Where hot and cold, where fharp and fweet
In all their equipages meet;
Where pleasures mix'd with pains appear,
Sorrow with joy, and hope with fear;
Wherein his dignity and age
Forbid Cadenus to engage.
But friendship, in its greatest height,
A conftant, rational delight,
On virtue's bafis fix'd to laft,
When love's allurements long are past,
Which gently warms, but cannot burn,
He gladly offers in return;
His want of paffion will redeem
With gratitude, refpect, efteem;
With that devotion we beftow,
When Goddeffes appear below.
While thus Cadenus entertains
Vaneffa in exalted ftrains,
Conftr'ing the paffion fhe had shown,.
Much to her praise, more to his own..
Nature in him had merit plac'd,
In her a moft judicious taste.
Love, hitherto à tranfient gueft,
Ne'er held poffeffion in his breast ;
So long attending at the gate,
Difdain'd to enter in fo late..
Love why do we one paffion call,
When 'tis a compound of them all?
He has a forfeiture incurr'd;
She vows to take him at his word,
And hopes he will not think it frange,
If both fhould now their ftations change.
The nymph will have her turn to be
The tator; and the pupil, he;
Though the already can difcern,
Her fcholar is not apt to learn;
Or wants capacity to reach
The fcience the defigns to teach ;.
Wherein his genius was below
The skill of ev'ry common beau;
Who, though he cannot fpell, is wife
Enough to read a lady's eyes,
And will each accidental glance:
Interpret for a kind advance.
But what fuccefs Vaneffa met,
Is to the world a fecret yet.
Whether the nymph, to pleafe her swain,
Talks in a high romantic ftrain;
Or whether he at laft defcends
To like with lefs feraphic ends;
Or, to compound the bus'nefs, whether
They temper love and books together;
Muft never to mankind be told,
Nor fhall the confcious mufe unfold,
Mean time the mournful queen of love
Led but a weary life above.
She ventures now to leave the skies,
Grown by Vaneffa's conduct wife:
For, though by one perverfe event
Pallas had crofs'd her firft intent,
3
Though her defign was not obtain'd,
Yet had the much experience gain'd,
And by the project vainly try'd
Could better now the caufe decide.
She gave due notice, that both parties
Coram regina prox' die Martis
Should at their peril without fail
Come and appear, and fave their bail.
All met; and, filence thrice proclaim'd,
One lawyer to each fide was nam'd.
The judge difcover'd in her face
Refentments for her late difgrace;
And, full of anger, fhame, and grief,
Directed them to mind their brief;
Nor spend their time to fhew their reading;
She'd have a fummary proceeding.
She gather'd under ev'ry head
The fum of what each lawyer faid,
Gave her own reasons laft, and then
Decreed the cause against the men.
But, in a weighty cafe like this
To show she did not judge amifs,
Which evil tongues might elfe report,
She made a speech in open court;
Wherein the grievously complains,
"How fhe was cheated by the fwains;"
On whofe petition (humbly fhewing
That women were not worth the wooing,
And that, unless the fex would mend,
The race of lovers foon muft end)
K 6
"She was at lord knows what expence
To form a nymph of wit and fenfe,
A model for her sex defign'd,
Who never could one lover find.
She faw, her favour was mifplac'd;
The fellows had a wretched tafte;
She needs muft tell them to their face,
They were a fenfeless, stupid race;
And, were fhe to begin agen,
She'd ftudy to reform the men;
Or add fome grains of folly more
To women, than they had before,
To put them on an equal foot;
And this, or nothing elfe, would do't.
This might their mutual fancy ftrike;
Since ev'ry being loves its like.
But now, repenting what was done,
She left all bus'nefs to her fon;
She puts the world in his poffeffion,
And let him ufe it at difcretion."
The cry'r was order'd to difmifs
The court, fo made his last O yes!
The Goddess would no longer wait;
But, rifing from her chair of ftate,
Left all below at fix and fev'n,
Harness'd her doves, and flew to heav'n.
Πάνα γέλως, καὶ πάλα κόνις, καὶ πάλα τὸ μηδὲν
Πάνα γὰρ ἐξ ἀλόγων ἐςὶ τὰ γιγνόμενα.
What Prior meant by this poem I can't understand: by the Greek motto to it one would think it was either to laugh at the fubject or his reader. There are fome parts of it very fine; and let them fave the badness of the reft.
CANTO I.
ATTHEW met Richard, when or where
From story is not mighty clear:
Of many knotty points they spoke ;
And pro and con by turns they took.
Rats half the manuscript have eat:
Dire hunger! which we ftill regret:
O! may they ne'er again digeft
The horrors of so fad a feast..
Yet lefs our grief, if what remains,
Dear Jacob, by thy care and pains.
Shall be to future times convey'd,
It thus begins:
**** Here Matthew faid:
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