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Her house not ancient, whatsoe'er pretence

Her clergy heralds make in her defence; A second century not half-way run,

So lurked in sects unseen. With greater Since the new honors of her blood be

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Nor wholly stands condemned, nor wholly Less than a god they thought there could

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5

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In dying notes discovers The woes of hopeless lovers, Whose dirge is whispered by the warbling lute.

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With flying fingers touched the lyre:
The trembling notes ascend the sky,
And heavenly joys inspire.
The song began from Jove,
Who left his blissful seats above,
(Such is the power of mighty love.)
A dragon's fiery form belied the god:
Sublime on radiant spires he rode,
When he to fair Olympia pressed, 30
And while he sought her snowy
breast;

Then round her slender waist he curled, And stamped an image of himself, a sovereign of the world. The listening crowd admire the lofty sound,

"A present deity," they shout around; "A present deity," the vaulted roofs

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And the sparkles that flash from their The sweet enthusiast, from her sacred

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Thus, long ago,
Ere heaving bellows learned to blow,
While organs yet were mute,
Timotheus, to his breathing flute
And sounding lyre,

Could swell the soul to rage, or kindle soft
desire.

At last divine Cecilia came,
Inventress of the vocal frame;

160

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The sweet enthusiast, from her sacred ing your commands, I shall draw some

store,

Enlarged the former narrow bounds,
And added length to solemn sounds, 165
With Nature's mother-wit, and arts un-
known before.

Let old Timotheus yield the prize,
Or both divide the crown;

He raised a mortal to the skies;
She drew an angel down.

GRAND CHORUS

At last divine Cecilia came,
Inventress of the vocal frame;

envy on myself. Besides, in performing
them, it will be first necessary to speak
somewhat of Shakespeare and Fletcher, his
rivals in poesy; and one of them, in my
opinion, at least his equal, perhaps his
superior.

To begin then with Shakespeare. He
was the man who of all modern, and [20
170 perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and
most comprehensive soul. All the images.
of nature were still present to him, and
he drew them not laboriously, but luckily:
when he describes anything, you more

End

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