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THE LOVER'S NIGHT.

LULL'D in the arms of him the lov'd,
IANTHE figh'd the kindeft things:
Her fond furrender he approv'd,

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With fmiles; and thus, enamour'd, fings. "How fweet are lover's vows by night, Lap'd in an honeyfuckle grove! "When Venus fheds her gentle light, "And foothes the yielding foul to love. "Soft as the filent-footed dews

"That fteal upon the ftar-light hours; "Warm as a love-fick poet's mufe;

"And fragrant as the breath of flow'rs. "To hear our vows the moon grows pale, "And pants Endymion's warmth to prove; "While, emulous, the nightingale, "Thick-warbling trills her lay of love. "The filver-founding fhining spheres, “That animate the glowing fkies, "Nor charm fo much, as thou, my ears, "Nor blefs fo much, as thou, my eyes. "Thus let me clafp thee to my heart, "Thus fink in foftnefs on thy breast! "No cares fhall haunt us; danger, part, "For ever loving, ever bleft.

"Cenforious envy dares not blame

"The paffion which thy truth inspires: "Ye ftars, bear witness, that my flame "Is chaste as your eternal fires." Love faw them (hid among the boughs) And heard him fing their mutual blits! Enjoy,' cried he, IANTHE'S vows

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But, oh! I envy thee her kifs.'

HEALTH.

NOW early thepherds o'er the meadow pass,
And print long footfteps in the glitt'ring grafs;
The cows neglectful of their pasture ftand,
By turns obfequious to the milker's hand.
When DAMON foftly trod the fhaven lawn;
DAMON, a youth from city cares withdrawn ;
Long was the pleafing walk he wander'd through,
A cover'd arbour clos'd the distant view;
There refts the youth, and, while the feather'd throng
Raife their wild mufic, thus contrives a fong.
Here, wafted o'er by mild etefian air,

Thou country goddefs, beauteous HEALTH! repair,
Here let my breaft through quiv'ring trees inhale
Thy rofy bleffings with the morning gale.
What are the fields, or flow'rs, or all I fee ?
Ah! taftelefs all, if not enjoy'd with thee.
Joy to my foul! I feel the goddess nigh,
The face of nature cheers as well as I ;
O'er the flat green refreshing breezes run,
The fmiling daifies blow beneath the fun,
The brooks run purling down with filver waves,
The planted lanes rejoice with dancing leaves;
The chirping birds from all the compats rove
To tempt the tuneful echoes of the grove:
High funny fummits, deeply-fhaded dales,
Thick moffy banks, and flow'ry winding vales,
With various profpect gratify the fight,
And fcatter fix'd attention in delight.

Come, country goddefs, come, nor thou fuffice,
But bring thy mountain-fifter, .EXERCISE.
Call'd by thy lovely voice, fhe turns her pace,
Her winding horn proclaims the finish'd chace;
She mounts the rocks, fhe fkims the level plain,
Dogs, hawks, and horfes, crowd her early train.
Her hardy face repels the tanning wind,
And lines and methes loosely float behind.

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All these as means of toil the feeble fee,
But thefe are helps to pleasure join'd with thee.

Let SLOTH lie foft'ning till high noon in down, Or lolling fan her in the fultry town,

Unnerv'd with reft; and turn her own disease,
Or fofter others in luxurious eafe :

I mount the courfer, call the deep-mouth'd hounds,
The fox unkennell'd flies to covert grounds;
I lead where ftags through tangled thickets tread,
And shake the faplings with their branching head;
I make the falcons wing their airy way,

And foar to feize, or stooping strike their prey;
To fnare the fish, I fix the lurking bait;

To wound the fowl, I load the gun with fate.
'Tis thus through change of exercise I range,
And ftrength and pleasure rife from ev'ry change.
Here, beauteous HEALTH! for all the year
remain ;

When the next comes, I'll charm thee thus again.

Oh, come, thou goddess of my rural fong! And bring thy daughter, calm cONTENT, along; Dame of the ruddy cheek and laughing eye, From whofe bright prefence clouds of forrow fly: For her I mow my walks, I plat my bow'rs, Clip my low hedges, and support my flow'rs; To welcome her, this fummer-feat I dreft, And here I court her when he comes to reft; When the from exercife to learned eafe Shall change again, and teach the change to pleafe. Now friends converfing my foft hours refine, And TULLY'S Tufculum revives in mine: Now to grave books I bid the mind retreat, And fuch as make me rather good than great; Or, o'er the works of eafy fancy rove, Where flutes and innocence amufe the grove: The native bard, that on Sicilian plains Firft fung the lowly manners of the fwains;

Or, MARO's mufe, that in the faireft light
Paints rural profpects and the charms of fight;
Thefe foft amufements bring content along,
And fancy, void of forrow, turns to fong.

Here, beauteous HEALTH! for all the year remain ;

When the next comes, I'll charm thee thus again.

DAMON AND MUSIDORA.

CLOSE in the covert of an hazel copfe,
Where winded into pleasing folitude

Runs out the rambling dale, young DAMON fat,
Penfive, and pierc'd with love's delightful pangs.
There to the ftream that down the diftant rocks
Hoarfe-murm'ring fell, and plaintive breeze that
play'd

Among the bending willows, falfely he
Of MUSIDORA's cruelty complain'd.

She felt his flame; but deep within her breast,
In bashful coynefs, or in maiden pride,
The foft return conceal'd; fave when it ftole
In fide-long glances from her downcaft eye,
Or, from her fwelling foul in ftifled fighs.
Touch'd by the fcene, no ftranger to his vows,
He fram'd a melting lay to try her heart;
And, if an infant paffion ftruggled there,
To call that paffion forth. Thrice happy swain !.
A lucky chance, that oft decides the fate
Of mighty monarchs, then decided thine.
For, lo! conducted by the laughing loves,
This cool retreat his MUSIDORA fought:
Warm in her cheek the fultry season glow'd:
And, rob'd in loose array, the came to bathe
Her fervent limbs in the refreshing stream.
What shall he do? In fweet confufion loft,
And dubious flutterings, he awhile remain'd:
A pure ingen'ous elegance of foul,

A delicate refinement, known to few,
Perplex'd his breaft, and urg'd him to retire;
But love forbade. Ye prudes in virtue, fay,
Say, ye fevereft, what would you have done?
Meantime, this fairer nymph than ever bleft
Arcadian fiream, with timid eye around
The banks furveying, ftripp'd her beaut'ous limbs,
To tafte the lucid coolnefs of the flood.
Ah! then, not Paris on the piny top
Of Ida panted ftronger, when afide
The rival goddeffes the veil divine

Caft unconfin'd, and gave him all their charms,
Than DAMON, thou; as from the fnowy leg,
And flender foot, th' inverted filk she drew;
As the foft touch diffolv'd the virgin zone;
And, thro' the parting robe, the alternate breast,
With youth wild-throbbing, on thy lawless gaze
In full luxuriance rofe. But, defperate youth,
How durft thou rifk the foul-diftracting view;
As from her naked limbs of glowing white,
Harmonious fwell'd by nature's finest hand,
In folds loofe-floating fell the fainter lawn;
And fair expos'd fhe flood, fhrunk from herfelf,
With fancy blushing, at the doubtful breeze
Alarm'd, and starting like the fearful fawn?
Then to the flood the rush'd; the parted flood
Its lovely gueft with clofing waves receiv'd;
And ev'ry beauty foft'ning, ev'ry grace
Flushing anew, a mellow luftre fhed:
As fhines the lily through the cryftal mild;
Or as the rofe amid the morning dew,

Fresh from Aurora's hand, more fweetly glows.
While thus fhe wanton'd, now beneath the wave
But ill-conceal'd; and now with ftreaming locks,
That half-embrac'd her in a humid veil,
Rifing again the latent DAMON drew

Such madd'ning draughts of beauty to the foul,
As for awhile o'erwhelm'd his raptur'd thought
With luxury too daring. Check'd at last,

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