The rage of Jealousy then fir'd his foul,
And his face kindled like a burning coal :
Now cold Defpair, fucceeding in her ftead,
To livid palenefs turns the glowing red.
His blood, fcarce liquid, creeps within his veins,
Like water which the freezing wind constrains.
Then thus he faid: Eternal Deities,
Who rule the world with abfolute decrees,
And write whatever time fhall bring to pafs,
With pens of adamant, on plates of brass ;
What, is the race of human kind your care
Beyond what all his fellow-creatures are ?
He with the reft is liable to pain,

And like the sheep, his brother-beast, is flain.
Cold, hunger, prifons, ills without a cure,
All these he muft, and guiltless oft endure
Or does your juftice, power, or prefcience fail,
When the good fuffer, and the bad prevail ?
What vorfe to wretched virtue could befal,
If fate or giddy fortune govern'd all?
Nay, worfe than other beafts is our eftate;
Them, to pursue their pleafures, you create;
We, bound by harder laws, muft curb our will,
And your commands, not our defires, fulfil;
Then when the creature is unjustly flain,
Yet after death at leaft he feels no pain;
But man in life furcharg'd with woe before,
Not freed when dead, is doom'd to fuffer more.
A ferpent fhoots his fting at unaware;
An ambush'd thief forelays a traveller :
F 4

The

The man lies murder'd, while the thief and snake,
One gains the thickets, and one thrids the brake.
This let divines decide; but well I know,

Juft or unjust, I have my fhare of woe,
Through Saturn feated in a luckless place,
And Juno's wrath, that perfecutes my race;
Or Mars and Venus, in a quartil, move
My pangs of jealoufy for Arcite's love.
Let Palamon opprefs'd in bondage mourn,
While to his exil'd rival we return.

By this, the fun, declining from his height,
The day had fhorten'd, to prolong the night:
The lengthen'd night gave length of mifery
Both to the captive lover and the free;
For Palamon in endlefs prifon mourns,
And Arcite forfeits life if he returns:
The banish'd never hopes his love to fee,
Nor hopes the captive lord his liberty:
'Tis hard to fay who fuffers greater pains :

One fees his love, but cannot break his chains :

One free, and all his motions uncontrol'd,

Beholds whate'er he would, but what he would behold.
Judge as you pleafe, for I will hafte to tell
What fortune to the banifh'd knight befel.
When Arcite was to Thebes return'd again,
The lofs of her he lov'd renew'd his pain;
What could be worfe, than never more to fee
His life, his foul, his charming Emily?
He rav'd with all the madnefs of despair,

Ile roar'd, he beat his breast, he tore his hair.

Dry

Dry forrow in his ftupid eyes appears,
For, wanting nourishment, he wanted tears s
His eye balls in their hollow fockets fink.
Bereft of fleep, he loaths his meat and drink.
He withers at his heart, and looks as wan
As the pale (pectre of a murder'd man s
That pale turns yellow, and his face receives
The faded hue of faplefs boxen leaves:
In folitary groves he makes his moan,
Walks early out, and ever is alone s

Zior, mixed in mirth, in youthful pleafures fhares,
But fighs when fongs and inftruments he hears.
His fpirits are fo low, his voice is drown'd,
11e bears as from afar, or in a fwoon,
Like the deaf murmurs of a diftant found s
Uncomb'd his locks, and fqualid his attire,
Unlike the trim of love and gay defires
But full of mufeful mopings, which prefige
The lofs of reason, and conclude in rage.
This when he had endur'd a year and more,
Now wholly changed from what he was before,
It happen'd once, that, flumbering as he lay,
He dream'd (his dream began at break of day)
That Hermes o'er his head in air appear'd,
And with foft words his drooping fpirits chear'd s
His hat, adorn'd with wings, difclos'd the God,
And in his hand he bore the fleep-compelling rod s
Such as he feem'd, when, at his fire's command,
On Argus' head he laid the fnaky wand.

}

Arife, he said, to conquering Athens go,
There fate appoints an end to all thy woe.
The fright awaken'd Arcite with a start,
Against his bofom bounc'd his heaving heart;
But foon he faid, with fcarce-recover'd breath,
And thither will I go, to meet my death,
Sure to be flain; but death is my defire,
Since in Emilia's fight I fhall expire.

By chance he fpy'd a mirror while he spoke,
And gazing there beheld his alter'd look;
Wondering, he faw his features and his hue
So much were chang'd, that scarce himself he knew.
A fudden thought then starting in his mind,
Since I in Arcite cannot Arcite find,

The world may search in vain with all their eyes,
But never penetrate through this difguife.
Thanks to the change which grief and sickness give,
In low estate I may fecurely live,

And fee unknown my miftrefs day by day.
He faid; and cloth'd himself in coarfe array:
A labouring hind in fhew; then forth he went,
And to th' Athenian towers his journey bent:
One fquire attended in the fame disguise,
Made conscious of his master's enterprife.
Arriv'd at Athens foon he came to court,
Unknown, unqueftion'd, in that thick refort:
Proffering for hire his fervice at the gate,
To drudge, draw water, and to run or wait.
So fair befel him, that for little gain
He ferv'd at firft Emilia's chamberlain ;

And,

And, watchful all advantages to spy,
Was still at hand, and in his master's eye;
And as his bones were big, and finews strong,
Refus'd no toil that could to flaves belong;
But from deep wells with engines water drew,
And us'd his noble hands the wood to hew.
He pafs'd a year at least attending thus
On Emily, and call'd Philoftratus.
But never was there man of his degree
So much efteem'd, fo well belov'd as he.
So gentle of condition was he known,
That through the court his courtesy was blown :
All think him worthy of a greater place,
And recommend him to the royal grace:
That, exercis'd within a higher sphere,
His virtues more confpicuous might appear.
Thus by the general voice was Arcite prais'd,
And by great Thefeus to high favour rais'd:
Among his menial fervants first enroll'd,
And largely entertain'd with fums of gold:
Befides what fecretly from Thebes was fent,
Of his own income, and his annual rent:
This well employ'd, he purchas'd friends and fame,
But cautiously conceal'd from whence it came.
Thus for three years he liv'd with large increase,
In arms of honour, and esteem in peace;
To Thefeus' perfon he was ever near;
And Thefeus for his virtues held him dear..

PALA