VI.

But fair Cecilia to a pitch divine

Improv'd her artful lays :

When to the organ fhe her voice did join,
In the Almighty's praife;

Then choirs of listening angels stood around,
Admir'd her art, and blest the heavenly found.
Her praise alone no tongue can reach,
But in the ftrains herself did teach:
Then let the voice and lyre combine,
And in a tuneful concert join ;
For mufic's her reward and care,
Above fh' enjoys it, and protects it here,

GRAND CHORUS.

Then kindly treat this happy day,
And grateful honours to Cecilia pay:

To her thefe lov'd harmonious rites belong,
To her that tunes our strings, and ftill infpires our fong.'

THE FORCE OF JEALOUSY. To a Lady afking if her Sex was as fenfible of that Paffion as Man.

An Allufion to

"O! quam cruentus Fœminas ftimulat Dolor!"

SENECA, Hercules Octæus.

WHAT ragingthoughts transport the woman's breaft,

That is with love and jealousy possest!

More with revenge, than soft desires the burns,
Whofe flighted paffion meets no kind returns;

Cc 3

That

That courts the youth with long-neglected charms,
And finds her rival happy in his arms!

Dread Scylla's rocks 'tis fafer to engage,
And truft a storm, than her deftructive rage:
Not waves, contending with a boisterous wind,
Threaten fo loud, as her tempestuous mind:
For feas grow calm, and raging ftorms abate,
But most implacable 's a woman's hate:
Tigers and favages lefs wild appear,
Than that fond wretch abandon'd to despair.
Such were the tranfports Dejanira felt,

Stung with a rival's charms, and husband's guilt:
With fuch despair fhe view'd the captive maid,
Whofe fatal love her Hercules betray'd';

Th' unchafte Iöle, but divinely fair!
In love triumphant, though a slave in war;
By nature lewd, and form'd for soft delight,
Gay as the spring, and fair as beams of light;
Whofe blooming youth would wildest rage difarm,
And every eye, but a fierce rival's, charm.

Fix'd with her grief the royal matron stood,
When the fair captive in his arms fhe view'd :
With what regret her beauties fhe furvey'd,
And curft the power of the too lovely maid,
That reap'd the joys of her abandon'd bed!
Her furious looks with wild diforder glow,
Looks that her envy and refentment show!
To blaft that fair detefted form fhe tries,
And lightning darts from her distorted eyes.

Then o'er the palace of false Hercules,
With clamour and impetuous rage the flies;

Late

Late a dear witnefs of their mutual flame,
But now th' unhappy object of her shame;
Whose conscious roof can yield her no relief,
But with polluted joys upbraids her grief.

Nor can the fpacious court contain her now;
It grows a fcene too narrow for her woe.
Loose and undreft all day she strays alone,
Does her abode and lov'd companions shun.
In woods complains, and fighs in every grove,
The mournful tale of her forfaken love.

Her thoughts to all th' extremes of frenzy fly,
Vary, but cannot ease her mifery :

Whilft in her looks the lively forms appear,
Of envy, fondness, fury, and defpair..

Her rage no conftant face of forrow wears,
Oft fcornful fimiles fucceed loud fighs and tears
Oft o'er her face the rifing blufhes spread,
Her glowing eye-balls turn with fury red :
Then pale and wan her alter'd looks appear,
Paler than guilt, and drooping with defpair..
A tide of paffions ebb and flow within,
And oft fhe fhifts the melancholy scene:
Does all th' excefs of woman's fury show,,
And yields a large variety of woe.

Now calm as infants at the mother's breast,
Her grief in fofteft murmurs is exprest:
She speak's the tendercft things that pity move,
Kind are her looks, and languifhing with love..
Then loud as ftorms, and raging as the wind,
She gives a loose to her diftemper'd mind:

With fhrieks and groans fhe fills the air around,
And makes the palace her loud griefs resound.
Wild with her wrongs, the like a fury strays,
A fury, more than wife of Hercules :

Her motion, looks, and voice, proclaim her woes; While fighs, and broken words, her wilder thoughts difclofe.

TO HIS PERJURED MISTRESS.

IT

"Nox erat, & cælo fulgebat luna fereno," &c.

T was one evening, when the rifing moon
Amidft her train of stars distinctly fhone 3
Serene and calm was the inviting night,
And heaven appear'd in all its luftre bright;
When you, Neæra, you, my perjur'd fair,
Did, to abuse the gods and me, prepare.
'Twas then you swore---remember, faithless maid,
With what endearing arts you then betray'd :
Remember all the tender things that past,

When round my neck your willing arms were caft.
The circling ivys, when the oaks they join,
Seem loose, and coy, to thofe fond arms of thine.
Believe, you cry'd, this folemn vow believe,
The nobleft pledge that Love and I can give ;
Or, if there's ought more sacred here below,
Let that confirm my oath to heaven and you.
If e'er my breast a guilty flame receives,
Or covets joys but what thy presence gives;

May

May every injur'd power affert thy cause,

And Love avenge his violated laws :
While cruel beasts of prey infest the plain,

And tempefts rage upon the faithless main;
While fighs and tears fhall liftening virgins move;
So long, ye powers, will fond Neæra love.

Ah, faithlefs charmer, lovely perjur'd maid!
Are thus my vows and generous flame repaid?
Repeated flights I have too tamely bore,
Still doated on, and ftill been wrong'd the more.
Why do I listen to that Syren's voice,

Love ev'n thy crimes, and fly to guilty joys?
Thy fatal eyes my best resolves betray,
My fury melts in foft defires away:

Each look, each glance, for all thy crimes atone,
Elude my rage, and I'm again undone.

But if my injur'd foul dares yet be brave, Unless I'm fond of fhame, confirm'd a flave, I will be deaf to that enchanting tongue, Nor on thy beauties gaze away my wrong. At length I'll loath each prostituted grace, Nor court the leavings of a cloy'd embrace; But fhew, with manly rage, my foul's above The cold returns of thy exhausted love. Then thou fhalt juftly mourn at my disdain, Find all thy arts and all thy charms in vain : Shalt mourn, whilst I, with nobler flames, purfue Some nymph as fair, though not unjust, as you; Whose wit and beauty fhall like thine excel, But far furpafs in truth, and loving well.

B