And her eftsoons transmew.

She forlore pin'd;

And mov'd for solace to the glassy lake,

To view the charms that had his heart entwin'd. She saw, and blush'd, and smil'd; then inly spake: "These charms I cannot chuse but love, for Cupid's sake."

XVII.

But sea-born Venus 'gan with envy stir

At bruite of their great happiness; and sought
How she mote wreak her spight: then call'd to her
Her sons, and op'd what rankled in her thought;
Asking who'd venture ore the mounds to vau't
To breed them scathe unwares; to damp the joy
Of blissful Venus, or to bring to nought

The liefest purpose of her darling Boy,

Or urge them both their minion Psyche to destroy.

XVIII.

Eros recul'd, and noul'd the work atchieve. "Bold is th' attempt, said he, averse from love: If love inspires I could derreign to reave

His spear from Mars, his levin-brond from Jove.”
Him Anteros, sneb'd surly. “Galless dove!
Than Love's, Spight's mightier prowess under-
stond :

If Spight inspires I dare all dangers prove :
And if successful, stand the levin-brond,

When hurlen angry forth from Jove's avenging hond."

XIX.

He said, and deffly t'wards the gardens flew ;
Horribly smiling at his foul emprise.

When, nearer still and nearer as he drew,
Unsufferable brightness wounds his eyes
Forth beaming from the crystal walls; he tries
Arrear to move, averted from the blaze.
But now no longer the pure aether buoys

His grosser body's disproportion'd peaze; Down drops, plumb from his tow'ring path, the treachor base.

XX

So ore Avernus, or the Lucrine lake,
The wistless bird pursues his purpos'd flight:
Whether by vapors noy'd that thenceforth break,
Or else deserted by an air too light,

Down tumbles the fowl headlong from his height.
So Anteros astonied fell to ground,

Provok'd, but not accoid at his straunge plight. He rose, and wending coasts it round and round To find unguarded pass, hopeless to leap the mound.

XXI.

As on the margin of a stream he stood,
Slow rolling from that paradise within,
A snake's out-case untenanted he view'd:
Seizing the spoil, albe it worthless been,

He darts himself into the vacant skin.

In borrow'd gear, th' exulting losel glides,
Whose faded hues with joy flush bright again;
Triumphant ore the buoyant flood he rides ;
And shoots th' important gulph, born on the gentle
tydes.

XXII.

So shone the brazen gates of Babylon;
Armies in vain her muniments assail :

So strong, no engines could them batter down:
So high, no ladders could the ramparts scale;
So flank'd with tow'rs, besiegers n'ote avail;
So wide, sufficient harvests they enclose :
But where might yields, there stratagems prevail,
Faithless Euphrates through the city flows,
And through his channel pours the unexpected foes.

XXIII.

He sails along in many a wanton spire;

Now floats at length, now proudly rears his crest:
His sparkling eyes and scales, instinct with fire,
With splendor as he moves, the waves ore kest:
And the waves gleam beneath his flaming breast.
As through the battle, set in full array,

When the sun walks in radiant brightness dress'd;
His beams that on the burnish'd helmets play,
The burnish'd helms reflect, and spread unusual day.

1

XXIV.

So on he fares, and stately wreaths about, In semblance like a seraph glowing bright: But without terror flash'd his lightning out, More to be wonder'd at, than to affright. The backward stream soon led the masker right To the broad lake, where hanging ore the flood (Narcissus like, enamor'd with the sight Of his own beauties) the fond Psyche stood, To mitigate the pains of lonely widowhood.

XXV.

Unkenn'd of her, he raught th' embroider'd bank; And through the tangled flourets weft aside To where a rosiere by the river dank, Luxuriant grew in all its blowing pride, Not far from Psyche; arm'd with scaly hide He clamb the thorns, which no impression make; His glittring length, with all its folds untied, Plays floating ore the bush; then silence brake, And thus the Nymph, astonish'd at his speech, be spake.

XXVI.

"O fairest, and most excellent compleat
In all perfections, sovʼreign Queen of nature!
The whole creation bowing at thy feet
Submissive pays thee homage! wond'rous creature,

If aught created thou! for every feature

Speaks thee a Goddess issued from the skie;
Oh! let not me offend, unbidden waiter,
At aweful distance gazing thus! But why
Should gazing thus offend? or how unbidden I?

XXVII.

"The sun that wakes those flourets from their

beds,

Or opes these buds by his soft influence,

Is not offended that they peep their heads,
And shew they feel his pow'r by their quick sense,

Off'ring at his command, their sweet incense;
Thus I, drawn here, by thy enliv'ning rays,
(Call not intrusion my obedience!)

Perforce, yet willing thrall, am come to gaze,

To pay my homage meet, and bask in beauty's blaze."

XXVIII.

Amaz'd she stood, nor could recover soon:

From contemplation suddenly abraid:
Starting at speech unusual: yet the tune

Struck sootly on her ear, and concert made

With her own thoughts. Nor with less pleasure

stray'd

Her eyes delighted o'er his glossy skin;

Yet frighted at the thorn on which he play'd: Pleasure with horror mixt! she hung between Suspended; yields, recoils, uncertain where to lin.