IV. And in the good time of Christmas, Yet when they did hear That a damn'd Cavalier Ever play'd such a Christmas gambol ? V. Had thy flesh, O Green! been pamper'd With any cates unhallow'd, Hadst thou sweeten'd thy gums With pottage of plums, Or profane minc'd pye had swallow'd; VI. Roll'd up in wanton swine's flesh Might have caus'd thee to rut, And the devil have so rid thro' thee. VII. But, alas! he had been feasted With a spiritual collation Who can dine on a prayer, And sup on an exhortation. VIII. Twas mere impulse of spirit, Tho' he us'd the weapon carnal : 20 25 30 35 " Filly Foal," quoth he, "My bride thou shalt be; "And how this is lawful learn all : IX. "For if no respect of persons "In a large extent "Thereby may be meant . "That a mare's as good as a madam." X. Then without more ceremony, Not bonnet vail'd, nor kiss'd her, But took her by force, For better for worse, And us'd her like a sister. XI. Now when in such a saddle Tho' we dare not say 'Tis a falling away, May there not be some backsliding? "No, surely," quoth James Naylor, ... "'Twas but an insurrection " Of the carnal part, " For a Quaker in heart " Can never lose perfection. م 45 50 55 60 A SONG I. MORPHEUS! the humble god that dwells In cottages and smoky cells, Hates gilded roofs and beds of down, II. Come, I say, thou pow'rful god, And thy leaden charming rod, O'er his wakeful temples shake, Lest he should sleep, and never wake. III. Nature, (alas!) why art thou so Obliged to thy greatest foe? Sleep that is thy best repast, Yet of death it bears a taste, And both are the same thing at last. TRANSLATIONS, &c. PREFACE TO THE DESTRUCTION OF TROY, &c. THERE are so few translations which deserve praise, that I scarce ever saw any which deserved pardon; those who travel in that kind being for the most part so unhappy as to rob others without enriching themselves, pulling down the fame of good authors without raising their own: neither hath any author been more hardly dealt withal than this our master; and the reason is evident, for, what is most excellent is most inimitable; and if even the worst authors are yet made worse by their translators, how impossible is it not to do great injury to the best? And therefore I have not the vanity to think my copy equal to the original, nor (consequently) myself altogether guiltless of what I accuse others; but if I can do Virgil less injury than others have done, it will be in some degree to do him right; and, indeed, the hope of doing him more right is the only H |