Breafts white as fnow, or the falfe down of Jove,
When to your mother the kind Swan made love :
Whilft, with the fight furpriz'd, I gazing stand,
The cup I held dropt from my careless hand.
If you your young Hermione but kifs,
Straight from her lips I fnatch the envy'd bliss.
Sometimes fupinely laid, love fongs I fing,
And wafted kiffes from my fingers fling.
Your women to my aid I try to move
With all the powerful rhetorick of love;
But they, alas! fpeak nothing but despair,
And in the midst leave my neglected prayer.
Oh! that by some great prize you might be won,
And your poffeffion might the victor crown,
As Pelops his Hippodamia won :

Then had you feen what I for you had done
But now I've nothing left to do but pray,
And myself proftrate at your feet to lay.
O thou, thy houfe's glory, brighter far
Than thy two fhining brothers' friendly star!
O worthy of the bed of Heaven's great King,
If aught fo fair but from himself could fpring!
Either with thee I back to Troy will fly,

Or here a wretched banifh'd lover die.

With no flight wound my tender breast does smart,
My bones and marrow feel the piercing dart;
I find my fifter true did prophefy,

I with a heavenly dart should wounded die;
Despise not then a love by heaven design'd,,
So may the gods still to your vows be kind!

Much I could fay; but what, will best be known
In your apartment, when we are alone.
You blush, and, with a fuperftitious dread,
Fear to defile the facred marriage bed:
Ah! Helen, can you then fo fimple be,
To think fuch beauty can from faults be free?
Or change that face, or you must needs be kind;
Beauty and Virtue feldom have been join'd.
Jove and bright Venus do our thefts approve,
Such thefts as thefe gave you your father Jove.
And if in you aught of your parents last,
Can Jove and Leda's daughter well be chafte?
Yet then be chafte when we to Troy fhall go
(For fhe who fins with one alone, is fo).
But let us now enjoy that pleafing fin,
Then marry, and be innocent again.

Ev'n your own husband doth the fame perfuade,
Silent himself, yet all his actions plead :

For me they plead, and he, good man! because
He'll spoil no fport, officiously withdraws.

Had he no other time to vifit Crete ?

Oh! how prodigious is a husband's wit!

He went; and, as he went, he cry'd, "My dear,
"Inftead of me, you of your gueft take care!"
But you forget your lord's command, I fee,
Nor take you any care of Love or Me.

And think you fuch a thing as he does know
The treasure that he holds in holding you?
No; did he understand but half your charms,

durft not truft them in a stranger's arms.

If neither his nor my request can move,
We're forc'd by opportunity to love;

We should be fools, ev'n greater fools than he,
Should fo fecure a time unactive be.

Alone thefe tedious winter nights you lie
In a cold widow'd bed, and fo do I.
Let mutual joys our willing bodies join,
That happy night shall the mid-day out-shine,
Then will I fwear by all the powers above,
And in their awful prefence feal my love.
Then, if my wishes may aspire so high,
I with our flight fhall win you to comply;
But, if nice honour little scruples frame,
The force I'll ufe fhall vindicate your fame.
Of Thefeus and your brothers I can learn,
No precedents fo nearly you concern :
You Thefeus, they Leucippus' daughter stole;
I'll be the fourth in the illuftrious roll.

Well mann'd, well arm'd, for you my fleet does stay,
And waiting winds murmur at our delay.

Through Troy's throng'd streets you shall in triumph go,
Ador'd as fome new goddess here below.
Where'er you tread, spices and gums shall smoke,

And victims fall beneath the fatal ftroke.

My father, mother, all the joyful court,
All Troy, to you with prefents fhall resort.
Alas! 'tis nothing what I yet have faid;

What there you'll find, shall what I write exceed.
Nor fear, left war pursue our hafty flight,

And angry Greece fhould all her force unite.

What

What ravish'd maid did ever wars regain?

Vain the attempt, and fear of it as vain.
The Thracians Orithya stole from far,

Yet Thrace ne'er heard the noise of following war.
Jafon too ftole away the Colchian maid,
Yet Colchos did not Theffaly invade.
He who ftole you, ftole Ariadne too,
Yet Minos did not with all Crete pursue.
Fear in these cafes than the danger's more,
And, when the threatening tempeft once is o'er,
Our fhame 's then greater than our fear before.
But fay from Greece a threaten'd war pursue,
Know I have ftrength and wounding weapons too.
In men and horfe more numerous than Greece
Our empire is, nor in its compass less.
Nor does your husband Paris aught excel
In generous courage, or in martial skill.
Ev'n but a boy, from my flain foes I gain'd
My ftolen herd, and a new name attain'd;
Ev'n then, o'ercome by me, I could produce
Deiphobus and great Ilioneus.

Nor hand to hand more to be fear'd am I,
Than when from far my certain arrows fly.
You for his youth can no such actions feign,
Nor can he e'er my envy'd skill attain.
But could he, Hector's your fecurity,
And he alone an army is to me.

You know me not, nor the hid prowess find
Of him that heaven has for your bed design'd.

}

Either no war from Greece fhall follow thee,
Or, if it does, fhall be repell'd by me.
Nor think I fear to fight for fuch a wife,
That prize would give the coward's courage life.
All after-ages fhall your fame admire,
If you alone fet the whole world on fire.
To fea, to fea, while all the gods are kind,
And all I promise, you in Troy shall find.

Acontius in the temple of Diana at Delos (famous for the refort of the most beautiful virgins of all Greece) fell in love with Cydippe, a lady of quality much above his own; not daring therefore to court her openly, he found this device to obtain her: he writes, upon the fairest apple that could be procured, a couple of verfes to this effect:

"I swear, by chaste Diana, I will be
"In facred wedlock ever join'd to thee :"

and