Snuff, or the fan, fupply each paufe of chat,
With finging, laughing, ogling, and all that.
Mean while, declining from the noon of day,
The fun obliquely shoots his burning ray ;
The hungry Judges foon the sentence fign,
And wretches hang that jury-men may dine;
The merchant from th' Exchange returns in peace,
And the long labours of the Toilet cease.
Belinda now, whom thirft of fame invites,
Burns to encounter two advent'rous Knights,
At Ombre fingly to decide their doom;
And fwells her breast with conquefts yet to come.
Strait the three bands prepare in arms to join,
Each band the number of the facred nine.
Soon as the spreads her hand, th' aërial guard
Defcend, and fit on each important card :
First Ariel perch'd upon a Matadore,
Then each, according to the rank they bore;
For Sylphs, yet mindful of their ancient race,
Are, as when women, wondrous fond of place.
Behold, four Kings in majefty rever'd,
With hoary whifkers and a forky beard;
And four fair Queens whofe hands fuftain a flow'r,
Th' expreffive emblem of their fofter pow'r;
Four Knaves in garbs fuccinct, a trusty band,
Caps on their heads, and halberts in their hand;
And particolour'd troops, a fhining train,
Draw forth to combat on the velvet plain.
VER. 24. And the long labours of the Toilet ceafe.] All that follows of the game at Ombre, was added fince the firft Edition, till v. 105. which connected thus,
Sudden the board with cups and spoons is crown'd. P.
The skilful Nymph reviews her force with care : Let Spades be trumps! fhe faid, and trumps they
Now move to war her fable Matadores,
In fhow like leaders of the swarthy Moors.
Spadillio firft, unconquerable Lord!
Led off two captive trumps, and swept the board.
As many more Manillio forc'd to yield,
And march'd a victor from the verdant field.
Him Bafto follow'd, but his fate more hard
Gain'd but one trump and one Plebeian card.
With his broad fabre next, a chief in years,
The hoary Majefty of Spades appears,
Puts forth one manly leg, to fight reveal'd,
The rest, his many-colour'd robe conceal'd.
The rebel Knave, who dares his prince engage,
Proves the just victim of his royal rage.
Ev'n mighty Pam, that Kings and Queens o'erthrew
And mow'd down armies in the fights of Lu,
Sad chance of war! now destitute of aid,
Falls undistinguish'd by the victor Spade !
Thus far both armies to Belinda yield;
Now to the Baron fate inclines the field.
His warlike Amazon her host invades,
Th' imperial confort of the crown of Spades.
The Club's black Tyrant first her victim dy'd,
Spite of his haughty mien, and barb'rous pride:
VER. 47. Now move to war, etc.] The whole idea of *this description of a game at Ombre, is taken from Vida's defcription of a game at Chefs, in his poem intit. Scacchia Ludus.
What boots the regal circle on his head,
His giant limbs, in ftate unwieldy spread;
That long behind he trails his pompous robe,
And, of all monarchs, only grafps the globe?
The Baron now his Diamonds pours apace;
Th' embroider'd King who shows but half his face,
And his refulgent Queen, with pow'rs combin'd
Of broken troops an eafy conqueft find.
Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, in wild disorder feen,
With throngs promifcuous ftrow the level green.
Thus when difpers'd a routed army runs,
Of Afia's troops, and Afric's fable fons,
With like confufion different nations fly,
Of various habit, and of various dye,
The pierc'd battalions dif-united fall,
In heaps on heaps; one fate o'erwhelms them all.
The Knave of Diamonds tries his wily arts,
And wins (oh fhameful chance!) the Queen of
Hearts.
At this, the blood the virgin's cheek forsook,
A livid paleness fpreads o'er all her look;
She fees, and trembles at th' approaching ill,
Juft in the jaws of ruin, and Codille.
And now, (as oft in some distemper'd State)
On one nice Trick depends the gen'ral fate.
An Ace of Hearts steps forth: The King unseen
Lurk'd in her hand, and mourn'd his captive Queen:
He springs to vengeance with an eager pace,
And falls like thunder on the proftrate Ace.
The nymph exulting fills with fhouts the sky;
The walls, the woods, and long canals reply.
O thoughtless mortals! ever blind to fate,
Too foon dejected, and too foon elate.
Sudden, these honours shall be snatch'd away,
And curs'd for ever this victorious day.
For lo! the board with cups and spoons is crown'd, The berries crackle, and the mill turns round; 106 On fhining Altars of Japan they raise
The filver lamp; the fiery spirits blaze:
From filver spouts the grateful liquors glide,
While China's earth receives the smoaking tide:
At once they gratify their scent and taste,
And frequent cups prolong the rich repaste.
Strait hover round the Fair her airy band;
Some, as fhe fipp'd, the fuming liquor fann'd,
Some o'er her lap their careful plumes difplay'd,
Trembling, and confcious of the rich brocade. 116
Coffee, (which makes the politician wise,
And fee thro' all things with his half-fhut eyes)
Sent up in vapours to the Baron's brain
New ftratagems, the radiant Lock to gain.
Ah cease, rafh youth! defift ere 'tis too late,
Fear the juft Gods, and think of Scylla's Fate!
VER. 122. and think of Scylla's Fate 1] Vide Ovid Metam. viii.
VER. 105. Sudden the board, etc.] From hence, the firft Edition continues to v. 134.
Nefcia mens hominum fati fortifque futuræ,
Et fervare modum, rebus fublata fecundis !
Turno tempus erit, magno cum optaverit emptum
Inta&tum Pallanta; et cum spolia ifta diemque
Oderit
Chang'd to a bird, and sent to flit in air,
She dearly pays for Nifus' injur'd hair!
But when to mischief mortals bend their will, How foon they find fit inftruments of ill? Juft then, Clariffa drew with tempting grace A two-edg'd weapon from her fhining cafe: So Ladies in Romance affift their Knight, Present the spear, and arm him for the fight. He takes the gift with rev'rence, and extends The little engine on his finger's ends; This just behind Belinda's neck he spread, As o'er the fragrant fteams fhe bends her head. Swift to the Lock a thousand Sprites repair, A thousand wings, by turns, blow back the hair; And thrice they twitch'd the diamond in her ear; Thrice fhe look'd back, and thrice the foe drew
Just in that inftant, anxious Ariel fought
The close receffes of the Virgin's thought;
As on the nofegay in her breast reclin'd,
He watch'd th' Ideas rifing in her mind,
Sudden he view'd, in fpite of all her art,
An earthly Lover lurking at her heart.
Amaz'd, confus'd, he found his pow'r expir'd,
Refign'd to fate, and with a figh retir’d.
VER. 134. In the first Edition it was thus,
As o'er the fragrant fteam fhe bends her head.
Firft he expands the glitt'ring forfex wide
T'inclose the Lock; then joins it to divide :
The meeting points the facred hair dissever,
From the fair head, for ever and for ever.
All that is between was added afterwards.
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