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54 Heavy her ire will fall on thee, The glittering steel is sure; Sooner or later, all agree,

She cuts off the impure.

55 To her I leave thee, gloomy peer,
Think on thy crimes committed;
Repent, and be for once sincere,
Thou ne'er wilt be De-Witted.

APOLOGY TO A LADY,

WHO TOLD ME I COULD NOT LOVE HER HEARTILY,
BECAUSE I HAD LOVED OTHERS.

IN IMITATION OF MR WALLER

1 FAIR Sylvia, cease to blame my youth
For having loved before;

So men, ere they have learned the truth,
Strange deities adore.

2 My youth ('tis true) has often ranged,
Like bees o'er gaudy flowers;

And many thousand loves has changed,
Till it was fixed in yours.

3 For, Sylvia, when I saw those eyes,
"Twas soon determined there;

Stars might as well forsake the skies,
And vanish into air!

4 If I from this great rule do err,
New beauties to explore;

May I again turn wanderer,

And never settle more!

AGAINST MODESTY IN LOVE.

1 For many unsuccessful years

At Cynthia's feet I lay;

And often bathed them with my tears,
Despaired, but durst not pray.

2 No prostrate wretch, before the shrine any saint above,

Of

E'er thought his goddess more divine,
Or paid more awful love.

3 Still the disdainful dame looked down
With an insulting pride;
Received my passion with a frown,
Or tossed her head aside.

4 When Cupid whispered in my ear,
Use more prevailing charms,
Fond, whining, modest fool, draw near,
And clasp her in your arms.

5 'With eager kisses tempt the maid,
From Cynthia's feet depart;
The lips he warmly must invade
Who would possess the heart.'

6 With that I shook off all my fears,
My better fortune tried;

And Cynthia gave what she for years
Had foolishly denied.

ON A YOUNG LADY'S GOING TO TOWN IN THE SPRING.

1 ONE night unhappy Celadon,

Beneath a friendly myrtle's shade, With folded arms and eyes cast down, Gently reposed his love-sick head;

Whilst Thyrsis, sporting on the neighbouring plain, Thus heard the discontented youth complain:

2 Ask not the cause why sickly flowers

Faintly recline their drooping heads; As fearful of approaching showers,

They strive to hide them in their beds; Grieving with Celadon they downward grow, And feel with him a sympathy of woe.

3 Chloris will go; the cruel fair, Regardless of her dying swain, Leaves him to languish, to despair,

And murmur out in sighs his pain.

The fugitive to fair Augusta flies,

To make new slaves, and gain new victories.'

4 So restless monarchs, though possessed
Of all that we call state or power,
Fancy themselves but meanly blessed,
Vainly ambitious still of more.

Round the wide world impatiently they roam,
Not satisfied with private sway at home.

WHEN THE CAT IS AWAY, THE MICE MAY PLAY.

A FABLE, INSCRIBED TO DR SWIFT.

In domibus Mures avido dente omnia captant:

In domibus Fures avida mente omnia raptant.

1 A LADY once (so stories say)
By rats and mice infested,

With gins and traps long sought to slay
The thieves; but still they 'scaped away,
And daily her molested.

2 Great havoc 'mongst her cheese was made,
And much the loss did grieve her;

At length Grimalkin to her aid
She called (no more of cats afraid),
And begged him to relieve her.

3 Soon as Grimalkin came in view,
The vermin back retreated;
Grimalkin swift as lightning flew,
Thousands of mice he daily slew,
Thousands of rats defeated.

4 Ne'er cat before such glory won;
All people did adore him;
Grimalkin far all cats outshone,
And in his lady's favour none
Was then preferred before him.

5 Pert Mrs Abigail alone

Envied Grimalkin's glory;

1 The hints of this and the following fable appear to have originated from the fable of the Old Lady and her Cats, printed in the General Postscript, Nov. 7, 1709. They have been both ascribed to Swift.

WHEN THE CAT IS AWAY, THE MICE MAY PLAY. 453

Her favourite lap-dog now was grown
Neglected; him she did bemoan,
And raved like any Tory.

6 She cannot bear, she swears she won't,
To see the cat regarded;
But firmly is resolved upon 't,

And vows, that, whatsoe'er comes on 't,
She'll have the cat discarded.

7 She begs, she storms, she fawns, she frets,
Her arts are all employed,
And tells her lady, in a pet,
Grimalkin cost her more in meat
Than all the rats destroyed.

8 At length this spiteful waiting-maid
Produced a thing amazing;

The favourite cat's a victim made,
To satisfy this prating jade,
And fairly turned a-grazing.

9 Now lap-dog is again restored
Into his lady's favour;

Sumptuously kept at bed and board,
And he (so Nab has given her word)
Shall from all vermin save her.

10 Nab much exults at this success,
And, overwhelmed with joy,
Her lady fondly does caress,
And tells her, Fubb can do no less
Than all her foes destroy.

11 But vain such hopes; the mice that fled
Return now Grim's discarded;

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