"Fate, I come, as dark, as sad, Yet bring with me all the fire At these words, away he broke, Young Love. [From 8 stanzas.] COME, little infant! love me now, Clear thine aged father's brow Pretty, surely, 'twere to see By young Love old Time beguil❜d, While our sportings are as free As the nurse's with the child. Common beauties stay fifteen; Such as your's should swifter move, Whose fair blossoms are too green Yet for lust, but not for love. VOL. III. T Love as much the snowy lamb, Or the wanton kid does prize, As the lusty bull, or ram, For his morning sacrifice. take Now then love me! Time may So we win of doubtful Fate ; And if good she to us meant, We that good shall antedate; Or if ill, that ill prevent. * ALEXANDER BROME. THE character of this witty loyalist, styled by Phillips "the English Anacreon," whose writings are supposed to have contributed very essentially to the Restoration of Charles II., is thus drawn by honest Izaac Walton, in what he calls "An humble Eglog, written on the 29th of May, 1660." Damon. Let rebel's spirits sink, let those Contempt upon our Church, our king, As we have march'd to fight the cause Such songs as virgins need not fear To sing, or a grave matron hear. Here's love dress'd neat, and chaste, and gay To raise thy thoughts, and cheer thy heart. Damon. A friend of mine, And one that's worthy to be thine ; Brome was by profession an attorney in the lord mayor's court, and preserved his loyalty untainted through the whole of the civil wars and the protectorship. He was born in 1620, and died in 1666. In 1651 he published a comedy intitled "The Cunning Lovers," and in 1666 a translation of Horace by himself and others. He was also the editor of the dramatic works of his brother, Richard Brome. See Phillips and Langbaine. The following extracts are taken from his "Songs and other Poems," of which the first edition appeared in 1660, the second in 1664, and the third in 1668. SONG. To a coy Lady. I PRITHEE leave this peevish fashion; And doth scorn to be despis'd. For our fancy makes you so. Don't be proud 'cause we adore you, For angels or for queens, pray know Don't suppose your majesty your angelic natures be Palinode. No more, no more of this! I vow And now 'tis time I should have done, He physic's use doth quite mistake My heat of youth, and love, and pride, Did swell me with their strong spring-tide, |