What they may be, fish, flesh, or fruit? "For I ne'er faw things fo minute.

Sir,

"Aroafted ant that's nicely done,

By one fmall atom of the fun.

Thefe are flies eggs in moon fhine poach'd, "This a fleas thigh in collops fcotch'd, "'Twas (a) hunted yesterday i'th' park "And like t'have fcap'd us in the dark. This is a difh entirely new, "Butterflies brains diffolv'd in dew; "These lover's vows, these courtier's hopes, Things to be eat by microfcopes : "These fucking mites, a glow-worms heart, "This a delicious rainbow-tart. "Madam, I find they're very nice, "And will digeft within a trice; "I fee there's nothing you efteem, "That's half fo grofs as our whipt-cream, And I infer from all thefe meats,

"That fuch light fuppers keep clean sheets. But Sir, faid fhe, perhaps you'r dry, Then speaking to a fairy by,

E 2

"You've

(a) Mr. Tho. Randolph, in his Amyntas, or The Impossible Dowry, defcribes fairy-hunting in a more magnificent

manner.

Dor. I hope king Oberon, and his royal Mab are well? Joc. They are, I never faw their graces cat fuch a meal before.

Jo. They are rid a hunting,

Dor. Hare, or deer, my lord?

Jer. Neither, a brace of fnails of the firfthead.

"You've taken care, my dear Endia, "All's ready for my Ratafia.

Sir,

"A drop of water newly torn
"Fresh from the rofie-finger'd morn.
"A pearl of milk that's gently prest
"From blooming Hebe's early breast;
"With half a one of Cupid's fears;
"When he in embrio first appears :
"And honey from an infant bee
"Makes liquor for the gods and me.

"Madam, faid he, an't please your grace "I'm going to a droughty place; "And if I an't too bold, pray charge her, "The draught I have, be fomewhat larger. "Fetch me, faid fhe, a mighty bowl,

"Like Oberon's capacious foul,

"And then fill up the burnifht gold

"With juice that makes the Britains bold. "This from feven barley corns I drew,

"It's years are seven, and to the view "It's clear, and fparkles fit for you.

Sc.. 2. p. 115.

}

Cupid all arm'd] Thus it ftands in all the old editions, and notwithstanding the late alteration to alarm'd.

The old reading ought by all means to be retained. Nor does all-arm'd mean any thing more, than being arm'd with bow and quiver, the proper, and claffical arms of Cupid, which yet he is sometimes feign'd to lay afide. The

image then is not unclaffical, and our author feems to have copied it from Taffo Canto 1, 47. "O Meraviglia amor ch à pena è nato "Gia grande vola e giâ trion fa armato." Anon. Chaucer, Spenfer, and Ben Jonson speaking of Cupid's arms, mention no other.

"The God of love, with bow y bent,

"That al daie fet had his talent

"To pursue, and fpy in me,
"Was ftonding by a figgè tre,
"And when he fawe how that I,
"Had chofen fo ententifely

"The bothum more nnto my pay
"Than any other that I fay,

"He toke an arrow fharpely whet
"And in his bowe when it was fette,
"He ftreight up to his ere ydrough
"The strongè bowe, that was fo tough,
"And fhotte at me fo wondir fmerte,
"That through mine eye unto mine herte
"The takil fmote, and depe it wente
"And therewithal fuch colde me hente,
"That undir clothis warm and fofte
"Sin that day I have chivered ofte."

"The Romaunt of the Rofe, 1715, &c. And Spenser speaking of Cupid's laying afide his arms, mentions no other.

"Like as Cupido on Idean hill

"When having laid his cruel bow away "And mortal arrows, wherewith he doth fill "The world with murd'rous fpoils and bloody

66 prey,

E 3

" With

"With his fair mother he him dights to play, And with his goodly fifters, Graces three, "The goddefs pleafed with his wanton play "Suffers herself through fleep beguil'd to be "The whiles the other ladis mind their merry glee.

166

Fairy Queen. Book 2. Cantó 8. 6.

And Ben Johnson [in his Entertainments] fpeaks of Cupid's arms in the following manner, 3d Grace." He doth bear a golden bow, "And a quiver hanging low,

"Full of arrows, that out brave "Dian's fhafts, where if he have

Any head more sharp than other, "With that first he ftrikes his mother. Sc. 3. Helena to Demetrius.

Hel. I am your Spaniel, and Demetrius The more you beat me, I will fawn on you]

A proverbial obfervation. "A fpaniel, a woman, and a wallnut-tree, "The more they're beaten, the better ftill they be.

Ray's Proverbs 2d Edit. p. 59.

See the fame image. Two gentlemen of l'erena, A&t 4. fc. 2. p. 227.

Pro.

"Yet fpaniel like, the more fhe fpurns my

“love,

"The more it grows, and fawneth on her still. Alluding probably to the ungenteel, and unbecoming ufage of the women in Muscovy, of which Mr. Purchase obferves, Part. lib. 2. cap. 1. p. 230.]

[Pilgrims 3d

66 That,

"That, if there the woman is not beaten

once a week, fhe will not be good, and "therefore they look for it weekly; and the women fay, if their husbands did not beat " them, they fhould not love them." i

See more Lady's Anfwer to the knight in Hudibras. Note upon verfes 379, 380.

Sc. 3. .:Helen.

Fie Demetrius,

Your wrongs do fet a fcandal on my fex; We cannot fight for love, as men may do, We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo.}] I remember a few lines written not many years ago by a celebrated beauty, complaining of this hardship upon the fair fex.

"Custom alas! does partial prove "Nor gives us even measure, "A pain it is for maids to love, "And 'tis for men a pleasure :

They freely can their thoughts explain, "But ours must burn within,

"We have got tongues and eyes in vain,

"And truth from us is fin:

"Then equal laws let juftice find,

"Nor either fex opprefs;

"More freedom give to womankind,

"And give to mankind less.

Sc. 4.

Ob.

I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows, Where Oxlip, and the nodding violet grows,

O'er canopied with luscious woodbine.]
E 4

66 Quite