THE ART OF DANCING.

the Right Hon. the Lady Fanny Fielding flu patuit Dea." VIRG.

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1730.

CANTO I.

ooth dance to move with graceful mien, care, and fprightly, though ferene, th' inftructions echoing trains convey, juft fteps each tuneful note obey, e prefent, all ye facred choir,

foft flute, and frike the founding lyre: lding bids, your kind affiftance bring, rfect the lowly tribute fling; reyes (to her this verfe is due),

t themfelves infpir'd, vouchfafe to view! velieft art! that canft all hearts enfnare, e the fairest fill appear more fair. n little execution do,

borrows half her arms from you; Fygmalion, doat on lifclefs charms, clafp a ftatue in their arms;

ts of Aint muft melt with fierce defire, and motion wake the fleeping fire: drawn by great Apelles' hand, 1 while our wond'ring eyes command, though form'd with all the pow'rs of art, is piece can never warm the heart; ymph, perhaps, may pleafe the eye, her beauteous limbs unactive lie, her charms are in the dance difplay'd, ry heart adores the lovely maid: er beauty in the fairest light,

s each grace in full perfection bright; he turns around, from ev'ry part, upines, fhe fends a piercing dart; las! the fond fpectator tries he pleafing dangers of her eyes, Lian like, the wounds as fure behind ving curls, and ivory neck reclin'd: her fteps the Minuet's mazes trace, w Louvre's more majeftic pace, the Rigadoon employs her care, tly Jigg difplays the nimble fair, ep new beauties we explore, fhip now, what we admir'd before:

hter of Bafil, fourth Earl of Denbigh. She Dal Earl of Winchelfea, and died Sep. 27.

So when Æneas in the Tyrian grove
Fair Venus met, the charming queen of love,
The beauteons goddefs, whilst unmov'd she stood,
Seem'd fome fair nymph, the guardian of the wood;
But when the mov'd, at once her heavenly mien
And graceful ftep contefs bright beauty's queen,
New glories o'er her form each moment rife,
And all the godd: fs open to his eyes.

Now hafte, my mufe, purfue thy deftin'd way,
What dreifes bett become the dancer, fay;
The rules of drefs forget not to impart,
A leffon previous to the dancing art.

The foldier's fearl glowing from afar, Shows that his bloody occupation's war; Whilft the lawn band, beneath a double chin, As plainly fpeaks divinity within; [fnows, The milk-maid fafe through driving rains and Wrapp'd in her cloke and propp'd on pattens goes; While the foft Belle immur'd in velvet chair, Needs but the filken fhoe, and trufts her bofont

bare:

The woolly drab, and English broad cloth warm,
Guard well the horfeman from the beating storm,
But load the dancer with too great a weight,
And call from ev'ry pore the dewy fweat;
Rather let him his active limbs difplay
In camblet thin, or gloffy paduafoy:
Let no unwieldy pride his fhoulders prefs,
But airy, light, and eafy be his dress;
Thin be his yielding fole, and low his heel,
So fhall he nimbly bound, and fafely wheel.

But let not precepts known my verfe prolong, Precepts which ufe will better teach than fong; For why should I the gallant fpark command, With clean white gloves to fit his ready hand? Or in his fob enlivening fpirits wear,

And pungent falts to raife the fainting fair?
Or hint, the fword that dangles at his fide,
Should from its filken bondage be unty'd?
Why fhould my lays the youthful tribe advise,
Left fnowy clouds from out their wigs arife:
So fhall their partners mourn their laces fpoil'd,
And fhining filks with greafy powder foil'd?
Nor need I, fure, bid prudent youths beware,
Left with erected tongues their buckles ftare,
The pointed steel fhall oft their stockings rend,
And oft th' approaching petticoat offend.

And now, ye youthful fair, I fing to you,
With pleafing fimiles my ufeful labours view;
For you the filk-worm's fine-wrought webs dif-

play,

And lab'ring fpin their little lives away,

For you bright gems with radiant colours glow,
Fair as the dyes that paint the heavenly bow,
For you the fea refigns its pearly ftore,
And earth unlocks her mines of treafur'd ore;
In vain yet nature thus her gifts bettows,
Unless yourselves with art thofe gifts difpofe.

Yet think not nymphs, that in the glitt'ring ball,
One form of drefs preferib'd can fuit with all;
One brightest shines when wealth and art combine,
To make the finish'd piece completely fine;
When least adorn'd, another fleals our hearts,
And rich in native beauties, wants not arts;
In fome are fuch refitlefs grac.s found,
That in all dreffes they are fare to wound;
Their perfect forms all foreign aids defpife,
And gems but borrow luftre from their eyes. [feen
Let the fair nymph, in whofe plump cheeks are
A conftant blufh, be clad in cheerful green;
In fuch a dress the fportive fea-nymphs go;
So in their graffy bed fresh rofes blow:
The lafs, whofe fkin is like the hazel brown,
With brighter yellow fhould o'ercome her own;
While maids grown pale with ficknefs or defpair,
The fable's mournful dye fhould choofe to wear;
So the pale moon till fhines with pureft light,
Cloth'd in the defky martle of the night."

But far from you be all thofe treach'rous arts,
That wound with painted charms unwary hearts;
Dancing's a touch-tone that true beauty tries,
Nor fuffers charms that nature's hand denies:
Though for a while we may with wonder view
The rofy blush, and fkin of lovely hue,
Yet foon the dance will caufe the cheeks to glow,
And melt the waxen lips, and neck of fnow;
So fhine the fields in icy fetters bound,
Whilft frozen gems befpangle all the ground;
Through the clear cryftal of the glitt'ring fnow,
With fearlet dye the blushing hawthorns glow;
O'er all the plains unnumber'd glories rife,
And a new bright creation charms our eyes;
Till zephyr breathes, then all at once decay
The fplendid fcenes, their glories fade away,
The fields refign the beauties not their own,
And all their fnowy charms run trickling down.
Dare I in fuch momentous points advife,
I fhould condemn the hoop's cnormous size:
Ofills I fpeak by long experience found,
Oft have i trod th' immeasurable round,
And mourn'd my fhins bruis'd black with many (
a wound.

Nor fhould the tighten'd stays, too ftraitly lac'd,
In whalebone bondage gall the, flender waift;
Nor waving lappets fhould the dancing fair,
Nor ruffes edg'd with dangling fringes wear;
Oft will the cobweb-ornaments catch hold
On the approaching button rough with gold,
Nor force nor art can then the bonds divide,
When once th' entangled Gordian knot is ty'd.
So the unhappy pair, by Hymen's power,
Together join'd in fome ill-fated hour,
The more they ftrive their freedom to regain,
The fafter binds th' indiffoluble chain.

Let each fair maid, who fears to be difgrac'd, Ever be fure to tie her garters faft,

Left the loos'd firing, aridit the public hall,
A with'd-for prize to fome proud fop fhould fall,
Who the rich treasure fhall triumphant show,
And with warm blushes caufe her cheeks to glow.

But yet. (as fortune by the 105-TShe humbles many, forme deligats to Left) It happen'd once, a far illuar are dime By fuch neglect acquir'd immortal fame And hence the radiant ftar and garter be Britannia's nobles grace, if fame laws trus Hence ftill, Plantagenet, thy beauties an Though long fince in ulder'd in the duay Still thy loft garter is fovereign's care, And what each royal breast is proad to mo

But let me now my lovely charge rez Left they forgetful leave their tab Lay not, ye fair, the pretty toy alie, A toy at once difplay'd for ute as p A wond'rous engine, that by migacher Cols your own breafts, and ev'ry start What daring bard fhail e'er attempt The pow'rs that in this little wergna de What verfe can e'er explain its van Its num'rous ufes, motions, charms, Its painted folds that oft exterded wi Th' afflicted fair one's blubber'd best & When fecret forrows her fad bofɔin E., If Strephon is unkind, or Shock is ill Its ticks, on which her eyes dej.Actr And pointing fingers number o'er and When the kind virgin burns with feet. Dies to confent, yet fears to own her t Its hake triumphant, its victorious da Its angry flutter, and its wanton tsp)

Forbear, my mufe, th' extenfive the Nor truft in fuch a flight thy tender wast Rather do you in humble lines proclam From whence this engine took its form a Say from what caufe it firt deriv'd it How form'd in heaven, how theart &... earth.

Once in Arcadia, that fam'd feat of L There liv'd a nymph the pride of all A lovely nymph, adorn'd with ev'rs g An easy shape, and fweetiy-bly wang a Fanny, the damfel's name, as chate mu Each virgin's envy, and each iwanki To charm her ear the rival thepherds & Blow the foft flute, and wake the trem For her they leave their wand'ring ax Whilt Fanny's name reiounds throug

With fiercer beams had feorch'd the gåt
Beneath the covert of a cooling fhair,
To thun the heat, this lovely nympier
The fultry weather o'er her cheeks kodu
A bluth that added to their ratine pol
And her fair breast, as polith'..
Was half conceal'd, and halt egne o Pie

olus, the mighty god wing
Obferv'd the beauteous mard, asked
O'er all her charms he gaz'd with
And fuck'd in poilon at the dang
He fighs, he burns; at last declares in der
But ftill he fighs, and full he was a 64.

- nymph, regardless of his moan, -t his flame, uneafy with her own; complains, that he who rul'd the air t command one zephyr to repair er face, nor gentle breeze to play the dark glade, to cool the fultry day; cited, and the hopes of joy, ious god contriv'd this pretty toy, Es inceffant to relieve her flame,

it Fan, from lovely Fanny's name.

CANTO II.

repar'd to lead the fprightly dance, -nymphs and well-drefs'd youths ad

ce;

us room receives its jovial gue, or fhakes with pleafing weight oppreft: g'd on ev'ry fide, with various dyes gioffy filks our fight furprife; den bath'd with genial thow'rs, forts of variegated flow'rs, ainations, pinks, and tulips rife, ay confufion charm our eyes. their heads, with num'rous candles ht,

es thed their sparkling beams of light, kling beams, that ftill more brightly

ack from gems, and eyes below: d fans to cool the crowded fair, hing zephyrs move the circling air: -ly fiddle, and the founding lyre, ful breaft with gen'rous warmth in

=;

th all joys the blifsful moments fly,

c melts the ear, and beauty charms

eye.

the youth, to whofe fuperior place gs the fplendid ball to grace, le bow and ready hand prepare the crowd to lead his chofen fair; ll not bis kind request deny, pleafing toil with equal ardour fly. rafh pair, nor yet untaught advance: Eie mufe, ere you attempt to dance: ected o'er the foaming tide, rocks the painted veffels glide; Chariot fcours the duity plain, he whip, and † hears the trait'ning

Sodies must obedient prove,
upe with graceful eale to move.
the dancing art unfix'd and free,
n error, and uncertainty;
s did it mind, or rules obey,
after taught a diff'rent way:
ach new-born dance was tully try'd,
product ev'n in blooming dy'd;
rious hands in wild confufion toft;
He alter'd, and its beauties loft;

Till Fuillet, the pride of Gallia rofe,
And did the dance in characters compofe;
Each lovely grace by certain marks he taught,
And ev'ry step in lafting volumes wrote;
Hence o'er the world this pleafing art shall spread,
And ev'ry dance in ev'ry clime be read,

By diftant mafters fhall each step be seen,
Though mountains rife, and oceans roar between ;
Hence, with her fifter arts, hall dancing claim
An equal right to univerfal fame;
And Ifaac's Rigadoon thall live as long
As Raphael's painting, or as Virgil's fong.
Wife nature ever, with a prudent hand,
Difpenfes various gifts to ev'ry land;
To ev'ry nation frugally imparts
A genius fit for fome peculiar arts;

To trade the Dutch incline, the Swifs to arms,
Mufic and verie are foft Italia's charms;

Britannia juftly glories to have found

Lands unexplor'd, and fail'd the globe around;
But none will fure prefume to rival France,
Whether the forms or executes the dance:
To her exalted genius 'tis we owe
The fprightly Kigadoon and Louvre flow,
Th' immortal Minuet, and imooth Bretagne,
The Borée, and Courant unpractis'd long,
Which from their native country take their
With all thofe dances of illustrious fame,

name:

With these let ev'ry ball be first begun,
Nor Country-Dance intrude till thete are done.

Each cautious hard, ere he attempts to fing,
First gently flutt'ring tries his tender wing;
And if he finds that with uncommon fire
The mufes all his raptur'd foul infpire,
At once to Heav'n he foars in lofty odes,
And fings alone of heroes and of gods;
But if he trembling fears a flight fo high,
He then defcends to fofter elegy;
And if in elegy he can't fucceed,
In paftoral he still may tune the oaten reed:
So fhould the dancer, ere he tries to move,
With care his strength, his weight and genius
prove;

Then, if he finds kind nature's gifts impart
Endowments proper for the dancing art,
If in himself he feels together join'd,
An active body and ambitious mind,
In nimble Rigadoons he may advance,
If thefe he fears to reach, with easy pace
Or in the Louvre's flow majestic dance:
Let him the Minuet's circling mazes trace:
Is this too hard? This too let him forbear.
And to the Country-Dance confine his care.
Would you in dancing ev'ry fault avoid,
To keep true time be firft your thoughts employ'd
All other errors they in vain fhall mend,
Who in this one important point offend;
For this, when now united hand in hand
Eager to start the youthful couple stand,
Let them a while their nimble feet restrain,
And with foft taps beat time to every ftrain:

Fuillet wrote the Art of Dancing by Characters, in French, fince tranflated by Weaver. French Dances. 3 R

So for the race prepar'd two courfers ftand,
And with impatient pawings fpurn the fand.
In vain a mafter thall employ his care,
Where nature has once fix'd a clumsy air;
Rather let fuch, to country sports confin'd,
Purfue the flying hare or tim'rous hind:
Nor yet, while I the rural 'fquire defpife,
A mien effeminate would I advise:
With equal fcorn I would the fop deride,
Nor let him dance-but on the woman's fide.
And you, fair nymphs, avoid with equal care
A ftupid dulluefs, and a coquette air;
Neither with eyes, that ever love the ground,
Afleep, like spinning tops, run round and round,
Nor yet with giddy looks and wanton pride
Stare all around, and skip from fide to fide.

True dancing, like true wit, is best exprest
By nature only to advantage drest;
'Tis not a nimble bound, or caper high,
That can pretend to please a curious eye;
Good judges no fuch tumbler's tricks regard,
Or think them beautiful, because they're hard.
'Tis not enough that ev'ry stander-by
No glaring errors in your steps can spy,
The dance and mufic muft fo nicely meet,
Each note should seem an echo to her feet;
A nameless grace muft in each movement dwell,
Which words can ne'er expreís, or precepts tell,
Not to be taught, but ever to be seen
In Flavia's air, and Chloe's easy mien;
'Tis fuch an air that makes her thoufands fall,
When Fielding dances at a birth-night ball;
Smooth as Camilla the fkims o'er the plain,
And flies like her through crowds of heroes flain.
Now when the Minuet, oft repeated o'er,
(Like all terreftrial joys) can please no more,
And ev'ry nymph, refufing to expand
Her charms, declines the circulating hand;
Then let the jovial Country-Dance begin,
And the loud fiddles call each ftraggler in :
But ere they come, permit me to disclose,
How firft, as legends tell, this pastime rose.

In ancient times (such times are now no more) |
When Albion's crown illuftrious Arthur wore,
In fome fair op'ning glade, each Summer's night,
Where the pale moon diffus'd her filver light,
On the foft carpet of a graffy field,
The fporting fairies their affemblies held:
Some lightly tripping with their pigmy queen,
In circling ringlets mark'd the level green,
Some with foft notes bade mellow pipes refound,
And mufic warble through the groves around;
Oft lonely thepherds by the forest fide,
Belated peasants oft their revels spy'd,
And home returning, o'er their nut brown ale
Their guests diverted with the wond'rous tale.
Inftructed hence, throughout the British ille,
And fond to imitate the pleafing toil,
Round where the trembling May-pole fix'd on
high,

Uplifts its flow'ry honours to the sky,
The ruddy maids and fun-burnt fwains refort,
And practise ev'ry night the lovely sport;
On ev'ry fide Eolian artifts ftand,
Whofe active elbows fwelling winds command,
The fwelling winds harmonious pipes inspire,
And blow in ev'ry breast a gen'rous fire.

Thus taught, at firft the Country-Dece And hence to cities and to courts it rang Succeeding ages did in time impart Various improvements to the lovely ut; From fields and groves to palaces remord, Great ones the pleasing exercise approv Hence the loud fiddle and shrill trumpet's.... Are made companions of the dancer's bou Hence gems, and filks, brocades, and join,

To make the ball with perfect luftre itine

So rude at firft the tragic mufe appear'), Her voice alone by rustic rabble heard, Where twisting trees a cooling arbour m The pleas'd fpectators fat bepeath the As The homely ftage with rushes green wal And in a cart the ftrolling actors rude; Till time at length improv'd the great And bade the fcenes with painted 2fhine;

Then art did all the bright machines Es And theatres of Parian marble role; Then mimic thunder fhook the canvasá And gods defcended from their tow'n e

With caution now let ev'ry youth p To choose a partner from the mingled Vain would be here th' instruct.ng mat If the pretended to direct his choice: Beauty alone by fancy is expreft, And charms in diff'rent forms each dif A fnowy skin this am'rous youth admite. Whilft nut-brown cheeks another's baim Small waifts and flender limbs fome aram Whilft others love the more fubftanbala“

But let not outward charms your

fway,

Who uninstructed can perform her fan,
And kindly half the pleafing burden ba
Unhappy is that hopelefs wretch's far,
Who fetter'd in the matrimonial fate
With a poor fimple inexperienc'd wit",
Is fore'd to lead the tedious dance of
And fuch is his, with fuch a partner pish
A moving puppet, but without a mi
Still muft his hand be pointing out the
Yet ne'er can teach fo faft as the can t
Beneath her follies he muft ever g
And ever blush for errors not his ov

But now behold, united hand in hand. Rang'd on each fide, the ward 1

ftand!

Each youthful bofom beating with digit
Waits the brifk igual for the pleaing
While lovely eyes, that flath unfa' mys
And fnowy bubbies pull'd above tat
Quick bufy hands, and bridling bes
The fond impatience of the targ
And fee, the sprightly dance v
Now here, now there, the giddy m
Now with flow steps they pace th
Now all confus'd, too fwift for SightseÜ