Imatges de pàgina
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As it goes round, each give his miftrefs fome
Commending character.

2. Why then a health to her, whose beauties are
Not a grofs earth with painted fuperficies;

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But a more (prightly element of purer fire:
Within whole fphere, a glorious mind doth move
All th' orbs of virtue, with celeftial flame:
Whofe active climbings carry her defires
To th' utmoft heighth of nobleness and honour.
3. And here's a health to her, will freely put
Her fweets to ufe; kifs, and be kiss'd again
Without a fie: whofe boldness will not bluth
At an affault, or any wanton touch:
And if a man perfilt to farther doing,
Accounts it lofs of time; a tedious wooing.

Nabbs's Covent-Garden,

When she was born, nature in sport began
To learn the cunning of an artifan ;
And did vermilion with a white compofe,
To mock herself, and paint a damask rose :
But fcorning nature unto art should feek,
She fpilt her colours on this maiden's cheek.
Her mouth, the gate, from whence all goodness came
Of pow'r to give the dead a living name.
Her words embalmed in fo fweet a breath,
That made them triumph both on time and death-;
Whose fragrant fweets, fince the camelion knew,
And tasted of, he to this humour grew;

Left other elements; held this fo rare,
That since he never feeds on aught but air.

Brown's Paftorals

I have a mistress, for perfection, rare
In ev'ry eye; but in my thoughts most fair:
Like tapers on the altar, fhine her eyes;
Her breath is the perfume of facrifice :
And whenfoe'er my fancy would begin;
Still her perfection lets religion in:

I touch

I touch her like my beads, with devout care;
And come unto my courtship, as my pray❜r.
We fit, and talk, and kifs away the hours,
As chaftly, as the morning dews kifs flow'rs.

If when the fun at noon displays

His brighter rays,
Thou but appear,

He then, all pale with fhame and fear,

Quencheth his light;

Hides his dark brow, flys from thy fight;

And grows more dim,

Compar'd to thee, than flars to him.

If thou but fhew thy face again,
When darkness doth at midnight reign;
Then darkness flies, and light is hurl'd,
Round about the filent world:

So as alike thou driv❜ft away,

Both light and darkness, night and day.

Long abfence in far diftant place
Creates the winter; and the space
She tarry'd with me, well I might
Call it my fummer of delight.
Diverfity of weather came

From what fhe did, and thence had name;
Sometimes he'd fmile, that made it fair ;
And when fhe laugh'd, the fun shin'd clear :
Sometimes fhe'd frown, and fometimes weep;
So clouds and rain their turns do keep :
Sometimes again fhe'd be all ice,
Extreamly cold, extreamly nice.

The foldier that joins conqueft to his name
By victories, when o'ercome with years,

Randolph

Carew

Suckling

As you must one day be, preferves his fame,
Not by those wounds he gave, but thofe he bears:

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So when your charms, in age's furrows lie
Loft, and forgotten they had once fo mov'd;
One wound amidft your heaps of victory,

Would better tell that you had been belov'd.
Then like a Tyrant ravifh'd from his throne,
You'll wish, that you had gentlier us'd your own.
Sir Robert Howard.

Some fragrant flow'rs the fmell; fome trees the fight
Do much content; fome pearls are wond'rous bright;
There's not fo fweet a flow'r, fo fair a tree,
So pure a gem in all the world, as fhe :

Some ladies humble are, and fome are wife;
Some chaft, fome kind, fome fair to please the eyes;
All virtues do in her like ftars appear,
And make a glorious conftellation there.

Watkins,

Mens eyes are dim, but womens blind to excellence.
This beauteous woman look'd upon my head
And faw no crown on it, and look'd no deeper:
Thus are our fex by women oft deceiv'd;
The gallant thinks his miftrefs fees his qualities,
She only fees his equipage and garniture :
Th' old wooden lord fees a young beauty glance,
He thinks on him; alas! 'tis on a toy,
More wooden than himself, his coronet :

'The ftatefman thinks his great parts charm his mistress;
She only looks on's great houfe, his great train:
The brave young hero thinks his mistress values him,
Becaufe his courage can fupport her honour;

'Tis for his pages to hold

up her tail.

Crown's Ambitious Statefman

MODESTY.

1. Of all flowers methinks a rofe is beft.

2. Why, gentle madam ?

1. It is the very emblem of a maid :
For when the weft wind courts her gently,
How modeftly she blows, and paints the fun

With

With her chafte blushes ? when the north comes near her,
Rude and impatient, then like chastity
She locks her beauties in her bud again,
And leaves him to base briars.

Shakespear and Rowley's Two Noble Kinfmen.

I ask, that I might waken reverence;
And bid the cheek be ready with a blush
Modest as morning, when the coldly eyes
The youthful Phoebus.

Shakespear's Troilus and Creffida.
Strange crofs in nature! pureft virgin shame
Lies in the blood, as luft lies; and together
Many times mix too: and in none more fhameful
Than in the fhamefac'd. Who can then diftinguish
"Twixt their affections; or tell when he meets
With one not common? yet, as worthieft poets
Shun common and plebeian forms of speech,
'Ev'ry illib'ral and affected phrafe

To cloath their matter; and together tie
Matter, and form, with art and decency :
So worthiest women fhould fhun vulgar guifes;
And though they cannot but fly out for change,
Yet modefty, the matter of their lives,
Be it adult'rate, fhould be painted true

With modeft out-parts; what they should do ftill
Grac'd with good fhew, though deeds be ne'er fo ill.
Chapman's Revenge of Buffy D'ambois.

A modeft filence, though 't be thought

A virgin's beauty, and her highest honour;

Though bafhful feignings nicely wrought,

Grace her, that virtue takes not in, buton her;

What I dare think, I boldly speak;

After my word, my well-old action rusheth;

In open flame then paffion break;

Where virtue prompts, thought, word, act, never blusheth.

1... You are fo.bafhful.

Marfion's Sophonisba

2, 'Tis not at first word, up and ride; thou art

Cozen'd,

Cozen'd, that would fhew mad in faith; befides,
We lofe the main part of our politick
Government, if we become provokers:
Then we are fair, and fit for mens embraces,
When, like towns they lie before us ages,
Yet not carry'd, hold out their strongest batteries;
Then compound too without the lofs of honour;
And march off with our fair wedding colours flying.
Beaumont and Fletcher's Wit without Money.
What is't you doubt, her coyness? that's but the
Superficies of luft, moft women have ;

Yet why should ladies blush to hear that nam'd,
Which they don't fear to handle ? oh, they're politick!
They know our defire is encreas'd by the
Difficulty of enjoying; where fatiety
Is a blunt, weary, and drowzy paffion :
If the battery-hatch at court ftood always
Open, there would be nothing fo paffionate
Crowding, nor hot fuit after beverage.

Webster's White Devil.

If I do fhun you, 'tis
As bafhful debtors fhun their creditors;
I cannot pay you in the felf fame coin,
And am afham'd to offer any other.

2

Suckling's Aglaura.

O useless fhame! officious bashfulness!

Virtue's vain fign, which only there appears Where virtue grows erroneous by excess;

And shapes more fins, than frighted confcience fears.
Your blushes, which to mere complexion grow,
You must as nature, not as virtue own;
And for your open'd love, you but blush so,
As guiltless rofes blush that they are blown.

As well the morn, whose effence poet's made,
And gave her bafhful eyes, we may believe
Does blush for what the fees through night's thin shade,
As that you can for love discover'd grieve.

Sir W. Davenant's Gondibert.

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