The latent parts, at length reveal'd, began
To fhoot, and spread, and burnish into man.
The maid becomes a youth; no more delay
Your vows, but look, and confidently pay.
Their gifts the parents to the temple bear:
The votive tables this infcription wear :
Iphis, the man, has to the Goddess paid
The vows, that Iphis offer'd when a maid.

Now when the star of day had shewn his face,
Venus and Juno with their prefence grace
The nuptial rites, and Hymen from above
Defcended to complete their happy love;

The Gods of marriage lend their mutual aid;
And the warm youth enjoys the lovely maid.

PYG

PYGMALION and the STATUE.

From the TENTH BOOK of

OVID's METAMORPHOSES.

The Propatides, for their impudent behaviour, being turned into fone by Venus, Pygmalion, prince of Cyprus, detefted all women for their fake, and refolved never to marry. He falls in love with a ftatue of his orn making, which is changed into a maid, whom he marries. One of his defcendants is Cinyras, the father of Myrrha: the daughter incestuously loves her own father; for which he is changed into a tree which bears her name. Thefe two ftories immediately follow each other, and are admirably well connected.

Ygmalion, loathing their lafcivious life,

Abhorr'd all womankind, but most a wife :
So fingle chofe to live, and fhunn'd to wed,
Well pleas'd to want a confort of his bed:
Yet, fearing idlenefs, the nurfe of ill,
In fculpture exercis'd his happy skill;
And carv'd in ivory fuch a maid, so fair,
As nature could not with his art compare,
Were the to work; but, in her own defence,
Must take her pattern here, and copy hence.

Pleas'd

Pleas'd with his idol, he commend, admires,
Adores; and laft, the thing ador'd detres.

A very virgin in her fice was feen,

And, had she mov’d, a living maid had been ;

One would have thought he could have firr'd; but ftrove

With modefty, and was afham'd to move.

Art, hid with art, fo well perform'd the cheat,
It caught the carver with his own deceit ;
He knows 'tis madness, yet he must adore,
And fill the more he knows it, loves the more:
The flesh, or what fo feems, he touches oft,
Which feels fo fmooth, that he believes it foft.
Fir'd with this thought, at once he ftrain'd the breast,
And on the lips a burning kifs imprefs'd.

'Tis true, the harden'd breaft refifts the gripe,
And the cold lips return a kifs unripe:
But when retiring back, he look'd again,
To think it ivory was a thought too mean;
So would believe the kifs'd, and courting more,
Again embrac'd her naked body o'er;

And ftraining hard the statue, was afraid
His hands had made a dint, and hurt the maid:
Explor'd her, limb by limb, and fear'd to find
So rude a gripe had left a livid mark behind :
With flattery now he feek her mind to move,
And now with gifts, the powerful bribes of love :
He furnishes her clofet firft; and fills

The crowded fhelves with rarities of thells;

VOL. IV.

D

Adds

Adds orient pearls, which from the conchs he drew
And all the sparkling stones of various hue:
And parrots, imitating human tongue,
And finging-birds in filver cages hung;
And every fragrant flower, and odorous green,
Were forted well, with lumps of amber laid between :
Rich, fashionable robes her perfon deck,

Pendents her ears, and pearls adorn her neck :

Her taper'd fingers too with rings are grac'd,
And an embroider'd zone surrounds her flender waste.
Thus like a queen array'd, fo richly dress'd,
Beauteous fhe fhew'd, but naked fhew'd the best.
Then from the floor he rais'd a royal bed,
With coverings of Sidonian purple spread :
The folemn rites perform'd, he calls her bride,
With blandifhments invites her to his fide,
And as he were with vital fenfe poffefs'd,
Her head did on a plumy pillow rest.

The feaft of Venus came, a folemn day,
To which the Cypriots due devotion pay;
With gilded horns the milk-white heifers led,
Slaughter'd before the facred altars, bled:
Pygmalion offering, first approach'd the shrine,
And then with prayers implor'd the powers divine:
Almighty Gods, if all we mortals want,

If all we can require, be yours to grant ;

Make this fair ftatue mine, he would have faid,
But chang'd his words for fhame, and only pray'd,
Give me the likeness of my ivory maid.

}

The

The golden Goddess, prefent at the prayer,
Well knew he meant th' inanimated fair,
And gave the fign of granting his desire;
For thrice in chearful flames afcends the fire..
The youth, returning to his mistress, hies,
And impudent in hope, with ardent eyes,
And beating breast, by the dear statue lies.
He kiffes her white lips, renews the bliss,
And looks and thinks they redden at the kiss :
He thought them warm'd before; nor longer stays,
But next his hand on her hard bosom lays :
Hard as it was, beginning to relent,

It feem'd the breast beneath his fingers bent;

He felt again, his fingers made a print,

'Twas flesh, but flesh so firm, it rose against the dint.

The pleafing task he fails not to renew ;

Soft, and more foft at every touch it grew :

Like pliant wax, when chafing hands reduce
The former mafs to form, and frame to use.
He would believe, but yet is ftill in pain,
And tries his argument of fenfe again,
Preffes the pulfe, and feels the leaping vein,
Convinc'd, o'erjoy'd, his studied thanks and praise,
To her who made the miracle, he pays:

Then lips to lips he join'd; now freed from fear,

He found the favour of the kifs fincere :

At this the waken'd image op'd her eyes,

And view'd at once the light and lover, with furprize. The Goddess, prefent at the match she made,

So blefs'd the bed, fuch fruitfulness convey'd,