Far in Cythera ftands a fpacious grove, Sacred to Venus and the God of Love; Here the luxurious myrtle rears ber head, Like the tall oak the fragrant branches fpread; Here Nature all her fweets profufely pours,, And paints th' enamel'd ground with various flowers;

Deep in the gloomy glade a grotto bends,
Wide through the craggy rock an arch extends,
The rugged ftone is cloth'd with mantling vines,
And round the cave the creeping woodbine twines.
Here bufy Cupids, with pernicious art,
Form the stiff bow, and forge the fatal dart;
All share the toil; while fome the bellows ply,
Others with feathers teach the fhafts to fly:
Some with joint force turn round the ftony wheel,
Where ftreams the fparkling fire from temper'd
feel;

Some point their arrows with the niceft skill,
And with the warlike flore their quivers fill.
A different toil another forge employs :
Here the loud hanmer fafhions female toys;
Hence is the fair with ornament fupply'd;
Hence fpring the glittering implements of pride;
Each trinket that adorns the modern dame
First to thefe little artifts ow'd its frame:
Here an unfinish'd diamond crosslet lay,
To which foft lovers adoration pay;
There was the polish'd crystal bottle feen,
That with quick fcents invites the motish spleen;

Here the yet rude unjointed fnuff-box lies,
Which ferves the rally'd fop for (mart replies;
There piles of paper rofe in gilded reams,
The future records of the lover's flames;
Here clouded canes 'midft heaps of toys are found,

And in-laid tweezer-cafes ftrow the ground;
There ftands the toilette, nursery of charms,
Completely furnish'd with bright Beauty's arms;
The patch, the powder-box, pulville; perfumes,
Pins, paint, a flattering glass, and black-lead combs.

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When eyes were artlefs, and the look demure;
When the wide ruff the well-turnd neck inclos'd,
And heaving breasts within the stays repos'd;
When the clofe hood conceal'd the modeft ear,
Ere black-lead combs difown'd the virgin's hair;
Then in the muff unactive fingers lay,
Nor taught the Fan in fickle forms to play.

How are the fex improv'd in amorous arts! 205
What new-found fnares they bait for human hearts!
When kindling war the ravag'd globe ran o'er,
And fatten'd thirsty plains with human gore,
At first, the brandish'd arm the javelin threw,
Or fent wing'd arrows from the twanging yew;
In the bright air the dreadful faulchion fhone,
Or whiftling flings dismiss'd th' uncertain ftone.
Now men whofe lefs deftructive arms defpife;
Wide-wafteful death from thundering cannon

flies:

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One hour with more battalions fitrows the plain, 215
Than were of yore in weekly battles lain.
So Love with fatal airs the nymph fupplies,
Her dtefs difpofes, and directs her eyes.
The bofom now its panting beauties shows;
Th' experienc'd eye refiftlefs glances throws;
Now vary'd patches wander o'er the face,
And ftrike each gazer with a borrow'd grace;
The fickle head-drefs finks, and now afpires
A towery front of lace on branching wires;
The curling hair in tortur'd ringlets flows,
Or round the face in labour'd order grows.
How shall I foar, and on unweary wing
Trace varying habits upward to their spring!
What force of thought, what numbers can exprefs
Th' inconftant equipage of female drefs!
How the ftrait ftays the flender waist constrain,
How to adjust the manteau's fweeping train !
What fancy can the petticoat furround,
With the capacious hoop of whale-bone bound!
But ftay, prefumptuous Mufe! nor boldly dare

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LYMPUS' gates unfold; in heaven's high towers
Appear in council all th' immortal powers.
Great Jove above the reft exalted fate,
And in his mind revolv❜d fucceeding fate;
His awful eye with ray fuperiot fhone;
The thunder-grafping eagle guards his throne;
On filver clouds the great affembly laid,
The whole creation at one view furyey'd.

But fee fair Venus comes in all her state;
The wanton Loves and Graces round her wait; 10
With her loofe robe officious Zeyphers play,
And ftrew with odoriferous flowers the way;
In her right hand the waves the fluttering Fan;
And thus in melting founds her speech began:

Affembled Powers ! who fickie mortals guide, 15
Who o'er the fea, the skies, and earth, prefide;
Ye fountains! whence all human bleffings flow.
Who pour your bounties on the world below;
Bacchus firft rais'd and prun'd the climbing vine,
And taught the grape to ftream with generous wine;
Industrious Ceres tam'd the favage ground,
And pregnant fields with golden harvests crown'd;
Flora with bloomy fweets enrich'd the year;
And fruitful Autumn is Pomona's care.
I first taught woman to subdue mankind,
And all her native charms with drefs rcfin'd ;
Celestial Synod! this machine furvey,
That fhades the face, or bids cool zephyrs play;
If confcious blufhes on her cheek arife.

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| With this the veils them from her lover's eyes 3 39

35.

No level'd glance betrays her amorous heart,
From the Fan's ambush she directs the dart.
The royal fceptre shines in Juno's hand,
And twisted thunder speaks great Jove's command;
On Pallas' arm the Gorgon fhield appears,
And Neptune's mighty grafp the trident bears;
Ceres is with the bending fickle seen,
And the strong bow points out the Cynthian Queen;
Henceforth the waving Fan my hands fhall grace,
The waving Fan fupply the fceptre's place.
who thall, ye Powers ! the forming pencil hold ?
What story shall the wide machine unfold?
Let Loves and Graces lead the dance around,
With myrtle-wreaths and flowry chaplets crown'd;
Let Cupid's arrow ftrow the smiling plains
With unrefifting nymphs and amorous fwains:
May glowing pictures o'er the surface shine,
To melt flow virgins with a warm defign!'

Diana rofe with filver crefcent crown'd,
And fix'd her modeft eyes upon the ground;
And thus with graceful voice the virgin said:
Then with becoming mein the rais'd her head,

Has woman then forgot all former wiles,
The wathful ogle, and delusive smiles ?

40

45

مو

Does man against her charms too powerful prove? Roll back, ye streams; back to your fountain Or are the fex grown novices in love!

run!

Paris is falfe; Oenome is undone.

120

Ah, wretched maid! think how the moments flew, Ere you the pangs of this curst passion knew, 60 When groves could plaase, and when you lov'd the plain,

Without the prefence of your perjur'd swain.

Thus may the nymph, whene'er the spreads the
Fan,

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65 In his true colours view perfidious man;
Pleas'd with her virgin ftate, in forests rove,
And never trust the dangerous hopes of Love.
The Goddess ended; merry Momus rofe,
With fmiles and grins he waggish glances throws;
70 Then with a noisy laugh forestalls the joke,
Mirth flashes from his eyes while thus he fpoke
Rather let heavenly deeds be painted there,
And by your own examples teach the fair.
Let chafe Diana on the piece be seen,

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75 And the bright crefcent own the Cynthian Queen.
On Latmos' top fee young Endymion lies,
Feign'd fleep has clos'd the bloomy lover's eyes:
See, to his foft embraces how she steals,
And on his lips her warm careffes feals;

Why then these arms? or why should artful eyes,
From this flight ambush conquer by furprise?
No guilty thought the spotless virgin knows,
And o'er her cheek no confcious crimfon glows.
Since blushes then from fhame alone arife,
Why should we veil them from her lover's eyes?
Let Cupid rather give up his command,
And truft his arrows in a female hand.
Have not the Gods already cherish'd pride,
And woman with destructive arms fupply'd?
Neptune on her bestows his choiceft ftores,
For her the chambers of the deep explores;
The gaping fhell its pearly charge refigns,
And round her neck the lucid bracelet twines :
Plutus for her bids earth its wealth unfold,
Where the warm ore is ripen'd into gold;
Or where the ruby reddens in the foil,
Where the green emerald pays the searcher's toil.
Does not the diamond fparkle in her ear,
Glow on her hand, and tremble in her hair?
From the gay nymph the glancing luftre flies,
And imitates the lightning of her eyes.
But yet, if Venus' wishes muft fucceed,
And this fantastic engine be decreed,
May fome chafte ftory from the pencil flow,
To speak the virgin's joy, and Hymen's woe!
Here let the wretched Ariadne ftand,
Seduc'd by Thefeus to fore defart land,
Her locks difhevel'd waving in the wind,
The cryftal tears confefs her tortur'd mind.
The perjur'd youth unfurls his treacherous fails,
And their white bofoms catch the fwelling gales.
Be ftill! ye winds, fhe cries; ftay, Thefeus, ftay!
But faithlefs Thefeus hears no more than they.
All defperate, to fome craggy cliff the flies,
And spreads a well-known fignal in the skies;
His leffening veffel plows the foamy main;
She fighs, the calls, the waves the fign in vain.
Paint Dido there amidst her last diftress,
Pale cheeks and blood-fhot eyes her grief exprefs:
Deep in her breaft the reeking sword is drown'd;
And gushing blood streams purple from the wound;
His fifter Anna hovering o'er her stands,
Accuses Heaven with lifted eyes and hands,
Upbraids the Trojan with repeated cries,
Ano mixes curfes with her broken fighs.
View this, ye maids; and then each fwain believe:
They're Trojans all, and vow but to deceive.

80 No more her hand the glittering javelin holds,
But round his neck her eager arms the folds.
Why are our fecrets by our blushes shown?
Virgins are virgins still-while 'tis unknown.
Here let her on some flowery bank be laid,

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85 Where meeting beeches weave a graceful shade;
Her naked bofom wanton treffes grace,
And glowing expectation paints her face;
O'er her fair limbs a thin loose veil is spread,
(Stand off! ye fhepherds; fear Acteon's head!)
90 Let vigorous Pan th' unguarded minute feize,
And in a fhaggy goat the virgin please.
Why are our fecrets by our blushes shown?
Virgins are virgins still-while 'tis unknown,

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155

There with juft warmth Aurora's paffion trace,
Let fpreading crimson stain her virgin face.
See Cephalus her wanton airs defpife,
While the provokes him with defiring eyes;
To raife his paffions, the difplays her charms,
His modeft hand upon her bosom warms:
100 Nor looks, nor prayers, nor force, his heart per-
fuade;

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110

Here draw Oenone in the lonely grove,
Where Paris firft betray'd her into love:
Let wither'd garlands hang on every bough,
Which the falfe youth wove for Oenone's brow;
The garlands lose their sweets, their pride is shed,
And like their odours all his vows are fled.
On her fair arm her penfive head the lays,
And Xanthus' wave with mournful look furveys;
That flood which witness'd his inconftant flame,
When thus he swore, and won the yielding dame :
"These streams fhall fooner to their fountain move,
"Than I forget my dear Oenone's love."

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175

She breaks the guiltless pipe, and with disdain
Its fhatter'd ruins flings upon the plain;
With the loud reed no more her cheek fhall fwell,
What Ifpoil her face! No. Warbling strains, fare-
wel.

Shall arts, fhall fciences, employ the fair?
Those trifles are beneath Minerva's care,
From Venus let her learn the married life,
And all the virtuous duties of a wife.
Here on a couch extend the Cyprian dame,
Let her eye sparkle with the glowing flame;
The God of War within her clinging arms
Sinks on her lips, and kindles all her charms.
Paint limping Vulcan with a husband's care,
And let his brow the cuckold's honours wear;
Beneath the net the captive lovers place,
Their limbs entangled in a close embrace.
Let these amours adorn the new machine,
And female nature on the piece be feen;

So fhall the fair, as long as Fans shall last,
Learn from your bright examples to be chaste.

ΤΗΕ Γ Α Ν.

She made Latona's altars ceafe to flame, And of due honours robb'd her facred name; To her own charms fhe bade fresh incenfe rife, And adoration own her brighter eyes. Seven daughters from her fruitful loins were born, Seven gaceful fons her nuptial bed adorn, 180 Who, for a mother's arrogant difdain, Were by Latona's double offspring flain. Here Phoebus his unerring arrow drew, And from his rifing fteed her firft-born threw; His opening fingers drop the flacken'd rein, 185 And the pale corpfe falls headlong to the plain. Beneath her pencil here two wrestlers bend, See, to the grafp their fwelling nerves diftend; Diana's arrow joins them face to face, And death unites them in a strict embrace. 190 Another here flies trembling o'er the plain (When Heaven pursues, we thun the ftroke in vain):

From her fweet lips fmooth elocution flows;
Her skilful hand an ivory pallet grae'd,
Where fhining colours were in order plac'a.
As Gods are blefs'd with a fuperior skill,

And, fwift as mortal thought, perform their will;
Straight the propofes, by her art divine,
To bid the paint exprefs her great defign.
Th' affembled powers confent She now began
And her creating pencil ftain'd the Fan.

5

O'er the fair field trees fpread, and rivers flow,
Towers rear their heads, and diftant mountains
grow;

Life feems to move within the glowing veins,
And in each face fome lively paffion reigns.
Thus have I feen woods, hills, and dales appear,
Flocks graze the plains, birds wing the filent air,
In darken'd rooms, where light can only pafs
Through the fmall circle of a convex glass;
On the white fheet the moving figures rife,
The foreft waves, clouds float along the skies.
She various fables on the piece defign'd,
That spoke the follies of the female kind.
The fate of pride in Niobe the drew

15

20

2.5

(Be wife, ye nymphs, that fcornful vice fubdue).
In a wide plain th' imperious mother ftood,
Whose distant bounds rofe in a winding wood;
Upon her shoulder flows her mantling hair,
Pride marks her brow, and elevates her air;
A purple robe behind her fweeps the ground,
Whofe fpacious border golden flowers furround; 30

This lifts his fupplicating hands and eyes,
And 'midft his humble adoration dies
As from his thigh this tears the barbed dart,
A furer weapen ftrikes his throbbing heart:
While that to raise his wounded brother tries,
Death blafts his bloom, and locks his frozen eyes:
The tender flfters, bath'd in grief appear,
With fable garments and dishevel'd hair,
And o'er their gafping brothers weeping stood;
Some with their treffes ftopt the gushing blood;
They ftrive to ftay the fleetiug life too late,
And in the pious action fhare their fate.
Now the proud dame, o'ercome by trembling fear,
With her wide robe protects her only care;
To fave her only care in vain fhe tries,

Clofe at her feet the latest victim dies.

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50

55

Down her fair cheek the trickling forrow flows, 65

Like dewy fpangles on the blushing rofe;

Fix'd in aftonishment the weeping flood,

70

The plain all purple with her children's blood;
She ftiffens with her woes: no more her hair
In eafy ringlets wantons in the air;
Motion fo: fakes her eyes: her veins are dry'd,
And beat no longer with the fanguine tide,
All life fled; firm marble now the grows,
Which still in tears the mother's anguifh fhows.
Ye haughty fair, your painted Fans display, 75
And the just fate of lofty pride furvey.

Though lovers oft extol your beauty's power,
And in celeftial fimilies adore;

Though from your features Cupid borrows arms,
And goddeffes confefs inferior charms;

Do not, vain maid, the flattering tale believe,
Alike thy lovers and thy glafs deceive.

Here lively colours Procris' paffion tell,
Who to her jealous fears a victim fell.

Here kneels the trembling hunter o'er his wife,
Who rolls her fickening eyes, and gafps for life;
Her drooping head upon her shoulder lies,
And purple gore her fnowy bofom dyes.
What guilt, what horror, on his face appears!
See, his red eye-lid feems to fwell with tears; 90
With agony his wringing hands he strains,
And ftrong convulfions ftretch his branching veins.