"Prickles will pain, and pain will banish love:

"I charge thee, Pfyche, then, the rose forbear. "When faint and fick, thy languors to remove, "To yon ambrofial fhrubs and plants repair; Thou weetest not what med'cines in them are. "What wonders follow their repeated use

"N'ote thy weak fenfe conceive, fhould I declare:

"Their labour'd balm, and well-concocted juice, "New life, new forms,new thews, new joys, new worlds produce.

"Thy term of tryal past with constancy,

Thy wimpling flough shall fall like filth away; "On pinions broad up-lifted to the skie,

Thou fhalt, aftert, thy ftranger felf furvey. "Together, Pfyche, will we climb and play; "Together wander through the fields of air,

Beyond where funs and moons mete night and day.

"I charge thee, O my love, the rofe forbear,

"If thou wouldft fcathe avoid, Pfyche, forewarn'd, beware!"

Out burft the frannion into open laugh:

She blush'd, and frown'd at his uncivil mirth.

Then, foften'd to a smile, as hiding half

What mote offend if boldly utter'd forth,

He feem'd t' effay to give his answer birth:

But ftopp'd, and chang'd his smiles to looks of ruth.

Is this,' quoth he, fit guerdon for thy worth?

• Does Cupid thus impofe upon thy youth?

Dwells, then, in heav'n, fuch envy, void of love and truth?

• Is this the inftance of his tenderness,

• To envy Pfyche what to worms is given? To cut her off from prefent happiness,

With feign'd reverfion of a promis'd heav'n;

By

By threat'nings falfe from true enjoyments driven?

• How innocent the thorn to touch, he knows:

• Where are my wounds? or where th' avenging levin ? • How foftly blush thefe colours of the rose !

How fweet!' (and div'd into the flow'r) it's fragrance flows?

•Difadvantageous are thy terms of tryal;

No longer, Pfyche, then, the rofe forbear. What is to recompenfe the harsh denyal,

But dreams of wand'ring thro' the fields of air, And joys, I know not what, I know not where! As eath, on leafy pinions borne, the tree Mote rush into the skies, and flutter there,

As thou foar yon, and quit thy due degree:

Thou for this world wert made, this world was made for thee.

In vain you'd fly to yonder fhrubs and plants;

Bitter their tafte, and worthless their effect: Here is the polychrest for all thy wants; • No panacea, like the rose, expect. Mute as my fellow-brutes, as them abject • And reafonless was I, till haply woke By tafting of the rofe, (O weak neglect

In thee the while!) the dawn of fapience broke • On my admiring foul, I reafon'd, and I spoke.

• Nor this the only change; for foon I found
The brifker spirits flow in fuller tyde;
• And more than usual luftre spread around:
< Such virtue has the rose, in me well tried.

* But wife, I ween, thy lover has denied

'It's use to thee; I join him too: beware • The dang'rous rofe-for fuch thy beauty's pride,

'Twere death to gaze on, if improv'd!-Forbear To sharp that wit, too keen!-Touch not the rofiere.

Uncheck'd,

Uncheck'd, indulg'd, her growing paffions rife;
Wonder to fee him fafe, and hear his telling;
Ambition vain, to be more fair and wife;

And rage, at Cupid's misconceiv'd, false dealing :
Various the gufts; but, all one way impelling,

She plung'd into the bofom of the tree,

And fnatch'd the rofe, no dreaded pain or quelling.
Off drops the fnake, nor farther staid to see ;
But rufh'd into the flood, and vanish'd presently.

Full many a thorn her tender body rent;

Full many a thorn within the wounds remain, And, throbbing, caufe continual dreriment: While gory drops her dainty form diftain. She wishes her loft innocence again,

And her loft peace, loft charms, loft love, to find! But fhame upbraids her with a wish so vain:

Defpair fucceeded, and'averfion blind;

Pain fills her tortur'd sense, and horror clouds her mind.

Her, bleeding, faint, diforder'd, woe-begon,
Stretch'd on the bank befide the fatal thorn,
Venus, who came to feek her with her fon,
Beheld. She stopp'd: and albe heav'nly born,
Ruthful of others woe, began to mourn.

399

The lofs of Venus' fmiles fick nature found: As froft-nipp'd drops the bloom, the birds forelorn Sit hush'd, the faded sun spreads dimness round; The clatt'ring thunders crash, and earthquakes rock the ground.

Then arming with a killing frown her brow,

• Die, poor unhappy- Cupid fuppliant broke Th' unfinish'd fentence; and, with dueful bow, Begg'd her to doff the keenness of her look,

Which

Which nature feeling, to her center shook;
Then, how should Pfyche bear it! Spare the maid
'Tis plain that Anteros his fpight has wroke;

• Shall vengeance due to him, on her be laid?
Oh! let me run, and reach th' ambrofial balms!" he faid.

Ah! what would Cupid afk?' the queen replies;

• Can all thofe balms restore her peace again?

• Wouldst thou a wretched life immortalize;

Wouldst thou protract, by potent herbs, her pain? • Love bids her die: thy cruel wish restrain

Why, then,' quoth he, in looms of fate were wove The lives of thofe, in long fucceffive train,

From her to fpring, thro' yon bright tracts to rove? Due to the fkyes, and meant to shine in fields above!

Say, would thy goodness envy them the light

Appointed for them, or the good prevent Forefeen from them to flow? eracing quite

The whole creation, thro' avengement?

• One only species from it's order rent,

The whole creation fhrivels to a fhade.'

Better all vanifh'd,' faid fhe, than be meint

In wild confufion; through free-will misled,

And tempted to go wrong from punishment delay'd."

• Let me that exemplary vengeance bear,'

(Benign return'd her amiable fon;)

Justice on her would lofe it's aim; fevere

In vain, productive of no good; for none

Could by that defolating blow be won.

So falls each generous purpose of the will Correct, extinguish'd by abortion:

Whence juftice would it's own intendments spill ;

• And cut off virtue, by the ftroke meant vice to kill.

Yet,

Yet, left impunity fhould forehead give

To vice, in me let guilt adopted find ‹ A victim; here awhile vouchsafe me live

Thy proof of justice, mix'd with mercy kind!' • Oh! ftrange request,' quoth she, of pity blind! • How shouldst thou fuffer, who didst ne'er offend? How canft thou bear to be from me difloin'd?

To wander here, where nature 'gins to wend
To wafte and wildernefs, and pleasures have an end?'

You, Venus, fuffer,' faid he, when you ftrike, 'Not for your own, but others foul offence:

Why not permitted I to do the like,

• When greater good, I fee, will coul from thence? That greater good o'er pays all punishments,

• And makes my fuff'rings pleafure: if they prove A means to conquer Anteros, dispense

Healing to Pfyche's wounds, regain her love,

And lead her, with her happy fons, to realms above.'

To thy intreaties Pfyche's life I give,'
(Replied th' indulgent mother to her fon;)
But yet deform'd and minish'd let her live,

Till thou shalt grant a better change foredone;

• Nor shall that change, but thro' death gates be won. This meed be thine, o'er her and her's to reign! Already Nature puts her horrors on.

Away! I to my bow'r of blifs again!

Thou to thy task of love, and voluntary pain.'

She went; and, like a fhifted ftage, the scene
Vanish'd at once: th' ambrofial plants were loft;
The jarring seasons brought on various teen;
Each fought, each feeking, each by other croft.
3 E

Young