ftand in their way to his Eftate; and make their Adulterers bis Heirs. From hence the Poet pro ceeds to fhew the Occafions of all thefe Vices, their Original, and bow they were introduc'd in Rome, by Peace, Wealth, and Luxury. In conclufion, if we will take the Word of our malicious Author; Bad Women are the general standing Rule; and the Good, but fome few Exceptions to it.
N Saturn's Reign, at Nature's early Birth,
There was that thing call'd Chastity on Earth;
When in a narrow Cave, their common Shade,
The Sheep, the Shepherds, and their Gods were laid:
When Reeds and Leaves, and Hides of Beafts were spread;
By Mountain-Hufwives, for their homely Bed,
And moffy Pillows rais'd, for the rude Husband's Head.
Unlike the Nicenefs of our Modern Dames,
(Affected Nymphs with new-affected Names:)
The Cynthia's and the Lesbia's of our Years,
Who for a Sparrow's Death diffolve in Tears.
Those first unpolish'd Matrons, big and bold,
Gave fuck to Infants of Gigantick Mold;
Rough as their favage Lords who rang'd the Wood,
And fat with Acorns belch'd their windy Food.
For when the World was buckfom, fresh and young,
Her Sons were undebauch'd and therefore ftrong;
And whether Born in kindly Beds of Earth,
Or ftruggling from the teeming Oaks to Birth,
Or from what other Atoms they begun,
No Sires they had, or if a Sire the Sun.
Some thin Remains of Chastity appear'd,
Ev'n under Jove, but Jove without a Beard;
1 In the Golden Age; when Mankind, 'before Corn was Saturn reign'd.
2 Acorns were the Bread of
found.
When Jove had driven his/
Father
Before the fervile Greeks had learnt to fwear
By Heads of Kings; while yet the bounteous Year
Her common Fruits in open Plains expos'd,
Ere Thieves were fear'd, or Gardens were enclos'd.
At length uneafy Juftice upwards flew,
And both the Sifters to the Stars withdrew ;
From that old Æra Whoring did begin,
So venerably Ancient is the Sin.
Adult'rers next invade the Nuptial State,
And Marriage-Beds creak'd with a Foreign Weight;
All other Ills did Iron Times adorn ;
But Whores and Silver in one Age were born.
Yet thou, they fay, for Marriage doft provide
Is this an Age to Buckle with a Bride?
They fay thy Hair the Curling Art is taught,
The Wedding Ring perhaps already bought:
A fober Man like thee to change his Life!
What Fury wou'd possess thee with a Wife ?
Art thou of every other Death bereft,
No Knife, no Ratsbane, no kind Halter left?
(For ev'ry Noose compar'd to hers is cheap.)
Is there no City Bridge from whence to leap?
Would't thou become her Drudge, who dost enjoy
A better fort of Bedfellow, thy Boy?
He keeps thee not awake with nightly Brawls,
Nor with a begg'd Reward thy Pleasure palls;
Nor with infatiate Heavings calls for more,
When all thy Spirits were drain'd out before.
But ftill Urfidius courts the Marriage-Bait,
Longs for a Son to fettle his Eftate,
And takes no Gifts, tho' every gaping Heir
Would gladly greafe the rich old Batchelor.
Father into Banishment, the
Silver Age began, according
to the Poets.
4. The Poet makes Juflice
and Chastity Sifters ; and fays, that they fled to Heaven together, and left Earth for ever.
What Revolution can appear so ftrange,
fo
As fuch a Leacher, fuch a Life to change?
A rank, notorious Whoremaster, to choose
To thruft his Neck into the Marriage Noose?
He who so often in a dreadful fright
Had in a Coffer 'fcap'd the jealous Cuckold's fight,
That he to Wedlock dotingly betray'd,
Should hope, in this lewd Town, to find a Maid!
The Man's grown mad: To ease his frantick Pain,
Run for the Surgeon; breath the middle Vein.
But let a Heifer with gilt Horns be led
To Juno, Regent of the Marriage-Bed,
And let him ev'ry Deity adore,
If his new Bride prove not an arrant Whore
In Head and Tail, and ev'ry other Pore.
On Ceres' Feast, restrain'd from their Delight,
Few Matrons there, but curfe the tedious Night:
Few whom their Fathers dare falute, fuch Luft
Their Kisses have, and come with such a Gust.
With Ivy now adorn thy Doors, and Wed;
Such is thy Bride, and fuch thy genial Bed.
Think'ft thou one Man is for one Woman meant?
She fooner with one Eye wou'd be content.
And yet, 'tis nois'd, a Maid did once appear
In fome small Village, tho' Fame fays not where:
'Tis poffible; but fure no Man fhe found;
'Twas defart, all, about her Father's Ground:
And yet fome luftful God might there make bold;
Are Jove and Mars grown impotent and old?
Many a fair Nymph has in a Cave been spread,
And much good Love without a Feather Bed.
s Ceres Feaft. When the Roman Women were forbidden to bed with their Husbands.
6 Jove and Mars, of whom
Before the fervile Greeks had learnt to fwear
By Heads of Kings; while yet the bounteous Year
Her common Fruits in open Plains expos'd,
Ere Thieves were fear'd, or Gardens were enclos'd.
At length uneafy Juftice upwards flew,
And both the Sifters to the Stars withdrew;
From that old Era Whoring did begin,
So venerably Ancient is the Sin.
Adult'rers next invade the Nuptial State,
And Marriage. Beds creak'd with a Foreign Weight;
All other Ills did Iron Times adorn;
But Whores and Silver in one Age were born.
Yet thou, they fay, for Marriage dost provide;
Is this an Age to Buckle with a Bride?
They fay thy Hair the Curling Art is taught,
The Wedding Ring perhaps already bought:
A fober Man like thee to change his Life!
What Fury wou'd poffefs thee with a Wife ?
Art thou of every other Death bereft,
No Knife, no Ratsbane, no kind Halter left?
(For ev'ry Noose compar'd to hers is cheap.)
Is there no City Bridge from whence to leap?
Would't thou become her Drudge, who doft enjoy
A better fort of Bedfellow, thy Boy?
He keeps thee not awake with nightly Brawls,
Nor with a begg'd Reward thy Pleasure palls;
Nor with infatiate Heavings calls for more,
When all thy Spirits were drain'd out before.
But ftill Urfidius courts the Marriage-Bait,
Longs for a Son to fettle his Eftate,
And takes no Gifts, tho' every gaping Heir
Would gladly greafe the rich old Batchelor.
Father into Banishment, the
Silver Age began, according
to the Poets.
4. The Poet makes Juftice
and Chastity Sifters; and fays, that they fled to Heaven together, and left Earth for ever.
What Revolution can appear so ftrange,
fo
As fuch a Leacher, fuch a Life to change?
A rank, notorious Whoremaster, to choose
To thruft his Neck into the Marriage Noose ?
He who so often in a dreadful fright
Had in a Coffer 'fcap'd the jealous Cuckold's fight,
That he to Wedlock dotingly betray'd,
Should hope, in this lewd Town, to find a Maid!
The Man's grown mad: To ease his frantick Pain,
Run for the Surgeon; breath the middle Vein.
But let a Heifer with gilt Horns be led
To Juno, Regent of the Marriage-Bed,
And let him ev'ry Deity adore,
If his new Bride prove not an arrant Whore
In Head and Tail, and ev'ry other Pore.
On Ceres' Feast, restrain'd from their Delight,
Few Matrons there, but curfe the tedious Night:
Few whom their Fathers dare falute, fuch Luft
Their Kiffes have, and come with fuch a Guft.
With Ivy now adorn thy Doors, and Wed;
Such is thy Bride, and fuch thy genial Bed.
Think'ft thou one Man is for one Woman meant?
She fooner with one Eye wou'd be content.
And yet, 'tis nois'd, a Maid did once appear
In fome small Village, tho' Fame fays not where:
'Tis poffible; but fure no Man fhe found;
'Twas defart, all, about her Father's Ground:
And yet fome luftful God might there make bold;
Are 6
Jove and Mars grown impotent and old?
Many a fair Nymph has in a Cave been spread,
And much good Love without a Feather Bed.
s Ceres Feaft. When the Roman Women were forbidden to bed with their Husbands.
6 Jove and Mars, of whom
more fornicating Stories are told than of any of the other Gods.
|