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Verfe fhould from their tongue fo flow,
As if it in the mouth did grow,
As swiftly anfwering their command,
As tunes obey the artful hand.
And, whilft I do thus difcover
Th' ingredients of a happy lover,
"Tis, my Anacreon, for thy fake
I of the grape no mention make.

Till my Anacreon by thee fell,'
Curfed plant, I lov'd thee well.
And 'twas oft my wanton use,
To dip my arrows in thy juice.
Curfed plant, 'tis true, I fee,
The old report that goes of thee,
That with giants blood the earth
Stain'd and poifon'd gave thee birth,
And now thou wreak'ft thy ancient spight
On men, in whom the gods delight,
Thy patron Bacchus, 'tis no wonder,
Was brought forth in flames and thunder;
In rage, in quarrels, and in fights,
Worfe than his tigers, he delights:
In all our heaven I think there be [r]
No fuch ill-natur'd gođ as he.

[r] I think there be] "I think, Crab, my dog be the foureft-natured dog that lives." [Shakefp. Two Gent.

Thou

Thou pretendeft, traiterous wine,
To be the Mufes friend and mine.
With love and wit thou doft begin,
Falfe fires, alas, to draw us in,
Which, if our courfe we by them keep,
Mifguide to madness, or to fleep,
Sleep were well; thou'ft learnt a way
To death itself now to betray.

It grieves me, when I fee what fate
Does on the best of mankind wait,
Poets, or lovers, let them be,
'Tis neither love nor poefy
Can arm against death's smallest dart
The poet's head, or lover's heart.
But, when their life, in its decline,
Touches th' inevitable line,

All the world's mortal to 'em then,
And wine is aconite to men,

of Verona, A. 11. S. 3.] Be, for am or is, was origi nally the mistake of one mode for another. It, after, wards, grew into credit; and feemed to take an air of confiftency and regularity, when fomebody had bethought himself to ufe, be'ft, in the Second Perfon, for art, Hence, what grammarians call, the double form in the Indicative Prefent of the Auxiliary, to be, It is, now, defervedly exploded,

Nay,

Nay, in death's hand, the grape-ftone proves As ftrong, as thunder is in Jove's.

XI.

THE CHRONICLE.

A BALL A D [s],

I.

MARGARITA first poffefs'd,
If I remember well, my breast,
Margarita, firft of all;

But, when a while the wanton maid
With my restless heart had play'd,

Martha took the flying ball.

2.

Martha foon did it refign

To the beauteous Catharine.

[] This agreeable Ballad has had juftice done to it. Nothing is more famous, even in our days, than Cowley's mistresses.

Beauteous

Beauteous Catharine gave place
(Though loth and angry fhe to part
With the poffeffion of my heart)
To Elifa's conquering face.

3.

Elifa till this hour might reign,

Had fhe not evil counfels ta'en:
Fundamental laws fhe broke,

And ftill new favourites fhe chofe,
Till up in arms my paffions rofe,
And caft away her yoke.

4.

Mary then and gentle Anne

Both to reign at once began;
Alternately they sway'd:

And sometimes Mary was the fair,
And fometimes Anne the crown did

And fometimes both I' obey'd.

5.

Another Mary then arose,

And did rigorous laws impose:
A mighty tyrant, fhe!
Long, alas, fhould I have been
Under that iron-fcepter'd queen,

Had not Rebecca fet me free.

wear,

6. When

6.

When fair Rebecca fet me free,
'Twas then a golden time with me;

But foon thofe pleasures fled;

For the gracious princess dy'd

In her youth and beauty's pride,
And Judith reigned in her ftead.

7.

One month, three days, and half an hour,
Judith held the fovereign power;
Wondrous beautiful her face

But fo weak and fmall her wit,
That fhe to govern was unfit,

And fo Sufanna took her place.

8.

But, when Ifabella came,

Àrm'd with a refiftlefs flame, And th' artillery of her eye; Whilft the proudly march'd about Greater conquests to find out,

She beat out Sufan by the bye.

9.

But in her place I then obey'd
Black-ey'd Befs, her viceroy-maid,

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T.

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