Her curious artful web, ill understood,
Did her hot lovers cunningly elude,
The woof advanc'd by day, the nights restrain,
And ravel to its primitive wool again.
But you with fear, it seems, are almost dead,
Lest the scorn'd Thracians should despise your
Ah, cruel! would you with another wed?
Is then your love, is then your faith so light?
Nor can the fear of broken vows affright?
Think what your shame, think what your grief will
When my returning sails from far you see.
Then all in vain repenting tears will flow,
And own the constancy you question now.
Demophoon comes! then in amaze you'll cry;
And to my arms thro' winter storms does fly.
Ah, why so great a guilt did I contract !
And what I blam'd in him why did I act?
But heav'n avert: Nor let it e'er be said,
That thy fair virtue could be so misled.
If such a fate should on my Phillis light,
The mighty load would overwelm me quite.
But ah! what direful threat'ning words are those
With which your letter you unkindly close!
Abstain, at least, till greater cause you see,
To charge my house with double perfidy.
If to desert the Cretan were a fault,
Yet I've done nothing to be guilty thought.
Farewell my hope's best object, soul of love :
All that obstructs our meeeting, heav'n remove;
May ev'ry joy love can, or fortune give,
For ever with my charming Phillis live.
The winds now hear my words; my person they,
I hope shall safely to thy arms convey;
There to repeat another nuptial day.
My wishes are with thee; and that I pause,
My duty and my hononr are the cause.
THE forsaken nymph Oenone having written to Paris, to persuade him to return again to her embraces, and to send back the fair Grecian to her husband: Paris, in this epistle, endeavours to extenuate his fault; laying the blame sometimes on fate and fortune, and sometimes on the force of love. With gentle words he tries to mitigate her affliction ; and concludes, advising her to exert her utmost skill in magic (for which she was famous) to procure quiet to herself, by reviving his passion for her, or by extinguishing her own.
WH
HILE you
I seek for plausible replies in vain.
I own my fault, confess my broken vows,
Yet my new love no penitence allows.
May this acknowledgment procure thee rest,
And calm the tempest of Enone's breast.
I Cupid's slave his order but obey,
of me so justly, nymph, complain,
Deserting thee for charming Helena.
Your wit and beauty, nymph, you know did move
My first young wishes, and my bloom of love.
My glorious birth then troubled not our joy;
Love and our flocks did all our thoughts employ.
If talk of greatness mingled with our sport,
I swore none might adorn a court.
Thus tho' now chang'd, did then upon thee smile 15
Love; whom to reason what can reconcile?
When you from Pan and from the satyrs fled,
To take a private shepherd to your bed,
Was it your reason then you did pursue?
Or kept your aught besides your love in view?
My present passion is from fate; for ere
I did of Leda's beauteous daughter hear,
Inspir'd Cassandra did foretel the thing,
Paris shall Helena to Ilium bring.
In ev'ry circumstance, too well you see
Th' event has justify'd her prophecy :
Except those wounds of mine, which yet remain,
To bring me to my pitying nymph again,
Still I remember sweet Enone's fear,
When first we did the strange prediction hear. 30
Melting in tears- -Ah then, will fate remove
Her Paris from the lost none's love!
Must he such wars, slaughters, and ruin bring!
Be found a prince, thus to involve the king!
Love taught me threaten'd dangers to despise;
And love equipt me for my enterprize,
To him impute the crime, and me forgive,
The god, not Paris does the nymph deceive.
Against his pleasure what can mortals say,
Whose pow'r th' immortal gods themselves obey?
When mighty Jove the fire of Cupid burns,
Into a thousand various shapes he turns.
Europa's bull, and Danae's golden show'r,
Put each a lovely virgin in his pow'r.
Not charming Helen (cause of all thy care)
Had been so wond'rous, so divinely fair,
Had not great Jove the silver plumes put on,
And cheated Leda with a seeming swan.
O'er piny Ida, Jove, an eagle flies
With his lov'd Ganymede to distant skies.
The valiant Hercules, so fierce and bold,
For Omphale, did a weak distaff hold:
Clad like a maid he sat him down to spin,
And conqu'ring she put on the lion's skin.
Yourself Apollo's proffer'd love decline,
And shun a God's embraces to be mine..
Not that a shepherd with a God can vye,
But it so pleases Cupid's deity.
If my new passion still thy mind displease,
Yet this at least methinks might give thee ease; 60
That nothing in my breast could quench thy love,
But the bright daughter of the awful Jove;
Tho' yet her boasted birth and mighty race
Inflame me less than her enchanting face.
I wish I had unskill'd in beauty been;
Then rival Goddesses I had not seen:
Not been obnoxious to great Juno's hate;
Nor wise Minerva then should irritate.
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