Dungeon, or Beggary, decrepit Age

Light, the prime Work of God to me is extinct,
And all her various Objects of Delight

Annull'd, which might in Part my Grief have eas'd;
Inferiour to the vileft now become

Of Man or Worm; the vileft here-excel me,
They creep, yet fee, I dark in Light expos'd
To daily fraud, contempt, abufe and wrong,
Within Doors, or without, ftill as a Fool,
In power of others, never in my own;
Scarce half I feem to live, dead more than half.
O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of Noon,
recoverably dark, total Eclipfe

Without all hope of Day!

Ofirft created Beam, and thou great Word,
Let there be Light, and Light was over all
Why am I thus bereav'd thy prime Decree ?
The Sun to me is dark

And filent as the Moon,

When she deserts the Night

Hid in her vacant interlunar Cave.
Since Light fo neceffary is to Life,
And almoft Life it felf, if it be true
That Light is in the Soul,

She all in every Part; why was the Sight
To fuch a tender Ball as th' Eye confin'd?
So obvious and so easy to be quench'd,
And not as Feeling through all Parts diffus'd
That the might look at will through every pore,
Then had I not been thus exil'd from Light;
As in the Land of Darkness, yet in Light,
To live a Life half Dead, a living Death,
And buried; but O yet more miferable!
My felf, my Sepulchre, a moving Grave,
Buried not yet exempt

By Privilege of Death and Burial.

From

From worst of other Evils, Pains and Wrongs,
But made hereby obnoxious more

To all the Miseries of Life,

Life in Captivity

Among inhuman Foes.

Milton's Sampfon Agonistes.

YE

XCVIII.

A SONG by a Lady

(1)

E Virgin Powers, defend my Heart
From am'rous Looks and Smiles,

From fawcy Love, or nicer Art,

Which moft our Sex beguiles.

(2)

From Sighs and Vows, from awful Fears
That do to Pity move,

From fpeaking Silence, and from Tears,
Thofe Springs that water Love.

(3)

But if through Paflion I grow Blind,

Let Honor be my Guide;

And where frail Nature feems inclin'd

There place a Guard of Pride.

(4)

An Heart whofe Flanes are feen, tho' pure,

Needs every Virtue's Aid;

And the who thinks herfelf fecure,

The fooneft is betray'd.

XCIX.

Written in the Leaves of a Fan.

Lavia the leaft and flightest Toy Can, with refiftless Art, employ. This Fan, in meaner Hands, wou'd prove An Engine, of fmall force in Love. Yet fhe, with graceful Air and Meen, (Not to be told! or fafely feen!) Directs its wanton Motions fo,

That it wounds more than Cupid's Bow: Gives Coolness to the matchless Dame, To every other Breaft a Flare.

Dr. A

C.

ASONG.

FAireft of thy Sex, and beft,

Admit my humble Tale,

'Twill eafe the Torment of my Breast Tho' I fhall ne'er prevail.

No fond Ambition me does move.
Your Favour to implore,

I ask not for return of Love,
But Freedom to adore..

A Defcription of FAME.

FAME, the great Ill, from finall beginnings grow,
Swift from the firft, and every Moment brings
New Vigour to her Flights,new Pinions to her Wings..
Soon grows the Pygmy to Gigantick Size;
Her Feet in Earth, her Forehead in the Skies.
Inrag'd against the Gods, revengeful Earth
Produc'd her laft of the Titanian Birth;
Swift in her Walk, more fwift her winged hafte,,
A monftrous Phantom, horrible and vaft.
As many Plumes as raise her lofty Flight,
So many piercing Eyes enlarge her Sight.
Millions of opening Mouths to Fame belong,
And every Mouth is furnish'd with a Tongue,
And round with lift'ning Ears the flying Plague is
(hung.

She fills the peaceful Univerfe with Crys,
No Slumbers ever clofe her wakeful Eyes:
By Day, from lofty Towers her Head the fhews,
And spreads thro' trembling Clouds.difaftrous-News.
With Court-Informers Haunts and Royal Spies,
Things done relates, not done fhe feigns, and min-
(gles. Truth with Lies.
Talk is her Bus'nefs, and her chief Delight
To tell of Prodigies, and caufe Affright.

Dryd. Virg

CII.

of FAME.

File Fame is young, too weak to fly away, Envy purfues her, like fome Bird of Prey: But once on Wing, then all the Dangers ceafe; Envy herself is glad to be at Peace;

Gives over, weary'd with fo high a Flight,
Above her reach, and fcarce within her Sight.
But fuch the Frailty is of Human Kind,
Men toil for Fame, which no Man lives to find.
Long-rip'ning under Ground this China lies,
Fame bears no Fruit till the vain Planter dies.
Duke of Buckingham.

HA

CIH.

On LIG HT

AIL holy Light, Offspring of Heav'n firft born,
Or of th' Eternal Co-eternal Bean,

May I express thee unblam'd? Since God is Light;
And never but in unapproached Light,
Dwelt from Eternity, dwelt then in thee,
Bright Effluence of bright Effence increate,
Or hear'ft thou rather pure Ethereal Stream,
Whofe Fountain who fhall tell? before the Sun,
Before the Heav'ns thou wert, and at the Voice
Of God as with a Mantle didst invest
The rifing World of Waters dark and deep,
Won from the void and formlefs Infinite.

Thee