155 160 Now feigns a fickness, now is in a fright 165 171 fmile, Who sway'ft the fceptre of the Pharian isle, And feven-fold falls of difemboguing Nile; Relieve, in this our laft diftrefs, the faid, A fuppliant mother, and a mournful maid. Thou, goddess, thou wert prefent to my fight; Reveal'd I faw thee by thy own fair light: I faw thee in my dream, as now I fee, With all thy marks of awful majesty: The glorious train that compass'd thee around; And heard the hollow timbrel's holy found. 175 Thy words I noted, which I ftill retain; Let not thy facred oracles be vain. That Iphis lives, that I myself am free From fhame, and punishment, I owe to thee. On thy protection all our hopes depend: Thy counfel fav'd us, let thy power defend. 180 Her tears purfu'd her words, and while fhe fpoke, The goddess nodded, and her altar fhook: 186 190 Some hopes these happy omens did impart; Forth went the mother with a beating heart, Not much in fear, nor fully fatisfy'd; But Iphis follow'd with a larger ftride: The whiteness of her fkin forfook her face: Her looks embolden'd with an awful grace: Her features and her ftrength together grew, And her long hair to curling locks withdrew. 195. Her sparkling eyes with manly vigour shone; Big was her voice, audacious was her tone. The latent parts, at length reveal'd, began To fhoot, and fpread, and burnish into man. The maid becomes a youth; no more delay 200 Your vows, but look, and confidently pay. Their gifts the parents to the temple bear: The votive tables this infcription wear: Iphis, the man, has to the goddess paid The vows, that Iphis offer'd when a maid. 205 Now when the star of day had fhewn his face, Venus and Juno with their prefence grace The nuptial rites, and Hymen from above PYGMALION AND THE STATUE, FROM THE TENTH BOOK OF OVID'S METAMORPHOSES. The Propœtides, for their impudent behaviour, being turned into flone by Venus, Pygmalion, prince of Cyprus, detefted all women for their fake, and refolved never to marry. He falls in love with a ftatue of his own making, which is changed into a maid, whom he marries. One of his defcendants is Cinyras, the father of Myrrha: the daughter incestuously loves her own father; for which fhe is changed into a tree which bears her name. Thefe two ftories immediately follow each other, and are admirably well connected. PYGMALION loathing their lascivious life, 5 And carv'd in ivory fuch a maid, so fair, 10 And, had the mov'd, a living maid had been : One would have thought she could have stirr'd ; but ftrove With modefty, and was asham'd to move. 15 Art, hid with art, fo well perform'd the cheat, more: 20 The flesh, or what fo feems, he touches oft, Which feels fo fmooth, that he believes it foft. Fir'd with this thought, at once he ftrain'd the breast, 26 And on the lips a burning kifs imprefs'd. |