Through lonely wilds have feem'd to stray,
A long, uncomfortable way.

They're fantoms all; I'll think no more;
My life has endless joys in store.
Farewel forrow, farewel fear,
They're fantoms all! my Henry's here.

A postern gate of the bower.

GRIDELINE and PAGE.

GRIDE LINE.

My ftomach fwells with fecret fpite,
To fee my fickle, faithlefs Knight,
With upright gefture, goodly mien,
Face of olive, coat of green,
That charm'd the Ladies long ago,
So little his own worth to know,
On a mere girl his thoughts to place,
With dimpled cheeks, and baby face;
A child! a chit! that was not born,
When I did town and court adorn.

Can

PAGE.

any man prefer fifteen

To venerable Grideline?

GRIDE LINE.

He does, my child; or tell me why

With weeping eyes fo oft I fpy

His whiskers curl'd, and fhoe-ftrings ty'd,
A new toledo by his fide,

In fhoulder-belt fo trimly plac'd,
With band fo nicely smooth'd and lac'd.
PAGE.

If Rofamond his garb has view'd,
The knight is falfe, the nymph fubdu'd.

GRIDE LINE.

My anxious boding heart divines
His falfhood by a thousand figns:
Oft o'er the lonely rocks he walks,
And to the foolish echo talks:
Oft in the glass he rolls his eye,
But turns and frowns if I am by;
Then my fond eafy heart beguiles,
And thinks of Rofamond, and smiles.
PAGE.

Well may you feel these soft alarms,
She has a heart-

GRIDELINE.

-And he has charms.

PAGE.

Your fears are too juft

GRIDELINE.

Too plainly I've prov❜d.
BOTH.

PAGE.

To be flain

GRID ELIN E.

By a barbarous fwain,

BOTH.

That laughs at your pain.

GRIDELINE.

How should I act? canft thou advise?

Open the

PAGE.

gate, if you are wife;

I, in an unfufpected hour,

May catch 'em dallying in the bower,
Perhaps their loose amours prevent,
And keep Sir Trusty innocent.

GRIDELINE.

Thou art in truth

A forward youth,

Of wit and parts above thy age;

Thou know'ft our fex.

Thou art a page.

PAGE.

I'll do what I can

To surprise the false man.

GRIDE LINE.

Of fuch a faithful spy I've need: *
Go in, and if thy plot fucceed,
Fair youth, thou may'ft depend on this,

I'll

pay thy fervice with a kifs. [Exit Page. GRIDELINE fola.

Pr'ythee Cupid no more

Hurl thy darts at threefcore,

* An opening scene discovers another view of the bower.

To

To thy girls and thy boys
Give thy pains and thy joy,
Let Sir Trufty and me,
From thy frolics be free.

SCEN E III.

PAGE folus.

O the foft delicious view,

[Exit Grid.

Ever charming, ever new!
Greens of various fhades arife,
Deck'd with flow'rs of various dyes;
Paths by meeting paths are croft,
Alleys in winding alleys loft;
Fountains playing through the trees,
Give coolness to the paffing breeze.

A thousand fairy Scenes appear,
Here a grove, a grotto here,
Here a rock, and here a fiream,
Sweet delufion,

Gay confufion,

All a vifion, all a dream!

SCENE IV.

QUEEN and PAGE.

QUEEN.

At length the bow'ry vaults appear!
My bofom heaves, and pants with fear:

A

A thousand checks my heart controul,
A thousand terrors fhake my foul.
PAGE.

Behold the brazen gate unbarr'd!
-She's fixt in thought, I am not heard-

QUEEN.

I fee, I fee my hands embru'd

In purple streams of reeking blood:
I fee the victim gafp for breath,
And start in agonies of death:
I fee my raging dying Lord,
And O, I see myself abhorr'd!
PAGE.

[Apart.

My eyes o'erflow, my heart is rent
To hear Britannia's Queen lament. [Afide.
QUEEN.

What shall my trembling foul pursue?

PAGE.

Behold, great Queen, the place in view!
QUEEN.
Ye pow'rs inftruct me what to do!

PAGE.

That bower will show

The guilty foe.

QUEEN.

-It is decreed-it fhall be fo; [After a paufe.

I cannot fee my Lord repine,

(0 that I could call him mine!)

Why have not they most charms to move,
Whofe bofoms burn with pureft love!

PAGE.