That gentle, yet refiftless Heat,

Which raises Man to all things good and great:

While other Paflions of the Mind

To low Brutality debafe Mankind,

By Love we are above our felves refin'd.

}

Oh Love, thou Trance Divine! in which the Soul, Unclogg'd with worldly Cares, may range without Controul;

And foaring to her Heav'n, from thence infpir'd can teach

High Myfterics, above poor Reason's feeble Reach.

II.

To weak old Age Prudence fomeAid may prove, And curb those Appetites that faintly move;

But wild, impetuous Youth is tam'd by nothing less than Love.

Of Men too rough for Peace, too rude for Arts,
Love's Power can penetrate the hardest Hearts ;

And through the clofeft Pores a Paffage find,
Like that of Light, to fhine all o'er the Mind.
The Want of Love docs both Extrcmes produce;
Maids are too nice, and Men as much too loose;
While equal Good an am'rous Couple find,.
She makes him conftant, and he makes her kind.

New Charms in vain a Lover's Faith would

prove;

Hermits or Bed-rid Men they'll fooner move:

The fair Inveigler will but fadly find,

There's no fuch Eunuch as a Man in Love.
But when by his chafte Nymph embrac'd,
(For Love makes all Embraces chafte)
Then the transported Creature can

Do Wonders, and is more than Man.

Both Heav'n and Earth would our Defires confine

But yet in vain both Heav'n and Earth combine,
Unless where Love bleffes the great Defign.

Hymen makes faft the Hand, but Love the Heart;
He the Fool's God, thou Nature's Hymen art;

2

Whose

Whofe Laws once broke, we are not held by force,

But the falfe Breach itself is a Divorce.

III.

For Love the Mifer will his Gold defpife,
The Falfe grow Faithful, and the Foolish Wife;
Cautious the Young, and complaifant the Old,
The Cruel Gentle, and the Coward Bold.
Thou glorious Sun within our Souls,
Whose Influence fo much controls;
Even dull and heavy Lumps of Love,
Quicken'd by thee, more lively move,
And if their Heads but any Subftance hold,
Love ripens all that Drofs into the pureft Gold.
In Heav'ns great Work thy Part is fuch,

That Mafter-like thou giv'ft the laft great Touch,
To Heav'n's own Master-piece of Man;
And finishest what Nature but began :

Thy happy Stroke can into Softness bring

Reafon, that rough and wrangling thing..

From Childhood upwards we decay,

And grow but greater Children ev'ry Day:

So Reafon how can we be faid to rife?

So many Cares attend the being wife, 'Tis rather falling down a Precipice.

}

From Senfe to Reason unimprov'd we move ;
We only then advance, when Reafon turns to Love.

IV.

Thou reigneft o'er our earthly Gods;

Uncrown'd by thee their other Crowns are Loads;
One Beauty's Smile their meaneft Courtier brings
Rather to pity than to envy Kings;

His Fellow Slaves he takes them now to be,
Favour'd by Love perhaps much less than he.

For Love, the tim'rous bafhful Maid

Of nothing but denying is afraid;

For Love fhe overcomes her Shame,

Forfakes her Fortune, and forgets her Fame;
Yet if but with a conftant Lover bleft,

Thanks Heav'n for that, and never minds the reft.

V. Love