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So thronging clofe into a Crowd, they prefs
Upon the trembling God; who in diftress,
In vain defigns to make a swift Retreat;
All thoughts of fafety came, alas! too late:
Into the middle of this furious Throng,

The captive Deity is dragg'd along.

A well-known Myrtle in this difmal Grove,
Is chofe to execute the God of Love;
A Tree invidious to the Gods of yore,
For on this Tree Adonis hung before.
The God they fix upon the loftieft Bough,
His Hands behind him ty'd, his Feet below;
Their Threats no bounds, no moderation know.
'And LOVE accus'd, without a Fudge or Crime,
Is guilty made in that infernal Clime.
Each would her felf of proper Faults abfolve,
And on the fuffering God their Guilt devolve.
And each with furious exprobating Breath,
Prepares the cruel Inftrument of Death.
This is their Glory, their malignant Joy,
Their fweet Revenge upon the captive Boy
To punish him with the fame Weapon here,
By which above fhe fell in her Dejpair.

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This holds the Noofe on high with eager Hand;
And this the Dagger with her Gore diftain'd.
This brings the Image of the hollow Stream,
And this the lofty Rock, and this the Flame.
Some, as relenting, only feem to play,
And with a gay Infult but mock their Prey:
While fubtil Points of airy Weapons draw
Ne&tareous Blood from out fome little flaw!

the Rofe,

From the nectareous Blood Springs up
That does its Parent, in its Blush, difclofe.

Amid thefe wild Debates and Tumult's loud,
Bright Venus fafely penetrates the Crowd;
Obnoxious as her Son to their Decree,

Tet, by th' Injustice of the Sex, is free.
She brings no Joy to drooping Cupid's Grief,
She gives no Help, he offers no Relief;

But doubling, with contracted Brow, his Pain,
The paufing Furies fhe provokes again:
Upbraids him loudly with her own Difgrace,
How oft he made her doat on Mortal Race.
That he expos'd her, as a publick View,
In Vulcan's Net, to all the heavenly Grew?

But

But not content with angry Words, he chofe
Rod made up of many a new-born Rofe,
And gave the weeping Boy a thousand Blows.
The frequent Blows by repetition drew

From his bruis'd Flesh a sweet and purple Dew.
The purple Dem a nobler Red supplies,

And the faint Rofe with double Blushes dies.
Mov'd with the Sufferings of the lovely Boy,
Their furious Threats no more his Ears annoy,
Accufing Venus of excess of Rage,
The Heroins ftrive her Anger to affwage
And each afcribes her Death to cruel Fate,
And not to Cupid's Fury or his Hate.
The pious Mother thanks the gentle Dames
For quitting of her Son,his Darts and Flames.
The Crowd difperse each to her several Care,
Alone to groan, eternally defpair;

And Cupid upward took his fpeedy flight,

Refolv'd no more to feek the Realms of Night.

THE

THE

FABLE

O F

PASIP HA E

Beginning, Filia Solis, c.

By Mr. Tho. Brown.

HE Daughter of the glorious Sun

TH

Wanders to her felf unknown;

Burning with new and monftrous Fires,
Raving Pangs, and impotent Defires;

Roving o'er the Lawns and Meads,

Among the horned Herd her frantick Life fhe leads.

The decent Honours of her Nuptial Bed,

The Royal Dignity, nor Name,

Nor care of her great Husband's Fame

Aw her with a modest Shame;

The care of Honour, Fame, and Modefty is fleds

Her Charms, that Women ever prize,

The force of her victorious Eyes,

The

The ruddy Beauties of her Face,

In which the Sex their greatest Glories place,

With indignation, he does now defpife,

Since the white Bull infenfible remains

279

Of all their Darts, and all their amorous Chains.
The Cow's more happy Figure fhe admires,

The Cow's more happy Figure fhe defires,
Proportion'd more to her unhappy Fires.
She Prætus wandring Daughters happy deems,
Doom'd by the angry Wife of Jove

To range with Herds, the Foreft and the Grove.
Jo to her moft blessed seems;

Not for the Honours of Joves's Bed,

Or for the nobler Fame

Which fhe obtain'd in Ifis facred Name

But for the horny Honours of her Head.

When Fortune fmiles upon

her Fires,

And gratifies her wild defires,

About his finewy Neck She'll throw"

Her Arms, more white than driven Snow;

His Horns fhe'll deck with all the Flow'rs

That Spring from April's pregnant Showers. Her balmy Lips fhe to the Bull will join,

To eafe the rigour of her Pain.

Th'

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