Cowley.

And then a pretty Thomafine,
And then an other Catherine,

And then a long Et caetera.

But fhould I now to you relate
The ftrength and riches of their ftate,
The powder, patches, and the pins,
The ribbands, jewels, and the rings,
The lace, the paint, and warlike things,
That make up all their magazines;

If I fhould tell the politick arts
To take and keep men's hearts,

The letters, embaffies and fpies,
The frowns, and fmiles, and Aatteries,
The quarrels, tears and perjuries,
Numberless, nameless myfteries!

And all the little lime - twigs laid
By Machavil the waiting - maid;

I more voluminous fhould grow
(Chiefly if I like them fhould tell
All change of weathers that befel)
Than Holingfhead or Stow *).

But I will briefer with them be,
Since few of them were long with me.
An higher and a nobler ftrain
My prefent Emperefs does claim,
Heleonora, firft o' th' name;

Whom God grant long to reign!

*) Two English Chronicle - Writers,

Dry

Dryden.

Pope sagte mit Recht, daß sich aus Dryden's Wers ken beffere Beispiele jeder Dichtungsart, als aus irgend eiz nem andern englischen Dichter, sammeln ließen. Man kennt seine Stärke in der höhern Ode aus dem Alexan dersfeste, und dem schönen Gedichte auf den Tod der Mrs. Rillegrew; ihm glückte aber auch der leichtere lyrische Gesang, wie schon folgende kleine Probe beweist.

S 0 N G.

Dryden.

On a bank, befide a willow,

Heaven her covering, earth her pillow,
Sad AMINTA fight alone;

From the cheerleis dawn of morning.
Till the dews of night returning,
Singing, thus the made her moan:
Hope is banish'd

Joys are vanish'd,

Damon, my belov'd is gone!

Time, I dare thee to discover
Such a youth, and fuch a lover,

Oh! fo true, fo kind was he!
Damon was the pride of nature,
Charming in his every feature,
Damon liv'd alone for me.
Melting kiffes,
Murmuring bliffes,.

Who fo liv'd and lov'd as we?

Never fhall we curfe the morning,
Never blefs the night returning,
Sweet embraces to restore;
Never fhall we both lie dying,
Nature failing, love supplying

All

Dryden. Waller.

All the joys he drain'd before:
Death, come, end me
To befriend me!

Love and Damon are no more!

Waller.

In der didaktischen Poesie, und überall in größern Arbeiten, war er nicht so glücklich, als in der leichtern, tån- delnden Gattung; und hier hat er, wie Dr. Johnson bemerkt, unter mehrern Verdiensten auch das, minder hyperbolisch zu seyn, als die meisten Sänger der Liebe. „Waller, sagt er, liegt nicht immer in leßten Zügen; er stirbt nicht an einem zürnenden Blick; er lebt nicht von ei nem Lächeln.“

TO AMORET.

AMORET, the milky way,

Fram'd of many namelefs ftars,
The finooth ftream, where none can fay,
He this drop to that prefers!

Amoret, my lovely foe!

Tell me where thy ftrength does lie?
Where the pow'r that charms us fo?
In thy foul, or in thy eye?

By that fnowy neck alone,

Or thy grace in motion feen,
No fuch wonders could be done;
Yet thy waift is ftraight and clean,
As Cupid's fhaft, or Hermes' rod,
And pow'rful too, as either God.

SONG.

Lord Lands down.

George Granville, nachmals Lord Landsdown, geb. ́ums J. 1667, gest. 1735, ein Freund und Nachahmer Waller's, von dem er, nach meinem Gefühl, doch nicht, wie Dr. Johnson behauptet, nur die Fehler, sondern auch manche unverkennbare Schönheiten kopirte, den er in feinen Liedern nicht selten an Eleganz und Leichtigkeit noch übertraf. Der Leser entscheide, ob es gerecht sey, wenn jener Kunstrichter besonders seine Verse an Mira meistens schwach und ohne Gefühl, øder gezwungen und übertrieben findet.

TO MIRA.

રા

Prepar'd to rail, refolv'd to part,
When I approach, the perjur'd maid
What is it awes my timorous heart?
Why is my tongue afraid?

With the leaft glance a little kind

Such wond'rous power have MIRA's charms,
She calms my doubts, enflaves my mind,
And all my rage difarms.

Forgetful of her broken vows

When gazing on that form divine,

Her injur d vafal trembling bows,
Nor dares her flave repine.

TO MIRA.

Thoughtful nights and restless waking,

Oh the pains that we endure!

Broken faith, unkind forfaking,
Ever doubting, never fure.

Hopes