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When fair Rebecca set me free,
'Twas then a golden time with me.
But soon those pleasures fled;
For the gracious princess died
In her youth and beauty's pride,

And Judith reign'd in her stead.

One month, three days, and half an hour, Judith held the sov'reign power.

Wondrous beautiful her face; But so weak and small her wit, That she to govern was unfit,

And so Susanna took her place.

But when Isabella came,

Arm'd with a resistless flame

And th' artillery of her eye,

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

She beat out Susan by the bye.

But in her place I then obey'd
Black-eyed Bess, her viceroy maid,
To whom ensued a vacancy.
Thousand worse passions then possest
The interregnum of my breast:

Bless me from such an anarchy !

Gentle Henrietta then,

And a third Mary next began,

Then Joan and Jane and Audria,

And then a pretty Thomasine,

And then another Catherine,

And then a long et cetera.'

But should I now to you relate

The strength and riches of their state,
The powder, patches, and the pins,
The ribbons, jewels, and the rings,
The lace, the paint, and warlike things
That make up all their magazines :

COWLEY.

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If I should tell the politic arts
To take and keep men's hearts;

The letters, embassies, and spies,
The frowns, and smiles, and flatteries,
The quarrels, tears, and perjuries,

Numberless, nameless mysteries;

And all the little lime-twigs laid By Machiavel, the waiting-maid;

160

I more voluminous should grow (Chiefly if I, like them, should tell All change of weathers that befell) Than Holinshed or Stow.

But I will briefer with them be,
Since few of them were long with me.
A higher and a nobler strain

My present emperess doth claim,
Heleonora, first o' the name,
Whom God grant long to reign!

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IN PRAISE OF HOPE.

HOPE, of all ills that men endure

The only cheap and universal cure!

Thou captive's freedom, and thou sick man's health!
Thou loser's victory, and thou beggar's wealth!
Thou manna, which from heaven we eat,

To every taste a several meat !

Thou strong retreat, thou sure entailed estate,
Which nought has power to alienate!

Thou pleasant, honest flatterer, for none
Flatter unhappy men, but thou alone!

Hope, thou first-fruits of happiness!

Thou gentle dawning of a bright success!

Thou good preparative, without which our joy

Does work too strong, and whilst it cures, destroy;

Who out of fortune's reach dost stand,

And art a blessing still in hand!

Whilst thee, her earnest money, we retain,

We certain are to gain,

Whether she her bargain break, or else fulfil;
Thou only good, not worse for ending ill!

Brother of Faith, 'twixt whom and thee
The joys of Heaven and earth divided be!
Though Faith be heir, and have the fixed estate,
Thy portion yet in moveables is great.
Happiness itself's all one

In thee, or in possession!

Only the future's thine, the present his!
Thine's the more hard and noble bliss;
Best apprehender of our joys, which hast
So long a reach, and yet canst hold so fast!

Hope, thou sad lover's only friend!
Thou way, that may'st, dispute it with the end!
For love, I fear, 's a fruit that does delight
The taste itself less than the smell and sight.

Fruition more deceitful is

Than thou canst be, when thou dost miss;
Men leave thee by obtaining, and straight flee
Some other way again to thee:

And that's a pleasant country, without doubt,
To which all soon return that travel out.

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[SIR JOHN DENHAM, the son of the Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland, was born in Dublin, in 1615, and was educated at Oxford, where he is said to have been more attentive to cards than study: a propensity which prevented his making any progress in the law, when he entered Lincoln's Inn. To please his father, he wrote an essay, proving the pernicious tendency of gaming; nevertheless, he seriously injured his patrimony by this vice. He was a zealous adherent of Charles I., and being discovered in secret correspondence with Cowley, he fled, to save his

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