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TO LEONORA.

ENCORE.

I.

EASE, Leonora, cease to mourn,
Thy faithful Strephon will return.
Fate at thy sighs will ne'er relent,
Then grieve not, what we can't
prevent;

Nor let predestinating tears
Increase my pains, or raise thy fears.

II.

'Tis but the last long winter night,
Our Sun will rise to-morrow bright;
And to our suff'ring passion bring
The promise of eternal spring,

Which thy kind eyes shall ever cheer,
And make that season all our year.

10

ON A PRETTY MADWOMAN.

W

I.

HILE mad Ophelia we lament,
And her distraction mourn,
Our grief's misplac'd, our tears
misspent,

Since what for her condition's meant
More justly fits our own.

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II.

For if 'tis happiness to be,

From all the turns of fate,
From dubious joy, and sorrow free;
Ophelia then is blest, and we

Misunderstand her state.

III.

The fates may do whate'er they will,
They can't disturb her mind,

Insensible of good, or ill,

Ophelia is Ophelia still,

Be fortune cross or kind.

IV.

Then make with reason no more noise,

Since what should give relief,

The quiet of our mind destroys,
Or with a full spring-tide of joys,

Or a dead-ebb of grief.

10

20

ABSENCE.

I.

HAT a tedious day is past!

Loving, thinking, wishing, weeping;

Gods! if this be not the last,

Take a life not worth my keeping.

II.

Love, ye gods, is life alone!

In the length is little pleasure:
Be but ev'ry day our own,

We shall ne'er complain of measure.

THE NEW YEAR'S GIFT TO PHYLLIS.

I.

HE circling months begin this day,
To run their yearly ring,

And long-breath'd time which ne'er
will stay,

Refits his wings, and shoots away,
It round again to bring.

II.

Who feels the force of female eyes,
And thinks some nymph divine,
Now brings his annual sacrifice,
Some pretty boy, or neat device,
To offer at her shrine.

III.

But I can pay no offering,
To show how I adore,

Since I had but a heart to bring,
A downright foolish, faithful thing,
And that you had before.

IV.

Yet we may give, for custom sake,
What will to both be new,
My constancy a gift I'll make,
And in return of it will take
Some levity from you.

A SONG.

I.

OR God's-sake-nay, dear sir,
Lord, what do you mean,
I protest, and I vow, sir,
Your ways are obscene.

II.

Pray give over, O! fie,

Pish, leave off your fooling,

Forbear, or I'll cry,

I hate this rude doing.

III.

Let me die if I stay,

Does the devil possess you?

Your hand take away,

Then perhaps I may bless you.

20

ΤΟ

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ON SNUFF.

OVE once resolv'd (the females to degrade)

To propagate their sex without their

aid.

His brain conceiv'd, and soon the pangs and throes

He felt, nor could th' unnatural birth disclose:
At last when try'd, no remedy would do,
The god took snuff, and out the goddess flew.

TO CELIA.

AN EPIGRAM.

OU need not thus so often pray,
Or in devotion spend the day,
Since without half such toil and pain,
You surely Paradise will gain.
Your husband's impotent and jealous,
And Celia that's enough to tell us
You must inhabit heaven herea'ter,
Because you are a virgin-martyr.

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