And four fair Queens whose hands sustain a flow'r,
Th' expreffive emblem of their fofter pow'r ;
Four Knaves in garbs fuccinct, a trusty band;
Caps on their heads, and halberts in their hand;
And party-colour'd troops a fhining train,
Draw forth to combat on the velvet plain.

40

The skilful Nymph reviews her force with care: Let Spades be trumps! fhe faid, and trumps they were. Now move to war her fable Matadores,

In fhow like leaders of the swarthy Moors.
Spadillio firft, unconquerable Lord!

47

Let off two captive trumps, and swept the board.
As many more Manillio forc'd to yield,

51

And march'd a victor from the verdant field.

Him Bafto follow'd, but his fate more hard
Gain'd but one trump and one Plebeian card.
With his broad fabre next, a chief in years,
The hoary Majesty of Spades appears,

55

Puts forth one manly leg, to fight reveal'd,
The rest, his many-colour'd robe conceal'd.

The rebel Knave, who dares his prince engage,

Proves the just victim of his royal rage.

60

Ev'n mighty Pam, that Kings and Queens o'erthrew, And mow'd down armies in the fights of Lu,

Sad chance of war! now deftitute of aid,

Falls undistinguish'd by the victor Spade!

NOTES.

Thus

VER. 53. Him Bafto follow'd,] The magnificent and majestic ftyle in which this game of cards is defcribed, artfully and finely heightens the ridicule.

Thus far both armies to Belinda yield;
Now to the Baron fate inclines the field.
His warlike Amazon her host invades,
Th' imperial confort of the crown of Spades.
The Club's black Tyrant firft her victim dy'd,
Spite of his haughty mien, and barb❜rous pride:
What boots the regal circle on his head,
His giant limbs, in ftate unwieldy spread;
That long behind he trails his pompous robe,
And, of all monarchs, only grafps the globe?

65

71

75

The Baron now his Diamonds pours apace; Th' embroider'd King who fhews but half his face, And his refulgent Queen, with pow'rs combin'd Of broken Troops an eafy conquest find. Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, in wild diforder feen, With throngs promifcuous ftrow the level

NOTES.

green.

Thus

VER. 65. Belinda yield;] It is finely contrived that she should be victorious; as it occafions a change of fortune in the dreadful lofs fhe was speedily to undergo, and gives occafion to the poet to introduce a moral reflection from Virgil, which adds to the pleasantry of the ftory. In one of the paffages where Pope has copied Vida, he has loft the propriety of the original, which arifes from the different colours of the men, at Chefs.

Thus, when difpers'd, a routed army runs, &c.
"Non aliter, campis legio fe buxea utrinque
Compofuit, duplici digeftis ordine turmis,
Adverfifque ambæ fulfere coloribus alæ ;
Quam Gallorum acies, Alpino frigore lactea
Corpora, fi tendant albis in prælia fignis,
Auroræ populos contra, et Phaethonte perustos
Infano Ethiopas, et nigri Memnonis alas."

Thus when difpers'd a routed army runs,

Of Afia's troops, and Afric's fable fons,

With like confufion different nations fly,
Of various habit, and of various dye;
The pierc'd battalions difunited fall,

In heaps on heaps; one fate o'erwhelms them all.

81

85

The Knave of Diamonds tries his wily arts, And wins (oh shameful chance!) the Queen of Hearts. At this, the blood the Virgin's cheek forfook,

;

A livid paleness spreads o'er all her look
She fees, and trembles at th' approaching ill,
Juft in the jaws of ruin, and Codille.

And now (as oft in fome diftemper'd State)
On one nice Trick depends the gen'ral fate:

An Ace of Hearts fteps forth: The King unfeen 95
Lurk'd in her hand, and mourn'd his captive Queen:
He springs to vengeance with an eager pace,
And falls like thunder on the proftrate Ace.
The nymph exulting fills with fhouts the sky;
The walls, the woods, and long canals reply.

Oh thoughtless mortals! ever blind to fate,

Too foon dejected, and too foon elate.
Sudden these honours fhall be fnatch'd away,

And curs'd for ever this victorious day.

100

VER. 101.

IMITATIONS.

"Nefcia mens hominum fati fortifque futurae;
Et fervare modum, rebus fublata fecundis !
Turno tempus erit magno cum optaverit emptum
Intactum Pallanta; et cum fpolia ifta diemque
Oderit."

VIRG.

For

For lo! the board with cups and fpoons is crown'd, The berries crackle, and the mill turns round; 106 On fhining altars of Japan they raise

The filver lamp; the fiery fpirits blaze:
From filver spouts the grateful liquors glide,
While China's earth receives the fmoaking tide:
At once they gratify their fenfe and taste,

III

And frequent cups prolong the rich repast.
Straight hover round the Fair her airy band;
Some, as the fipp'd, the fuming liquor fann'd,
Some o'er her lap their careful plumes difplay'd,
Trembling, and conscious of the rich brocade. 116
Coffee (which makes the politician wife,

And see through all things with his half-fhut eyes)
Sent up in vapours to the Baron's brain
New Stratagems, the radiant Lock to gain.
Ah cease, rafh youth! defift ere 'tis too late,
Fear the juft Gods, and think of Scylla's Fate!
Chang'd to a bird, and sent to flit in air,

She dearly pays for Nifus' injur'd hair!

But when to Mischief mortals bend their will, How foon they find fit Instruments of ill?

120

126

Juft

VARIATIONS.

VER. 105. Sudden the board, &c.] From hence, the firft Edition continues to ver. 134.

NOTES.

P.

VER. 105.] It is doubtless as hard to make a coffe-pot shine in poetry, as a plough; yet our author has fucceeded in giving elegance to a familiar object, as well as Virgil.

VER. 122. and think of Scylla's Fate!] Vide Ovid's Metam.

viii.

Just then, Clariffa drew with tempting grace
A two-edg'd weapon from her fhining case:
So Ladies in Romance affift their Knight,
Present the spear, and arm him for the fight.
He takes the gift with rev'rence, and extends
The little engine on his fingers' ends;
This just behind Belinda's neck he spread,
As o'er the fragrant fteams fhe bends her head.
Swift to the Lock a thoufand Sprites repair,

130

135

A thousand wings, by turns, blow back the hair;
And thrice they twitch'd the diamond in her ear;
Thrice fhe look'd back, and thrice the foe drew near.
Juft in that inftant, anxious Ariel fought
The clofe receffes of the Virgin's thought:
As on the nosegay in her breast reclin'd,
He watch'd th' ideas rifing in her mind,
Sudden he view'd, in fpite of all her art,
An earthly Lover lurking at her heart.

140

Amaz'd, confus'd, he found his pow'r expir'd, 145 Refign'd to fate, and with a figh retir'd.

The Peer now spreads the glittering Forfex wide, T'inclose the Lock; now joins it, to divide.

VARIATIONS.

VER. 134. In the firft Edition it was thus,

As o'er the fragrant ftream fhe bends her head.
VER. 147.

First he expands the glitt'ring Forfax wide
T' inclose the Lock; then joins it to divide :
The meeting points the facred hair diffever,
From the fair head, for ever, and for ever.

All that is between was added afterwards.

Ev'n

P.

P.