The Triumph Of Chastity.

Quando ad un giogo ed in Un tempo quivi.         When to one yoke at once I saw the height     Of gods and men subdued by Cupid's might,     I took example from their cruel fate,     And by their sufferings eased my own hard state;     Since Phoebus and Leander felt like pain,     The one a god, the other but a man;     One snare caught Juno and the Carthage dame     (Her husband's death prepared her funeral flame--     'Twas not a cause that Virgil maketh one);     I need not grieve, that unprepared, alone,     Unarm'd, and young, I did receive a wound,     Or that my enemy no hurt hath found     By Love; or that she clothed him in my sight,     And took his wings, and marr'd his winding flight;     No angry lions send more hideous noise     From their beat breasts, nor clashing thunder's voice     Rends heaven, frights earth, and roareth through the air     With greater force than Love had raised, to dare     Encounter her of whom I write; and she     As quick and ready to assail as he:     Enceladus when Etna most he shakes,     Nor angry Scylla, nor Charybdis makes     So great and frightful noise, as did the shock     Of this (first doubtful) battle: none could mock     Such earnest war; all drew them to the height     To see what 'mazed their hearts and dimm'd their sight.     Victorious Love a threatening dart did show     His right hand held; the other bore a bow,     The string of which he drew just by his ear;     No leopard could chase a frighted deer     (Free, or broke loose) with quicker speed than he     Made haste to wound; fire sparkled from his eye.     I burn'd, and had a combat in my breast,     Glad t' have her company, yet 'twas not best     (Methought) to see her lost, but 'tis in vain     T' abandon goodness, and of fate complain;     Virtue her servants never will forsake,     As now 'twas seen, she could resistance make:     No fencer ever better warded blow,     Nor pilot did to shore more wisely row     To shun a shelf, than with undaunted power     She waved the stroke of this sharp conqueror.     Mine eyes and heart were watchful to attend,     In hope the victory would that way bend     It ever did; and that I might no more     Be barr'd from her; as one whose thoughts before     His tongue hath utter'd them you well may see     Writ in his looks; "Oh! if you victor be     Great sir," said I, "let her and me be bound     Both with one yoke; I may be worthy found,     And will not set her free, doubt not my faith:"     When I beheld her with disdain and wrath     So fill'd, that to relate it would demand     A better muse than mine: her virtuous hand     Had quickly quench'd those gilded fiery darts     Which, dipp'd in beauty's pleasure, poison hearts.     Neither Camilla, nor the warlike host     That cut their breasts, could so much valour boast     Nor Csar in Pharsalia fought so well,     As she 'gainst him who pierceth coats of mail;     All her brave virtues arm'd, attended there,     (A glorious troop!) and marched pair by pair:     Honour and blushes first in rank; the two     Religious virtues make the second row;     (By those the other women doth excel);     Prudence and Modesty, the twins that dwell     Together, both were lodgd in her breast:     Glory and Perseverance, ever blest:     Fair Entertainment, Providence without,     Sweet Courtesy, and Pureness round about;     Respect of credit, fear of infamy;     Grave thoughts in youth; and, what not oft agree,     True Chastity and rarest Beauty; these     All came 'gainst Love, and this the heavens did please,     And every generous soul in that full height.     He had no power left to bear the weight;     A thousand famous prizes hardly gain'd     She took; and thousand glorious palms obtained.     Shook from his hands; the fall was not more strange     Of Hannibal, when Fortune pleased to change     Her mind, and on the Roman youth bestow     The favours he enjoy'd; nor was he so     Amazed who frighted the Israelitish host--     Struck by the Hebrew boy, that quit his boast;     Nor Cyrus more astonish'd at the fall     The Jewish widow gave his general:     As one that sickens suddenly, and fears     His life, or as a man ta'en unawares     In some base act, and doth the finder hate;     Just so was he, or in a worse estate:     Fear, grief, and shame, and anger, in his face     Were seen: no troubled seas more rage: the place     Where huge Typhoeus groans, nor Etna, when     Her giant sighs, were moved as he was then.     I pass by many noble things I see     (To write them were too hard a task for me),     To her and those that did attend I go:     Her armour was a robe more white than snow;     And in her hand a shield like his she bare     Who slew Medusa; a fair pillar there     Of jasp was next, and with a chain (first wet     In Lethe flood) of jewels fitly set,     Diamonds, mix'd with topazes (of old     'Twas worn by ladies, now 'tis not) first hold     She caught, then bound him fast; then such revenge     She took as might suffice. My thoughts did change     And I, who wish'd him victory before,     Was satisfied he now could hurt no more.     I cannot in my rhymes the names contain     Of blessd maids that did make up her train;     Calliope nor Clio could suffice,     Nor all the other seven, for th' enterprise;     Yet some I will insert may justly claim     Precedency of others. Lucrece came     On her right hand; Penelope was by,     Those broke his bow, and made his arrows lie     Split on the ground, and pull'd his plumes away     From off his wings: after, Virginia,     Near her vex'd father, arm'd with wrath and hate.     Fury, and iron, and love, he freed the state     And her from slavery, with a manly blow;     Next were those barbarous women, who could show     They judged it better die than suffer wrong     To their rude chastity; the wise and strong--     The chaste Hebran Judith follow'd these;     The Greek that saved her honour in the seas;     With these and other famous souls I see     Her triumph over him who used to be     Master of all the world: among the rest     The vestal nun I spied, who was so bless'd     As by a wonder to preserve her fame;     Next came Hersilia, the Roman dame     (Or Sabine rather), with her valorous train,     Who prove all slanders on that sex are vain.     Then, 'mongst the foreign ladies, she whose faith     T' her husband (not neas) caused her death;     The vulgar ignorant may hold their peace,     Her safety to her chastity gave place;     Dido, I mean, whom no vain passion led     (As fame belies her); last, the virtuous maid     Retired to Arno, who no rest could find,     Her friends' constraining power forced her mind.     The Triumph thither went where salt waves wet     The Baian shore eastward; her foot she set     There on firm land, and did Avernus leave     On the one hand, on th' other Sybil's cave;     So to Linternus march'd, the village where     The noble Africane lies buried; there     The great news of her triumph did appear     As glorious to the eye as to the ear     The fame had been; and the most chaste did show     Most beautiful; it grieved Love much to go     Another's prisoner, exposed to scorn,     Who to command whole empires seemd born.     Thus to the chiefest city all were led,     Entering the temple which Sulpicia made     Sacred; it drives all madness from the mind;     And chastity's pure temple next we find,     Which in brave souls doth modest thoughts beget,     Not by plebeians enter'd, but the great     Patrician dames; there were the spoils display'd     Of the fair victress; there her palms she laid,     And did commit them to the Tuscan youth,     Whose marring scars bear witness of his truth:     With others more, whose names I fully knew,     (My guide instructed me,) that overthrew     The power of Love: 'mongst whom, of all the rest,     Hippolytus and Joseph were the best.     ANNA HUME.