For why should he who made address,
All humble ways, without success,
And met with nothing, in return,
But insolence, affronts, and scorn,
Not strive by wit to countermine,
And bravely carry his design?
He who was us'd so unlike a soldier,
Blown up with philtres of love-powder;
And after letting blood, and purging,
Condemn'd to voluntary scourging;
Alarm'd with many a horrid fright,
And claw'd with goblins in the night;
Insulted on, revil'd, and jeer'd,

With rude invasion of his beard;

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And when your sex was foully scandall'd, 155 As foully by the rabble handled;

Attack'd by despicable foes,

And drubb'd with mean and vulgar blows;
And, after all, to be debarr'd

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165

170

175

173. Parthians are the inhabitants of a province in Persia: they are excellent horsemen, and very exquisite at their bows; and it is reported of them, that they ge nerally slew more on their retreat than they did in the engagement.

T

So women, to surprise us, spread
The borrow'd flags of white and red;
Display 'em thicker on their cheeks
Than their old grandmothers, the Picts;
And raise more devils with their looks,
Than conjurer's less subtle books;
Lay trains of amorous intrigues,
In tow'rs, and curls, and periwigs,
With greater art and cunning rear'd,
Than Philip Nye's thanksgiving beard,
Prepost'rously t' entice and gain
Those to adore 'em they disdain ;
And only draw 'em in to clog
With idle names á catalogue.

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190

A lover is, the more he's brave,

This mistress but the more a slave,

And whatsoever she commands,

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Becomes a favour from her hands;

Which he 's oblig'd t' obey, and must,
Whether it be unjust or just.

Then when he is compell'd by her
T'adventures he would else forbear,
Who with his honour.can withstand,
Since force is greater than command?
And when necessity 's obey'd,

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Nothing can be unjust or bad:

And therefore when the mighty pow'rs

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Of love, our great ally and yours,

Join'd forces not to be withstood

By frail enamour'd flesh and blood,
All I have done, unjust or ill,

Was in obedience to

your

And all the blame that can be due,

will;

210

Falls to your cruelty, and you.

Nor are those scandals I confest,
Against my will and interest,
More than is daily done of course
By all men, when they're under force:
Whence some, upon the rack, confess

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What th' hangman and their prompters please

188. One of the assembly of divines, very remarkable for the singularity of his beard.

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250

237. When Romulus had built Rome, he made it an asylum, or place of refuge, for all malefactors, and others obnoxious to the laws, to retire to, by which means it soon came to be very populous; but when he began to consider, that, without propagation, it would soon be destitute of inhabitants, he invented several fine shows, and invited the young Sabine women, then neighbours to them; and when they had them secure, they ravished them; from whence proceeded so numerous an offspring.

252. Alimony is an allowance that the law gives the woman for her separate maintenance upon living from

Nor would endure to stay until
Th' had got the very bride's good will;
But took a wise and shorter course
To win the ladies, downright force;
And justly made 'em pris'ners then,
As they have, often since, us men,
With acting plays, and dancing jigs,

255

The luckiest of all love's intrigues;

260

And when they had them at their pleasure,

Then talk'd of love and flames at leisure;

Not men for them.-It follows, then,

That men have right to ev'ry one,

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And they no freedom of their own:

And therefore men have pow'r to choose,

But they no charter to refuse.

Hence 'tis apparent that, what course

Soe'er we take to your amours,

280

Though by the indirectest way,

'Tis no injustice, nor foul play;

And that you ought to take that course,

As we take you, for better or worse;

And gratefully submit to those

285

Who you, before another, chose.
For why should ev'ry savage beast
Exceed his great lord's interest?
Have freer pow'r than he in grace,
And nature, o'er the creature has?
Because the laws he since has made
Have cut off all the pow'r he had;

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her husband. That and death are reckoned the only separations in a married state.

Retrench'd the absolute dominion
That nature gave him over women;
When all his pow'r will not extend
One law of nature to suspend;

295

And but to offer to repeal

The smallest clause, is to rebel.

This, if men rightly understood

Their privilege, they would make good;

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And not, like sots, permit their wives

T'encroach on their prerogatives;

For which sin they deserve to be

Kept as they are, in slavery:

And this some precious gifted teachers,

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Unrev'rently reputed leachers,

And disobey'd in making love,

Have vow'd to all the world to prove,
And make ye suffer, as you ought,
For that uncharitable fau't.
But I forget myself, and rove
Beyond th' instructions of my love.
Forgive me (Fair) and only blame
Th' extravagancy of my flame,
Since 'tis too much at once to shew
Excess of love and temper too.
All I have said that 's bad and true,

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315

Was never meant to aim at you,

Who have so sov'reign a control

O'er that poor slave of yours, my soul,

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That, rather than to forfeit you,

Has ventur'd loss of heaven too;

Both with an equal pow'r possest,

To render all that serve you blest;

But none like him, who's destin'd either
To have or lose you both together;
And if you 'll but this fault release
(For so it must be, since you please)
I'll pay down all that vow, and more,
Which you commanded, and I swore,
And expiate upon my skin
Th' arrears in full of all my sin:
For 'tis but just that I should pay
Th' accruing penance for delay;

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