10

Here Fannia, leering on her own good man,
And there, a naked Leda with a Swan.
Let then the fair one beautifully cry,
In Magdalen's loose hair and lifted eye,
Or dreft in fmiles of fweet Cecilia fhine,
With fimp'ring Angels, Palms, and Harps divine;
Whether the Charmer finner it, or faint it,
If Folly grow romantic, I muft paint it.

Come then, the colours and the ground prepare Dip in the Rainbow, trick her off in Air; Chufe a firm Cloud, before it fall, and in it Catch, ere the change, the Cynthia of this minute.

Rufa, whofe eye quick-glancing o'er the Park, Attracts each light gay meteor of a Spark, Agrees as ill with Rufa ftudying Locke, As Sappho's di'monds with her dirty smock;

19

tain-Leda with a fwan.-Magdalen-Cecilia-] Attitudes in which feveral ladies affected to be drawn, and fometimes one lady in them all. The poet's politeness and complaisance to the fex is obfervable in this inftance, amongst others, that, whereas in the Characters uf Men, he has fometimes made ufe of real names, in the Characters of Women always fictitious.

VER. 20. Catch, ere she change, the Cynthia of this minute.] Alluding to the precept of Fresnoy,

formæ veneres captando fugaces.

VER. 21. Instances of contrarieties, given even from fuch Characters as are most strongly mark'd, and seemingly therefort moft confiftent: As, I. In the Affected, ✈ 21, etc.

r Sappho at her toilet's greazy task,
Vith Sappho fragrant at an ev'ning Mask:
o morning Infects that in muck begun,
hine, buzz, and fly-blow in the fetting-fun..
How foft is Silia! fearful to offend;

25

'he frail one's advocate, the Weak one's friend. 30
To her, Califta prov'd her conduct nice;
And good Simplicius afks of her advice.

udden, she ftorms! fhe raves! You tip the wink,
But fpare your cenfure; Silia does not drink.
All eyes may see from what the change arofe,
All eyes may fee-a Pimple on her nose.

Papillia, wedded to her am'rous fpark,

35

Sighs for the fhades" How charming is a Park!" A Park is purchas'd, but the Fair he fees

All bath'd in tears" Oh odious, odious Trees !"
Ladies, like variegated Tulips, fhow;

Tis to their Changes half their charms we owe;
Fine by defect, and delicately weak,

Their happy Spots the nice admirer take.

41

Twas thus Calypfo once each heart alarm'd,

Aw'd without Virtue, without Beauty charm'd;
Her Tongue bewitch'd as odly as her Eyes,
Lefs Wit than Mimic, more a Wit than wife;
Strange graces ftill, and ftranger flights she had,
Was juft not ugly, and was juft not mad;

VER. 29, and 37. II. Contrarieties in the Soft-natured.
VER. 45. III. Contrarieties in the Cunning and Artful.

45

50

Yet ne'er fo fure our paffion to create,

As when the touch'd the brink of all we hate.
Narciffa's nature, tolerably mild,

бо

To make a wash, would hardly stew a child;
Has ev'n been prov'd to grant a Lover's pray'r, 55
And paid a Tradesman once to make him stare;
Gave alms at Eafter, in a Chriftian trim,
And made a Widow happy, for a whim.
Why then declare Good-nature is her fcorn,
When 'tis by that alone she can be born?
Why pique all mortals, yet affect a name?
A fool to Pleasure, yet a slave to Fame:
Now deep in Taylor and the Book of Martyrs,
Now drinking Citron with his Grace and Chartres:
Now Confcience chills her, and now Paffion burns;
And Atheism and Religion take their turns;

A

very Heathen in the carnal part,

Yet ftill a fad, good Christian at her heart.

66

VER. 52. As when she touch'd the brink of all we hate.] Her charms confifted in the fingular turn of her vivacity; confequently the ftronger fhe exerted this vivacity, the more forcible must be her attraction. But the point, where it came to excefs, would destroy all the delicacy, and expofe all the coarseness of fenfuality.

VER. 53. IV. In the Whimsical.

VER. 57. in a Chriftian trim,] This is finely expreffed, implying that her very charity was as much an exterior of Religion, as the ceremonies of the feafon. It was not even in a Chriftian bumour, it was only in a Christian trim.

See Sin in State, majestically drunk;

70

Proud as a Peeress, prouder as a Punk ;
Chafte to her Hufband, frank to all befide,
A teeming Mistress, but a barren Bride.

What then? let Blood and Body bear the fault,
Her Head's untouch'd, that noble Seat of Thought:
Such this day's doctrine-in another fit

She fins with Poets thro' pure Love of Wit.
What has not fir'd her bofom or her brain?
Cæfar and Tall-boy, Charles and Charlema'ne.
As Helluo, late Dictator of the Feast,
The Nofe of Hautgaut and the Tip of Tafte,
Critiqu'd your wine, and analyz'd your meat,
Yet on plain Pudding deign'd at-home to eat :
So Philomedé, lect'ring all mankind
On the foft Paffion, and the Taste refin'd,
Th' Addrefs, the Delicacy-ftoops at once,
And makes her hearty meal upon a Dunce.

Flavia's a Wit, has too much sense to Pray;
To toaft our wants and wifhes, is her way;

VER. 69. V. In the Lewd and Vicious.

VER. 87. Contrarieties in the Witty and Refin'd.

VARIATIONS.

VER. 77. What has not fir'd, etc.] In the MS.
In whofe mad brain the mixt ideas roll
Of Tall-boy's breeches, and of Cæfar's foul.

75

80

85

Nor asks of God, but of her Stars, to give
The mighty bleffing, "while we live, to live." go
Then all for Death, that Opiate of the foul!
Lucretia's dagger, Rofamonda's bowl.
Say, what can cause such impotence of mind?
A Spark too fickle, or a Spouse too kind.
Wite Wretch with pleasures too refin'd to please;
With too much Spirit to be e'er at ease;
With too much Quickness ever to be taught;
With too much Thinking to have common Thought:
You purchase Pain with all that Joy can give,
And die of nothing but a Rage to live.

96

100

Turn then from Wits; and look on Simo's Mate,

No Afs fo meek, no Afs fo obflinate.

Or her, that owns her Faults, but never mends,
Because she's honeft, and the best of Friends.
Or her, whofe life the Church and Scandal fhare,
For ever in a Paffion, or a Pray'r.
106
Or her, who laughs at Hell, but (like her Grace)
Cries, "Ah! how charming, if there's no fuch place!"
Or who in fweet viciffitude appears

Of Mirth and Opium, Ratafie and Tears,

110

VER. 89. Nor afks of God, but of her Stars.Death, that Opiate of the foul!] See Note on 90. of Ep. to Lord Cobbam.

VER. 107. Or ber, who laughs at Hell, but (like her Grace) -Cries, "Ah! bow charming, if there's no fuch place !"'] i. e. Her who affects to laugh out of fashion, and ftrives to disbelieve out of fear.