all these do Sylvia Nothing with a mind resolv'd Against their flatteries like mine Daphne Mistaken Main They 'll master every stubborn thought And force our hearts to think of Love I know it by my self for I have felt And must confess their power They tempted me to tear my Nets Neglect my Lime-twigs break my Bow And fling my Arrows in the Air. I cry'd there there Diana take These useless Weapons I renounce The Woods and all thy sports for Love Sylvia Renounce 'em by your self and as for me Daphne Who knows Amintas may in time Convert even thee to do as much Is he not handsom Can you see A comelier youth in all the plain If you 're related to the Gods Amintas is deriv'd from Pan You oft have Amarillis seen And in some Fountain may compare Her beauties with your own The difference Sylvia is not great Yet poor Amintas shuns her smiles To follow your contempt and you And for your hate despises Love But think it may not still be thus Think when her Beauties or her smiles Have toucht his heart they 'll laugh at yours And make a jest of thy disdain Sylv. Where e're he pleases let him love And Court what Maid he will but me I 'll ne're be trouble with his heart Nor give him any hopes of mine Daphne What makes you hate him thus Sylv His love Daphne ' Ah cruelty we might expect ' That Ravens would be born of Swans ' Of Tygers Lambs as well as thou ' From tender Parents be deriv'd Sylv. I hate his Love because he hates What I love most a Maiden life While friendship only warm'd his Soul None could esteem him more than I. Dap. You 'd have him then confine his wishes To as narrow bounds as yours He less deserves to be condemn'd For wishing much Than you do for not wishing more Syl. Daphue Peace or if you 'll talk Prithee talk of some thing else Dap. Suppose another Swain should court ye Would you Sylvia use him thus Syl. Thus every one that dares attempt To interrupt me in my sports And he that talks of Love to me I 'll use him as he is my Foe Dap. You may Sylvia then suppose Turtles to their Mates are foes When the Birds begin to sing You may think they hate the Spring You may if you please suppose Nature and the Spring are foes That its pregnant heats create Flowers Plants and Fruit in hate But if you observe you find Every thing to Love inclin'd Doves in gentle whispers woe Their tender Mates and bill and coe The Nightingale flies round the Grove And sings on every Bough I love Beasts by nature fierce and wild Become when Love commands 'em mild The Lyon Wolf the Tyger Bear Less cruel Sylvia than you are In Savage murmurs Love declare E'en Trees their amorous branches join The Ivy fondly clasps the Vine And her kind embraces shew What you to Love and Nature owe. Change foolish Creature change your thoughts And be not constant to a Crime Syl. If Beasts if Trees or Ivy shew What Love and Nature bid me do I 'll tarry till they tell me so Dap. You mock me Sylvia have a care How you make a jest of Love The time will come when you 'll repent For laughing at my Counsel now When wrinkles shrivel up your brow When the clear Fountains you will shun Where now you take too much delight To view your Beauties where you gaze Whole hours with pleasure on that face Which then you 'll be afraid to see Then Sylvia you 'll repent in vain You did not follow my advice Have you forgot or never heard What wise Elpinus told the fair The cruel Lycoris whose eyes Are not more charming than his voice Have you forgot it Sylvia Sylvia I know not what you mean Daph. 'T is strange 'T was in Aurora's awful Cave ' O're whose mouth are writ these words ' Hence hence O ye Profane Battus and Thyrsis being by He told her what he learnt from him Who sung so well of War and Love And left him when he dy'd his Pipe That there 's a place among the darm'd Where all ungrateful Beauties live Tormented with eternal fires The Gods being careful to revenge Their Lovers wrongs and 't is but just That pain should melt 'em into tears Since pity could not touch their hearts ' Think think on this and if you dare ' Persist O Fool in thy disdain ' Sylvia And what said Lycoris to this ' Daph. You 're fond to know anothers thoughts ' But will not change your own She seem'd ' Convinc'd and answer'd with her eyes ' Syl. What answer with her Eyes Pray tell me how ' Daph. She smil'd and turning to the Swain ' In her kind looks she seem'd to say ' I 'm conquer'd take the heart you begg'd ' You cannot wish for more ' She seem'd to say it and 't had been enough ' If men might venture to believe ' Or trust the Language of the eyes ' Syl. Why did he not believe it ' Daph. Have you not read what Thyrsis wrote ' In yonder Wood where sorrow led ' His wandering steps The Nymphs and Swains ' Laught at and pity'd him to see ' The foolish things he often did ' In many of his amorous fits ' Yet foolish as his actions seem'd ' His words were sensible and none ' Have cause to laugh at what he wrote ' Deceitful Glass where oft I see ' False glances to deceive me ' The Heart must with the Eyes agree ' Or they will ne're relieve me ' When dying Looks and smiles I meet ' I 'm still afraid of Treason ' But Love to help 'em in the Cheat ' Deprives me of my Reason ' He Grav'd 'em on a thousand Trees ' And Nature careful of his sense ' Preserves his Verses free from storms ' And makes 'em floorish in the Bark Syl. Daphne we fool away the day In idle talk 't is time for me To be provided for my Sport First then I 'll to the lonely Brook Which glides thro you delicious Wood And bath me in the Crystal stream There playing with the waves a while I grow refresh'd and with new life Rise from the Waters to the Chace Daph. 'T is early I must first go home I 'll meet you after at the Brook And bath me with you if you please But Sylvia think on what I 've said T is of more consequence than Brooks Or Dogs or Forests or your Game And if you know not yet what 't is To love ah learn of those that do Love of all pleasures is the best And none can be without it blest Exeunt SCENE II. Amintas Thyrsis Amin. I 'Ve often found that Rocks and Waves Have answer'd my complaint But oh I never found nor hope to find The Nymph whom I 've so long ador'd As gentle ev'n as Rocks and Waves Is she a Woman One may well suspect If she 's of humane race and yet I see Her
beautiful and young her form Of such a mould so soft so sweet That 't were impossible to think It lodg'd a Soul averse to Love If to my cost I had not found That things inanimate are less Insensible of pity than her heart Thyrsis Lambs feed on Grass and Wolves on Lambs They 're fatisfy'd in time but Love Who feeds on Tears is never satisfy'd Amin. If Tears cou'd glut his appetite He had been surfeited e're this Or if the Virgin cou'd be mov'd With Seas of Tears I had been blest No they both hunger after Blood And I resolve to give 'em mine ' Thyr. ' Ah! why Amintas will you talk ' Of Blood If she is so severe ' Are there not other Maids as young ' As fair as she Look out and try ' Another Beauty may be kind ' Amint. Where shall I look or how expect to find 'A Maid to please me when I 've lost my self Thyr. Don't flatter your despair but hope This cruel fair may yield at last Lyons and Tygers may be tam'd And she you Love with Love be overcome Amin. But who so wretched who so near To death as I am can be pleas'd With Life or bear the torment long Thyr. The torment will not be so long As you suspect for Womens minds Are movable like Aspin leaves And what they may this minute hate They 'll love the next But say my friend Where lives and who 's this haughty Maid That treats Amintas with such scorn You 've told me often that you love But never told me whom be free And open all your heart without reserve Amin. Well you shall hear what every Wood What all our Hills and Streams have heard But no Man ever knew before 'T is fit now I 'm so near the Grave Some friend should know the fatal cause And write my sorrows on the Tomb Where my pale body shall be laid That every passenger may read My fate and she for whom I dye Be pleas'd to triumph o're my dust It may be when she sees how far Despair has carry'd me the thought And yet I fear I hope too much Will fetch a sigh or force a tear And make her pity me and wish That poor Amintas were alive Hear then Thyr. I hearken and perhaps For better ends than you suppose Amin. While I was yet a little Boy Scarce tall enough to reach a Bough Or pluck an Apple from a Tree I felt my heart engag'd to love The fairest Creature ever liv'd Sylvia the glory of the Woods Montano's and Cydippe's Daughter Sylvia whose beauty mien and youth Charm every heart as well as mine Our Houses joyn'd but were not half So close united as our Hearts Two Friends ne're lov'd as we did then Two Turtles ne're so fondly sought Each others company as we did Our pleasures with our years agreed The same diversions suited both We sometimes Hunted sometimes Fish'd Sometimes we laid our Nets for Birds And always shar'd the Game we caught But while we pleasantly pursu'd Our mutual sports alas I felt Strange wishes growing in my heart Like Flow'rs that on a sudden spring From beds where they were never set Whene're we parted now I wept For grief and when we met for joy I suckt in poison from her eyes Which seem'd delicious to the taste But left a bitter smart behind I saw her now with new delight I found new Graces in her face I often sigh'd but knew not why I lov'd but did not know 't was love Till chance discover'd it Thyr. Pray how Amin. Sylvia Phillis and my self Sitting underneath a Shade Saw a Bee fly round the bank Gathering Honey from the Flow'rs Which adorn'd our happy seat Weary'd there he fled to us Pitcht on Phillis who has Cheeks Fairer sweeter than the Rose Fancying every Grace a Flow'r There he hung a while and suckt Sweets much richer than his own Phillis wept to feel the smart Sylvia bid her weep no more I she crys can say a Charm That will quickly give you ease 'T is a Secret which I learnt Of wise Aricia to whom For her Art I gave my Horn Tipt with Ivory and Gold Then she put her fragrant Lips To the Cheek the Bee had stung Said some Verses o're the Wound And as soon as Sylvia spoke Phillis felt the pain no more See the wonderful effects See the force of Magic words Or what I would rather think See what Sylvia's Lips can do Every thing they touch they heal Thyr. How Amintas could you find Love had wounded you by this Amin. I till this desir'd no more Than to see her radiant Eyes Or to listen to her Voice Soft as Rivulets that glide Murmuring thro our smiling Vales Soft as Zephr's evening breath Playing with the Leaves of Trees But as soon as I observ'd What her Lips had lately done Then I wish'd 'em close to mine And I know not how contriv'd Ways to taste of what I wish'd Thyr. None want artifice to gain What they covet to possess All are cunning when in love Amin. I to touch her rosy mouth Feign'd a Bee had stung me too And complain'd with such an air That it seem'd to beg the Cure Which my tongue cou'd ne'r have askt Sylvia kindly did to me What she had to Phillis done And her Lips thus fix'd to mine Cur'd the counterfeited smart But encreast my real pain Bees sure never from their Flow'rs Drew such Honey as I suckt From my Sylvia's humid kisses Sure no Roses but what grow On her Lips can yield such sweets Tho my pleasure was disturb'd By my shame and guilty fears Yet I counterfeited still And by this deceit prevail'd O're her to repeat the Charm Something sweet from ev'ry kiss Mixt with poyson struck my heart Which at last grew so inflam'd That when once we met to play With some other Nymphs and Swains I just dying with my fears Softly whisper'd her I Love Thyr. How did Sylvia take the news That you seem so much concern'd Amin. Soon her fiery blushes shew'd Both her anger and her shame She stood silent but I read By her silence what she meant That she never wou'd forgive me Now she flies me and will since Not so much as hear me speak Thrice our Golden Fields have bent Under their rich loads and thrice Winter has with nipping frosts Made our Groves and Forests bare Since I 've try'd a thousand ways To appease her but I find Death can only calm her rage Death shall calm her then my blood Shall appease her for my fault I cou'd dye methinks with joy Were I sure my Death would make her Either sorrowful or glad and I know not which to wish Yes her Pity would reward All my sufferings and shew What my Constancy deserv'd Yet ah why should I desire That her beauteous Eyes should weep Or her Rest be lost for me Thyr. Oh! could she hear such killing words Such just complaints 't would melt her heart And make her pity ye Amin. I
good opinion of the publick that whatever the should promote would infallibly succeed And it may not be improper to observe here what an influence Fame has on Certian Authors who having grown popular with their Fustian and Nonsence have in time deserv'd by writing well the Reputation their ill Verses acquird 'em ill usage has frequently the contrary effect and such as have done well when they have not met with the applause they deserv'd by endeavouring after to do better have made the first judgments that were made of 'em just Some think the measure of the Verse too short but Tasso drew me in to this Error if 't is one for since he thought the Italian which is the sweetest Language in the World wanted to be made yet more soft by the shortness of the measure I believ'd the English Heroick would be too Majestick and not so agreeable to the great simplicity which should every where appear in a Pastoral as Verse of seven or eight Syllables The management of the representation particularly that part on 't which I undertook was very ill contriv'd The small acquaintance I have had with such things did not qualify me to undertake what I did and the success was answerable to the contrivance I suppose every part of the Representation might have been orderd to more advantage tho the Actors performd theirs as well as could be expected and I question if any other Company would have done it better But be the Management or the Action what it will I am satisfy'd nothing could have drawn an audience to it when once they had heard what they were to be entertaind with and that their attention was required for three hours without one jest to divert ' em I saw this the first night and should have been much more discourag'd if some men of sense whose judgments I can safely depend on had not assur'd me that there was no reason for 't and that the could not without resentment see the partiality of several persons which might have been employ'd to more purpose against other who Court their applause and value their opinion more than I can SHEPHERDS Amintas Thyrsis Elpinus Ergastus Alfibeus SHEPHERDESSES Sylvia Daphne Nerina Chorus of Shepherds and Shepherdesses PROLOGUE Written by Mr. Dennis THis Play 's no English product but with toil Imported from a richer nobler Soil Then judge not rashly what in better times Great Tasso's Genius writ to warmer climes They who like Nature may suppose it good Tho Nature hut by few is understood She never is but by reflection seen And few are bold enough to look within As when a thoughtful man for sakes the Town And to some Country Solitude goes down With more than common pleasure he beholds The Woods the Lawns the Valleys and the Folds Natures bright Beauties every where he meets His Soul which long had been confin'd in streets With Rapture now her kindred objects greets These rural Scenes like pleasure may impart To those who value Nature more than Art And who have Souls to taste the Language of the Heart EPILOGUE OVr Author was afraid to have his Cause Come before Judges who dispence with Laws For those he sees are always kind to Fools But most severe to such as write by Rules They hate ev'n Nature too as much as Art And nothing but what 's monstrous will divert Those Plays alone that make 'em Laugh delight Where folly oft succeeds as well as Wit So merry in their humours we can scarce Engage 'em now with any thing but Farce What hopes then that our serious Scenes will do They 'll hardly spare 'em for their being new Their Novelty perhaps will give offence But above all we dread their Innocence Vnless the Fair in their defence appear From whom we hope we have the least to fear Love Pity Innocence of right belong To those to judge of who inspir'd the Song And if some persons fancy Farces best Because their own dear Pictures make the Jest The fair have much more reason to esteem The beauteous Images we draw from them To them the Soveraign Arbiters of Wit Our Author only would his Cause submit Whate're their censures are he 'll not presume To think 'em hard nor murmur at his doom As for the Criticks tho he cannot trust That they 'll be either merciful or just Yet if this Play is by the Ladies lik'd He thinks they 're too well bred to contradict ACT I. SCENE I. Daphne Sylvia Daphne SYlvia will you still persist In this strange disgust of Love Will you still refuse to hear Our Shepherds sighs and scorn their tears But if sighs end tears in vain Attempt to move your cruel heart Methinks the hopes that you might have To see a lovely Infant smile And call you Mother should succeed Change foolish Creature change your thoughts And be not constant to a Crime Sylvia Let others if they please be mov'd With sighs and tears and take delight To play with Love I 'll never quit The Forests never leave the Chace Whilst Beasts of prey are to be found I 'll range the Woods I 'll scour the Plains And with my Bow and Quiver find A better way to nobler sport Daphne Dull sport and an insipid life You Sylvia stubborn as thou art Will think so too when you begin To taste the sweets of Love ' So the first people who possest ' In Innocence the Infant World ' Fed on Acorns and when dry ' Drank the Waters of the Brook ' Beasts only now on Acorns seed ' And drink the Waters of the Brook ' And thus when you at last shall feel ' How pleasant 't is beneath a shade 'To sit and talk with one you love Then Sylvia you 'll repent and cry Ah fool I never lov'd till now You 'll throw away your Arrows break your Bow And curse the minutes you have lost Change foolish Creature change your thought And be not constant to a Crime Sylvia When I sit and task of Love Dogs shall be afraid of Hares Wolves of Lambs and Streams return To the Fountains whence they rose Bears shall then the Forests leave And Dolphins dance about the Plains Daphne I know your pride for I was once Wild and obstinate like you ' I was then as fair my Locks ' As white as yours my Lips as red ' Such Roses and such Lillies grac'd ' My Cheeks as flourish now on yours 'T was then so stupid was my taste ' The darling pleasure of my life 'To set my Lime-twigs lay my Nets ' And laugh as often as I saw ' The Birds entangled in my Snares I then delighted in the Chace And scorn'd with savage modesty The Shepherds whom my Charms had conquer'd I was then so far unjust As once to think it cause enough To hate 'em for their loving me And pleasing them displeas'd my self But oh what will not time effect What will not services and sighs Desert entreaties truth and tears What Sylvia will not