Soon as the morning left her rofy bed, To behold cheeks more beauteous than her own. Nor is it ftrange he should be loth to part Yet he by chance had hit his heart aright, Unto Love's altar therefore he repairs, Where having wept, recovering breath again, Thus to immortal Love he did complain : "Oh, mighty Cupid! whofe unbounded fway "Hath often rul'd th' Olympian thunderer; "Whom all cœlestial deities obey ; Whom men and gods both reverence and fear! "Oh force Conftantia's heart to yield to love! "Of all thy works the master-piece 'twill prove. « And let me not affection vainly spend, "But kindle flames in her like thofe in me; "Yet if that gift my fortune doth transcend, "Grant that her charming beauty I may fee! "For ever view thofe eyes, whofe charming light, "More than the world befides, does please my fight. "Thofe who contemn thy facred deity, "Laugh at thy power, make them thine anger know: "I faultless am; what honour can it be, Thinking her love he never fhall obtain, One morn he haunts the woods, and doth conplain "For why? thy idle words are of no weight." "WEIGHT," fhe answers. "Therefore I'll depart." To which refounding Echo answers, "PART." THEN from the woods with wounded heart he gocs, Filling with legions of fresh thoughts his mind. He weeps to quench the fires that buru in him, But tears do fall to th' earth, flames are within. No morning banifh'd darkness, nor black night He'd wound Philetus; does with tears implore Little fhe thinks fhe kept Philetus' heart In her fcorch'd breaft, because her own the gave To him. Since either fuffers equal smart, And a like mcafure in their torments have: His foul, his griefs, his fires, now her's are grown : Her heart, her mind, her love, is his alone. Whilft thoughts 'gainst thoughts rife up in mutiny, She took a lute (being far from any ears) Thus had the fung when her dear love was flain, She'd furely call'd him back from Styx again. I willingly would weep my store, Of my heart; but, fhould'ft thou prove THEN tears in envy of her speech did flow Which, Nilus-like, did quickly overflow, Here ftay, my Mufe; for if I fhould recite Me from ftern death, or with victorious rhyme By this time, chance and his own industry Thus to himself, footh'd by his flattering state, "O Cupid! or reward my helping fate, But Cupid, when his heart was set on fire, tire. The wounded youth and kind Philocrates That death itself could not their friendship fc ver, But, as they liv'd in love, they died together. Pylades' foul, and mad Oreftes', was Oft in the woods Philetus walks, and there To figh; and did ev'n upon that prevail; Philocrates muft needs his fadnefs know, Willing in ills, as well as joys, to share, Who leaves to guide the fhip when storms arife, But when his noble friend perceiv'd that he By counfel, and recall the poisonous dart, there Doth hide himself from fad Philetus' fight; Who thus exclaims (for a fwoln heart would break, If it for vent of forrow might not speak): "Oh! I am loft, not in this defart wood, "But in Love's pathlefs labyrinth; there I "My health, each joy and pleasure counted good, "Have loft, and, which is more, my liberty; "And now am forc'd to let him facrifice "My heart, for rafh believing of my eyes. "Long have I ftaid, but yet have no relief; Long have I lov'd, yet have no favour fhown; Because fhe knows not of my killing grief, "And I have fear'd to make my forrows known. "For why, alas! if she should once but dart "Difdainful looks, 'twould break my captiv'd heart. "But how should fhe, ere I impart my love, "Reward my ardent flame with like defire ? "But when I fpeak, if the should angry prove, "Laugh at my flowing tears, and fcorn my fire; Why, he who hath all forrows borne before, "Needeth not fear to be oppreft with more." Philocrates no longer can forbear, Runs to his friend, and fighing, "Oh!" faid he, "My dear Philetus! be thy felf, and fwear "To rule that paffion which now mafters thee, "And all thy reafon; but, if it can't be, "Give to thy love but eyes, that it may fee." Amazement ftrikes him dumb; what fhall he do? Should he reveal his love, he fears 'twould prove A hindrance; and, fhould he deny to show, It might perhaps his dear friend's anger move : Thefe doubts, like Scylla and Charybdis, stand, Whilft Cupid, a blind pilot, doth command. At laft refolv'd: "How fhall I feek," said he, "T' excufe myself, dearest Philocrates! "That I from thee have hid this fecrecy? "Yet cenfure not; give me firit leave to cafe "My cafe with words: my grief you should "Oh! let not then my paffion cause your hate, "No phylick can re-cure my weaken'd state, But counfel," faid his friend, " a remedy "Which never fails the patient, måy at least, "If not quite heal your mind's infirmity, Affuage your torment, and procure some rest. "But," faid Philocrates, " 'tis beft, in woe, "I should mistrust your love, to hide from me "Your thoughts, and tax you of inconftancy." What shall he do? or with what language frame Excufe? He must refolve not to deny, But open his clofe thoughts and inward flame: He figh'd, as if they'd cool his torments' ire When they, alas' did blow the raging fire. "When years first ftyl'd me twenty, I began "To sport with catching snares that Love had fet: "Like birds that flutter round the gin, tili ta'en, "Or the poor fly caught in Arachne's net, "Even fo I fported with her beauty's light, "Till I at laft grew blind with too much fight. "First it came ftealing on me, whilft I thought "'Twas eafy to repel it; but as fire, "Though but a fpark, foon into flames is brought, "So mine grew great, and quickly mounted higher; "Which so have scorch'd my love-ftruck foul, that I Nay," faid Philetus," oft my eyes do flow "Like Nilus when it fcorns th' opposed shore; "Yet all the watery plenty I bestow, "Is to my flame an oil that feeds it more. "So fame reports o' th' Dodonéan spring, "That lightens all those which are put therein. "But, being your defire to know her, fhe "Is call'd" (with that his eyes let fall a fhower, As if they fain would drown the memory Of his life-keeper's name) " Conftantia-" More Grief would not let him utter; tears, the best Expreffers of true forrow, fpoke the reft. To which his noble friend did thus reply: "And was this all? Whate'er your grief would eafe, "Though a far greater task, believe 't for thee "It should be foon done by Philocrates: “Think all you wish perform'd; but see, the day, « Tir'd with its heat, is hafting now away !” Home from the filent woods night bids them go : At night in dreams, like truth, affrights his mind. Why doft thou vex him, Love? Could't thou but fee, Thou would'st thyself Philetus' rival be. Philocrates, pitying his doleful moan, And wounded with the forrows of his friend, Brings him to fair Conftantia; where alone He might impart his love, and either end His fruitless hopes, nipt by her coy disdain, Or, by her liking, his wifht joys attain. "Faireft," faid he, "whom the bright heavens do cover, “Do not these tears, these speaking tears, despise ! "Thefe heaving fighs of a fubmiffive lover, "Thus ftruck to th' earth by your all-dazzling eyes! And do you not coatemn that ardent flame, "Which from yourself, your own fair beauty, came! « Trust me, I long have hid my love; but now * Am forc'd to show 't, fuch is my inward smart! "And you alone, fair Saint! the means do know "To heal the wound of my confuming heart. Then, fince it only in your power doth lie "To kill or fave, Oh! help, or else I die." His gently cruel love did thus reply; "I for your pain am grieved, and would do, "Without impeachment of my chastity "And honour, any thing might pleasure you. "But, if beyond those limits you demand, "I must not answer, Sir, nor understand." "Believe me, virtuous maiden! my defire "Ischafte and pious as thy virgin thought; "No flash of luft, 'tis no difhoneft fire, "Which goes as foon as it was quickly brought; "But as thy beauty pure; which let not be Eclipfed by difdain and cruelty! Whilft he was fpeaking this (hehold their fate!) Or else the morn, blushing through clouds of water, To fee afcending Sol congratulate her. Just as the guilty prifoner fearful stands, Of him who both his life and death commands, But to depart, since she her love did fhew him, I TRUST, dear foul, my abfence cannot move You to forget or doubt my ardent love; For, were there any means to fee you, I Then let not, deareft Sweet, our abfence part So, when we once have wafted forrow's night, This, when Conftantia read, fhe thought her fate The welcome characters doth duil and ftain: YOUR abfence, Sir, though it be long, yet I Or angry friends, fhall make my love decline : CONSTANTIA. Oh! how this letter feem'd to raise his pride! Prouder than Jafon, when from Colchos he But ere the autumn, which fair Ceres crown'd, Them kind Philocrates t' each other brought, Where they this means t' enjoy their freedom wrought. "Sweet fair-one," said Philetus, " fince the time "For when your father, as his cuftom is, "We may depart in fafety, and no more "With dreams of pleafure only, heal cur fore." To this the happy lovers foon agree; But, ere they part, Philetus begs to hear, From her inchanting voice's melody, One fong to fatisfy his longing ear: She yields; and, finging added to desire, III. Then, though death's fad night appear, IV. And then no friends can part us more, FEAR of being feen, Philetus homeward drove, As nothing but her love could quench the fire. As might contend with scorch'd Calabria's ground; treat With gentle fpeeches and mild courtesy; With many friends too tedious here to name : With them Conftantia went, but not to find The bear or wolf, but Love all mild and kind. Being enter'd in the pathless woods, while they Purfue their game, Philetus, who was late Hid in a thicket, carries straight away His love, and haftens his own hafty fate; That came too foon upon him; and his fun Philetus, like bold Icarus, foaring high |