Or ftain her honour, or her new brocade,
Forget her pray'rs, or miss a masquerade,
Or lose her heart, or necklace, at a ball;
Or whether Heav'n has doom'd that Shock must fall. 110
Hafte then, ye fpirits! to your charge repair;
The flutt'ring fan be Zephyretta's care;
The drops to thee, Brillante, we confign;
And, Momentilla, let the watch be thine;
Do thou, Crifpissa, tend her fav'rite Lock:
Ariel himself shall be the guard of Shock.
To fifty chofen Sylphs, of fpecial note, We trust th' important charge, the Petticoat: Oft' have we known that seven-fold fence to fail, Tho' ftiff with hoops, and arm'd with ribs of whale. 120 Form a strong line about the filver bound, And guard the wide circumference around. Whatever spirit, careless of his charge, His poft neglects, or leaves the fair at large, Shall feel sharp vengeance foon o'ertake his fins, Be ftop'd in vials, or transfix'd with pins ; Or plung'd in lakes of bitter washes lie,
Or wedg'd whole ages in a bodkin's eye :
Gums and Pomatums shall his flight restrain,
While clog'd he beats his filken wings in vain ;
Or Alom stypticks with contracting pow'r
Shrink his thin effence like a rivell'd flow'r :
Or as Ixion fix'd, the wretch fhall feel
The giddy motion of the whirling Mill,
In fumes of burning Chocolate fhall glow,
And tremble at the fea that froaths below!
He spoke; the fpirits from the fails defcend;
Some, orb in orb, around the nymph extend;
Some thrid the mazy ringlets of her hair
Some hang upon the pendants of her ear;
With beating hearts the dire event they wait,
Anxious, and trembling for the birth of Fate.
Lofe by thofe meads, for ever crown'd with flow'rs,
Where Thames with pride furveys his rifing tow'rs,
There ftands a structure of majestic frame,
Which from the neighb'ring Hampton takes its name.
Here Britain's statesmen oft the fall foredoom
Of foreign Tyrants, and of Nymphs at home;
Here thou, great ANNA! whom three realms obey,
Doft fometimes counfel take-and sometimes Tea.
Hither the heroes and the nymphs refort,
To taste a while the pleasures of a Court;
In various talk th' inftructive hours they past,
Who gave the ball, or paid the visit last ;
One speaks the glory of the British Queen,
And one defcribes a charming Indian screen;
VER. 11. 12. Originally in the first edition,
In various talk the chearful hours they paft,
Of, who was bitt, or who capotted laft.
A third interprets motions, looks, and eyes;
At ev'ry word a reputation dies.
Snuff, or the fan, fupply each pause of chat,
With finging, laughing, ogling, and all that.
Mean while declining from the noon of day,
The fun obliquely fhoots his burning ray;
The hungry Judges foon the fentence fign,
And wretches hang that jury-men may dine;
The merchant from th' Exchange returns in peace,
And the long labours of the Toilet cease.
Belinda now, whom thirft of fame invites,
Burns to encounter two advent' rous Knights,
At Ombre fingly to decide their doom;
And fwells her breaft with conquefts yet to come.
Strait the three bands prepare in arms to join,
Each band the number of the facred nine.
Soon as she spreads her hand, th' aerial guard
Defcend, and fit on each important card:
First Ariel perch'd upon a Matadore,
Then each, according to the rank they bore;
For Sylphs, yet mindful of their ancient race,
Are, as when women, wondrous fond of place.
Behold, four Kings in majefty rever'd,
With hoary whiskers and a forky beard;
And four fair Queens whose hands sustain a flow'r,
Th' expreffive emblem of their softer 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: 45 Let Spades 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 swept 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 just victim of his royal rage.
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 undistinguish'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 firft 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?
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