85

Or brew fierce tempefts on the wintry main,
Or o'er the glebe distil the kindly rain.
Others on earth o'er human race prefide,
Watch all their ways, and all their actions guide:
Of these the chief the care of Nations own,

And guard with arms divine the British Throne.
Our humbler province is to tend the Fair,

Not a lefs pleasing, tho' lefs glorious care;
To fave the powder from too rude a gale,
Nor let th' imprifon'd effences exhale;

To draw fresh colours from the vernal flow'rs;

To steal from Rainbows ere they drop in fhow'rs
A brighter wash; to curl their waving hairs,
Affift their blushes, and infpire their airs;
Nay oft, in dreams, invention we bestow,
To change a Flounce, or add a Furbelow.

91

95

100

This day, black Omens threat the brightest Fair

That e'er deferv'd a watchful fpirit's care;

Some dire difafter, or by force, or flight;

But what, or where, the fates have wrapt in night.
Whether the nymph fhall break Diana's law,
Or fome frail China jar receive a flaw;

NOTES.

105

Or

VER. 90. And guard with Arms] The Poet was too judicious to defire this should be understood as a compliment. He intended it for a meer piece of raillery; fuch as he more openly pursues on another occafion; when he says,

"Where's now the Star which lighted Charles to rise?

With that which followed Julius to the skies.
Angels, that watch'd the Royal Oak fo well,

How chanc'd you flept when lucklefs Sorrel fell ?" W.

VER. 105. Whether the nymph, &c.] The difafter, which makes the fubject of this poem, being a trifle, taken seriously; it

naturally

Or ftain her honour, or her new brocade;

Forget her pray'rs, or miss a masquerade;

Or lose her heart, or necklace, at a ball;

III

115

Or whether Heav'n has doom'd that Shock must fall.
Hafte then, ye fpirits! to your charge repair:
The flutt'ring fan be Zephyretta's care;
The drops to thee, Brillante, we confign;
And, Momentilla, let the watch be thine;
Do thou, Crifpiffa, tend her fav'rite Lock;
Ariel himself shall be the guard of Shock.
To fifty chofen Sylphs, of special note,
We trust th' important charge, the Petticoat:
Oft have we known that seven-fold fence to fail,
Tho' stiff with hoops and arm'd with ribs of whale;
Form a strong line about the filver bound,

And guard the wide circumference around.

NOTES.

121

Whatever

naturally led the Poet into this fine fatire on the female estimate of human mifchances.

W.

VER. 112. Zephyretta] The names of his Sylphs are happily chofen. Castlevetro mentions an odd circumftance, that the names which Boiardo gave to his heroes in his Orlando Inamorato, were only the names of fome of the principal tenants and peasants on his eftate of Scandiano.

VER. 118. The Petticoat :] It is impoffible here not to recollect that matchless piece of raillery and exquifite humour, of Addifon, in the 127th Spectator, on this important part of female drefs.

IMITATIONS.

VER. 119. clypei dominus feptemplicis Ajax. Ovid.

W.

VER. 121. about the filver bound,] In allufion to the shield of Achilles,

"Thus the broad fhield complete the Artist crown'd,

With his laft hand, and pour'd the Ocean round:

In living Silver seem'd the waves to roll,

And beat the Buckler's verge, and bound the whole. W.

Whatever spirit, carelefs of his charge,
His poft neglects, or leave the fair at large,
Shall feel sharp Vengeance foon o'ertake his fins,
Be ftop'd in vials, or transfix'd with pins;
Or plung❜d in lakes of bitter washes lie,
Or wedg'd whole ages in a bodkin's

eye:

126

Gums and Pomatums fhall his flight restrain,
While clog'd he beats his filken wings in vain; 130
Or Allum ftyptics with contracting pow'r

Shrink his thin effence like a rivel'd flow'r :
Or, as Ixion fix'd, the wretch fhall feel
The giddy motion of the whirling Mill,
In fumes of burning Chocolate fhall glow,
And tremble at the fea that froths below!

He spoke; the spirits from the fails descend;
Some, orb in orb, around the nymph extend;
Some thrid the mazy ringlets of her hair;
Some hang upon the pendants of her ear;
With beating hearts the dire event they wait,
Anxious, and trembling for the birth of Fate.

NOTES.

135

140

VER. 125. Shall feel fharp] Our poet ftill rifes in the delicacy of his fatire, where he employs, with the utmost judgement and elegance, all the implements and furniture of the toilette, as instruments of punishment to those spirits, who shall be careless of their charge; of punishment, such as Sylphs alone could undergo.

If Virgil has merited fuch perpetual commendation for exalting his bees, by the majefty and magnificence of his diction, does not Pope deserve equal praises, for the pomp and luftre of his language, on fo trivial a fubject?

CLOSE

CANTO III.

LOSE by thofe meads, for ever crown'd with
flow'rs,

Where Thames with pride furveys his rifing tow'rs,
There stands a structure of majestic frame,
Which from the neighb'ring Hampton takes its name.
Here Britain's ftatesmen oft the fall foredoom

Of foreign Tyrants, and of Nymphs at home;

Here thou, great ANNA! whom three realms obey, Doft fometimes counsel take-and fometimes Tea.

Hither the Heroes and the Nymphs resort,

To taste awhile the pleasures of a Court;
In various talk th' inftructive hours they past,
Who gave the ball, or paid the vifit laft;
One speaks the glory of the British Queen,
And one describes a charming Indian screen;
A third interprets motions, looks, and eyes;
At every word a reputation dies.

5

IQ

15

Snuff,

VARIATIONS.

VER. I. Clofe by thofe meads,] The first Edition continues from

this line to ver. 24. of this Canto.

P.

VER. 11, 12. Originally in the first Edition,

In various talk the chearful hours they past,

Of, who was bit, or who capotted laft.

P.

Snuff, or the fan, fupply each pause of chat,
With finging, laughing, ogling, and all that.

Mean while, declining from the noon of day,
The fun obliquely fhoots his burning ray;
The hungry Judges foon the sentence fign,
And wretches hang that Jury-men may dine;
The merchant from th' Exchange returns in peace,
And the long labours of the Toilet cease.
Belinda now, whom thirft of fame invites,
Burns to encounter two advent'rous Knights,
At Ombre fingly to decide their doom ;
And fwells her breaft with conquefts yet to come.
Straight the three bands prepare in arms to join,
Each band the number of the facred Nine.

Soon as the fpreads her hand, th' aërial guard
Descend, and fit on each important card :
First Ariel perch'd upon a Matadore,

Then each according to the rank they bore;

For Sylphs, yet mindful of their ancient race,
Are, as when women, wond'rous fond of place.

Behold, four Kings, in majesty rever❜d,
With hoary whiskers and a forky beard;

20

25

30

35

VARIATIONS.

And

VER. 24. And the long labours of the Toilet ceafe.] All that follows of the game at Ombre, was added fince the first Edition, till ver. 105. which connected thus,

Sudden the board with cups and spoons is crown'd.

NOTES.

VER. 22. And wretches bang] From Congreve.

P.