Chapter III

_The Miser there opens his Golden heaps,_
_And at_ Love’s _Altar offers the rich Prize;_
_His needless fears of want does now despise,_
_And as a lavish Heir, he Treats and Reaps_
_The Blessings that attend his grateful Sacrifice._
_Even the Fluttering Coxcomb there_
_Does less ridiculous appear:_
_For in the Crowd some one unlucky Face,_
_With some particular Grimmas,_
_Has the ill fate his Heart to gain,_ }
_Which gives him just the Sense to know his pain;_ }
_Whence he becomes less talkative and vain._ }
_There ‘tis the Muses dwell! that sacred Nine,_
_Who teach the inlarged Soul to prove,_
_No Arts or Sciences Divine,_
_But those inspired by Them and_ Love!
_Gay Conversation, Feast, and Masquerades,_
_Agreeable Cabals, and Serinades;_
_Eternal Musick, Gladness, Smiles and Sport,_
_Make all the bus’ness of this Little Court._

At my approach new Fires my Bosom warm;
New vigor I receive from every Charm:
I found invention with my Love increase;
And both instruct me with new Arts to please;
New Gallantrys I sought to entertain,
And had the Joy to find ‘em not in vain;
All the Extravagance of Youth I show,
And pay’d to Age the Dotage I shall owe;
All a beginning Passion can conceive,
What beauty Merits, or fond Love can give.
With diligence I wait _Aminta’s_ look,
And her decrees from Frowns or Smiles I took,
To my new fixt resolves, no stop I found,
My Flame was uncontroul’d and knew no bound;
Unlimited Expences every day
On what I thought she lik’d, I threw away:
My Coaches, and my Liverys, rich and new,
In all this Court, none made a better show.
_Aminta_ here was unconfin’d and free,
And all a well-born Maid cou’d render me
She gave: My early Visits does allow,
And more ingagingly receives me now,
Her still increasing Charms, Her soft Address, }
Partial Lover cannot well Express, }
Her Beautys with my flame each hour increase. }
‘Twas here my Soul more true content receiv’d,
Then all the Duller hours of Life I’d liv’d.
--But with the envying Night I still repair
To _Inquietude_; none lodge at _Little Care_.
The hasty Minutes summon me away, }
While parting pains surmount past hours of Joy, }
And Nights large Reckoning over-pays the day. }
The GOD of _Sleep_ his wonted Aid denys;
Lends no Repose, or to my Heart or Eyes:
Only one hour of Rest the breaking Morning brought,
In which this happy Dream Assail’d my Thought,

The DREAM.

_All Trembling in my Arms_ Aminta _lay,_
_Defending of the Bliss I strove to take;_
_Raising my Rapture by her kind delay,_
_Her force so charming was and weak._
_The soft resistance did betray the Grant,_
_While I prest on the Heaven of my desires;_
_Her rising Breasts with nimbler Motions Pant;_
_Her dying Eyes assume new Fires._
_Now to the height of languishment she grows,_
_And still her looks new Charms put on;_
_--Now the last Mystery of_ Love _she knows,_
_We Sigh, and Kiss: I wak’d, and all was done._

‘Twas but a Dream, yet by my Heart I knew,
Which still was Panting, part of it was true:
Oh how I strove the rest to have believ’d;
Asham’d and Angry to be undeceiv’d!
But now LOVE calls me forth; and scarce allows
A moment to the Gods to pay my Vows:
He all Devotion has in disesteem,
But that which we too fondly render him:
LOVE drest me for the day; and both repair,
With an impatient hast to _Little Care_;
Where many days m’ advantage I pursu’d,
But Night returns me to _Inquietude_;
There suffer’d all that absent Lovers griev’d,
And only knew by what I felt I liv’d;
A thousand little Fears afflict my Heart,
And all its former order quite subvert;
The Beauty’s which all day my hope imploy’d,
Seem now too excellent to be enjoy’d.
I number all my RIVALS over now,
Then Raving Mad with Jealousie I grow,
Which does my Flame to that vast height increase;
That here I found, I lov’d to an Excess:
These wild Distractions every Night increase,
But day still reconciles me into Peace;
And I forget amidst their soft Delights,
The unimagin’d torment of the Nights.
‘Twas thus a while I liv’d at _Little Care_,
Without advance of Favour or of fear,
When fair _Aminta_ from that Court departs,
And all her Lovers leave with broken Hearts,
On me alone she does the Grace confer,
In a Permission I shou’d wait on her.
Oh with what eager Joy I did obey!
Joy, which for fear it shou’d my Flame betray,
I Veil’d with Complisance; which Lovers Eyes
Might find transported through the feign’d disguise;
But hers were unconcern’d; or wou’d not see,
The Trophies of their new gain’d Victory:
_Aminta_ now to _Good Reception_ goes;
A place which more of Entertainment shows
Then State or Greatness; where th’.nhabitants,
Are Civil to the height of Complisance;
They Treat all Persons with a chearful Grace,
And show ‘em all the pleasures of the Place;
By whose Example bright _Aminta_ too,
Confirm’d her self, and more obliging grew.
Her Smiles and Air more Gracious now appear;
And her Victorious Eyes more sweetness wear:
The wonderous Majesty that drest her Brow,
Becomes less Awful, but more Charming now:
Her Pride abating does my Courage warm,
And promises success from every Charm.
She now permits my Eyes, with timorous Fears,
To tell her of the Wounds she’as made by hers,
Against her Will my Sighs she does approve,
And seems well pleas’d to think they come from Love.
Nothing oppos’d it self to my delight,
But absence from _Aminta_ every Night.
But LOVE, who recompences when he please,
And has for every Cruelty an ease;
Who like to bounteous Heaven, assigns a share
Of future Bliss to those that suffer here:
Led me to HOPE! A City fair and large,
Built with much Beauty, and Adorn’d with Charge.

HOPE.

_’.is wonderous Populous from the excess,_
_Of Persons from all parts that thither press:_
_One side of this magnifick City stands,_
_On a foundation of unfaithful Sands;_
_Which oftentimes the glorious Load destroys,_
_Which long designing was with Pomp and Noise;_
_The other Parts well founded neat and strong,_
_Less Beautiful, less Business, and less Throng._
_’.is built upon a Rivers Bank, who’s clear_
_And Murmuring Glide delights the Eye and Ear._

The River of PRETENSION.

_This River’s call’d_ Pretension; _and its source_
_T’ a bordering Mountain owes, from whence with force,_
_It spreads into the Arms of that calm space,_
_Where the proud City dayly sees her face;_
_’.is treacherously smooth and falsly fair,_
_Inviting, but undoing to come near;_
_’.ainst which the Houses there find no defence,_
_But suffer undermining Violence;_
_Who while they stand, no Palaces do seem_
_In all their Glorious Pomp to equal them._

This River’s Famous for the fatal Wrecks,
Of Persons most Illustrious of both Sex,
Who to her Bosom with soft Whispers drew,
Then basely smil’d to see their Ruin too.
‘Tis there so many Monarchs perisht have,
And seeking Fame alone have found a Grave.
‘Twas thither I was tempted too, and LOVE
Maliciously wou’d needs my Conduct prove;
Which Passion now to such a pass had brought,
It gave admittance to the weakest thought,
And with a full carreer to this false Bay
I ran. But met _Precaution_ in my way.
With whom _Respect_ was, who thus gravely said,
Pretension _is a River you must Dread:_
_Fond Youth, decline thy fatal Resolution,_
_Here unavoidably thou meets Confusion;_
_Thou fly’st with too much hast to certain Fate,_
_Follow my Counsel, and be Fortunate._

Asham’d, all Blushing I decline my Eyes,
Yet Bow’d and Thank’d _Respect_ for his advice.
From the bewitching River straight I hy’d,
And hurried to the Cities farthest side
Where lives the Mighty _Princess Hope_, to whom
The whole Isle as their ORACLE do come;
Tho’ little Truth remains in what she says,
Yet all adore her Voice, and her Wise Conduct praise.

The Princess HOPE.

I.

_She blows the Youthful Lovers flame,_
_And promises a sure repose;_
_Whilst with a Treason void of shame,_
_His fancy’d Happiness o’re-throws._
_Her Language is all soft and fair_ }
_But her hid Sense is naught but Air,_ }
_And can no solid reason bear;_ }
_As often as she speaks,_
_Her faithless Word she breaks;_
_Great in Pretension, in Performance small,_
_And when she Swears ‘tis Perjury all._
_Her Promises like those of Princes are,_
_Made in Necessity and War,_
_Cancell’d without remorse, at ease,_
_In the voluptuous time of Peace._