Of love's foft queen; but fuch as far excell'd
Whate'er the lily blending with the rose
Paints on the cheek of beauty, soon to fade;
Such as exprefs'd a mind which wisdom,
And fweetne's temper'd., virtue's pureft light
Illumining the countenance divine:

Yet could not foothe remorfelefs fate, nor teach
Malignant fortune to revere the good;
Which oft with anguifh rends the fpotlefs heart,
And oft affociates wifdom with despair.
In courteous phrafe began the chief humane :
Exalted fair, who thus adorn'ft the night,
Forbear to blame the vigilance of war,
And to the laws of rigid Mars impute,
That I thus long unwilling have delay'd
Before the great Leonidas to place
This your apparent dignity and worth.

He fpake, and gently to the lofty tent
Of Sparta's king the lovely ftranger guides.
At Agis' fummons, with a mantle broad
His mighty limbs Leonidas infolds,
And quits his couch. In wonder he furveys
Th' illuftrious virgin, whom his prefence aw'd :
Her eye fubmiffive to the ground inclin❜d.
With veneration of the god-like man,
But foon his voice her anxious dread difpell'd..
Benevolent and hofpitable thus :

Thy form alone, thus amiable and great,
Thy mind delineates, and from all commands.
Supreme regard. Relate, thou noble dame,
By what relentless destiny compell'd,

Thy tender feet the paths of darkness tread ;
Rehearfe th' afflictions whence thy virtue mourns.
On her wan cheek a fudden blush arose,
Like day's firft dawn upon the twilight pale,
And, wrapt in grief, these words a passage broke:
If to be most unhappy, and to know
That hope is irrecoverably fled;

If to be great and wretched, may deserve
Commifferation from the good, behold,
Thou glorious leader of unconquer'd bands,
Behold, defcended from Darius' loins,
Th' afflicted Ariana, and my pray'r
Accept with pity, nor my tears difdain!
Firft, that I lov'd the best of human race,
By nature's hand with ev'ry virtue form'd,
Heroic, wife, adorn'd with ev'ry art,
Of fhame unconfcious does my heart reveal,
This day in Grecian arms confpicuous clad
He fought, he fell, A paffion long conceal'd
For me, alas! within brother's arms
my
His dying breath refigning, he disclos'd.

Oh I will flay my forrows! will forbid
My eyes to ftream before thee, and my heart,
Thus full of anguish, will from fighs reftrain!

For

For why fhould thy humanity be griev'd
With my diftrefs, and learn from me to mourn
The lot of nature, doom'd to care and pain!
Hear then, O king, and grant my fole requeft,
To feek his body in the heaps of flain.

Thus to the Spartan fued the regal maid,
Refembling Ceres in majeflic woe,

When fupplicant at Jove's refplendent throne,
From dreary Pluto, and th' infernal gloom,
Her lov'd and loft Proferpina fhe fought.
Fix'd on the weeping queen with fledfall eyes.
Laconia's chief these tender thoughts recall'd :
Such are thy forrows, O for ever dear!
Who now at Lacedæmon doft deplore
My everlasting abfence! then inclin'd.

His head, and figh'd; nor yet forgot to charge
His friend, the gentle Agis, thro' the straits
The Perfian princess to attend and aid.

With careful fteps they feek her lover's corfe.
The Greeks remember'd, where by fate reprefs'd
His arm first ceas'd to mow their legions down;
And from beneath a mass of Perfian flain
Soon drew the hero, by his armour known.
To Agis' high pavilion they refort.

Now, Ariana, what tranfcending pangs

Thy foul involv'd! what horror clasp'd thy heart! But love grew mightieft; and her beauteous limbs

Qn

On the cold breaft of Teribazus threw

The grief diftracted maid. The clotted gore
Deform'd her fnowy bofom. O'er his wounds

cycs

Loofe flow'd her hair, and bubbling from her
Impetuous forrow lav'd the purple clay,
When forth in groans her lamentations broke!
O torn for ever from my weeping eyes!
Thou, who defpairing to obtain her heart,
Who then most lov'd thee, didst untimely yield
Thy life to fate's inevitable dart

For her, who now in agony unfolds

Her tender bofom, and repeats her vows
To thy deaf ear, who fondly to her own
Now clafps thy breaft infenfible and cold.
Alas! do thofe unmoving ghaftly orbs
Perceive my gufhing anguish? Does that heart,
Which death's inanimating hand hath chill'd,
Share in my fuff'rings, and return my sighs ?
-O bitter unfurmountable diftrefs!

Lo! on thy breast is Ariana bow'd,
Hangs o'er thy face, unites her cheek to thine,
Not now to liften with enchanted ears.
To thy perfuafive eloquence, no more
Charm'd with the wifdom of thy copious mind.!!
She could no more: invincible defpair
Supprefs'd her utt'rance. As a marble form
Fix'd on the folemn fepulchre, unmov'd,
O'er foine dead hero, whom his country lov'd,

Bends

Bends down the head with imitated woe :

So paus'd the princefs o'er the breathless clay,
Intranc'd in forrow. On the dreary wound.
Where Dithry rambus' fword was deepest plung'd,
Mute for a space and motionless the gaz'd ;
Then with a look unchang'd, nor trembling hand,
Drew forth a poniard, which her garment veil'd,
And fheathing in her heart th' abhorred fteel,
On her flain lover filent finks in death.

On Liberty, and in Praife of Mr. Howard
COWPER.

I could I worship aught beneath the fkies,

That earth hath feen or fancy could devise,
Thine altar, facred Liberty, fhould ftand,
Built by no mercenary vulgar hand,

With fragrant turf, and flow'rs as wild and fair,
As ever drefs'd a bank, or fcented fummer air.
Duly as ever on the mountain's height.
The peep of morning fhed a dawning light:
Again, when evening in her fober veft
Drew the grey curtain of the fading Weft;

My foul fhould yield thee willing thanks and praise
For the chief bleflings of my faire days ;
But that were facrilege-praife is not thine,

But his who gave thee, and preferves thee mine:

Elfe