance form it for a future state:
Let me, to wash these hated ftains away,
Welcome repentance with each rifing day:
And thus prepar'd, may that immortal rest,
Which no fad mem'ry, no vain fears molest,
Shelter a faint within its bright abode,
In mifery, a convert to her God *.

* O grace ferene! oh virtue heav'nly fair!
Divine oblivion of low-thoughted care!
Frefh-blooming hope, gay daughter of the sky!
And faith, our early immortality!

Enter, each mild, each amicable guest ;

Receive, and wrap me in eternal rest.

NUMBER XXXIII.

Though bloffoms ev'ry year the trees adorn,
Spring after fpring I wither, nipt with fcorn;
Nor trow I when this bitter blast will end,
Or if yon ftars will e'er my vows befriend.

STORY OF A FAINT-HEARTED LOVER.

Written by himself.

I do not doubt but

your readers

every one of will be able to judge of my cafe, as, without question, every one of them either has been, or is at present, as much in love as your humble fervant. You must know, Sir, I am the very Mr. Faint-heart described in the proverb, who never won fair lady for though I have paid my addreffes to feveral of the fex, I have gone about it in fo meek and pitiful a manner, that it might fairly be a question, whether I was in earnest. One of my Dulcineas was taken, as we catch mackerel, by a bit of scarlet; another was feduced from me by a fuit of embroidery; and another furrendered, at the first attack, to the long sword of an Irishman. My B b

prefent fuit and fervice is paid to a certain lady who is as fearful of receiving any tokens of my affection as I am of offering them. I am only permitted to admire her at a distance; an ogle or a leer are all the advances I dare make; if I move but a finger it puts her all in a fweat; and, like the fenfitive plant, fhe would shrink and die away at a touch. During our long courtship I never offered to falute her but once; and then she made such a wriggling with her body, fuch a struggling with her arms, and fuch a toffing and twirling of her head to and fro, that, instead of touching her lips, I was nearly in danger of carrying off the tip of her nofe. I even dared at another time to take her round the waift; but the bounced awayfrom me, and screamed out as if I had actually been going to commit a rape upon her. I alfo once plucked up courage fufficient to attempt fqueezing her by the hand, but she refifted my attack by so close a clench of her fist, that my grafp was prefented with nothing but fharppointed knuckles, and a long thumb-nail; and I was directly after faluted with a violent ftroke on my jaw-bone. If I walk out with her, I use all my endeavours to keep close at her fide; but the whisks away from me as though I had fome catching diftemper about

me: if there are but three of us, the eludes my design by skipping fometimes on one fide and sometimes on t' other as I approach her; but when there are more of us in company; she takes care to be sheltered from me by pla-cing herself the very midmoft of the rank. If we ride in a coach together, I am not only debarred from fitting on the same fide, but I must be feated on the furthermoft corner of the feat oppofite to her, that our knees may not meet. We are as much at a distance from one another at dinner, as if we were really man and wife, whom cuftom has directed to be kept asunder the whole length of the table; and when we drink tea, fhe would fooner run the risk of having the contents split over her, than take the cup and faucer from me any nearer than at both our arms length. If I mention a fyllable that in the leaft borders upon love, fhe immediately reddens at it as much as if I had let dropt a loose or indelicate. expreffion; and when I defire to have a little. private conversation with her, she wonders at my impudence, to think that she could truft herself with a man alone. In fhort, Sir, I begin to despair of ever coming to close contact with her: but what is ftill more provoking, though the keeps me at fo refpectable a dif