Its empty being on thyself relies

Step thou afide, and the frail charmer dies. Still o'er the fountain's watery gleam he stood, Mindlefs of fleep, and negligent of food; Still view'd his face, and languish'd as he view'd. At length he rais'd his head, and thus began To vent his griefs, and tell the woods his pain: "You trees, fays he, and thou surrounding grove, "Who oft have been the kindly scenes of love, "Tell me, if e'er within your fhades did lie "A youth fo tortur'd, fo perplex'd as I! "I who before me see the charming fair, "Whilft there he stands, and yet he stands not there: "In fuch a maze of love my thoughts are loft; "And yet no bulwark'd town, nor diftant coast, "Preferves the beauteous youth from being feen, "No mountains rife, nor oceans flow between. "A hallow water hinders my embrace;

And yet the lovely mimic wears a face "That kindly fmiles, and when I bend to join "My lips to his, he fondly bends to mine. "Hear, gentle youth, and pity my complaint, "Come from thy well, thou fair inhabitant. "My charms an easy conquest have obtain’d "O'er other hearts, by thee alone difdain'd. "But why should I despair? I'm sure he burns "With equal flames, and languithes by turns. "When-e'er I ftoop, he offers at a kifs;

"And when my arms I ftretch, he stretches his. "His eye with pleasure on my face he keeps, "He fmiles my fmiles, and when I weep he weeps.

}

"When

"When-e'er I speak, his moving lips appear
"To utter fomething, which I cannot hear.
"Ah wretched me! I now begin too late
"To find out all the long perplex'd deceit ;
"It is myself I love, myself I fee;
"The gay delufion is a part of me.

"I kindle up the fires by which I burn,
"And my own beauties from the well return.
"Whom should I court? How utter my complaint?
Enjoyment but produces my restraint,
"And too much plenty makes me die for want.
"How gladly would I from myself remove!
"And at a distance fet the thing I love.
"My breaft is warm'd with fuch unusual fire,
"I wish him absent whom I moft defire.
"And now I faint with grief; my fate draws nigh;
"In all the pride of blooming youth I die.
"Death will the forrows of my heart relieve.
"O might the vifionary youth furvive,
"I should with joy my latest breath refign!
"But, oh! I fee his fate involv'd in mine."

This faid, the weeping youth again return'd
To the clear fountain, where again he burn'd;
His tears defac'd the furface of the well,
With circle after circle, as they fell:

And now the lovely face but half appears,
O'er-run with wrinkles, and deform'd with tears.
"Ah whither, cries Narciffus, doft thou fly?
"Let me fill feed the flame by which I die;
"Let me ftill fee, though I'm no further bleft."
Then rends his garment off, and beats his breaft:

His naked bofom redden'd with the blow,
In fuch a blush as purple clusters show,
Ere yet the fun's autumnal heats refine
The fprightly juice, and mellow it to wine.
The glowing beauties of his breast he spies,
And with a new redoubled passion dies.
As wax diffolves, as ice begins to run,
And trickle into drops before the fun,
So melts the youth, and languishes away :
His beauty withers, and his limbs decay,
And none of those attractive charms remain,
To which the flighted Echo fued in vain.

She faw him in his present misery,
Whom, spite of all her wrongs, fhe griev'd to fee.
She anfwer'd fadly to the lover's moan,

Sigh'd back his fighs, and groan'd to every groan;
"Ah youth! belov'd in vain,” Narciffus cries;

"Ah youth! belov'd in vain," the nymph replies.
"Farewel," fays he : the parting found fcarce fell
From his faint lips, but she reply'd, “Farewel.”
Then on th' unwholfome earth he gafping lies,
Till death fhuts up those felf-admiring eyes.
To the cold fhades his flitting ghost retires,
And in the Stygian waves ittelf admires.
For him the Naiads and the Dryads mourn,
Whom the fad Echo anfwers in her turn:
And now the fifter-nymphs prepare his urn;
When, looking for his corpfe, they only found
A rifing ftalk with yellow bloffoms crown'd.

}

THE

THE STORY OF PENTHEUS.

THIS fad event gave blind Tirefias fame,
Through Greece eftablish'd in a prophet's name.
Th' unhallow'd Pentheus only durft deride
The cheated people, and their eyeless guide.
To whom the prophet in his fury said,
Shaking the hoary honours of his head;

" 'Twere well, prefumptuous man, 'twere well for thee "If thou wert eyelefs too, and blind, like me : "For the time comes, nay, 'tis already here, "When the young god's folemnities appear; "Which if thou doft not with juft rites adorn, Thy impious carcafe, into pieces torn,

"Shall ftrew the woods, and hang on every thorn. "Then, then, remember what I now foretel, "And own the blind Tirefias faw too well." Still Pentheus fcorns him, and derides his skill; But time did all the prophet's threats fulfil. For now through proftrate Greece young Bacchus rode, Whilft howling matrons celebrate the god,

All ranks and fexes to his Orgies ran,

To mingle in the pomps, and fill the train. When Pentheus thus his wicked rage exprefs'd; "What madnefs, Thebans, has your foul poflefs'd? "Can hollow timbrels, can a drunken fhout, "And the lewd clamours of a beastly rout, "Thus quell your courage? Can the weak alarm "Of womens yell thofe ftubborn fouls difarm,

"Whom nor the sword nor trumpet e'er could fright, "Nor the loud din and horror of a fight?

"And you, our fires, who left your old abodes,
"And fix'd in foreign earth your country gods;
"Will you without a stroke your city yield,
"And poorly quit an undisputed field?

"But you, whose youth and vigour fhould inspire
"Heroic warmth, and kindle martial fire,
"Whom burnish'd arms and crefted helmets grace,
"Not flowery garlands and a painted face;
"Remember him to whom you stand ally'd:
"The ferpent for his well of waters dy'd.
"He fought the strong; do you his courage show,
"And gain a conquest o'er a feeble foe.

"If Thebes muft fall, oh might the fates afford "A nobler dcom, from famine, fire, or fword! "Then might the Thebans perish with renown : "But now a beardlefs victor facks the town; "Whom nor the prancing steed, nor ponderous fhield, "Nor the hack'd helmet, nor the dufty field, "But the foft joys of luxury and case, "The purple vefts, and flowery garland please. "Stand then afide, I'll make the counterfeit "Renounce his godhead, and confefs the cheat. "Acrifius from the Grecian walls repell'd

"This boafted power; why then thould Pentheus yield?
"Go quickly, drag th' audacious boy to me;
I'll try the force of his divinity."

Thus did th' audacious wretch those rites profane;
His friends diffuage th' audacious wretch in vain;