And up they held their Hands, and fell to Pray'r,

Excusing, as they cou'd, their Country Fare. One Goose they had, ('twas all they cou'd allow) 130 A wakeful Cent'ry, and on Duty now, Whom to the Gods for Sacrifice they vow:, Her, with malicious Zeal, the Couple view'd; She ran for Life, and limping they pursu'd: Full well the Fowl perceiv'd their bad intent,

And wou'd not make her Masters Compliment;

But persecuted, to the Pow'rs she flies, And close between the Legs of Jove she lies. He with a gracious Ear the Suppliant heard, And sav'd her Life; then what he was declar'd, 140 And own'd the God. The Neighbourhood, said he,

Shall justly perish for Impiety :

You stand alone exempted; but obey With speed, and follow where we lead the way :

Leave these accurs'd; and to the Mountains Height

Ascend; nor once look backward in your Flight.

They haste, and what their tardy Feet deny'd,

The trusty Staff (their better Leg) supply'd. An Arrows Flight they wanted to the Top, And there secure, but spent with Travel, stop;

150

Then turn their now no more forbidden
Eyes;

Lost in a Lake the floated Level lies:
A Watry Desart covers all the Plains,
Their Cot alone, as in an Isle, remains :
Wondring with weeping eyes, while they
deplore

Their Neighbours Fate, and Country now no

The Pavement polish'd Marble they behold, The Gates with Sculpture grac'd, the Spires and Tiles of Gold.

Then thus the Sire of Gods, with Look serene,

Speak thy Desire, thou only Just of Men;
And thou, O Woman, only worthy found
To be with such a Man in Marriage bound.
A while they whisper; then, to Jove
address'd,

Philemon thus prefers their joint Request:
We crave to serve before your sacred Shrine,
And offer at your Altars Rites Divine: 170
And since not any Action of our Life
Has been polluted with Domestick Strife,
We beg one Hour of Death; that neither she
With Widows Tears may live to bury me,
Nor weeping I, with wither'd Arms may bear
My breathless Baucis to the Sepulcher.

The Godheads sign their Suit. They run their Race

In the same Tenor all th' appointed Space; Then, when their Hour was come, while they relate

181

These past Adventures at the Temple-gate, Old Baucis is by old Philemon seen Sprouting with sudden Leaves of spritely Green :

Old Baucis look'd where old Philemon stood,
And saw his lengthen'd Arms a sprouting
Wood :

New Roots their fasten'd Feet begin to bind,
Their Bodies stiffen in a rising Rind:
Then e'er the Bark above their Shoulders
grew,

They give and take at once their last Adieu; At once, Farewell, O faithful Spouse, they said;

At once th' incroaching Rinds their closing Lips invade.

190

Ev'n yet, an ancient Tyanæan shows
A spreading Oak, that near a Linden grows:
The Neighbourhood confirm the Prodigie,
Grave Men, not vain of Tongue, or like to
lie.

I saw my self the Garlands on their Boughs,
And Tablets hung for Gifts of granted Vows;
And off'ring fresher up, with pious Pray'r,
The Good, said I, are God's peculiar Care,
And such as honour Heav'n, shall heav'nly
Honour share.

163 Look] The editors wrongly give Looks

had flown;

I have but two Petitions to prefer ;
Short Pains for thee, for me a Son and
Heir.

Girls cost as many throws in bringing forth;
Beside, when born, the Titts are little worth:
Weak puling Things, unable to sustain
Their Share of Labour, and their Bread to
gain.

If, therefore, thou a Creature shalt produce, Of so great Charges, and so little Use, (Bear Witness, Heav'n, with what reluctancy)

20

Her hapless Innocence I doom to dye.
He said, and tears the common grief display,
Of him who bade, and her who must obey.
Yet Telethusa still persists, to find
Fit Arguments to move a Father's mind;
T' extend his Wishes to a larger scope,
And in one Vessel not confine his hope.
Lygdus continues hard: her time drew near,
And she her heavy load cou'd scarcely bear;
When slumb'ring, in the latter shades of
Night,

Before th' approaches of returning light 30
She saw, or thought she saw, before her Bed,
A glorious Train, and Isis at their head:
Her Moony Horns were on her Forehead
plac'd,

And yellow Sheaves her shining Temples grac'd:

The Dog and dappl'd Bull were waiting by ;
Osyris, sought along the Banks of Nile;
The silent God; the Sacred Crocodile ;
And, last, a long Procession moving on,
With Timbrels, that assist the lab'ring Moon.
Her slumbers seem'd dispell'd, and, broad
awake,

4I

She heard a Voice that thus distinctly spake. My Votary, thy Babe from Death defend, Nor fear to save whate're the Gods will send. Delude with Art thy Husband's dire Decree ;) When danger calls, repose thy trust on me; And know thou hast not serv'd a thankless Deity.

This Promise made; with Night the Goddess fled:

With Joy the Woman wakes, and leaves her Bed:

Devoutly lifts her spotless hands on high; 50 And prays the Pow'rs their Gift to ratifie.

Now grinding pains proceed to bearing throws,

Till its own weight the burden did disclose. 'Twas of the beauteous Kind; and brought to light

With secresie, to shun the Father's sight. Th' indulgent Mother did her Care employ ; And pass'd it on her Husband for a Boy. The Nurse was conscious of the Fact alone; The Father paid his Vows, as for a Son; And call'd him Iphis, by a common Name, Which either Sex with equal right may claim.

Iphis his Grandsire was: pleas'd,

61 the Wife was

Of half the fraud by Fortune's favour eas'd: The doubtful Name was us'd without deceit And Truth was cover'd with a pious Cheat. The Habit shew'd a Boy, the beauteous Face With manly fierceness mingled Female grace. Now thirteen years of Age were swiftly

run,

When the fond Father thought the time drew on

Of settling in the World his only Son.

1693.

Her Form alone with Iphis cou'd compare:

A Neighbour's Daughter of his own Degree, And not more blest with Fortunes Goods than he.

They soon espous'd: for they with ease were joyn'd,

Who were before Contracted in the Mind. Their Age the same, their Inclinations too; And bred together, in one School they grew. Thus, fatally dispos'd to mutual fires, They felt, before they knew, the same desires. 80

Equal their flame, unequal was their care: One lov'd with Hope, one languish'd in Despair.

The Maid accus'd the ling'ring days alone: For whom she thought a man, she thought her own.

But Iphis bends beneath a greater grief:
As fiercely burns, but hopes for no relief.
Ev'n her Despair adds fuel to her fire ;
A Maid with madness does a Maid desire.
And, scarce refraining tears, alas! said she,
What issue of my love remains for me! 90
How wild a Passion works within my
Breast,

Her Passion was extravagantly new :
But mine is much the madder of the two.
To things impossible she was not bent,
But found the Means to compass her Intent.
To cheat his Eyes, she took a different shape;
Yet still she gain'd a Lover, and a leap.
Shou'd all the Wit of all the World conspire,
Shou'd Dædalus assist my wild desire,
What Art can make me able to enjoy,
Or what can change lanthe to a Boy?
Extinguish then thy passion, hopeless Maid,
And recollect thy Reason for thy aid.
Know what thou art, and love as Maidens
ought;

120

And drive these Golden Wishes from thy thought.

Thou canst not hope thy fond desires to gain;

Where Hope is wanting, Wishes are in vain. And yet no Guards against our Joys con

spire ;

No jealous Husband hinders our desire :
My Parents are propitious to my Wish
And she her self consenting to the bliss. 130
All things concur to prosper our Design:
All things to prosper any Love but mine.
And yet I never can enjoy the Fair:

serve.

Pray'r.

Heav'n has been kind, as far as Heav'n can be;

Our Parents with our own desires agree,
But Nature, stronger than the Gods above,
Refuses her assistance to my love.
She sets the Bar, that causes all my pain:
One Gift refus'd makes all their Bounty vain.
And now the happy day is just at hand, 141
To bind our Hearts in Hymen's Holy Band:
Our Hearts, but not our Bodies: thus,
accurs'd,

In midst of water I complain of thirst.
Why_com'st thou, Juno, to these barren

Rites,

She hopes, while Telethusa fears the Day;
And strives to interpose some new Delay:
Now feigns a sickness, now is in a fright
For this bad Omen, or that boding sight.
But having done whate're she cou'd devise,
And empty'd all her Magazine of lies,
The time approach'd; the next ensuing day
The Fatal Secret must to light betray. 160
Then Telethusa had recourse to Pray'r,
She and her Daughter with dishevell'd hair:
Trembling with fear, great Isis they ador'd ;
Embrac'd her Altar, and her aid implor'd.
Fair Queen, who dost on fruitful Egypt
smile,

Who sway'st the Sceptre of the Pharian Isle,
And sev'n-fold falls of disembogueing Nile;
Relieve, in this our last distress, she said,
A suppliant Mother, and a mournful Maid.
Thou, Goddess, thou wert present to my
sight;
170
Reveal'd I saw thee, by thy own fair Light:
I saw thee in my Dream, as now I see
With all thy marks of awful Majesty:
The Glorious Train, that compass'd thee
around;

And heard the hollow Timbrels holy sound.
Thy Words I noted, which I still retain ;
Let not thy Sacred Oracles be vain.
That Iphis lives, that I my self am free
From shame, and punishment, I owe to thee.
On thy Protection all our hopes depend: 180
Thy Counsel sav'd us, let thy Pow'r defend.
Her Tears pursu'd her Words, and while
she spoke,

The Goddess nodded, and her Altar shook :

The Temple doors, as with a blast of wind, Were heard to clap; the Lunar Horns, that bind

The brows of Isis, cast a blaze around; The trembling Timbrel made a murm'ring sound.

Some hopes these happy Omens did impart ;

Forth went the Mother with a beating Heart:
Not much in Fear, nor fully satisfi'd; 190
But Iphis follow'd with a larger stride:
The whiteness of her Skin forsook her Face;
Her looks emboldn'd, with an awful Grace:
Her Features and her Strength together grew,
And her long Hair to curling Locks with-
drew.

Her sparkling Eyes with Manly Vigour shone;
Big was her Voice, Audacious was her Tone.
The latent Parts, at length reveal'd, began
To shoot, and spread, and burnish into Man.
The Maid becomes a Youth; no more
delay

200

Your Vows, but look, and confidently pay. Their Gifts, the Parents to the Temple bear: The Votive Tables this Inscription wear: Iphis, the Man, has to the Goddess paid The Vows, that Iphis offer'd, when a Maid. Now when the Star of Day had shewn his face,

Venus and Juno with their Presence grace The Nuptial Rites, and Hymen from above Descended to compleat their happy Love: The Gods of Marriage lend their mutual aid;

210

And the warm Youth enjoys the lovely Maid.

Pygmalion loathing their lascivious Life,
Abhorr'd all Womankind, but most a Wife:
So single chose to live, and shunn'd to wed,
Well pleas'd to want a Consort of his Bed.
Yet fearing Idleness, the Nurse of Ill,
In Sculpture exercis'd his happy Skill;

Argument. 10 the Tree] The editors give a

Tree

And carv'd in Iv'ry such a Maid, so fair,
As Nature could not with his Art compare,
Were she to work; but in her own Defence,
Must take her Pattern here, and copy hence.
Pleas'd with his Idol, he commends, ad-
mires,
II

Adores; and last, the Thing ador'd, desires.
A very Virgin in her Face was seen,

And had she mov'd, a living Maid had been : One wou'd have thought she could have stirr'd; but strove

With Modesty, and was asham'd to move. Art hid with Art, so well perform'd the Cheat,

It caught the Carver with his own Deceit : He knows 'tis Madness, yet he must adore, And still the more he knows it, loves the 20 The Flesh, or what so seems, he touches oft, Which feels so smooth, that he believes it soft.

more:

Fir'd with this Thought, at once he strain'd the Breast,

And on the Lips a burning Kiss impress'd.
'Tis true, the harden'd Breast resists the
Gripe,

And the cold Lips return a Kiss unripe :
But when, retiring back, he look'd agen,
To think it Iv'ry, was a thought too mean:
So wou'd believe she kiss'd, and courting
more,

30

Again embrac'd her naked Body o'er;
And straining hard the Statue, was afraid
His Hands had made a Dint, and hurt his
Maid:

Explor'd her, Limb by Limb, and fear'd to find

So rude a Gripe had left a livid Mark behind:

With Flatt'ry now he seeks her Mind to move,

And now with Gifts, (the pow'rful Bribes of
Love :)

He furnishes her Closet first; and fills
The crowded Shelves with Rarities of Shells;
Adds Orient Pearls, which from the Conchs
he drew,

And all the sparkling Stones of various
Hue:

And Parrots, imitating Humane Tongue,
And Singing-birds in Silver Cages hung;

32 his] The English editors wrongly give the

40

And then with Pray'rs implor'd the Pow'rs
Divine :

Almighty Gods, if all we Mortals want,
If all we can require, be yours to grant ;
Make this fair Statue mine, he would havey
said,

But chang'd his Words for shame ; and only pray'd,

Give me the Likeness of my Iv'ry Maid. The Golden Goddess, present at the Pray'r,

Well knew he meant th' inanimated Fair, And gave the Sign of granting his Desire; 70 For thrice in chearful Flames ascends the Fire.

The Youth, returning to his Mistress, hies, And, impudent in Hope, with ardent Eyes, And beating Breast, by the dear Statue lies.) He kisses her white Lips, renews the Bliss, And looks and thinks they redden at the Kiss:

He thought them warm before: Nor longer stays,

But next his Hand on her hard Bosom lays: