He faid, and tears the common grief display,
Of him who bad, and her who must obey.
Yet Telethufa ftill perfifts, to find
Fit arguments to move a father's mind
T'extend his wishes to a larger scope,
And in one veffel not confine his hope.
Lygdus continues hard: her time drew near,
And she her heavy load could scarcely bear;
When flumbering, in the latter shades of night,
Before th' approaches of returning light,
She faw, or thought the faw, before her bed,
A glorious train, and Ifis at their head:
Her moony horns were on her forehead plac'd,
And yellow fheaves her fhining temples grac'd :
A mitre, for a crown, fhe wore on high;
The dog and dappled bull were waiting by;
Ofiris, fought, along the banks of Nile;
The filent God; the facred Crocodile;
And, laft, a long proceffion moving on,
With timbrels, that affift the labouring moon.
Her flumbers feem'd difpell'd, and, broad awake,
She heard a voice, that thus diftinctly spake.
My votary, thy babe from death defend,
Nor fear to fave whate'er the Gods will fend.
Delude with art thy husband's dire decree :
When danger calls, repofe thy trust on me;
And know thou haft not ferv'd a thankless Deity.
This promife made, with night the Goddess fled :
With joy the woman wakes, and leaves her bed;
Devoutly
Devoutly lifts her fpotlefs hands on high,
And prays the powers their gift to ratify.
Now grinding pains proceed to bearing throes,
Till its own weight the burden did disclose.
'Twas of the beauteous kind, and brought to light
With fecrecy, to fhun the father's fight.
Th' indulgent mother did her care employ,
And pafs'd it on her husband for a boy.
The nurfe was confcious of the fact alone ;
The father paid his vows as for a fon ;
And call'd him Iphis, by a common name,
Which either fex with equal right may claim.
Iphis his grandfire was; the wife was pleas'd,
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 fhew'd a boy, the beauteous face
With manly fiercenefs mingled female grace.
Now thirteen years of age were swiftly run,
When the fond father thought the time drew on
Of fettling in the world his only fon.
Ianthe was his choice; fo wondrous fair,
Her form alone with Iphis could compare ;
A neighbour's daughter of his own degree,
And not more blefs'd with Fortune's goods than he.
They foon efpous'd: for they with eafe were join'd,
Who were before contracted in the mind.
Their age the fame, their inclinations too;
And bred together in one fchool they grew.
Thus, fatally difpos'd to mutual fires,
They felt, before they knew, the fame defires.
Equal their flame, unequal was their care;
One lov'd with hope, one languish'd in despair.
The maid accus'd the lingering days alone:
For whom the 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 defire.
And, scarce refraining tears, Alas, faid she,
What issue of my love remains for me !
How wild a passion works within my breaft!
With what prodigious flames am I poffeft!
Could I the care of Providence deserve,
Heaven muft deftroy me, if it would preferve.
And that's my fate, or fure it would have fent
Some ufual evil for my punishment:
Not this unkindly curfe; to rage and burn,
Where Nature fhews no profpect of return.
Nor cows for cows confume with fruitless fire;
Nor mares, when hot, their fellow-mares defire :
The father of the fold fupplies his ewes ;
The tag through fecret woods his hind pursues ;
And birds for mates the males of their own fpecies
Her females nature guards from female flame,
And joins two fexes to preferve the game:
Would I were nothing, or not what I am !
Crete, fam'd for monfters, wanted of her store,
Till my new love produc'd one monster more.
The daughter of the sun a bull defir'd,
And yet ev'n then a male a female fir'd:
Her paffion was extravagantly new:
But mine is much the madder of the two,
To things impoffible fhe was not bent,
But found the means to compass her intent.
To cheat his eyes, she took a different shape ;
Yet ftill fhe gain'd a lover, and a leap.
Should all the wit of all the world confpire,
Should Doedalus affift my wild defire,
What art can make me able to enjoy,
Or what can change Ianthe to a boy ?
Extinguish then thy paffion, hopeless maid,
And recollect thy reason for thy aid.
Know what thou art, and love as maidens ought,
And drive these golden wishes from thy thought.
Thou canst not hope thy fond defires to gain;
Where hope is wanting, wishes are in vain.
And yet no guards against our joys conspire ;
No jealous husband hinders our defire;
My parents are propitious to my wish,
And she herself confenting to the bliss.
All things concur to profper our design;
All things to profper any love but mine.
I never can enjoy the fair;
And yet
'Tis paft the power of heaven to grant my prayer.
Heaven has been kind, as far as heaven can be;
Our parents with our own defires agree;
But Nature, ftronger than the Gods above,
Refuses her affiftance to my love;
She fets the bar that caufes all my pain :
One gift refus'd makes all their bounty vain.
And now the happy day is just at hand,
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'ft thou, Juno, to these barren rites,
To blefs a bed defrauded of delights?
And why should Hymen lift his torch on high,
To fee two brides in cold embraces lie?
Thus love-fick Iphis her vain paffion mourns;
With equal ardor fair Ianthe burns,
Invoking Hymen's name, and Juno's power,
To speed the work, and hate the happy hour.
She hopes, while Telethusa fears the day,
And strives to interpofe fome new delay :
Now feigns a fickness, now is in a fright
For this bad omen, or that boding fight.
But, having done whate'er the could devife,
And empty'd all her magazine of lies,
The time approach'd; the next enfuing day
The fatal fecret must to light betray.
Then Telethufa had recourfe to prayer,
She and her daughter with dishevel'd hair;
Trembling with fear, great Ifis they ador'd,
Embrac'd her altar, and her aid implor'd.
Fair queen, who doft on fruitful Egypt smile,
Who sway'ft the feeptre of the Pharian ifle,
And seven-fold falls of difemboguing Nile;
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