She blames all-powerful Jove; and strives to take
His bleeding body from the moisten'd ground.
She kisses his pale face, till she doth make
It red with kissing, and then seeks to wake
His parting soul with mournful words; his
wound
found.
Washes with tears, that her sweet speech con-

But afterwards, recovering breath, said she,
"Alas! what chance hath parted thee and I?
O tell what evil hath befallen to thee,
That of thy death I may a partner be:

Tell Thisbe what hath caused this tragedy!"
He, hearing Thisbe's name, lifts up his eye;

And on his love he raised his dying head:
Where, striving long for breath, at last said he,
"O Thisbe, I am hasting to the dead,
And cannot heal that wound my fear hath bred:
Farewell, sweet Thisbe! we must parted be,
For angry Death will force me soon from thee."

Life did from him, he from his mistress, part,
Leaving his love to languish here in woe.
What shall she do? How shall she ease her heart?
Or with what language speak her inward smart?
Usurping passion reason doth o'erflow,

She vows that with her Pyramus she'll go :

Then takes the sword wherewith her love was slain,'
With Pyramus's crimson blood warm still;
And said, "Oh stay, bless'd soul, awhile refrain,
That we may go together, and remain

In endless joys, and never fear the ill

Of grudging friends!"-Then she herself did kill.

To tell what grief their parents did sustain, Were more than my rude quill can overcome; Much did they weep and grieve, but all in vain, For weeping calls not back the dead again.

Both in one grave were laid, when life was done; And these few words were writ upon the tomb :

EPITAPH.

UNDERNEATH this marble stone,
Lie two beauties join'd in one.

Two, whose loves death could not sever;
For both lived, both died together.

Two, whose souls, being too divine
For earth, in their own sphere now shine.

Who have left their loves to fame,
And their earth to earth again.

SYLVA:

OR,

DIVERS COPIES OF VERSES,

MADE UPON SUNDRY OCCASIONS.

DE FELICI PARTU REGINE MARIÆ1.

DUM more antiquo jejunia festa coluntur,
Et populum pascit religiosa fames,

Quinta beat nostram soboles formosa Mariam :
Pere iterum nobis, læte December, ades.

1 From the NAIA, sive Musarum Cantabrigiensium Consentus et Congratulatio, ad serenissimum Britanniarum Regem Carolum, de quinta sua sobole [Princess Anne], clarissima Principe, sibi nuper felicissimmè nata. Cantabrigiæ, 1637. I doubt not but it will prove a pleasing amusement to the curious reader, to trace the first dawnings of genius in some of our first-rate poetic characters; and to compare them with the eminence they afterwards attained to, and the rank they at last held among their brethren of the laurel. Some early specimens of Dryden's genius may be seen in the first volume of his poems. Those of Cowley, here printed, abound with strokes of wit, some true, but the far greater part false; which thoroughly characterize the writer, and may be justly pronounced to point out his genius and manner, in miniature. K.-This species of entertainment the kind attention of Mr. Kynaston (the friend to whom I owe these remarks) enables me considerably to extend, by furnishing the earliest poetical productions of some writers who are now universally looked up to as excellent; none of which are to be found in any edition of their respective works. In such juvenile performances, it is well observed by an ad

Ite, quibus lusum Bacchusque Ceresque ministrant,
Et risum vitis lacryma rubra movet.
Nos sine lætitiæ strepitu, sine murmure læti:
Ipsa dies novit vix sibi verba dari.
Cum corda arcanâ saltant festiva choreâ,
Cur pede vel tellus trita frequente sonet?
Quidve bibat Regi, quam perdit turba, salutem?
Sint mea pro tanto sobria vota viro.
Crede mihi, non sunt, non sunt ea gaudia vera,
Quæ fiunt pompâ gaudia vera suâ.
VICISTI tandem, vicisti, casta Maria;
Cedit de sexu Carolus ipse suo.

A te sic vinci magnus quàm gaudeat ille!
Vix hostes tanti vel superâsse fuit.
Jam tua plus vivit pictura; at proxima fiet
Regis, et in methodo te peperisse juvat.
O bona conjugii concors discordia vestri !
O sancta hæc inter jurgia vetus amor!
Non Caroli puro respirans vultus in auro
Tam populo (et notum est quàm placet ille)
placet.

Da veniam, hîc omnes nimium quòd simus avari;
Da veniam, hîc animos quòd satiare nequis.
Cúmque (sed ô nostris fiat lux serior annis)
In currum ascendas læta per astra tuum,
Natorum in facie tua viva et mollis imago
Non minus in terris, quàm tua sculpta, regat.

ABRAHAMUS COWLEY, T[rin]. C[oll].

mirable critic, "the absurd conceits and extravagant fancies are the true seeds and germs, which afterwards ripen, by proper culture, into the most luxuriant harvests." See Annual Register, 1779, p. 180. J. N.

IN FELICISSIMAM REGINE MARIE,

FERTILITATEM2.

NATURÆ facies renovatur quolibet anno,
Et sese mirùm fertilis ipsa parit.

Sic quoque Naturæ exemplar Regina, decusque,
In fœtu toties se videt ipsa novam,
Penè omnem signas tam sæpè puerpera mensem,
Et cupit à partu nomen habere tuo.
Quæque tuos toties audit Lucina labores,
Vix ipsa in proprio sæpiùs Orbe tumet.
Fœcundam semper spectabis Jane, Mariam,
Sive hâc sive illâ fronte videre voles.
Discite, subjecti, officium: Regina Marito
Annua jam toties ipsa tributa dedit.

DUM redit à sanctis non fessus Carolus aris,
Principis occurit nuntia fama novi.

Non mirum, existat cùm proximus ipse Tonanti,
Vicinum attingunt quòd citò vota Deum.
Non mirum, cùm sit tam sanctâ mente precatus,
Quòd precibus merces tam properata venit.
Factura ô longum nobis jejunia festum!
O magnas epulas exhibitura fames!

En fundunt gemitum et lacrymarum flumina; tur-
Cum Regina ipsam parturiîsse putes.

[bam

Credibile est puerum populi sensisse dolores;
Edidit hinc moestos flebilis ipse sonos.

A. COWLEY, A. B. T[rin]. C[oll].

2 From the Voces Votivæ ab Academicis Cantabrigiensibus pro novissimo Caroli et Mariæ Principe Filio, emissæ. tabrigiæ, 1640.

Can