Oh Daphnis ! Daphnis ! 'twas my pride, 'Twas not my heart thy love deny'd : Come back, dear youth, again.
As t' other day my hand he seiz'd :
My blood with trickling motion flew,
Sudden I put on looks difpleas'd,
And hafty from his hold withdrew :
'Twas fear alone, thou fimple swain :
Then hadft thou prefs'd my hand again,
My heart had yielded too.
'Tis true, thy tuneful reed I blam'd,
That fwell'd thy lip and rofy cheek;
Think not thy fkill in fong defam'd,
Thy lip should other pleasures seek.
Much, much thy mufic I approve,
Yet break thy pipe, for more I love
Much more to hear thee speak.
My heart forbodes that I'm betray'd;
Daphnis, I fear, is ever gone!
Laft night with Delia's dog he play'd;
Love by fuch trifles first comes on.
Now, now, dear fhepherd, come away,
My tongue would now my heart betray.
Ah Chloe! thou art won.
The youth ftept forth with nafty pace,
And found where wishing Chloe lay;
Shame fudden light'ned in her face,
Confus'd the knew not what to say:
At laft, in broken words fhe cry'd,
To-morrow you in vain had try'd,
But I am loft to-day,
Ear Chloe, while thus beyond measure
You treat me with doubts and disdain,
You rob all your youth of its pleasure,
And hoard up an old age of pain;
Your maxim, that love is still founded
On charms that will quickly decay,
You'll find to be very ill grounded,
When once you its dictates obey.
The love that from beauty is drawn,
By kindness, you ought to improve;
Soft locks and gay fmiles are the dawn,
Fruition the fun-fhine of love.
And tho' the bright beams of your eyes
Should be clouded, that now are so gay,
And darkness obfcure all the skies,
You ne'er can forget it was day.
Old Darby, with Joan by his fide,
You have often regarded with wonder,
He's dropfical, fhe is dim-ey'd,
Yet they're ever uneasy asunder : Together they totter about,
Or fit in the fun at the door;
And at night when old Darby's pot's out,
His Joan will not smoke a whiff more.
No beauty nor wit they poffefs,
Their feveral failings to cover:
Then, what are the charms, can you guess,
That make them fo fond of each other?
'Tis the pleafing remembrance of youth,
The endearments that youth did beftow,
The thoughts of past pleasure and truth,
The best of our blessings below.
Thofe traces for ever will last,
No fickness or time can remove : For when youth and beauty are past, And age brings the winter of love, A friendship infenfibly grows,
By reviews of fuch raptures as these ; The current of fondnefs ftill flows, Which decrepit old age cannot freeze.
The modern Marriage-queftion,
HAppy the world in that blefs'd age,
When beauty was not bought and fold,
When the fair mind was uninflam'd
With the mean thirst of baneful gold.
With the mean thirst, &c.
Then the kind fhepherd when he figh'd,
The fwain, whofe dog was all his wealth,
Was not by cruel parents forc'd
To breathe the am'rous vow by stealth.
To breathe, &c.
Now the first question fathers afk,
When for their girls fond lovers fue,
What's the fettlement you'll make ?
You're poor!
You're poor, &c.
he flings the door at you.
The Country-wake.
'LL fing you a ditty, and warrant it true, Give but attention unto me a while,
Of tranfactions in court, and in country too,
Toilfome pleasure, and pleafing toil:
*K k
Accept it, I pray, as your help-mates you take,
To fome 'twill give joy,
And fome others annoy :
All's fair at a country-wake.
All's fair, &c.
Many ladies at cou:t are ftyl'd unpolite,
Because truly virtuous and prone to no ill;
Whilft others, who fparkle in diamonds bright,
Are ftript of their pride at baffet or quadrille,
Till their loffes at play do their lords credit shake:
Then, their toys to recover,
They'll grant the last favour;
Strange news at a country-wake,
Strange news, &c.
Here most of our gentlemen patriots are,
Tho' very bad statesmen, I freely confess,
They defign harm to none, but a fox or a hare,
And are always found loyal in war and in peace.
The farmer's industry does earth fertile make;
The husbandman's plowing,
His planting and fowing,
Gets health and good cheer at a country-wake.
Gets health, &c.
Our maids blooming fair, without washes and paints,
From neighbouring villages hither refort,
They kifs fweet as rofes, yet virtuous as faints;
(Who can fay more for the ladies at court) ?
No worldly cares vex them asleep or awake,
But their time they improve
peace and true love,
And innocent mirth at a country-wake.
And innocent, &c.
The schemes of a courtier are full of intrigues :
Here all's fair and open, dark deeds we despise,
Set rural contentment 'gainft courtly fatigue,
Who chufes the former is happy and wife :
pray for the king, and, for Britain's fake, From all factions free,
May his fubjects agree,
As well at the court as the country-wake.
As well, &c.
Uftom prevailing fo long 'mongst the great,
Makes oaths eafy potions to fleep on;
Which many (on gaining good places) repeat,
Without e'er defigning to keep one.
For an oath's feldom kept, as a virgin's fair fame,
A lover's fond vows, or a prelate's good name;
A lawyer to truth, or a statesman from blame,
Or a patriot's heart in a courtier.
HE terrible law when it faftens its
On a poor man, it grips till he's undone; And what I am doing may prove to my ruin, Tho' rich as the lord mayor of London.
Therefore I'll be wary what meffage I carry,
Unless we first make a fure zure bargain;
I will be dempnified, thoroughly fatisfied,
That ch'an fhan't zuffer a varding.
HE play of love is now begun,
And thus the actions do go on;
Strephon, enamour'd, courts the fair,
She hears him with a careless air,
And fmiles to find him in love's fnare.
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