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Behold four kings in majefty rever'd,

With hoary whifkers and a forky beard:.

And four fair queens whofe hands fuftain a flow'r,
Th' expreflive emblem of their fofter pow'r;
Four knaves in garbs fuccinct, a trusty band,
Caps on their heads, and halberts in their hand;
And particolour'd troops, a fhining train,

Draw forth to combat on the velvet plain.

The fkilful nymph reviews her force with care; Let fpades be trumps, fhe faid, and trumps they were. Now move to war her fable matadores,

In fhow like leaders of the fwarthy Moors.
Spadillio firft unconquerable lord!

Led off two captive trumps, and fwept the board.
As many more Manillio forc'd to yield,

And march'd a victor from the verdant field.
Him Bafto follow'd, but his fate more hard
Gain'd but one trump and one Plebeian card.
With his broad fabre next, a chief in
years,

The hoary majefty of spades appears;
Puts forth one manly leg, to fight reveal'd;
The reft, his many-colour'd robe conceal'd..

The rebel knave, who dares his prince engage, Proves the juft victim of his royal rage,

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Ev'n mighty Pam that kings and queens o'erthrew,

And mow'd down armies in the fights of Lu,
Sad chance of war! now, destitute of aid,
Falls undiftinguish'd by the victor spade!

Thus far both armies to Belinda yield;
Now to the Baron fate inclines the field.
His warlike Amazon her hoft invades,

Th' imperial confort of the crown of spades.
The club's black tyrant first her victim dy'd,
Spite of his haughty mien, and barb'rous pride:
What boots the regal circle on his head,
His giant limbs, in ftate unwieldy spread;
That long behind he trails his pompous robe,
And, of all monarchs, only grafps the globe?

The Baron now his diamonds pours apace;

Th' embroider'd king who fhows but half his face, And his refulgent queen, with pow'rs combin'd, Of broken troops an eafie conqueft find.

Clubs, diamonds, hearts, in wild diforder feen, With throngs promifcuous ftrow the level green. Thus when difpers'd a routed army.runs,

Of Afia's troops, and Afric's fable fons,

With like confufion diff'rent nations fly,.

In various habits, and of various dye,

The

The pierc'd battalions difunited fall,

n heaps on heaps; one fate o'erwhelms them all. The knave of diamonds tries his wily arts,

And wins (oh fhameful chance!) the queen of hearts
At this, the blood the virgin's cheek forfook,
A livid palenefs fpreads o'er all her look;
She fees, and trembles at th' approaching ill,
Juft in the jaws of ruin, and Codille.

And now, (as oft' in fome diftemper'd state)
On one nice trick depends the gen'ral fate.
An ace of hearts fteps forth: The king unseen
Lurk'd in her hand, and mourn'd his captive queen,
He fprings to vengeance with an eager pace,
And falls like thunder on the proftrate ace.
The nymph exulting fills with fhouts the sky.
The walls, the woods, and long canals reply.
Oh thoughtless mortals! ever blind to fate,
Too foon dejected, and too foon elate!
Sudden, these honours fhall be fnatch'd away,
And curs'd for ever this victorious day.

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For lo! the board with cups and fpoons is crown'd, The berries crackle, and the mill turns round:

On shining altars of Japan they raise

The filver lamp; the fiery fpirits blaze;

From

From filver spouts the grateful liquors glide,
And China's earth receives the smoking tide.
At once they gratify their scent and tafte,
While frequent cups prolong the rich repast.
Strait hover round the fair her airy band;

Some, as she fipp'd, the fuming liquor fann'd,
Some o'er her lap their careful plumes difplay'd,
Trembling, and confcious of the rich brocade.
Coffee, (which makes the politician wife,
And fee thro' all things with his half-fhut eyes)
Sent up in vapours to the baron's brain

New ftratagems, the radiant lock to gain.
Ah cease, rash youth! defift e'er 'tis too late,
Fear the juft Gods, and think of * Scylla's fate!
Chang'd to a bird, and fent to flit in air,

She dearly pays for Nifus' injur'd hair!

But when to mifchief mortals bend their will,
How foon they find fit inftruments of ill?
Juft then Clariffa drew with tempting grace
A two-edg'd weapon from her fhining cafe;
So ladies in romance affift their knight,
Prefent the fpear, and arm him for the fight.

* Vide Ovid, Metam. 8.

He

He takes the gift with rev'rence, and extends
The little engine on his finger's ends:
This juft behind Belinda's neck he fpread,
As o'er the fragrant ftreams she bends her head.
Swift to the lock a thousand sprites repair,
A thousand wings by turns blow back the hair;
And thrice they twitch'd the diamond in her ear;
Thrice the look'd back, and thrice the foe drew near.
Juft in that inftant, anxious Ariel fought
The clofe receffes of the virgin's thought;
As on the nofegay in her breaft reclin'd,
He watch'd th' ideas rifing in her mind,
Sudden he view'd, in fpite of all her art
An earthly lover lurking at her heart.
Amaz'd, confus'd, he found his pow'r expir'd,
Refign'd to fate, and with a figh retir'd.

The Peer now fpreads the glitt'ring Forfex wide,
Tinclose the lock; now joins it, to divide.
Ev'n then, before the fatal engine clos'd,

A wretched Sylph too fondly interpos'd;

Fate urg'd the fheers, and cut the Sylph in twain, (* But airy fubftance foon unites again)

*See Milton, lib. 6. of Satan cut afunder by the angel Michael,

The

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