Elegant Extracts: Or, Useful and Entertaining Pieces of Poetry

Or stain her honour, or her new brocade;
Forget her pray'rs, or miss a masquerade;
Or lofe her heart, or necklace, at a ball; [fall.
Or whether Heaven has doom'd that Shock muft
Hafte then, ye fpirits! to your charge repair:
The flutt'ring fan he Zephyretta's care;
The drops to thee, Brillante, we confign;
And, Momentilla, let the watch be thine;
Do thou, Crifpissa, tend her fav'rite Lock;
Ariel himself thall be the guard of Shock.

To fifty chofen Sylphs, of fpecial note,
We trust the important charge, the Petticoat:
Oft have we known that seven-fold fence to fail,
Tho' ftiff with hoops, and arm'd with ribs of
Form a strong line about the filver bound, [whale:
And guard the wide circumference around.

Whatever fpirit, careless of his charge,
His poft neglects, or leaves the fair at large,
Shall feel fharp vengeance foon o'ertake his fins,
Be ftopp'd in vials, or transfix'd with pins;
Or plung'd in lakes of bitter washes lie,
Or wedg'd whole ages in a bodkin's eye:
Gums and pomatums fhall his flight reftrain,
While clogg'd he beats his filken wings in vain:
Or alum ftyptics with contracting pow'r,
Shrink his thin eflence like a fhrivell'd flow'r:
Or, as Ixion fix'd, the wretch fhall feel
The giddy motion of the whirling mill;
In fumes of burning chocolate fhall glow,
And tremble at the fea that froths below!
He spoke; the fpirits from the fails defcend;
Some, orb in orb, around the nymph extend;
Some thrid the mazy ringlets of her hair;
Some hang upon the pendants of her ear;
With beating hearts the dire event they wait,
Anxious, and trembling for the birth of Fate.

CANTO III.

CLOSE by those meads, for ever crown'd with flow'rs,

Belinda now, whom thirst of fame invites,
Burns to encounter two advent'rous knig
At ombre fingly to decide their doom;
And fwells her breaft with conquefts yet too
Straight the three bands prepare in arms to
Each band the number of the facred nine
Soon as the fpreads her hand, th' aërial g
Defcend, and fit on each important card :
Firit Ariel perch'd upon a matadore,
Then each according to the rank they bo
For Sylphs. yet mindful of their ancient
Are, as when women, wond'rous fond of

Behold. four kings in majefty rever'd,
With hoary whiskers and a forky beard; [#
And four fair queens whofe hands u
Th' expreffive emblem of their fofter pow
Four knaves in garbs fuccinct, a trufly ba
Caps on their heads, and halberts in their
And party-coloured troops, a fhining tr
Drawn forth to combat on the velvet plai

The skilful nymph reviews her force with Let Spades be trumps! the faid, and trump

were.

Now move to war her fable matadores,
In fhow like leaders of the fwartby Moor
Spadillo first, unconquerable lord!
Led off two captive trumps,and fwept the
As many more Manillo forc'd to yield,
And march'd a victor from the verdant t
Him Bafto follow'd, but his fate more ha
Gain'd but one trump, and one Plebeian
With his broad fabre next, a chief in yea
The hoary Majefty of Spades appears,
Puts forth one manly leg, to fight reveal
The reft his many-colour'd robe conceal'c
The rebel Knave, who dares his prince en
Proves the juft victim of his royal age.
E'en mighty Pam, that Kings and Queens
threw,

[tow'rs, And mow'd down armies in the fights of
Sad chance of war! now deftitute of aid,
Falls undiftinguifh'd by the victor Spade!

Where Thames with pride furveys his rifing
There ftands a ftructure of majestic frame,
Which from the neighb'ring Hampton takes
its name.

Here Britain's ftatesmen oft the fall foredoom
Of foreign tyrants, and of nymphs at home;
Here thou, great Anna! whom three realms obey,
Doft fometimes counfel take and fometimes tea.
Hither the heroes and the nymphs refort.
To tafte awhile the pleasures of a court;
In various talk the inftructive hours they pafs'd,
Who gave the ball, or paid the vifit laft;
One fpeaks the glory of the British Queen,
And one defcribes a charming Indian fcreen;
A third interprets motions, looks, and eyes;
At ev'ry word a reputation dies.
Snuff, or the fan, fupply each pause of chat;
With finging, laughing, ogling, and all that.
Meanwhile, declining from the noon of day,
The fun obliquely shoots his burning ray;
The hungry judges foon the fentence fign,
And wretches hang, that jurymen may dine;
The merchant from th' Exchange returns in
And the long labours of the toilet ceale. [peace,

Thus far both armses to Belinda yield
Now to the Baron fate inclines the field.
His warlike Amazon her hoft invades,
Th' imperial confort of the crown of Spac
The Club's black tyrant firft her victim &
Spite of his haughty mien, and barb'rous p
What boots the regal circle on his head;
His giant limbs, in ftate unwieldy spread
That long behind he'trails his
pompous
And, of all monarchs, only graips the glo

The Baron now his Diamonds pours ap
Th embroider'd Kingwhofhewsbuthalf his
And his refulgent Queen, with pow'r
Of broken troops an eaty conqueft find. [b
Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, in wild diforder
With throngs promifcuousftrow the level g
Thus when difpers'd a routed army runs,
Of Afia's troops, and Afric's feeble fons,
With like confusion diff'rent nations fly,
Of various habit, and of various dye;
The pierc'd battalions difunited fall
In heaps on heaps; one fate o'erwhelms ther

the blood the virgin's cheek forfook; panels fpreads o'er all her look ; and trembles at the approaching ill, 1 in the jaws of ruin, and Codille, ulin (as eft in fome distemper'd state) tetrick depends the gen'ral fate. A. Am Barts fteps forth: the King,unfeen, band, and mourn'd his captive

He vengeance with an eager pace, vise thunder on the proftrate Ace. exulting filis with fhouts the sky; he woods, and long canals reply. Leis mortals! ever blind to fate, o dejected, and too foon elate,

et honours fhall be fnatch'd away, Lodorever this victorious day.[crown'd, the board with cups and fpoons is es crackle, and the mill turns round: altars of Japan they raise

up; the fiery fpirits blaze: pouts the grateful liquors glide, ina's earth receives the imoking tide: ey gratify their scent and taste, ent cups prolong the rich repast. over round the Fair her airy band: the tipp'd, the fuming liquor fann'd; Jerberiap their careful plumes difplay'd, ng, and confcious of the rich brocade. The (which make the polician wife,

Ev'n then before the fatal engine clos'd, A wretched Sylph too fondly interpos'd; Fate urg'd the sheers, and cut the Sylph in But airy fubftance foon unites again; (twain, The meeting points the facred hair diffever From the fair head, for ever, and for ever!

Then flash'd the livinglightning from her eyes, And icreams of horror rend the affrighted skies. Not louder fhrieks to pitying heaven are cat, When husbands or when lapdogs breath their laft;

Or when rich China veffels, fallen from high, In glitt'ring duft and painted fragments lie!

Let wreathsof triumph now my temples twine, The Victor cried: the glorious prize is mine! While fifh in ftreams, or birds delight in air, Or in a coach and fix the British Fair, As long as Atalantis shall be read, Or the mall pillow grace a Lady's bed; While vifits thall be paid on folemn days, [blaze; When num'rous wax-lights in bright order While nymphs take treats, or affignations give, So long my honour, name, and praife thall live! What Time would spare, from steel receives its And monuments,like men, fubmit to fate![date, Steel could the labour of the gods deitroy, And ftrike to duit th' imperial tow'rs of Troy; Steel could the works of mortal pride confound, And hew triumphal arches to the ground. What wonder,then,fair Nymph! thy hairs should The conqu'ring force of unrefifted steel? [feel

fire thro' all things with his half-fhut eyes) in virous to the Baron's brain atagems, the radiant Lock to gain. e, rafh youth! defift ere 'tis too late, heut gods, and think of Scylla's fate! to a bird, and fent to flit in air, y pays for Nifus' injur'd hair! ten to mischief mortals bend their will, **n they find fit inftruments of ill! zen Ciariffa drew with tempting grace, gd weapon from her fhining cafe: in romance, affift their Knight, m the ipcar, and arm him for the fight. the gift with rev'rence, and extends e engine on his fingers ends; thehind Belinda's neck he fpread, fragrant fteam fhe bends her head. the Lock a thousand sprites repair, nd wings, by turns, blow back the hair; ethey twitch'd the diamond in her ear; e looks back, and thrice the foe drew that inftant, anxious Ariel fought [near. Tube recettes of the Virgin's thought: the nofegay in her breaft reclin'd, c'd the ideas rifing in her mind. e view'd, in fpite of all her art, aly Lover lurking at her heart. *a, confus'd, he found his pow'r expir'd; to fate, and with a figh retir'd. [wide, Peer now fpreads the glitt'ring forfex ot the Lock; now joins it to divide.

CANTO IV.

[prefs'd, BUT anxious cares the penfive nymph opAnd fecret paffions labour'd in her breast. Net youthful kings in battle feiz'd alive, Not fcornful virgins who their charms furvive, Not ardent lovers robb'd of all their blifs, Not ancient ladies when refus'd a kifs, Not tyrants fierce that unrepenting die, Not Cynchia when her mantua's pinn'd awry, E'er felt fuch rage, refentiment, and defpair, As thou, fad Virgin! for thy ravish'd Hair.

For that fad moment when the Sylphs withAnd Ariel weeping from Belinda flew. [drew, Umbriel, a duiky melancholy fprite, As ever fullied the fair face of light, Down to the central earth, his proper fcene, Repair'd to fearch the gloomy cave of Spleen.

Swift on his footy pinions flits the Gnome, And in a vapour reach'd the difmal dome. No cheerful breeze this fullen region knows; The dreaded Eaft is all the wind that blows. Here, in a grotto fhelter'd clofe from air, And fcreen'd in fhades from day's detested glare, She fighs for ever on her penfive bed, Pain at her fide, and Megrim at her head. [place,

Two handmaids wait the throne; alike in But diff'ring far in figure and in face. Here ftood Ill-nature, like an ancient maid, Her wrinkled form in black and white array'd; With ftore of pray'rs for mornings, nights, and

noons,

Her hand is fill'd; her bofom with lampoons.

'There

There Affectation, with a fickly mien, Shews in her cheek the roles of eighteen; Practis'd to lifp, and hang the head afide, Faints into airs, and languishes with pride; On the rich quilt finks with becoming woe, Wrapt in a gown, for fickness and for show. The fair ones feel fuch maladies as these, When each new night-drefs gives a new disease. A conftant vapour o'er the palace flies, Strange phantoms rifing as the mists arife; Dreadful as hermits dreams in haunted shades, Or bright as vifions of expiring maids : Now glaring fiends, and fnakes on rolling fpires, Pale fpectres, gaping tombs, and purple fires; Now lakes of liquid gold, Elyfian fcenes, And crystal domes, and angels in machines.

Unnumber'd throngs on ev'ry side are seen Of bodies chang'd to various forms by Spleen. Here living tea-pots ftand, one arm held out, One bent; the handle this, and that the spout: A pipkin there, like Homer's tripod; walks; Here fighs a jar, and there a goofe-pye talks; Men prove with child, as pow'rful fancy works, And maids, turn'd bottles, call aloud for corks. Safe país'd the Gnome thro'this fantasticband, A branch of healing spleenwort in his hand : Then thus addrefs'd the Pow'r:-Hail, wayward Queen!

Who rule the sex to fifty from fifteen :
Parent of vapours, and of female wit,
Who gives th' hyfteric or poetic fit;
On various tempers act, by various ways,
Make fome take phyfic, others fcribble plays;
Who caufe the proud their vifits to delay,
And fend the godly in a pet to pray.
A Nymph there is, that all thy pow'r difdains,
And thoufands more in equal mirth maintains.
But, oh! if e'er thy Gnome conld fpoil a grace,
Or raise a pimple on a beauteous face,
Like citron-waters matrons cheeks inflame,
Or change complexions at a lofing game;
If e'er with hairy horns I planted heads,
Or rumpled petticoats, or tumbled beds,
Or caus'd fufpicion when no foul was rude,
Or discompos'd the head-drefs of a prude,
Or e'er to coftive lapdog gave difeale,
Which not the tears of brighteft eyes could eafe;
Hear me, and touch Belinda with chagrin.
That fingle act gives half the world the spleen.
The goddefs, with a difcontented air,
Seems to reject him, tho' fhe grant his pray'r.
A wond'rous bag with both her hands the binds,
Like that where once Ulyffes held the winds;
There the collects the force of female lungs,
Sighs, fobs, and paflions,, and the war of tongues.
A vial next the fills with fainting fears,
Soft forrows, melting griefs, and flowing tears.
The Gnome rejoicing bears her gifts away,
Spreads his black wings, and flowly mounts to
day.

Sunk in Thaleftris' arms the Nymph he found,
Her eyes dejected, and her hair unbound:
Full o'er their heads the fwelling bag he rent,
And all the Furies iffued at the vent.

Belinda barns with more than mortal ire,
And fierce Thaleftris fans the rifing fire. [c
O wretched maid! the spread her hands,
(While Hampton's echoes Wretched maid
Was itforthis you tookfuch conftant care [pi
The bodkin, comb, and effence to prepare?
For this your Locks in paper durance bour
For this with tort ring irons wreath'd arou
For this with fillets ftrain'd your tender h
And bravely bore the double loads of lead
Gods! shall the ravisher display your hair,
While the fops envy, and the ladies ftare!
Honour forbid at whofe unrivall'd fhrine
Eafe, pleasure, virtue, all our fex refign.
Methinks already I your tears furvey,
Already hear the horrid things they fay;
Already fee you a degraded toast,
And all your honour in a whisper loft!
How thall I, then, your helplefs fame defer
Twill then be infamy to feem your friend
And fhall this prize, th' inestimable prize,
Expos'd thro' crystal to the gazing eyes,
And heighten'd by the diamond's circling
On that rapacious hand for ever blaze?
Sooner thall grafs in Hyde-park Circus gro
And wits take lodgings in the found of B
Sooner let earth, air, fea, to chaos fall;
Men, monkeys, lapdogs, parrots, perish all

She faid; then raging to Sir Plume repa And bids her beau demand the precious h (Sir Plume of amber snuff-box juttly vain, And the nice conduct of a clouded cane): With earnest eyes, and round unthinking He first the fnuff-box open'd, then the cal And thus broke out-"My Lord, why,wha "devil! ["must be c "Z-ds! damn the Lock! 'fore Gad, Plague on't! 'tis paft a jest-nay, prithee, "Give her the hair?"-he fpoke, and ra his box.

It grieves me much (replied the Peer ag Who fpeaks fo well thould ever fpeak in v But by this Lock, this facred Lock, I fwear (Which never more fhall join its parted ha Which never more its hononrs fhall renew, Clipp'd from the lovely head where late it gre That while my noftrils draw the vital air, This hand, which won it, fhall for ever we He spoke,and speaking in proud triumph fp: The long-contended honours of her head.

But Umbriel, hateful Gnome! forbear not He breaks the vial whence the forrows flow. Then,fee! the nymph in beauteousgrief appe Her eyeshalf-languithing, half-drown'd in te On her heav'd bofom hung her drooping Which with a figh she rais'd, and thus the i

For ever curs'd be this detested day, Which fnatch'd my beft, my fav rite curl awa Happy, ah ten times happy, had I been, It Hampton-Court thefe eyes had never fee Yet am not I the first mistaken maid By love of courts to num'rous ills betray'd. Oh, had I rather unadmir'd remain'd In fome lone ifle, or diftant nor.hern land

And in its fellow's fate forefees its own; Uncar'd it hangs, the fatal theers demands, you And tempts once more thy facrilegious hands. Lab Oh hadit thou, cruel! been content to feize zing Hairs lefs in fight, or any hairs but these!

d's

CANTO V.

See faid: the pitying audience melt in tears. foBut Fate and Jove had ftopp'd the Baron's ears." 20In vain Thaleftris with reproach affails;

ots,

For who can move when fair Belinda fails? PiNot half fo fix'd the Trojan could remain, theple Anna begg'd, and Dido rag'd in vain. Xen grave Clariffa graceful wav'd her fan; ondence enfu'd, and thus the nymph began: day whyarebeauties prais'd and honour'dmoft, the wife man's pallion, and the vain man's toaft? Why deck'd with all that land and fea aflord, Wayangelscall'd,and angel-like ador'd? [beaux, Whyround our coaches crowd the white-glov'd Why bows the fide box from its inmoft rows? How vain are all thefe glories, all our pains, Tikes good fenfe prefer ve what beauty gains: That men mayay, when we the front-box grace, ehold the firft in virtue as in face!

if to dance all night, and drefs all day, 'd the fmall pox, or chas'd old age away, ho would not fcorn what housewife's cares produce,

i would learn one earthly thing of ufe? patch, nay ogle, might become a faint; r could it fure be fuch a fin to paint. ce, alas! frail beauty muft decay; dd or uncurl'd, fince locks will turn to grey, nce painted, or not painted, all fhall fade; he who fcorns a man muft die a maid; then remains, but well our pow'r to ufe, keep good humour still, whate'er we lofe? draft me, dear! good-humour can prevail, Mairs, andflights, and fcreams, and fcolding

fail.

ed Led

w the

the S

But thou falfe guardian of a charge to
Thou mean deferter of thy brother's
See on thefe ruby lips the trembling bre
Thefe cheeks, now fading at the blat of
Cold is that breathwhichwarm'd theworld
And thofe love-darting eyes muft roll
Thus, if eternal Juftice rules the bail,
Thus fhall your wives and thus your child
On all the line a fudden vengeance waits
And frequent hearfes fhall befiege yours
There paffengers fhall ftand; and pointin
(While the long fun'rals blacken all the
fur-Lo! thefe were they whofe foulsthe Furies
And curs'd with heartsunknowing how t
Thus unlamented pafs the proud away,
The gaze of fools, and pageant of a day
So perifh all whofe breaft ne'er learn'd t
For others good or melt at others woe

What can atone, oh ever-injur'd fhade
Thy fate unpitied, and thy rites unpaid
No friend's complaint, no kind domeftic
Pleas'd thy pale ghoft,or grac'dthymourni
By foreign hands thy dying eyes were di
By foreign hands thy decent limbs com
By foreign hands thy humble grave a
Byftrangers honour'd, and by ftrangen
What tho' no friends in fable weeds app
Grieve for an hour, perhaps then mouras)
And bear about the mockery of woe
To midnight dances and the public fo
What tho no weeping loves thy alhes g
Nor polish'd marble emulate thy face;
What tho' no facred earth allow thee roo
Nor hallow'd dirge be mutter'd o'er thy
Pope. Yet fhall thy grave with rifing flow'rs bedn
WHAT beck'ning ghoft along the moon- And the green turf lie lightly on thy brea
light fhade,
There fhall the morn her earlieft tears be
Invites my steps, and points to yonder glade? There the firft rofes of the year fhall blow
Tis the but why that bleeding botom gor'd! While angels with their filver wings o'er
Why dimly gleams the vifionary fword? The ground, now facred by thy reliques
Oh ever beauteons, ever friendly! tell,
Is it in heaven a crime to love too well?
To bear too tender or too firm a heart,
To act a Lover's or a Roman's part?
Is there no bright reverfion in the fky
For thofe who greatly think, or bravely die?

$11. Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady.

So peaceful refts, without a ftone, a nam
What once had beauty, titles, wealth and
How lov'd, how honour'd once, avails the
Te whom related, or by whom begot:
A heap of duft alone remains of thee;
Tis all thou art, and all the proud fhall be

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