No knotty limbs the taper body bears;
Hung on each bough a single leaf appears,
Which, fhrivel'd in its infancy, remains

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Like a clos'd fan, nor ftretches wide its veins,

But, as the seasons in their circle run,
Opes its ribb'd furface to the nearer fun :
Beneath this shade the weary peafant lies,

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Plucks the broad leaf, and bids the breezes rife.

Stay, wandering Mufe! nor rove in foreign climes; To thy own native fhore confine thy rhymes. Affift, ye Nine, your loftieft notes employ ; Say what celestial skill contriv'd the toy; Say how this inftrument of Love began, And in immortal ftrains difplay the Fan.

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Strephon had long confefs'd his amorous pain; Which gay Corinna rallied with difdain : Sometimes in broken words he figh'd his care, Look'd pale, and trembled when he view'd the fair; With bolder freedoms now the youth advanc'd,

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He drefs'd, he laugh'd, he fung, he rhym'd, he danc'd;
Now call'd more powerful prefents to his aid,
And, to feduce the mistress, brib'd the maid;
Smooth flattery in her fofter hours apply'd,
The fureft charm to bend the force of pride:
But ftill unmov'd remains the fcornful dame,
Infults her captive, and derides his flame.
When Strephon faw his vows difpers'd in air,
He fought in folitude to lose his care;
Relief in folitude he fought in vain,

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It ferv'd, like mufick, but to feed his pain.

To

To Venus now the flighted boy complains,
And calls the Goddess in thefe tender ftrains :

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O potent Queen! from Neptune's empire sprung,
Whose glorious birth admiring Nereids fung,
Who 'midft the fragrant plains of Cyprus rove,
Whose radiant presence gilds the Paphian grove,
Where to thy name a thousand altars rife,
And curling clouds of incenfe hide the skies:
O beauteous Goddefs! teach me how to move,
Inspire my tongue with eloquence of love!
If loft Adonis e'er thy bofom warm'd,
If e'er his eyes or godlike figure charm'd,
Think on those hours when first you felt the dart,
Think on the restless fever of thy heart;

Think how you pine in absence of the swain:
By thofe uneafy minutes know my pain.
Ev'n while Cydippe to Diana bows,

And at her shrine renews her virgin vows,

The lover, taught by thee, her pride o'ercame ;
She reads his oaths, and feels an equal flame.

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Oh, may my flame, like thine, Acontius, prove! 75
May Venus dictate, and reward my love!
When crowds of fuitors Atalanta try'd,
She wealth and beauty, wit and fame defy'd;
Each daring lover with adventurous pace
Pursued his wishes in the dangerous race;
Like the fwift hind, the bounding damfel flies,
Strains to the goal, the distanc'd lover dies.
Hippomenes, O Venus! was thy care,

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You taught the fwain to stay the flying fair;

Thy golden prefent caught the virgin's eyes;
She stoops; he rushes on, and gains the prize.
Say, Cyprian Deity, what gift, what art,
Shall humble into love Corinna's heart?
If only fome bright toy can charm her fight,
Teach me what prefent may fufpend her flight.
Thus the defponding youth his flame declares :
The Goddess with a nod his paffion hears.
Far in Cythera ftands a fpacious grove,

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Sacred to Venus and the God of Love:
Here the luxuriant myrtle rears her head,
Like the tall oak the fragrant branches spread;
Here Nature all her fweets profufely pours,

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And paints th' enamel'd ground with various flowers;
Deep in the gloomy glade a grotto bends,
Wide through the craggy rock an arch extends,
The rugged ftone is cloth'd with mantling vines,
And round the cave the creeping woodbine twines.
Here bufy Cupids, with pernicious art,

Form the stiff bow, and forge the fatal dart;

All share the toil; while fome the bellows ply, 105
Others with feathers teach the fhafts to fly:

Some with joint force whirl round the ftony wheel,
Where streams the sparkling fire from temper'd steel;
Some point their arrows with the niceft fkill,
And with the warlike ftore their quivers fill. IIO
A different toil another forge employs :
Here the loud hammer fashions female toys;
Hence is the fair with ornament fupply'd;
Hence fpring the glittering implements of pride;

Each

Each trinket that adorns the modern dame
First to thefe little artifts ow'd its frame :
Here an unfinish'd diamond crosslet lay,
To which foft lovers adoration pay;
There was the polifh'd crystal bottle feen,

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That with quick scents revives the modifh fpleen; 120
Here the yet rude unjointed fnuff-box lies,
Which ferves the rally'd fop for smart replies;
There piles of paper rose in gilded reams,

The future records of the lover's flames;

Here clouded canes 'midft heaps of toys are found, 125
And inlaid tweezer-cases ftrow the ground;
There ftands the toilette, nursery of charms,
Completely furnish'd with bright Beauty's arms;
The patch, the powder-box, pulville, perfumes,
Pins, paint, a flattering glass, and black-lead combs. 130
The toilfome hours in different labour flide,
Some work the file, and fome the graver guide;
From the loud anvil the quick blow rebounds,
And their rais'd arms defcend in tuneful founds.
Thus when Semiramis, in ancient days,
Bade Babylon her mighty bulwarks raise,
A fwarm of labourers different tasks attend:
Here pullies make the ponderous oak afcend;
With echoing ftrokes the craggy quarry groans,
While there the chiffel forms the shapeless ftones; 140
The weighty mallet deals refounding blows,
Till the proud battlements her towers enclose.
Now Venus mounts her car, fhe shakes the reins,

And steers her turtles to Cythera's plains;

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While thus the Goddefs fpoke her mild commands: 150
Industrious Loves! your prefent toils forbear;
A more important task demands your care:
Long has the scheme employ'd my thoughtful mind,
By judgment ripen'd, and by time refin'd.

That glorious bird have ye not often seen,
Who draws the car of the celeftial Queen?
Have ye not oft' furvey'd his varying dyes,
His tail all gilded o'er with Argus' eyes?
Have ye not feen him in a funny day.
Unfurl his plumes, and all his pride display;
Then fuddenly contract his dazzling train,
And with long-trailing feathers fweep the plain?
Learn from this hint, let this inftruct
your art;
Thin taper fticks muft from one centre part:
Let these into the quadrant's form divide,
The spreading ribs with fnowy paper hide;
Here shall the pencil bid its colours flow,
And make a miniature creation grow.
Let the machine in equal foldings clofe,
And now its plaited furface wide difpofe.
So fhall the fair her idle hand employ,
And grace each motion with the reftlefs toy;
With various play bid grateful zephyrs rife,
While Love in every grateful zephyr flies.

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