How happy here should I,
And one dear she, live, and embracing die?
She who is all the world, and can exclude
In desarts solitude.
I NEVER yet could see that face
Which had no dart for me;
From fifteen years to fifty's space
They all victorious be.
Colour or shape, good limbs, or face,
Goodness, or wit, in all I find :
In motion or in speech a grace;
If all fail, yet 'tis womankind.
If tall, the name of proper slays;
If fair, she's pleasant as the light;
If low, her prettiness does please;
If black, what lover loves not night ?
The fat like plenty fills my heart,
The lean with love makes me too so;
If straight, her body's Cupid's dart
To me; if crooked, 'tis his bow.
Thus with unwearied wings I flee
Through all Love's gardens and his fields;
And, like the wise industrious bee,
No weed but honey to me yields.
SHE loves, and she confesses too;
There's then at last no more to do.
The happy work's intirely done;
Enter the town which thou hast wo
The fruits of conquest now begin:
Iô triumphe! enter iu.
What's this, ye gods! what can it be?
Remains there still an enemy?
Bold Honour stands up in the gate,
And would yet capitulate.
Have I o'ercome all real foes,
And shall this phantom me oppose?
Noisy nothing! stalking shade!
By what witchcraft wert thou made?
Empty cause of solid harms!
But I shall find out counter-charms,
Thy airy devilship to remove
From this circle here of love.
Sure I shall rid myself of thee
By the night's obscurity,
And obscurer secresy.
Unlike to every other sprite,
Thou attempt'st not men t'affright,
Nor appear'st but in the light.
MARGARITA first possess'd,
If I remember well, my breast,
Margarita, first of all;
But when a while the wanton maid
With my restless heart had play'd,
Martha took the flying ball.
Martha soon did it resign
To the beauteous Catharine.
Beauteous Catharine gave place
(Though loth and angry she to part
With the possession of my heart)
To Eliza's conquering face.
Eliza till this hour might reign,
Had she not evil counsels ta'en:
Fundamental laws she broke,
And still new favourites she chose,
Till up in arms my passions rose,
And cast away her yoke.
Mary then, and gentle Ann,
Both to reign at once began,
Alternately they sway'd:
And sometimes Mary was the fair,
And sometimes Ann the crown did wear,
And sometimes both I obey'd.
Another Mary then arose, 1.
And did rigorous laws impose;
A mighty tyrant she!
Long, alas, should I have been
Under that iron-scepter'd queen,
Had not Rebecca set me free.
When fair Rebecca set me free,
"Twas then a golden time with me;
But soon those pleasures fled;
For the gracious princess died
In her youth and beauty's pride,
And Judith reigned in her stead.
One month, three days, and half an hour,
Judith held the sovereign power;
Wondrous beautiful her face;
But so weak and small her wit,
That she to govern was unfit,
And so Susanna took her place.
But when Isabella came,
Arm'd with a resistless flame,
And th' artillery of her eye:
Whilst she proudly march'd about
Greater conquests to find out,
She beat out Susan by the bye.
But in her place I then obey'd
Black-ey'd Bess, her viceroy maid,
To whom ensued a vacancy:
Thousand worse passions then possess'd
The interregnum of my breast:
Bless me from such an anarchy !
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