As in the crystal spring I view my
face,
Fresh rising blushes paint the watry glass ;
But since those graces please thy eyes no more,
I fhun the fountains which I fought before. 30
Once I was skill'd in ev'ry herb that grew,
And ev'ry plant that drinks the morning dew;
Ah wretched shepherd, what avails thy art,
To cure thy lambs, but not to heal thy heart !
Let other swains attend the rural care, 35
Feed fairer flocks, or richer fleeces sheer:
But nigh yon' mountain let me tune my lays,
Embrace my Love, and bind my brows with bays.
That flute is mine which Colin's tuneful breath
Inspir'd when living, and bequeath'd in death; 40
He
VER. 39. Colin) The name taken by Spenser in his Eclogues, where his mistress is celebrated under that of Rosalinda. P.
VARIATIONS.
Oft in the crystal spring I cast a view,
And equal'd Hylas, if the glass be true ;
But since those graces meet my eyes no more,
I shun, etc.
P.
IMITATIONS.
Naides, indigno cum Gallus amore periret?
Nam neque Parnasi vabis juga, nam neque Pindi
Ulla moram fecere, neque Aonia Aganippe.
Virg. out of Theocr.
VER. 27. Virgil again from the Cyclops of Theocritus,
nuper me in littore vidi
Cum placidum ventis paret mare, non ego Daphnim,
Judice te, metuam, fi nunquam fallat imago. P.
VER. 40. bequeath'd in death; etc.] Virg. Ecl. ii.
E mihi disparibus feptem compacta cicutis
Fiftula, Damætas dono mihi quam dedit olim,
Et dixit moriens, Te nunc habet ifta fecundum.
P.
He said ; Alexis, take this pipe, the same
That taught the groves my Rosalinda's name:
But now the reeds shall hang on yonder tree,
For ever filent fince despis'd by thee.
Oh! were I made by some transforming pow'r 45
The captive bird that sings within thy bow'r !
Then might my voice thy list’ning ears employ,
And I those kisses he receives, enjoy.
And yet my numbers please the rural throng,
Rough Satyrs dance, and Pan applauds the song: 50
The Nymphs, forsaking ev'ry cave and spring,
Their early fruit, and milk-white turtles bring;
Each am'rous nymph prefers her gifts in vain,
On you their gifts are all bestow'd again.
For you the fwains the fairest flow'rs design, 55
And in one garland all their beauties join;
Accept the wreath which you deserve alone,
In whom all beauties are compriz'd in one.
See what delights in sylvan scenes appear ! Descending Gods have found Elyfium here.
60 In woods bright Venus with Adonis ftray’d, And chaste Diana haunts the forest shade. Come, lovely nymph, and bless the filent hours, When swains from theering seek their nightly
bow'rs; When weary reapers quit the sultry field, 65 And crown’d with corn their thanks to Ceres yield,
C 3
This
IMITATIONS. Ver. 60. Descending Gods have found Elyfium here.]
Habitarunt Di quoque hluas Virg. Et formosus oves ad flumina pavit Adonis. Idem. P.
This harmless grove no lurking viper hides,
But in my breast the serpent Love abides.
Here bees from blossoms sip the rofy dew,
But your Alexis knows no sweets but you. 70
Oh deign to visit our forsaken seats,
The mofly fountains, and the green retreats!
Where'er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade,
Trees, where you fit, shall croud into a fhade :
Where'er you tread, the blushing flow'rs shall rise,
And all things flourish where you turn your eyes.
Oh! how I long with you to pass my days,
Invoke the Muses, and resound your praise !
Your praise the birds shall chant in ev'ry grove,
And winds shall waft it to the pow'rs above. 8
But would you sing, and rival Orpheus' ftrain,
The wond'ring forests foon should dance again,
The moving mountains hear the pow'rful call,
And headlong streams hang liftning in their fall!
But see, the shepherds fhun the noon-day heat,
The lowing herds to murm'ring brooks retreat, 86
T.
VARIATIONS. VER. 79, 80.
Your praise the tuneful birds to heav’n shall bear,
And lift’ning wolves grow milder as they hear.
So the verses were originally written. But the author,
young as he was, soon found the absurdity which Spenser
himself overlooked, of introducing wolves into Eng-
land. P.
I MITATIONS.
VER. 80. And winds small waft, etc.)
Partem aliquam, venti, divím referatis ad aures !
Virg. P.
To closer shades the panting flocks remove;
Ye Gods! and is there no relief for Love?
But soon the sun with milder rays descends
To the cool ocean, where his journey ends :
On me love's fiercer flames for ever prey,
By night he scorches, as he burns by day.
VARIATIONS.
VER.91. Me love inflames, nor will his fires allay. P.
IMITATIONS.
Ver. 88. Ye Gods, etc.]
Me tamen urit amor, quis enim modus adfit amori?
Idem. P.
Eneath the shade a spreading Beech displays,
Hylas and Ægon sung their rural lays, This mourn'd a faithless, that an absent Love, And Delia's name and Doris fill'd the Grove. Ye Mantuan nymphs, your sacred succour bring; 5 Hylas and Egon's rural lays I sing.
Thou, whom the Nine with Plautus' wit inspire, The art of Terence, and Menander's fire;
Whose
This Pastoral consists of two parts, like the visith of Virgil : The Scene, a Hill; the Time at Sun-set. P.
Ver. 7. Thou, whom the Nine,] Mr. Wycherley, a famous Author of Comedies ; of which the most celebrated were the Plain-Dealer and Country-Wife. He was a writer of infinite spirit, satire, and wit. The only objection made to him was that he had too much. However he was followed in the same way by Mr. Congreve; bo' with a little more correctness. P.
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