Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

Revenge, revenge, Timotheus cries,

See the furies arise :

See the fnakes that they rear,

How they hifs in their hair,

And the sparkles that flash from their eyes!

Behold a ghaftly band,

Each a torch in his hand!

Those are Grecian ghofts, that in battle were flain,

And unbury'd remain

Inglorious on the plain :

Give the vengeance due

To the valiant crew.

Behold how they toss their torches on high,
How they point to the Perfian abodes,
And glitt'ring temples of their hoftile gods.
The princes applaud, with a furious joy;
And the king feiz'd a flambeau with zeal to destroy;
Thais led the way,

[blocks in formation]

And, like another Helen, fir'd another Troy.

CHORU S.

And the king feiz'd a flambeau with zeal to deftroy ; Thais led the way,

To light him to his prey,

And, like another Helen, fir'd another Troy.

VII.

Thus, long ago,

Ere heaving bellows learn'd to blow,
While organs yet were mute;
Timotheus, to his breathing flute,
And founding lyre,

Could swell the foul to rage, or kindle foft defire.
At laft divine Cecilia came,

Inventress of the vocal frame;

The sweet enthusiast, from her facred store,
Enlarg'd the former narrow bounds,

And added length to folemn founds,

With nature's mother-wit, and arts unknown before.

Let old Timotheus yield the prize,

Or both divide the crown;

He rais'd a mortal to the skies;

She drew an angel down.

Grand CHORUS.

At last, divine Cecilia came,
Inventrefs of the vocal frame;

The fweet enthufiaft, from her facred ftore,

Enlarg'd the former narrow bounds,

And added length to folemn founds,

With nature's mother-wit, and arts unknown before.

[blocks in formation]

Let old Timotheus yield the prize, Or both divide the crown;

He rais'd a mortal to the fkies;

She drew an angel down.

THE

SECULAR MASQUE

Enter Janus.

Janus. Can hundred times the rolling fun

Hronos, Chronos, mend thy pace,

An

Around the radiant belt has run

In his revolving race.

Behold, behold, the goal in fight,

Spread thy fans, and wing thy flight.

Enter Chronos, with a Scythe in his band, and a globe on his back; which he fets down at his

entrance.

Chronos. Weary, weary of my weight,

Let me, let me drop my freight,

And leave the world behind.

I could not bear,

· Another

year,

The load of human-kind.

Enter Momus laughing.

Momus. Ha! ha! ha!ha ha! ha! well haft thou done To lay down thy pack,

And lighten thy back,

The world was a fool, e'er fince it begun,

And fince neither Janus nor Chronos, nor I,
Can hinder the crimes,

Or mend the bad times,

'Tis better to laugh than to cry. Cho. of all three. 'Tis better to laugh than to cry.

Janus. Since Momus comes to laugh below,
Old Time begin the show,

That he may fee, in every scene,

What changes in this age have been. Chronos. Then goddess of the filver bow begin. [Horns, or hunting-mufic within.]

Enter Diana.

Di. With horns and with hounds, I waken the day;
And hye to the woodland-walks away;

I tuck up my robe, and am bufkin'd soon,
And tie to my forehead a wexing moon.
'I course the fleet ftag, unkennel the fox,
And chace the wild goats o'er fummits of
rocks,

« FöregåendeFortsätt »