She, e'er I went, fought ev'ry pow'r above,
And ev'ry pow'r feem'd gracious to her love;
All spoke a fafe return, yet ftill fhe fear'd,
And tender anguish in her looks appear'd;
Tears from her eyes in briny torrents fell,
And fighs, in rifing, choak'd her last farewell.
I too oft' fought pretexts for my delay;
Foul birds and baleful omens stopt my way,
Or stars averfe, or Saturn's luckless day.
Oft' I return'd, a longer time to wait,
Mov'd by ill-boding ftumblings at the gate.
Taught by my harms, let men with caution move,
Nor tempt the wrath of unconfenting love.
What is thy Ifis, Delia, now to me?

Or what the fruit of thy vain piety?

What have I gain'd from all thy widow'd nights,
Giv'n all to her, and ftoln from our delights?
Yet, Goddess, fave! exert thy healing pow'r,
And to loft health a finking wretch restore!
That Delia may before thine altars bow,
Perform in pious gratitude her vow,

And oft', with hair unbound, in artful lays,

Among thy Pharian crowd, may chaunt thy praise;
When I to my poor household gods return,
And monthly incenfe to my Lares burn.
O for that age of innocence again,

That bleft the world in good old Saturn's reign!
E'er the divifions of the earth were known,
Or men for foreign lands, defpis'd their own.
While the tall pine yet on the mountain flood,
The fafe, unenvy'd monarch of the wood,
Nor yet cut down, and taught on seas to brave
The rage of ev'ry wind, and ev'ry wave:
For yet no mariner, for fordid gain,
Disturb'd the quiet of the wat'ry reign.

}

The ox, unyok'd, might thro' the pastures stray;
Nor the tough bits taught horses to obey.

No doors fecur'd the houses yet, nor bounds
To private ufe confin'd the fruitful grounds.
Soft honey from the folid oaks diftill'd:

The sheep, that rang'd unguarded o'er the field,
Unfought, to ev'ry hand their swelling dugs would yield.
No thirst of empire, no ambitious rage,

Nor fell debate, taught mortals to engage,

Nor broke the calm repofe that bleft the peaceful age.
Now, under Jove, reign Rapine, Slaughter, Hate,
And wars, and ftormy. feas, and thousand forms of Fate.
O fpare, great Sire! never falfly fwore,

Blafphem'd thy awful name, nor dar'd thy pow'r.
But if the fatal deftin'd hour is come,

Be this infcription plac'd upon my tomb :

"While number'd with Meffala's martial train,, "The toils of land, and dangers of the main "Tibullus prov'd; by early Fate oppreft, "Beneath this humble tomb his afhes reft." But me, love's Queen, her ever faithful slave, Will ftill protect, and cherish in the grave; She bleft me living, and will guard me dead, And to th' Ely fian fields her conftant vot'ry lead. Bright fcene of endless blifs! where feather'd throngs, With flender throats repeat melodious fongs.

Th' unlabour'd meads fpontaneous Caffia bear;

And purple rofes flourish round the year.

Join'd with foft nymphs, the fhepherds dance and play,

And fport a glad eternity away.

Mirth and gay joys reign o'er the blissful space,

And youth immortal fmiles in ev'ry face.

Unhappy lovers, by ftern fortune's hate,

And the rough hand of unrelenting fate,
Snatch'd fudden from their joys, are doubly bleft,.

}

Far from these regions of unmix'd delight,
Hid in thick fhades of everlasting night,
Are the dire manfions and severe abodes,
Sacred to Vengeance and infernal Gods:
Round the fad feats fulphureous waters roar,
Vaft Cerb'rus barks before the brazen door;
Tifiphone, with fnaky treffes crown'd,
Lafhes the flying criminals around,

And with the dreadful noise the gloomy caves resound.
Ixion there, whofe infolence durst move

To impious fires the royal bride of Jove,

Fix'd on his reftlefs wheel, while endless years
Pursue their courfe, the whirling vengeance bears.
Tityus extended o'er nine acres lyes,

And daily food to rav'nous birds fupplies:
And Tantalus, with feeming plenty curst,
Sees waters court his lips, yet dies for thirst.
There justly fuffer Danaus' curfed race,
The horror and the hate of all the dismal place;
Who braving love, and Hymen's facred rites,
Could flay their husbands on their nuptial nights!
There may the wretches howl, who er they be,
Who wifh'd ill-fortune to my loves and me;
That I might from my Delia wander far,
Thro' all the hardships of a tedious war!
But thou, my love, thy conftancy retain,
And true to me, and thy own vows remain ;
In fafe retirement my long abfence mourn,
Nor form a wifh for joy, till I return.
Let thy old faithful nurse be ever by,
The ancient guardian of thy chastity;
Whose tales may chafe the ling'ring fhades away,
And lull thy forrows 'till the dawning day,
Sudden I'll come, as to thy wishes giv'n,

And fent by fome strange miracle from Heav'n;

}

Then thou, my Delia, with an hafty pace,

Run unadorn'd and loose to my embrace.

When, when, ye pow'rs, will that bright morning rife,
To paint with livelier red the eastern skies,
Which ending all my griefs and dire alarms,
Shall give my Delia to my longing arms,
Propitious Heav'n, all obstacles remove;

And let me die, at least, with the dear nymph I love!

ميم

AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND.

Written in the Spring 1710.

WHILE pious Anna's conqu'ring arms
Fill pow'rful guilt with just alarms,

Which now shall foon make discord cease,
And blefs the jarring world with peace;
While faucy priests sedition pratę,
Arraign the Queen, embroil the state,

And murmur at they know not what :
Thou, Daphnis, by kind fate fent down
From the wild tumults of the town,
Doft in a happy rural feat,
Taste the pure joys of calm retreat.
Nature, with blooming honours gay
And vernal fweets, invites thy stay.
See the fair inorning of the year
In all its richest pomp appear!
See the brisk songsters of the air
To the forfaken woods repair!
Hear them in artless harmony
Welcome back the spring and thee!
Banish'd from the charming plains,

Far from these regions of unmix'd delight,
Hid in thick fhades of everlasting night,
Are the dire manfions and fevere abodes,
Sacred to Vengeance and infernal Gods:
Round the fad feats fulphureous waters roar,
Vaft Cerb'rus barks before the brazen door;
Tifiphone, with fnaky treffes crown'd,
Lafhes the flying criminals around,

And with the dreadful noise the gloomy caves refour
Ixion there, whose infolence durst move

To impious fires the royal bride of Jove,

Fix'd on his reftlefs wheel, while endless years
Pursue their course, the whirling vengeance bears.
Tityus extended o'er nine acres lyes,

And daily food to rav'nous birds fupplies:
And Tantalus, with feeming plenty curst,
Sees waters court his lips, yet dies for thirst.
There justly fuffer Danaus' curfed race,
The horror and the hate of all the dismal place;
Who braving love, and Hymen's facred rites,
Could flay their husbands on their nuptial nights!
There may the wretches howl, who er they be,
Who wish'd ill-fortune to my loves and me;
That I might from my Delia wander far,
Thro' all the hardships of a tedious war!
But thou, my love, thy conftancy retain,
And true to me, and thy own vows remain ;
In fafe retirement my long abfence mourn,
Nor form a wish for joy, till I return.
Let thy old faithful nurse be ever by,
The ancient guardian of thy chastity;

Whose tales may chafe the ling'ring fhades away,
And lull thy forrows 'till the dawning day,
Sudden I'll come, as to thy wifhes giv'n,

And fent by fome frange miracle from Heav'n;