SPAW Waters for that end were got:

If they paft eafily or not,

What matters it? the Lady's Feaver
Continu'd violent as ever.

For a Diftemper of this Kind,
(BLACKMORE and HANS are of my Mind)
If once it youthful Blood infects,

And chiefly of the Female Sex;
Is scarce remov❜d by Pill or Potion;
What-e'er might be our Doctor's Notion.
One lucklefs Night then, as in Bed
The Doctor and the Dame were laid;
Again this cruel Feaver came,

High Pulfe, fhort Breath, and Blood in Flame.
What Measures fhall poor PAULO keep
With Madam, in this piteous taking?
She, like MACBETH, has murder'd Sleep,
And won't allow Him Reft, tho' waking.
Sad State of Matters! when We dare
Nor ask for Peace, nor offer War:

Nor LIVY nor COMINES have shown,''

What in this Juncture may be done.

GROTIUS might own, that PAULO's Cafe is
Harder, than any which He places
Among his BELLI and his PACIS.

He ftrove, alas! but ftrove in vain,

By Dint of Logic to maintain,
That all the Sex was born to grieve,

Down to her Ladyship from EvE.

He rang'd his Tropes, and preach'd up Patience;
Back'd his Opinion with Quotations,

Divines and Moralifts; and run ye on
Quite thro' from SENECA to BUNYAN.
As much in vain He bid Her try

To fold her Arms, to close her Eye;
Telling Her, Reft would do Her Good;
If any thing in Nature cou'd:

Se held the GREEKS quite down from GALEN,
Mafters and Princes of the Calling:

So all our Modern Friends maintain
(Tho' no great GREEKS) in WARWICK-LANE.
Reduce, my Mufe, the wand'ring Song:

A Tale fhould never be too long.

The more He talk'd, the moré She burn'd,
And figh'd, and toft, and groan'd, and turn'd:
At laft, I wish, faid She, my Dear
(And whisper'd fomething in his Ear.)
You wish! with on, the Doctor cries:
Lord! when will Womankind be wife?
What, in your Waters? are You mad?
Why Poyfon is not half: fo bad.

I'll do it But I give You Warning:
You'll die before To-morrow Morning.
'Tis kind, my Dear, what You advise;
The Lady with a Sigh replies :

But Life, You know, at best is Pain:
And Death is what We fhould difdain.
So do it therefore, and Adieu:

For I will die for Love of You.--
Let wanton Wives by Death be fcar'd:
But, to my Comfort, I'm prepar'd.

The

The LA DL E.

HE Scepticks think, 'twas long ago,

THE

Since Gods came down Incognito:

To fee Who were Their Friends or Foes,'
And how our Actions fell or rofe:

That fince They gave Things their Beginning i
And fet this Whirligig a Spinning;

Supine They in their Heav'n remain,
Exempt from Paffion, and from Pain:
And frankly leave us Human Elves,
To cut and fhuffle for our: felves:
To ftand or walk, to rife or tumble,
As Matter, and as Motion jumble.

The Poets now, and Painters hold
This Thefis both abfurd and bold:
And your good-natur'd Gods, They fay,
Defcend fome twice or thrice a-day :
Elfe all these Things We toil fo hard?in,
Would not avail one fingle Farthing:
For when the Hero We rehearse,
To grace His Actions, and Our Verfe;
'Tis not by dint of Human Thought,
That to his LATIUM He is brought;
IRIS defcends by FATE's Commands,
To guide his Steps thro' Foreign Lands:
And AMPHITRITE clears his Way
From Rocks and Quick-fands in the Sea.

And

And if You fee Him in a Sketch;
(Tho' drawn by PAULO or CARACHE)
He shows not half his Force and Strength,
Strutting in Armour, and at Length:
That He may make his proper Figure,
The Piece must yet be four Yards bigger:
The NYMPHS conduct Him to the Field:
One holds his Sword, and One his Shield:
MARS ftanding by afferts his Quarrel :
And FAME flies after with a Lawrel.

Thefe Points, I fay, of Speculation
(As 'twere to fave or fink the Nation)
Men idly learned will difpute,
Affert, object, confirm, refute:
Each mighty angry, mighty right,
With equal Arms sustains the Fight;
'Till now no Umpire can agree 'em:
So both draw off, and fing Te Deum.
Is it in Equilibrio,

If Deities defcend or no?

Then let th' Affirmative prevail,
As requifite to form my Tale :
For by all Parties 'tis confeft,
That thofe Opinions are the beft,
Which in their Nature moft conduce
To prefent Ends, and private Ufe.

Two Gods came therefore from above,
One MERCURY, the t'other Jove:
The Humour was (it feems) to know,
If all the Favours They beltow,

Could

Could from our own Perverfenefs cafe Us;

And if our With injoy'd would please Us.
Difcourfing largely on this Theme,
O'er Hills and Dales Their Godfhips came;
'Till well nigh tir'd at almoft Night,
They thought it proper to alight.

Note here, that it as true as odd is,
That in Disguise a God or Goddess
Exerts no fupernatʼral Powers;

But acts on Maxims much like Ours.

They spy'd at laft a Country Farm, Where all was fnug, and clean, and warm; For Woods before, and Hills behind

Secur'd it both from Rain and Wind:

Large Oxen in the Fields were lowing:

Good Grain was fow'd: good Fruit was growing:

Of laft Year's Corn in Barns great Store ;

Fat Turkeys gobbling at the Door:

And Wealth (in fhort) with Peace confented,

That People here fhould live contented :

But did They in Effect do fo?

Have Patience, Friend, and Thou shalt know,

The honeft Farmer and his Wife,

To Years declin'd from Prime of Life,

Had ftruggl'd with the Marriage Noofe;

As almost ev'ry Couple does:

Sometimes, My Plague! fometimes, My Darling!
Kiffing to Day, to Morrow fnarling ;

Jointly fubmitting to endure

That Evil, which admits no Cure.

VOL. I.

G

Our