Help, deareft lord, and fave at once the life
Of thy poor infant, and thy longing wife!
Sore figh'd the Knight to hear his Lady's cry, 725 But could not climb, and had no fervant nigh: Old as he was, and void of eye-fight too, What could, alas! a helpless husband do? And must I languish then, fhe faid, and die, Yet view the lovely fruit before my eye? At least, kind Sir, for charity's fweet fake, Vouchsafe the trunk between your arms to take; Then from your back I might afcend the tree; Do you but ftoop, and leave the reft to me. With all my foul, he thus reply'd again, I'd spend my dearest blood to ease thy pain. With that, his back against the trunk he bent, She feiz'd a twig, and up the tree she went.
Now prove your patience, gentle Ladies all!
Nor let on me your heavy anger fall:
'Tis truth I tell, tho' not in phrafe refin'd;
Tho' blunt my tale, yet honeft is my mind.
What feats the lady in the tree might do,
I pafs, as gambols never known to you ;
But fure it was a merrier fit, she swore,
Than in her life fhe ever felt before.
In that nice moment, lo! the wond'ring knight Look'd out, and ftood reftor'd to fudden fight.
Strait on the tree his eager eyes he bent,
As one whofe thoughts were on his spouse intent;
But when he faw his bofom-wife fo drefs'd,
His rage was fuch as cannot be express'd :
Not frantic mothers when their infants die,
With louder clamours rend the vaulted sky:
He cry'd, he roar'd, he ftorm'd, he tore his hair
Death! hell! and furies! what doft thou do there!
What ails my Lord? the trembling dame reply'd;
I thought your patience had been better try'd :
Is this your love, ungrateful and unkind,
This my reward for having cur'd the blind?
Why was I taught to make my husband fee,
By ftruggling with a Man upon a Tree?
Did I for this the pow'r of magic prove?
Unhappy wife, whofe crime was too much love!
If this be ftruggling, by this holy light,
'Tis ftruggling with a vengeance (quoth the Knight)
So heav'n preserve the fight it has restor❜d,
As with thefe eyes I plainly faw thee whor'd;
Whor'd by my flave-perfidious wretch may hell
As furely feize thee, as I faw too well.
770
Guard me, good angels! cry'd the gentle May,
Pray heav'n, this magic work the proper way!
Alas, my love! 'tis certain, could you fee,
You ne'er had us'd thefe killing words to me:
So help me, fates, as 'tis no perfect fight,
But fome faint glimm'ring of a doubtful light.
What I have faid (quoth he) I must maintain,
For by th' immortal pow'rs it feem'd too plain-
By all thofe pow'rs, fome frenzy feiz'd your mind,
(Reply'd the dame) are these the thanks I find? 780
Wretch that I am, that e'er I was fo'kind?
She faid; a rifing figh exprefs'd her woe,
The ready tears apace began to flow,
And as they fell fhe wip'd from either eye
The drops (for women, when they lift, can cry.) 785
The Knight was touch'd; and in his looks appear'd
Signs of remorfe, while thus his spouse he chear'd:
Madam, 'tis past, and my short anger o'er!
Come down, and vex your tender heart no more;
Excufe me, dear, if aught amifs was faid,
For, on my foul, amends shall foon be made:
Let my repentance your forgiveness draw,
By heav'n, I fwore but what I thought I faw.
Ah my lov'd lord! 'twas much unkind (fhe cry'd)
On bare fufpicion thus to treat your bride,
But till your fight's establish'd, for a while,
Imperfect objects may your fenfe beguile.
Thus when from fleep we first our eyes display,
The balls are wounded with the piercing ray
And dufky vapours rife, and intercept the day. 800
So just recov'ring from the fhades of night,
Your fwimming eyes are drunk with sudden light,
Strange phantoms dance around, and fkim before
Then, Sir, be cautious, nor too rafhly deem ;
Heav'n knows how feldom things are what they seem!
Confult your reason, and you foon shall find
'Twas you were jealous, not your wife unkind:
Jove nev'r spoke oracle more true than this,
None judge fo wrong as thofe who think amiss.
With that the leap'd into her Lord's embrace 810
With well diffembled virtue in her face,
He hugg'd her close, and kiss'd her o'er and o'er,
Difturb'd with doubts and jealousies no more :
Both, pleas'd and blefs'd, renew'd their mutual vows,
A fruitful wife, and a believing spouse.
Thus ends our tale, whofe moral next to make, Let all wife husbands hence example take;
pray, to crown the pleasure of their lives, To be fo well deluded by their wives.
EHOLD the woes of matrimonial life,
And hear with rev'rence an experienc'd wife!
To dear-bought wisdom give the credit due,
And think, for once, a woman tells you true.
In all these trials I have borne a part,
I was myself the fcourge that caus'd the fmart;
For, fince fifteen, in triumph have I led
Five captive husbands from the church to bed.
Chrift faw a wedding once, the Scripture fays,
And faw but one, 'tis thought, in all his days;
Whence fome infer, whose conscience is too nice,
No pious Chriftian ought to marry twice.
But let them read, and folve me, if they can,
The words addrefs'd to the Samaritan:
Five times in lawful wedlock fhe was join'd;
And fure the certain ftint was ne'er defin'd.
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