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WHEN fpring came on with fresh delight,
To cheer the foul, and charm the fight,
While eafy breezes, foster rain,
And warmer funs, falute the plain;
'Twas ther, in yonder piny grove,
That nature went to meet with love.

Green was her robe, and green her wreath,
Where'er fhe trod, 'twas green beneath;
Where'er the turn'd, the pulfes beat
With new recruits of genial heat;
And in her train the birds appear,
To match for all the coming year.
Rais'd on a bank where daifies grew,
And violets intermix'd a blue,
She finds the boy fhe went to find;
A thousand pleafures wait behind,
Afide, a thoufand arrows lie,
But all unfeather'd, wait to fly.

When they met, the dame and boy,
Dancing graces, idle joy,
Wanton fmiles, and airy play
Confpir'd to make the fcere be gay:

Love pair'd the birds through all the grove,
And nature bid them fing to love,
Sitting, hopping, fluttering, fing,
And pay their tribute from the wing,
To fledge the fhafts that idly lie,
And yet unfeather'd wait to fly.

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'Tis thus when fpring renews the blood, They meet in every trembling wood, And thrice they make the plumies agree, And every dart they mount with three, And every dart can boast a kind, Which fuits each proper turn of mind. From the towering eagle's plume The generous hearts accept their doom; Shot by the peacock's painted eye, 'The vain and airy lovers die : For careful dames and frugal men, The fhafts are fpeckled by the hen. The pyes and parrots deck the darts, When prattling wins the panting hearts; When from the voice the paffions spring, The warbling finch affords a wing: Together, by the fparrow ftung, Down fall the wanton and the young:

And fledg'd by geefe the weapons fly,
When others love they know not why.

All this (as late 1 chanc'd to rove)
I learn'd in yonder waving grove,
And fee, fays love, who call'd me near,
How much I deal with nature here;
How both support a proper part,
She gives the feather, I the dart:
Then cease for fouls averfe to figh,
If nature cross you, fo do I;

My weapon there unfeather'd flies,
And shakes and fhuffles through the skies.
But if the mutual charms I find

By which the links you mind to mind,
They wing my fhafts, I poize the darts,
And ftrike from both, through both your hearts,

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kd fing ye, how they drank like gods, And how they fought like men.

To part the fray, the graces fly,

Who make them foon agree: Nay, had the furies felves been nigh, They ftill were three to three.

Bacchus appeas'd, rais'd Cupid up,

And gave him back his bow; But kept fome darts to ftir the cup, Where fack and fugar flow.

Jocus took Comus' rofy crown,

And gayly wore the prize,

And thrice, in mirth, he pufh'd him down, As thrice he ftrove to rife.

Then Cupid fought the myrtle grove,
Where Venus did recline;

And Venus close embracing love,
They join'd to rail at wine.

And Comus loudly curfing wit,

Roll'd off to fome retreat;

Where boon companions gravely fit
In fat unwieldy itate.

Bacchus and Jocus ftill behind,

For one fresh glass prepare; They kifs, and are exceeding kind, And vow to be fincere.

But part in time, whoever hear

This our inftructive fong;

For though fuch friendships may be dear, They can't continue long.

A FAIRY TALE.

IN THE ANCIENT ENGLISH STYLE.

IN Britain's ifle, and Arthur's days,
When midnight fairies daunc'd the maze,
Liv'd Edwin of the Green;
Edwin, I wis, a gentle youth,
Endow'd with courage, fenle, and truth,

Though badly fhap'd he'd been.

His mountain back mote well be faid,}
To measure height against his head,
And lift itself above;
Yet, fpite of all that Nature did
To make his uncouth form forbid,
This creature dar'd to love.

He felt the charms of Edith's eyes, Nor wanted hope to gain the prize, Could ladies look within; But one Sir Topaz drcfs'd with art, And, if a fhape could win a heart, He had a shape to win.

Edwin, if right I read my fong,
With flighted paffion pac'd along
All in the moony light;

'Twas near an old enchanted court,
Where sportive fairies made refort
To revel out the night

His heart was drear, his hope was cross'd, 'T'was late, 'twas far, the path was lost

That reach'd the neighbour town; With weary steps he quits the fhades, Resolv'd, the darkling dome he treads, And drops his limbs adown.

But fcant he lays him on the floor,
When hollow winds remove the door,
And trembling rocks the ground:
And, well I ween to count aright,
At once a hundred tapers light

On all the walls around.

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Virtue can gain the odds of fate, And from felf fhake off the weight "Upon th' unworthy mind."

THE VIGIL OF VENUS.

Written in the time of Julius Cafar, and ly
fome afcribed to Catullus.

LET thofe love BOTU, auho never lov'd before ;.
Let those who always los'd, now love the more.

The fpring, the new, the warbling fpring ap

pears,

The youthful feafon of reviving years;
In fpring the loves enkindie mutual heats,
The feather'd nation choofe their tuneful mates,
The trees grow fruitful with defcending rain,
And drest in differing greens adorn the plain.
She comes; to-morrow Beauty's emprefs roves
Through walks that winding run within the
groves;

She twines the fhooting myrtle into bowers,
And ties their mecting tops with wreaths of
flowers,

Then, rais'd fublimely on her easy throne,
From Nature's powerful dictates draws her own,
Let thofe now love, who never lov'd before ;
Let those who always lov'd, now love the more.

'Twas on that day which faw the teeming flood
Swell round, impregnate with celestial blood;
Wandering in circles ftood the finny crew,
The midit was left a void expanfe of blue,
There parent ocean work'd with heaving throes,
And dropping wet the fair Dione rofe.

Let thoje love now, who never lov'd beĵure ; Let those who always lov'd, now love the mare.

She paints the purple year with vary'd fhow,
Tips the green gem, and makes the bleifom glow.
and makes the bluffom glow.
She makes the turgid buds receive the breeze,
Expand to leaves, and fhade the naked trees.
When gathering damps the mifty nights diffuse,
She fprinkles all the morn with balmy dews;
Bright trembling pearls depend at every (pray,
And, kept from falling, feem to fail away.
A gloffy freshness hence the rose receives,
And blushes fweet through all her filken leaves
(The drops defcending through the filent night,
While ftars fercndly roll their golden light):
Clofe till the morn, her humid veil fhe holds ;
Then deckt with virgin pomp the flower unfolds.
Soon will the morning bluth: ye maids! prepare,
In rofy garlands bind your flowing hair;
'Tis Venus' plant: the blood fair Venus fhed,
O'er the gay beauty pour'd immortal red;
From love's foft kils a iweet ambrofial finell
Was taught for ever on the leaves to dwell;
From gems, from flames, from orient rays of
light,

The righeft luftre makes her purple bright;
And the to-morrow weds; the sporting gale
Unties her zone, fhe burfts the verdant veil;
Through all her fweets the rifling lover flics,
And as he breathes, her glowing fires arife.

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Let thofe now love, who never lov'd before ; Let those who always lov’d, now love the more.

Now fair Dione to the myrtle grove Sends the gay nymphs, and fends her tender love. And fhall they venture? Is it fafe to go, While nymphs have hearts, and Cupid wears a bow? Yes, fafely venture, 'tis his mother's will; He walks unarm'd, and undefigning ill, His torch extinct, his quiver useless hung, His arrows idle, and his bow unftrung. And yet, ye nymphs, beware, his eyes have charms; And love that's naked, fill is love in arms.

Let shofe love nor', who never lov'd before; Let those ruho always lov'd, now love the more.

From Venus' bower to Delia's lodge repairs A virgin train, complete with modeft airs: "Chafte Delia, grant our fuit! or fhun the wood, "Nor ftain this facred lawn with favage blood. "Venus, O Delia! if she could perfuade, "Would afk thy prefence, might fee afk a maid." Here cheerful quires for three aufpicious nights With fungs prolong the pleasurable rites: Here crowds in meafure lightly-decent rove; Or feek by pairs the covert of the grove, Where meeting greens for arbours arch above, And mingling flow'rets frow the fcenes of love. Here dancing Ceres fhakes her golden fheaves; Here Bacchus revels, deck'd with viry leaves: Here Wit's enchanting god, in laurel crown'd, Wakes all the ravifh'd hours with fiver found. Ye fields, ye forests, own Diane's reign, And Delia, hurtrefs Delia, fhun the plain.

Let thofe love now, zubo never lov'd before; Lei those who always lov`d, vore love the more.

Gay with the bloom of all her opening year, The Queen at Hybla bids her throne appear: And there prefides; and there the favourite band (Her fmding graces) fhare the great command. Now, beauteous Hybla! drefs thy flowery beds With all the pride the lavish featon fheds; Now all thy colours, all thy fragrance yield, And rival Enna's aromatic field.

"hearts:

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To fill the prefence of the gentle court,
From every quarter rural nymphs refort, [valer,
From woods, from mountains, from their humble
From waters curling with the wanton gales.
Pleas'd with the joyful train, the laughing queen
In circles feats them round the bank of green;
And, «
Lovely girls, fhe whifpers, guaid your
[arts:
"My boy, though ftript of arms, abounds in
Let those love noço, zebo never lov'd before ;
Let thofe who always lov'd, nore love the mare,
Let tender grafs in fhaded alleys fpread,
Let early flowers crect their painted head,
To-morrow's glory be to-morrow feen,
That day, old Ether wedded Earth in green,
The vernal father bid the fpring appear,
In clouds he coupled to produce the year,
The fap defcending o'er her bofom ran,
And all the various forts of foul began.
By wheels unknown to fight, by fecret veins
Diftilling life, the fruitful goddefs reigns,
Through all the lovely realms of native day,
Through all the circled land, and circling tea 2

1

With fertile feed the fill'd the pervious earth,
And ever fix'd the myftic ways of birth.

Let thofe love now, who never lov'd before;
Let thofe zubo always lov'd, now love the more.

'Twas the the parent to the Latian shore 'Through various dangers Troy's remainder bore. She won Lavinia for her warlike fon, And, winning her, the Latian empire won. She gave to Mars the maid, whose honour'd womb Swell'd with the founder of immortal Rome. Decoy'd by shows, the Sabine dames fhe led, And taught our vigorous youth the way to wed. Hence fprung the Romans, hence the race divine Through which great Cæfar draws his Julian line.

Let thofe love now, who never lov'd before ; Let those who always lav'd, now love the more.

In rural feats the foul of pleasure reigns; 'The life of beauty fills the rural scenes; Ev'n love (if fame the truth of love declare) Drew first the breathings of a rural air. Some pleasing meadow pregnant beauty preft, She laid her infant on its flowery breast, From Nature's fweets he fipp'd the fragrant dew, He fmil'd, he kifs'd them, and by kifling grew.

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Let thofe love now, who never lov'd before;

Let those who always lov'd, now love the more.

Now bulls o'er ftalks of broom extend their
fides,

Secure of favours from their lowing brides.
Now ftately rams their fleecy conforts lead,
Who bleating follow through the wandering fhade.
And now the goddefs hids the birds appear,
Raife all the mufic, and falute the year:
Then deep the fwan begins, and deep the fong
Runs o'er the water where he fails along:
While Philomela turns a treble strain,
And from the poplar charins the liftening plain,
We fancy love expreft at every note,
It melts, it warbles, in her liquid throat.
Of barbarous Tereus the complains no more,
But fings for pleasure, as for grief before.
And fill her grace's rife, her airs extend,
And all is filence till the Syren end.

How long in coming is my lovely Spring!
And when shall 1, and when the fwallow fing?
Sweet Philomela, cease :—Or here I fit,
And filent lose my rapturous hour of wit:
'Tis gone, the fit retires, the flames decay,
My tuneful Phoebus flies averfe away.
His own Amycle thus, as ftories run,
But once was silent, and that once undone.

Let thofe love now, whs never lov'd before ; Let those who always lov'd, now love the more.

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