"Shall not the bloody, and the bold, The miser, hoarding up his gold, The harlot, reeking from the stew, Alone thy fell revenge pursue? But must the gentle, and the kind, Thy fury, undistinguish'd find?" The monarch calmly thus reply'd: 'Weigh well the cause, and then decide. That friend of your's, you lately nam'd, CUPID, alone, is to be blam'd; Then let the charge be justly laid; That idle boy neglects his trade, And hardly once in twenty years A couple to your temple bears. The wretches, whom your office blends, SILENUS now, or PLUTUS sends; Hence care, and bitterness, and strife, Are common to the nuptial life. 'Believe me; more than all mankind, Your vot'ries my compassion find. Yet cruel am I call'd, and base, Who seek the wretched to release; The captive from his bonds to free, Indissoluble, but for me. ''Tis I entice him to the yoke; By me your crowded altars smoke; For mortals boldly dare the noose, Secure, that DEATH will set them loose.' FABLE V. THE POET AND HIS PATRON. Why, CELIA, is your spreading waist So loose, so negligently lac'd? Why must the wrapping bed-gown hide Your snowy bosom's swelling pride? How ill that dress adorns your head, Disdain'd and rumpled from the bed! Those clouds, that shade your blooming face, A little water might displace, As NATURE every morn bestows The crystal dew to cleanse the rose. Those tresses, as the raven black, That wav'd in ringlets down your back, Uncomb'd, and injur'd by neglect, Destroy the face which once they deck'd. Whence this forgetfulness of dress! Pray, madam, are you married? Yes. Nay! then indeed the wonder ceases, No matter now how loose your dress is; The end is won, your fortune's made, Your sister now may take the trade. Alas! what pity 'tis to find This fault in half the female kind! From hence proceed aversion, strife, And all that sours the wedded life. BEAUTY can only point the dart, 'Tis NEATNESS guides it to the heart; Let NEATNESS then, and BEAUTY strive To keep a wav'ring flame alive. 'Tis harder far (you'll find it true) To keep the conquest than subdue; Admit us once behind the screen, What is there farther to be seen? A newer face may raise the flame, But ev'ry woman is the same. Then study chiefly to improve The charm that fix'd your husband's love; Weigh well his humour. Was it dress That gave your beauty pow'r to bless? Pursue it still; be neater seen, 'Tis always frugal to be clean; So shall you keep alive desire, And TIME'S swift wing shall fan the fire.