Nay, in deatli's hand, the grape-ftone proves
As ftrong, as thunder is in Jove's,

MARGARITA first possess'd,

If I remember well, my breast,
Margarita, first of all;

But, when a while the wanton maid
With my restless heart had play'd,

Martha took the flying ball.

2.

Martha foon did it refign

To the beauteous Catharine.

[] This agreeable Ballad has had juftice done to it. Nothing is more famous, even in our days, than Cowley's miftreffes.

Beauteous

Beauteous Catharine gave place
(Though loth and angry fhe to part
With the poffeffion of my heart)
To Elifa's conquering face.

3.

Elifa till this hour might reign,

Had the not evil counfels ta'en: Fundamental laws fhe broke, And ftill new favorites fhe chofe, Till up in arms my paffions rofe, And caft away her yoke.

4.

Mary then and gentle Anne

Both to reign at once began;

Alternately they sway'd:

And fometimes Mary was the fair,
And fometimes Anne the crown did wear,
And fometimes both I' obey'd.

5.

Another Mary then arose,

And did rigorous laws impofe :

A mighty tyrant, she!

Long, alas, fhould I have been
Under that iron-fcepter'd queen,

Had not Rebecca fet me free.

6. When

6.

When fair Rebecca fet me free,
'Twas then a golden time with me;

But foon those pleasures 'fled :
For the gracious princess dy'd

In her youth and beauty's pride,

And Judith reigned in her ftead.

7.

One month, three days, and half an hour,

Judith held the fovereign power:
Wondrous beautiful her face;

But fo weak and fmall her wit,

That the to govern was unfit,

And fo Sufanna took her place.

8.

But, when Ifabella came,

Arm'd with a refiftless flame,
And th' artillery of her eye;

Whilft she proudly march'd about
Greater conquests to find out,

She beat out Susan by the bye.

9.

But in her place I then obey'd

"

Black-ey'd Befs, her viceroy-maid,

To

To whom enfu'd a vacancy. Thousand worse paffions then poffefs'd The interregnum of my breaft: **

Blefs me from fuch an anarchy!

10.

Gentle Henrietta than [],

And a third Mary next began;
Then Joan, and Jane, and Audria,

And then a pretty Thomafine,
And then another Katharine,

And then a long et cætera.

II.

But fhould I now to you relate,

The ftrength and riches of their state,

The powder, patches, and the pins,

The ribbands, jewels, and the rings,
The lace, the paint, and warlike things,
That make up all their magazines:

[t]-than] So fpelt (as many other words in these poems are) for the fake of the rhyme. He had learned this art, or licence rather, from Spenfer, who practised it very frequently. But he might have learned better things from our old poet, if this early favourite of his youth had been taken for the model of his riper age.

12.

If I fhould tell the politic arts
To take and keep mens hearts;
The letters, embaffies, and spies,
The frowns, and smiles, and flatteries,
The quarrels, tears, and perjuries,
Numberless, nameless mysteries!

13.

And all the little lime-twigs laid

By Machiavel, the waiting-maid;
I more voluminous fhould grow
(Chiefly, if I like them should tell
All change of weathers [u] that befell)
Than Holinfhead or Stow.

14.

But I will briefer with them be,

Since few of them were long with me.

An higher and a nobler strain

My prefent emperefs does claim,

Heleonora, first o'th' name;

Whom God grant long to reign!

[u]-change of weathers] His brilliant wit, for once, is well placed.

4

XII. ODE.