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The DECISION.

BALLAD III.

I.

Y Florio, wildest of his fex,

M (Who fure the verieft faint wou'd vex)

From beauty roves to beauty;

Yet, tho' abroad the wanton roam,
Whene'er he deigns to stay at home,
He always minds his duty.

II.

Something to every charming she,
In thoughtless prodigality,

He's granting ftill and granting,
To Phyllis that, to Cloe this,
And every madam, every miss;
Yet I find nothing wanting.
III.

If haply I his will displease,
Tempeftuous as th' autumnal feas
He foams and rages ever;

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But when he ceases from his ire,
I cry, fuch spirit, and such fire,
Is furely wond'rous clever.
IV.
I ne'er want reason to complain;
But sweet is pleasure after pain,

And every joy grows greater.
Then truft me, damfels, whilft I tell,
I fhould not like him half fo well,
If I cou'd make him better.

The TALKATIVE FAIR.

BALLAD IV.

I.

ROM morn to night, from day to day,
At all times and at every place,
You fcold, repeat, and fing, and fay,
Nor are there hopes, you'll ever cease.
II.
Fobear, my Celia, oh! forbear,

If your own health, or ours you prize;
For all mankind that hear you, swear
Your tongue's more killing than your eyes.

Dd

Your

III.

Your tongue's a traytor to your face,
Your fame's by your own noise obscur'd,
All are diftracted while they gaze;
But if they liften, they are cur'd.

IV.

Your filence wou'd acquire more praise,
Than all you fay, or all I write;
One look ten thousand charms displays;
Then hush --- and be an angel quite.

The SILENT FAIR.

BALLAD V.

I.

FR

OROM all her fair loquacious kind,
So different is my Rofalind,
That not one accent can I gain

To crown my hopes, or footh my pain.

II.
Ye lovers, who can conftrue fighs,
And are the interpreters of eyes,
To language all her looks tranflate,
And in her geftures read my fate.

And

III.

And if in them you chance to find
Ought that is gentle, ought that's kind,
Adieu mean hopes of being great,
And all the littleness of ftate.

IV.

All thoughts of grandeur I'll defpife,
Which from dependence take their rise;
To serve her shall be my employ,
And love's sweet agony my joy.

The FORCE of INNOCENCE.

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To Mifs C

I.

HE blooming damfel, whofe defence
Is adamantine innocence,

BALLAD VI.

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Requires no guardian to attend

Her steps, for modefty's her friend:
Tho' her fair arms are weak to wield
The glitt'ring fpear, and maffy shield;
Yet fafe from force and fraud combin'd,
She is an Amazon in mind.

D à 2

With

II.

With this artillery fhe goes,

Not only 'mongst the harmless beaux :
But even unhurt and undifmay'd,

Views the long fword and fierce cockade.
Tho' all a fyren as fhe talks,

And all a goddess as fhe walks,

Yet decency each action guides,
And wisdom o'er her tongue prefides.

III.
Place her in Ruffia's fhowery plains,
Where a perpetual winter reigns,
The elements may rave and range,
Yet her fix'd mind will never change.
Place her, Ambition, in thy tow'rs,
'Mongst the more dang'rous golden fhow'rs,
E'en there fhe'd fpurn the venal tribe,
And fold her arms againft the bribe.
IV.
Leave her defenceless and alone,
A pris'ner in the torrid zone,
The funfhine there might vainly vie
With the bright luftre of her eye;
But Phoebus' felf, with all his fire,
Cou'd ne'er one unchafte thought inspire.
But virtue's path she'd ftill pursue,
And ftill, my fair, wou'd copy you.

The

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