Fools grant whate'er ambition craves, And men, once ignorant, are flaves. In ev'ry age, in ev'ry state! Still when the luft of tyrant pow'r fucceeds, CHORUS of Youths and Virgins. Ο Semichorus: H tyrant love haft thou poffeft The prudent, learn'd and virtuous breaft? And arts but foften us to feel thy flame. But entring learns to be fincere. And Brutus tenderly reproves. Why, virtue, doft thou blame defire, Which nature has impreft?.. The mild and gen'rous breaft?. Chorus Chorus. Love's purer flames the Gods approve; The Gods, and Brutus bend to love: And fterner Caffius melts at Junia's eyes. Spent in a fudden ftorm of luft; A vapour fed from wild defire, A wandring, felf-confuming fire. But Hymen's flames like ftars unite; And burn for ever one; Chafte as cold Cynthia's virgin light, Semichorus. Oh fource of ev'ry social tye, United with, and mutual joy! What various joys on one attend, While thoufand grateful thoughts arise; Or meets his spouse's fonder eye; Or views his smiling progeny; What What tender paffions take their turns, What home-felt raptures move? His heart now melts, now leaps, now burns, With rev'rence, hope, and love. Chorus Hence guilty joys, diftaftes, furmizes, Fires that fcorch, yet dare not fhine: FOUR FOUR SONGS Written in 1683. By his Grace the Duke of BUCKINGHAM• In order to be fung as Chorus's between the Acts of a Play of Shakespear's that was altered. First SONG after the end of the firft Act. Chorus of free Citizens of Rome. W Hither is ancient virtue gone? What is become of juftice now? That vapour, which fo bright, has fhone, And with the wings of conqueft flown, Muft to a haughty mafter bow: Who Who with our toil, our blood, and all we have befide, Gorges his ill-got pow'r, his humour, or his pride. What comfort can that be to thofe, Who more his vain ambition fear? How ftupid wretches we appear; Who round the world, for wealth and empire roam, And never, never think what flaves we are at home? Did men for this together join, Quitting the free wild life of nature? What beaft but man did e'er combine For fetting up his fellow-creature, And of two mifchiefs chufe the greater? Oh! rather than be flaves to falfe and worthless men! Give us our wildness and our woods, our hutts and caves again. There fecure from lawless fway, |