Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A27302
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Love letters between Polydorus, the Gothick king, and Messalina, late Queen of Albion
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Behn, Aphra, 1640-1689.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing B1743; ESTC R28905
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14,573
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40
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every chooser they would give that we should niggardly our selves confine to one and that perhaps misguided choice oh no my lovely Queen let 's pluck and Eat was the opinion of our first wise Parents Let not thy Roses that with beauteous sweetness lift up their blushing Cheeks as if asham'd to hang so long neglected on their yielding Branches fall murmuring as 't were to the ground and pine away to melancholly paleness think that one hour thou losest now of Life carries an Age of Youth and Beauty with it Time on the foolish and deformed sometimes may be said justly to attend and wait but Beauty Youth and Wit have no spare hours each minute with a hasty soot steps on and leaves the unwary gazer in confusion Let 's then my lovely Queen in time repent let 's not provoke the angry Boy too long those Darts which hitherto he Shot were dip't in Juice of fresh pluck'd Roses fragrant Oyntments if there which easie fly do fail to warn us let 's beware his deadly Poyson'd shafts stand ready bent and fixt for fatal Execution Come let me fly then to thy out spread Arms let me embrace thy tender Snowy Limbs Oh! let me Suck that Balmy Cordial Breath kiss kiss thy rolling Dying Eyes and ravish all thy Beauties Come let me print young Cupids on thy Lips and Kiss them into Life and warm perfection Oh the Transporting Joys Oh extasy of happiness If such the thoughts so killing be the dreams of what my panting soul longs to enjoy how shall I bear the essence of my joys The substance will orewhelm my fainting Spirits if thus the fleating shadows can transport No do not do not grant frown storm complain and call whole Troops of armed virtues to thy guard Tell me of honour gratitude civility and thunder loudly in my ears threaten disdain scorn and dire revenge if ever I attempt nay ask it of thee do this and more and think too thou art kind for sure the joy must needs be more than Sensible Man can bear But oh the weak resolves and poor designs of Hearts bound up in magick Chains of Love were but thy lovely Arms once spread did but thy wishing eyes with one dear languet call thy Polydorus to thy Breast Were Serpents basilisks Mountains of Fire or fury 's with their grizly looks between and dar'd to interpose and stop my ready passage to my Queen Gods with what fury would I cut along Arm'd with powerful Love would meteor like glide through their thickest fury No no my Princess I did vainly rave 't was lovesick folly if thou would'st have thy Polydorus live look with compassion on his wounded Heart and gently breath new life into his almost cold desparing Soul warm now with gentle fires his Dying Spirits and think it not the least of all thy glory 's if in the counting up thy numerous conquests thou canst with unexampled pride relate the gift of Life and happiness to mighty Polydorus The Twelfth Letter Messalina to Polydorus WHAT shall I do thou Universal Conquerour whether shall I retire to hide me from the danger of thy all powerful Love oh thou subtile invincible deceiver of our Sex By what strange magick is't thou thus do'st draw even the most wary nice resisting hearts with within the plainly dangerous Circle of thy alluring Tongue oh Virtue Conscience Duty now defend me come now Exert your utmost power and force for less than your united strength will ne're repel those vigorous attacques are made against me No no alas my Feeble Panting Heart proves me already more than half o'recome and though some Sparks of innate Courage yet remain which vainly would support and prompt my fainting Spirits yet Fate and Godlike Polydorus Charms which never sure knew pitty or repulse come thronging into my forsaken Breast rifling each corner with a Covetous Pride and lead my now defenceless Heart in Triumph Yes yes Great Conquerour I see thy power and now can wonder at my own Resistance now I can see thy Dear commanding Charms thy winning Graces now I can hear and with Emphatick skill distinguish each accent of thy sweet Harmonious voice now I can stand and with amazing silence hearken to the persuasive Rhetorick of thy Tongue each look each word and action new supply fresh matter to my Love and Admiration now I can Smile and pitty those poor Hearts who with all heat and eagerness pursue and toil for the dull fading toys and pleasures of Riches Popular applause and Glory Ah poor mistaken wretches did they but know those worlds of pleasures I in Love enjoy how soon they 'd quit those weak unworthy trifles which they as drowning men catch hold of Straws with blind destructive zeal pursue and strive with eagerness to grasp the solid never-failing Rocks of Love and Pleasure Yes Polydorus I am grown a wonderful proficient in thy Art thy generous Rules do so convince and move have had so powerful an influence o're my Soul that I can now with pleasure hear thee plead and teach the wondrous precepts of all knowing Love I now without a groan or figh can hear a doleful tale of Kingdoms lost and Kings Dethron'd unmov'd I stand when some State Polititian needs will tell of Tumults Rebels Wars and Revolutions alas all these stand on the slippery precipice of Fate or chance and since without our power why should we grieve 'T is true good manners and Civility exact my wishes for Lycogenes the Gods themselves can witness how my Prayers go up with equal zeal for him as me but yet kind Nature wisely did ordain self preservation always should take place and since the circumstances of my Fate deny all other Succour than my vows and Prayers the World can never dare condemn that care Nature and Providence allow and teach I take to mitigate the smart and pain of my almost incurable misfortunes yes this alone might well be thought a Plea sufficient even for an erring faulty Love but when I think I only make returns poor as they are to the Divine unvalluable passion of Godlike Polydorus my Love seems then to claim Regeneration is Sanctified and rises free from all impure contraminations Take then my Heart thou only brave great man take to thy self that Heart which Fate by a thousand signal circumstances has declared was from the first design'd for thee and thee alone and surely thou dost best deserve that treasure who best know'st how to value it 'T is true I had even from my own Lycogenes something of zealous formal Reverence a blind obedience whensoe're I call'd he with all Dutiful submission paid but yet methought 't was such a timerous zeal as Servants pay to their commanding Lords my haughty Geniu foro'd a just compliance but yet it look'd like Duty more than Love and where the payment is but just our due there 's left but little Room for thanks or Praise Beauty like puny Stomachs should be brib'd with Picquant Sauces and provocatives nor should they ever wait the leavy motions of distant Cooks and tedious preparations Loves Squeamâ—sh appetite will quickly Pall and therefore my little Cambrian Prince just now attends me and by a seeming Providence comes in to interrupt my farther raving Oh Polydorus Oh wretched Messalina FINIS
Virtue did not stand and bid defiance to thy utmost force deaf to the harmonious Musick of thy Tongue and blind to all thy glittering persections rest then my Polydorus rest content and let my watchful Ears which by thy busie tempting Charms are forc'd to wake have rest and think that Fate alone with-holds all thou canst hope or wish for from Messalina Postscript I receiv'd just now Letters from rebellious Albion which by Tomazo I have herewith sent that you may better understand and judge of my Affairs there All things go on with a high hand and without speedy Assistance I fear will grow desperate Poor Lycogenes is much perplext for fear Latroon should be over-reach'd by the christian Grandees of Iberia If I have any power with Polydorus I would wish to have the Affair of Iberia dispatch'd with all speed The tenth Letter Polydorus to Messalina WHat means my lovely Messalina thus to start and what is this amazing cause of her displeasure what new affrightning tidings have disturb'd her Ears or what foul gastly sight has thus surprized her tell me thou dear tormentor of my Soul what strange and wondrous accident has thus provok'd thy zealous Exclaimations When first I read those dear but cruel lines all fragrant with the fresh Impression of thy hand I thought no less then Murders Rapes and Villainys unheard of could so extort and raise thy fatal Indignation each word rais'd Terrour in my guilty Soul and every line seem'd to have born the dreadful visage of my Executioner At length my recollected Senses made me look and mark examine call and ask where is this bold Usurper Villain Ravisher what impious Intruder can this be that dares presume to assault the well-known guarded Breast of my almighty Queen These cruel Messalina were my Thoughts my sad Expostulation till running with my eager Eye along I soon perceiv'd too sooon alas I found unhappy Polydorus was the man whom you had thus mark'd out with signs of blackest Infamy Ah! cruel Tyrant Love through what ambiguous paths dost thou conduct me What strange and different methods dost thou take to oppress a heart that n'er tebell'd against thee Cruel Messalina is this then the Reward of my long-vow'd continud zealous Passion Are then my Sorrows greater than ever yet despairing Lover felt so easily become thy sport Is 't not enough thou never wouldst vouchsafe to crown my faithful Services with one poor smile That thou thus cruelly canst seek to add to the heavy weight my groaning Heart lyes under and instead of Cordials to my fainting Spirits thou pourest Poyson into my akeing Wounds and canst endure to brand the truest most sincere and loving heart with Oh! I rave to think it Ingratitude the worst of Crimes But am I cruel Queen ungrateful when I Love And is that then become a Crime in me which all that have been happy to have seen thee account a pious Zeal No mighty Nymph if 't were a crime to love thee think but what an innumerable Company of Pious gazing Slaves each look of thine would every moment Confound and Cast into the utter Regions of Perdition and 't were a Crime indeed to think those lovely Eyes and Heavenly look's which surely are the Fountains of all Life could change their wonted Natures and effect a power of killing all their humble Votaries and that come with pious Zeal to kneel before them Kind Heaven allows the meanest Wretch on Earth to come and bring his Mite of Incense with him let also thy Divinity vouchfase to accept the adorations of thy Slaves and if from any offerings they bring there 's any dare presume to a reward vouchfase thy Polydorus then to plead who brings with him a heart sincerely true and if by man thy love may be deserv'd will prove it self not most unworthy thy Protection Subscrib'd in haste Polydorus Postscript I just now receiv'd a visit from Lycogenes which he made me in order to take measures for his speedy embarquing for Iberia My lovely Queen thou canst not be insensible how the urgency of my own affairs which I havs just reason to apprehend will grow very thick and difficult upon me have put some restraint on my resolutions to have equipp'd him for a descent upon Albion though by our Ministers we are perswaded to give some way to the present brunt and form such considerable Forces in the mean time in Iberia as may speedily and effectually bring about our Designs and though the Iustice of his Cause his own Personal Valour and the formidable assistance he will have with him may justly take away all apprehension of failure yet I can never look on the complement of his designs other than the result of my adorable Queens Prayers and it were a sort of Sacriledge to question the success when so prevalent a Saint as my Royal Messalina espouseth our Cause The Eleventh Letter Polydorus to Messalina Iust after Lycogenes departure from Gaule WHY should my lovely Queen with fear and frivolous disputes thus aggravavate at least continue the sorrowful remembrance of her past misfortunes Why are those eyes where charming Cupids should disport and in their comfortable Sun-shine bask and play with Pearly melancholly showers o'rewhelm'd Why should the memory of a quite spent Storm drown all her hopes of future happy days Revive revive dear charming Saint and think the worth of these most precious drops have far out-bid all that malicious Fortune can impart Why should thy blooming Beauties fall a Sacrifice to the faint pleasures of unfortunate Lycogenes's Crown If 't is Ambition fills thy lofty Soul if Rule Dominion Empire be thy aim look on some glorious Diadem that may sit bright and easie on thy brow think of that Kingdom which the united strength of all the well-known World can scarce disturb much less subdue If numerous attendance be thy care think of that place whether all the universe do flock and with officious pomp should wait thy every Motion let not the narrow bounds of one weak barren Isle press thy capacious thoughts but think when thou hast Polydorus in thy Arms thou hast like Cleopatra once the Lord and Arbiter of even more than Caesars World why should thy lofty and unbounded Soul stoop to the mouldy prescripts of doting feeble Age or which is worse of crafty whining Priests Great Monarchs to themselves should be a Rule and virtues from their wills should have their Denominations 't is fit that poor Plebeian Souls should stoop and learn while every action of their Prince should be as an infallible director Duty Religion Conscience are but names Preach'd up to keep the otherwise Tumultuous World in order Honour a meer fantastick spright is urg'd only to hint discretion in our actions and so preserve the opinion of the busie spying world alas 't is utter Blasphemy to think the Gods should deal of pleasures â—vch infinity only for us to gaze on not to use and 't is as bad to think such multiplicity for