Ephelia

England

To One That Affronted The Excellent Eugenia.

Thing, called a Man! Ambition cheats thy Sense,
Or, thou'rt deceived with too much Impudence;
To think that Divine Creature you pursue,
Can be deserved, or merited by you:
Dare not to be so Impiously Rude,
To tax such Goodness with Ingratitude;
One Smile from her will more Obligements pay,
Than should'st thou live ten Ages, thou could'st lay.
Thou talk of Obligations! that wert framed
To make proud man of his own Sex ashamed:
When in his greatest Pride, he cast an Eye,
On thy ill Manners and Deformity;
He'll hate himself; and rather wish to be
An Ass, or Owl(1), than such a thing as thee.
Dar'st thou affront Her thou pretend'st t'adore?
That Heavenly Mortal, if she be no more;
Because to them better deserved it, she
Showed more respect, and more Civility?
You rudely must Invite her to expose
Those God-like Men, unto your barb'rous Blows;
She will not do't; not that thy Arm she fears,
Or thinks thy Valor more refined than theirs:
Tho in their Glory she designs no share,
Yet of their Honor she takes too much care,
To let 'em Fight a despicable Thing,
That when they've Conquered, can no Trophy bring.
Know, Fool too; thee she does too much contemn,
To let thee boast thou ever Fought'st with them.
To vex thee, they her Favorites shall be,
And make their Court(2) still in abusing thee:
Abusing thee! what have I vainly said?
What Nonsense unawares I've utterèd!
The harshest Satire that we can invent,
Is
Panegyric
(3), when of Thee 'tis meant.
All my Invention cannot reach a Curse,
For whatsoe'er I think, still thou art worse;
Yet I'll endeavour at One: Be't thy Fate
To live the Object of
Eugenia's
Hate.
99 Total read