His op'ning fingers drop the flacken'd rein,
And the pale corfe falls headlong to the plain.
Beneath her pencil here two wrestlers bend;
See, to the grasp her swelling nerves distend;
Diana's arrow joins them face to face,

And death unites them in a strict embrace.
Another here flies trembling o'er the plain ;
When heav'n pursues we fhun the stroke in vain,
This lifts his fupplicating hands and eyes,
And 'midst his humble adoration dies.

As from his thigh this tears the barbed dart,
A furer weapon strikes his throbbing heart:
While that to raise his wounded brother tries,
Death blafts his bloom, and locks his frozen eyes.
The tender fifters bath'd in grief appear,
With fable garments and dishevell'd hair,
And o'er their gafping brothers weeping flood;
Some with their treffes ftopt the gushing blood,
They strive to stay the fleeting life too late,
And in the pious action share their fate.

Now the proud dame o'ercome by trembling fear,
With her wide robe protects her only care;
To fave her only care in vain she tries,

Close at her feet the latest victim dies.

Down her fair cheek the trickling forrow flows,
Like dewy fpangles on the blushing rofe,
Fixt in astonishment fhe weeping stood,

The plain all purple with her children's blood;

יו

She

She ftiffens with her woes: no more her hair
In eafy ringlets wantons in the air;
Motion forfakes her eyes, her veins are dry'd,
And beat no longer with the fanguine tide;
All life is fled, firm marble now she grows,
Which ftill in tears the mother's anguifh fhows,

Ye haughty fair, your painted fans display,
And the just fate of lofty pride furvey;
Tho' lovers oft extol your beauty's power,
And in celestial fimilies adore,

Though from your features Cupid borrows arms,
And goddeffes confess inferior charms,

Do not, vain maid, the flatt'ring tale believe,
Alike thy lovers and thy glass deceive.

Here young Narciffus o'er the fountain flood,
And view'd his image in the crystal flood;
The cryftal flood reflects his lovely charms,
And the pleas'd image ftrives to meet his arms.
No nymph his unexperienc'd breast fubdu'd,
Echo in vain the flying boy purfu'd,

Himself alone the foolish youth admires,

And with fond look the smiling fhade defires:
O'er the smooth lake with fruitlefs tears he grieves,
His spreading fingers shoot in verdant leaves,
Through his pale veins green fap now gently flows,
And in a fhort-liv'd flow'r his beauty blows.
Let vain Narciffus warn each female breast,

That beauty's but a tranfient good at best,

Like flow'rs it withers with th' advancing year,
And age like winter robs the blooming fair.
Oh Araminta, cease thy wonted pride,
Nor longer in thy faithlefs charms confide;
Ev'n while the glass reflects thy sparkling eyes,
Their luftre and thy rofy colour flies!

Thus on the fan the breathing figures fhine,
And all the pow'rs applaud the wife defign.
The Cyprian queen the painted gift receives,
And with a grateful bow the fynod leaves.
'To the low world fhe bends her steepy way,
Where Strephon pafs'd the folitary day;
She found him in a melancholy grove,
His down-caft eyes betray'd defponding love,
The wounded bark confefs'd his flighted flame,
And ev'ry tree bore falfe Corinna's name;
In a cool fhade he lay with folded arms,
Curfes his fortune, and upbraids her charms,
When Venus to his wond'ring eyes appears,
And with these words relieves his am'rous cares:

Rife, happy youth, this bright machine furvey, Whole ratt'ling sticks my bufy fingers fway, This present shall thy cruel charmer move, And in her fickle bofom kindle love.

The fan fhall flutter in all female hands,
And various fashions learn from various lands.
For this, fhall elephants their ivory fhed;
And polish'd flicks the waving engine spread:

His clouded mail the tortoife shall refign,
And round the rivet pearly circles shine.
On this fhall Indians all their art employ,
And with bright colours ftain the gaudy toy;
Their paint fhall here in wildest fancies flow,
Their drefs, their customs, their religion fhow;
So fhall the British fair their minds improve,
And on the fan to diftant climates rove.

Here China's ladies fhall their pride display,
And filver figures gild their loose array;
This boasts her little feet and winking eyes;
That tunes the fife, or tinkling cymbal plies:
Here cross-leg'd nobles in rich state shall dine,
There in bright mail diftorted heroes shine..
The peeping fan in modern times shall rife,
Through which unfeen the female ogle flies
This shall in temples the fly maid conceal,
And shelter love beneath devotion's veil.
Gay France shall make the fan her artift's care,
And with the coftly trinket arm the fair.
As learned orators that touch the heart,
With various action raise their soothing art,
Both head and hand affect the lift'ning throng,
And humour each expreffion of the tongue;
So fhall each paffion by the fan be seen,

From noify anger to the fullen fpleen.

While Venus fpoke, joy fhone in Strephon's eyes : Proud of the gift, he to Corinna flies.

But

But Cupid (who delights in am'rous ill,
Wounds hearts, and leaves them to a woman's will)
With certain aim a golden arrow drew,
Which to Leander's panting bofom flew :
Leander lov'd; and to the sprightly dame
In gentle fighs reveal'd his growing flame;
Sweet fmiles Corinna to his fighs returns,
And for the fop in equal paffion burns.

Lo Strephon comes! and with a suppliant bow,
Offers the prefent, and renews his vow.

When the the fate of Niobe beheld,
Why has my pride against my heart rebell❜d?
She fighing cry'd: disdain forfook her breast,
And Strephon now was thought a worthy guest.
In Procris' bofom when she saw the dart;
She juftly blames her own fufpicious heart,
Imputes her difcontent to jealous fear,
And knows her Strephon's conftancy fincere.
When on Camilla's fate her eye The turns,
No more for show and equipage fhe burns :
She learns Leander's paffion to defpife,
And looks on merit with discerning eyes.
Narciffus' change to the vain virgin shows,
Who trufts to beauty, trufts the fading rofe.
Youth flies apace, with youth your beauty flies,
Love then, ye virgins, ere the blossom dies.

Thus Pallas taught her. Strephon weds the dame, And Hymen's torch diffus'd the brightest flame.

A WINTER