Down from her swelling loins, the reft unbound Floats in rich waves redundant o'er the ground: Laft, with a shining veil her cheeks she shades, Then fwimming fmooth along magnificently treads. Thus forward moves the fairest of her kind, Blind to the future, to the present blind; Twelve maids, attendants on her virgin bower, Alike unconfcious of the bridal hour, Join to the car the mules; dire rites to pay, To Hecate's black fane fhe bends her way; A juice the bears, whofe magic virtue tames (Through fell Perfephone) the rage of flames; It gives the hero, ftrong in matchless might, To stand secure of harms in mortal fight; It mocks the fword: the fword without a wound, Leaps as from marble shiver'd to the ground : She mounts the car*, nor rode the nymph alone, On either fide two lovely damfels fhone: Her hand with skill th' embroider'd rein controls, Back fly the streets, as fwift the chariot rolls. Along the wheel-worn road they hold their way, The domes retreat, the finking towers decay: Bare to the knee fuccinct a damfel train Behind attends, and glitters tow'rd the plain. As when her limbs divine, Diana laves In fair Parthenius, or th' Amnesian waves, Sublime in royal state the bounding roes Whirl her bright car along the mountain brows;. Swift to her fane in pomp the goddess moves, The nymphs attend that haunt the fhady groves,

Th' Amnesian fount, or filver-ftreaming rills;
Nymphs of the vales, or Oreads of the hills!
The fawning beafts before the goddess play,
Or, trembling, favage adoration pay.
'Thus on her car fublime the nymph appears,
The croud falls back, and as the moves reveres :
Swift to the fane aloft her courfe the bends;
The fane fhe reaches, and to earth defcends:
Then to her train---Ah me! I fear we stray,
Milled by folly to this lonely way!

Alas! fhould Jason with his Greeks appear,
Where fhould we fly? I fear, alas, I fear!
No more the Cholchian youths, and virgin train,
Haunt the cool fhade, or tread in dance the plain :
But fince alone; --- with sports beguile the hours,
Come chaunt the fong, or pluck the blooming flowers,
Pluck every fweet, to deck your virgin bowers!
Then warbling foft*, the lifts her heavenly voice,
But fick with mighty love, the fong is noise;
She hears from every note a difcord rife,
Till, paufing, on her tongue the mufic dies;
She hates each object, every face offends,
In every wish, her foul to Jafon fends;
With fharpen'd eyes the distant lawn explores,
To find the object whom her foul adores ;
At every whisper of the paffing air,

She starts, the turns, and hopes her Jafon there;
Again the fondly looks, nor looks in vain,
He comes, her Jafon fhines along the plain :

** 947.

As

As when, emerging from the watery way,
Refulgent Sirius lifts his golden ray,

He shines terrific! for his burning breath
Taints the red air with fevers, plagues, and death;
Such to the nymph approaching Jason shows,

Bright author of unutterable woes;

Before her eyes a fwimming darkness fpread,

Her flush'd cheek glow'd, her very heart was dead;
No more her knees their wonted office knew,

without motion, as to earth fhe grew;

Her train recedes: the meeting lovers gaze
In filent wonder, and in ftill amaze :
As two fair cedars on the mountain's brow,
Pride of the groves! with roots adjoining grow ;
Erect and motionless the ftately trees

Awhile remain, while fleeps each fanning breeze,
Till from th' Æolian caves a blait unbound

Bends their proud tops, and bids their boughs refound;
Thus gazing they: till by the breath of love

Strongly at length infpir'd, they fpeak, they move:

With fmiles the love-fick virgin he furvey'd,

And fondly thus addreft the blooming maid.
Difmifs, my fair, my love, thy virgin fear;
'Tis Jason speaks, no enemy is here!
Man, haughty man, is of obdurate kind,
But Jafon bears no proud, inhuman mind,
By gentleft manners, fofteft arts refin'd.
Whom would'st thou fly? Stay, lovely virgin, ftay!
Speak every thought! far hence be fears away!

}

Speak!

Speak! and be truth in every accent found!
Dread to deceive! we tread on *hallow'd ground.
By the ftern power who guards this facred place,
By the illuftrious authors of thy race;

By Jove, to whom the ftranger's caufe belongs,
To whom the fuppliant, and who feels their wrongs ;;
O guard me, fave me, in the needful hour!
Without thy aid, thy Jafon is no more;

To thee a fuppliant, in diftrefs I bend,

To thee a stranger, and who wants a friend!
Then, when between us feas and mountains rife,,
Medea's name fhall found in diftant skies;
All Greece to thee fhall owe her heroes fates,
And blefs Medea through her hundred states..
The mother and the wife, who now in vain
Roll their fad eyes fast-streaming o'er the main,
Shall ftay their tears: The mother, and the wife,
Shall blefs thee for a fon's or husband's life!
Fair Ariadne, fprung from Minos' bed,

Sav'd the brave Thefeus, and with Thefeus fled,
Forfook her father, and her native plain,
And ftem'd the tumults of the furging main;
Yet the ftern fire relented, and forgave
The maid, whofe only crime it was to fave:
Ev'n the juft Gods forgave: and now on high
A star she shines, and beautifies the fky :
What bleffings then shall righteous heaven decree
For all our heroes fav'd, and fav'd by thee?
Heaven gave thee not to kill, fo foft an air,
And cruelty fure never look'd so fair!

* Temple of Hecate.

He

He ceas'd, but left fo charming on her ear
His voice, that liftening ftill fhe feem'd to hear;
Her eye to earth fhe bends with modest grace,
And heaven in fimiles is open'd in her face.
A glance the fteals; but rofy blushes fpread
O'er her fair cheek, and then she drops her head;
A thousand words at once to speak she tries;
In vain---but fpeaks a thousand with her eyes;
Trembling the fhining cafket fhe expands,
Then gives the magic virtue to his hands;
And had the power been granted to convey
Her heart---had given her very heart away:

EPISTOLA AD AMICUM RUSTICANTEM,

Scripta Vere ineunte Cantab. 1709.

ECQUID abfenti tibi cura Grantæ ?

Ecquid antiqui memor es fodalis !

Chare permultis, mihi præter omnes

Chare, Georgi.

Cernis! ut mulcet levis aura campos !

Ut rofà dulci, violifque terram

Flora depingit, Zephyrufque blandis

Ventilat alis!

Tarde, quid ceffas? Age Rozinantis
Terga confcendas eques * ingementis,
Tenè ruralis Galatea duris

Detinet Ulnis?

Obefo fuit corpore.