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A falconer Henry is, when Emma hawks :
With her of tarfels and of lures he talks.
Upon his wrift the towering merlin ftands,
Practis'd to rife, and stoop at her commands.
And when fuperior now the bird has flown,
And headlong brought the tumbling quarry down;
With humble reverence he accosts the fair,
And with the honour'd feather decks her hair.
Yet ftill, as from the fportive field fhe goes,
His down-caft eye reveals his inward woes ;
And by his look and forrow is exprest,
A nobler game pursued than bird or beast.
A fhepherd now along the plain he roves :
And, with his jolly pipe, delights the groves.
The neighbouring swains around the stranger throng,
Or to admire, or emulate his fong:

While with foft forrow he renews his lays,
Nor heedful of their envy, nor their praise.
But, foon as Emma's eyes adorn the plain,
His notes he raises to a nobler strain,
With dutiful refpect and ftudious fear;

Left

any careless found offend her ear.

A frantic Gipfy now, the house he haunts, And in wild phrases speaks diffembled wants. With the fond maids in palmistry he deals: They tell the fecret first, which he reveals; Says who fhall wed, and who fhall be beguil'd; What groom fhall get, and fquire maintain the child. But, when bright Emma would her fortune know, A fofter look unbends his opening brow;

eye,

With trembling awe he gazes on her
And in foft accents forms the kind reply;
That the fhall prove as fortunate as fair;

And Hymen's choicest gifts are all referv'd for her.
Now oft' had Henry chang'd his fly disguise,
Unmark'd by all but beauteous Emma's eyes:
Oft' had found means alone to fee the dame,
And at her feet to breathe his amorous flame ;
And oft' the pangs of absence to remove
By letters, foft interpreters of love:
Till Time and Industry (the mighty two
That bring our wishes nearer to our view)
Made him perceive, that the inclining fair
Receiv'd his vows with no reluctant ear;
That Venus had confirm'd her equal reign,
And dealt to Emma's heart a fhare of Henry's pain.
While Cupid fmil'd, by kind occafion bless'd,
And, with the fecret kept, the love increas'd;
The amorous youth frequents the filent groves;
And much he meditates, for much he loves.
He loves, 'tis true; and is belov'd again :
Great are his joys: but will they long remain ?
Emma with fmiles receives his prefent flame;
But, fmiling, will fhe ever be the fame?
Beautiful looks are rul'd by fickle minds;
And fummer feas are turn'd by fudden winds.
Another Love may gain her eafy youth:

Time changes thought; and flattery conquers truth.
O impotent eftate of human life!

Where Hope and Fear maintain eternal ftrife;

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Where fleeting joy does lafting doubt infpire ;
And most we queftion, what we most defire!
Amongst thy various gifts, great Heaven, bestow
Our cup
of Love unmix'd; forbear to throw
Bitter ingredients in; nor pall the draught
With naufeous grief: for our ill-judging thought
Hardly enjoys the pleasurable tafte;

Or deems it not fincere; or fears it cannot laft.
With wishes rais'd, with jealousies oppreft,
(Alternate tyrants of the human breast)
By one great trial he refolves to prove
The faith of woman, and the force of love.
If fcanning Emma's virtues he may find
That beauteous frame inclose a steady mind,
He'll fix his hope, of future joy fecure ;
And live a flave to Hymen's happy power.
But if the fair-one, as he fears, is frail;
If, pois'd aright in Reafon's equal scale,
Light fly her merit, and her faults prevail;
His mind he vows to free from amorous care,
The latent mifchief from his heart to tear,
Refume his azure arms, and fhine again in war.
South of the castle in a verdant glade

}

A spreading beech extends her friendly fhade:
Here oft' the Nymph his breathing vows had heard;
Here oft' her filence had her heart declar'd.

As active Spring awak'd her infant buds,
And genial life inform'd the verdant woods;
Henry, in knots involving Emma's name,
Had half exprefs'd and half conceal'd his flame

Upon

Upon this tree and, as the tender mark

Grew with the year, and widen'd with the bark,
Venus had heard the virgin's foft address,

That, as the wound, the paffion might increase.
As potent Nature shed her kindly fhowers,
And deck'd the various mead with opening flowers,
Upon this tree the Nymph's obliging care

Had left a frequent wreath for Henry's hair;
Which as with gay delight the lover found,
Pleas'd with his conqueft, with her prefent crown'd,
Glorious through all the plains he oft' had gone,
And to each fwain the myftic honour fhown;
The gift ftill prais'd, the giver ftill unknown.

:

His fecret note the troubled Henry writes To the known tree the lovely maid invites : Imperfect words and dubious terms exprefs, That unforeseen mifchance disturb'd his peace; That he must fomething to her ear commend, On which her conduct and his life depend. Soon as the fair-one had the note receiv'd, The remnant of the day alone fhe griev❜d: For different this from every former note, Which Venus dictated, and Henry wrote; Which told her all his future hopes were laid On the dear bofom of his Nut-brown Maid; Which always blefs'd her eyes, and own'd her power; And bid her oft' adieu, yet added more. Now night advanc'd. The house in fleep were laid; The nurse experienc'd, and the prying maid; And, laft, that fprite, which does inceffant haunt

The lover's steps, the ancient maiden-aunt.

Το

To her dear Henry Emma wings her way,
With quicken'd pace repairing forc'd delay;
For Love, fantastic power, that is afraid
To ftir abroad till watchfulness be laid,
Undaunted then o'er cliffs and valleys strays,
And leads his votaries fafe through pathless ways.
Not Argus with his hundred eyes fhall find
Where Cupid goes; though he, poor guide! is blind.
The Maiden firft arriving, fent her eye

To afk, if yet its chief delight were nigh:
With fear and with defire, with joy and pain,
She fees, and runs to meet him on the plain.
But oh! his fteps proclaim no lover's haíte:
On the low ground his fix'd regards are cast ;
His artful bofom heaves diffembled fighs;
And tears fuborn'd fall copious from his eyes.
With eafe, alas! we credit what we love :
His painted grief does real forrow move
In the afflicted fair; adown her cheek
Trickling the genuine tears their current break ;
Attentive flood the mournful Nymph: the Man
Broke filence firft: the tale alternate ran.

HENRY.

SINCERE, O tell me, haft thou felt a pain, Emma, beyond what woman knows to feign? Has thy uncertain bofom ever strove

With the firft tumults of a real love?

Haft thou now dreaded, and now bleft his fway,
By turns averfe, and joyful to obey?

VOL. XXXIII.

E

Thy

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