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Show «88 T O Her Royal Highnefs T HE DUTCHESS MADAM, M A d B I T I O N isfo far from being a Vice in Poets, that 'tis almoft impoffib'e for them to fucceed without ir. Imagination muft be rais'd by a defire of Fame, to a Defire of pleafing : And they whom in all Ages Poets have endeavour'd molf to pleafe, have been the Beautiful and the Great- Beauty is their Deity to which they lacriike, and Greatnefs is their Guardian-Angel which protects them. Both thefe are in eminently j'oin'd in the Perfon ofyogr Royal Highnefs, that it were not eafie for any but a Poet, to determine which of them out-fhines the other. But, I confefs, Madam, I am aiieady byafs'd in m y Choice: I can eafily refign to others the Praiie of your Illuftrious Family, and thatGlory which you derive from a long continu'd Race of Princes, famous for their Actions both in Peace and War : I can give up to the Hillorians of your Countrey, the Names of fo many Generals and Heroes which crowd their Annals; and to our own, the Hopes of thofe which you aieto produce for the Britifk Chronicle. I can yield, without Envy, to the Nation of Poets, the Family of Efe, to which Arioflo andTafeb have own'd their Patronage* and to which the World hasow'd their Poems. But I could not, without extream Reluctance, refign the Theme of your Beauty to another Hand. Give m e leave, Madam, to acquaint the World that I am jealous of this Subject ; and let it be no Difhonour to You, that after having rais'd the Admiration of Mankind, You have infpir'd one M a n to give it Voice But with whatfoevcr Vanity this new Honour of being Your Poet has fill'd m y Mind, I confefs m y felf too weak for the Infpiration ; the Prieft was always unequal to the Oracle: The G o d within him was too mighty for his Breaft. Helabour'd with the Sacred Revelation, and there was more of the Myftery left behind, than Divinity it felf could enable him to exprefs. I can, but difcover a part of Your Excellencies to the World; and that too according to the meafure of my own Weaknefs. Like thofe who have furvey'd the M o o n by Glaffes, J can only tell of a new and mining World above us, but not relate the Riches and Glories ofthe Place. 'Tis therefore that I have already wav'd the Subject of your Greatnefs, to refign m y felf to the Contemplation of what is more peculiarly Yours. Greatnefs is indeed communicated to fome few of both Sexes; but Beauty is confin'd to a more narrow Compafs: 'Tis only in your Sex ; 'tis not fhar'd by many; and its Supreme Perfection is in you alone. And here, M a d a m , I am proud that I cannot flatter. You have reconcil'd the differing Judgments of Mankind - tor all Men are equal in their Judgment of what is eminently beft. The Prize of Beauty was rMphted only till you were ken; but now all Pretenders have withdrawn their Claims- There is no Competition but for the fecond Place. Even the faireft of our Ifland ( which is iamd for Beauties) not daring to commit their Caufe againft You, to the Suffrage of thofe who moil partially adore them. Fortune has, indeed, but rendered Juftice to fo much Excellence, in fetting it fo high to publick View; or rather Providence has done Juftice to it felf in placing the moft perfect Workmanfhip of Heaven, where it may be admir'd by all Beholders Had the Sun and Stars been leated lower, their Glory had not been communicated to all at once; and the Creator had wanted fo much of his Praife, as he had made Your Condi-ion more obfeure. But he has plac'd you fo near a Crown, that, you add a Luftre to it by your Beauty. You are ,o,n'd to aPnnce who only could deferve You ; whofe Conduct C o l " £ ' "h f brC e n m War»,?*°fe FidclitV «o his Royal Broker, whofe LovefThisCoun. _^f"=y«^-»31£fe£?S Sight is fo intent on the Objed of its Admiration rhflfL r V I Triumph. Our to praife You; for Language feems too low a thing o e p ^ X r & i?" • ™ _ W e n Souls are fpeak ng fo much within that rhev i f S R ir P- V Excellence; and our K»te_^S^'KsSt:JS7» V,„m l i oM»tolS,k„«.V!^ poffibiiities, . Nature of Perfection to be at-tradive ; but the Excellency of the Object rehnes the Nature of the Love It ltrikes an Im preffion of awful Reverence; *cis indeed that Love which is more properly a Zeal than Palfion: 'Tis the Rapture which Anchorites find in Prayer, when a Beam of the Divinity mines upon them ; that which makes them defpife all worldly Objects • and vet •tis all but Contemplation. They are feldom vifited from above; but a fingle'Vifionfo tranfports them, that it makes up the Happinefs of their Lives. Mortality cannot bear it often : It finds them in the eagemels and height of their Devotion; they are fpeechlefs for the time that it continues, and prolf rate and dead when it departs. The Ecftafie had need be ftrong, which, without any end, but that of Admiration, has Power enough to deftroy all other Paffions. You render Mankind inlenfible to other Beauties; and have dellroy'd the Empire of Love, in a Court which was the Seat of his Dominion. You have fiibverted ( may I dare to accufe you of it) even our Fundamental Laws, and reign abfolute over the Hearts of a ftubborn and free born People, tenacious almoft to Madnefs of their Liberty The brighter! and moft victorious of our Ladies make daily Complaints of revolted Subjects - if they may be laid to be revolted whole Servitude is not accepted; for Your Royal Highnefs is too great and too Juft a Monarch, either to want or to receive the Homage of Rebellious Fugitives. Yet if fome few among the Multitude continue fledfaft to the firft Pretentions, ti» an Obedience fo lukewarm and langullhing , that it merits not the Name of Paffion; Their Addrelfes are fo faint, and their Vows fb hollow to their Sovereigns, that they feem only to maintain their Faith out of a Senfe of Honour: They are alham'd to defift, and yet grow carelefs to obtain: Like defpairing Combatants they ftrive again!! You, as if they had beheld unveil*d the Magical Shield of your Arioflo, which dazled the Beholders with too much Brightncfs; they can no longer hold up their Arms, they have read their Deftiny in your Splende lo Scudo, a guifa Hi Piropo ; E Luce ahra non e tanto lucente: Cader in terra a lofplcndor fu a? vopo, Con gli occhi abbacinati, e feza mente. And yet, Madam, if I could find in my felf the Power to leave this Argument of YoUr In comparable Beauty, I might turn to one which would equally opprefs m e with its Greatnefs. For Your Conjugal Virtues have deferv'd to be fet as an Example to a lefs degenerate, lefs Muted Age They appioach fo near to Singularity in ours, that I can fearcely make a Pa-neevrick to Your Royal Highnefs, without a Satyr on many others: But your Perfon is a Pa.'dice, and your Soul a Cherubin within to Gua.d it. If the Excellency of the outf.de invite the Beholders, the Majefiy of your Mind deters them from too bold Approaches, and turn, heir Admiration into Religion. Moral Perfedions are rais'd higher by You in the Sex • as if M e n were of too courfe a Mould for Heaven to work on, and that the « of Divinity could not be caft to Likenefs in fo barf, a Metal. Your Perfon ,s fo ad S , chatic can fcarce receive Addition when it fhall be glorify'd; and your Soul, which i through it, finds it of a Subftance fo near her own, that fhe will bs pleas d to pals an within it and to be confin'd to fuch a Palace. . f , 'l U n o w no* ho«I am hurried back to my former Theme: !ought and purposed to have celebr«ed dvf Endowments and Qualities of Your Mind.whfch were fufhcicnt even without ceieDrat... uioic i-u ronAar\n^ as You are the Ornament of the Court, and the Ob-the Graces of the ^ ° n > <°™de. R^al nwPra£ are beat as aBul!-ru(h caft upon a Stream ; Me, confidenng <te_^_£*ti^A_____, „f ,he Delivery, or ft.« no. on a tchaen I confider what belongs to my lew, wneii i - ^ intituling fo much Excellency as Be pleas'd then, I ladam to [^^J£ *£ f^™dinLd of being favourable s^^ °f the Audwr'who iS} wich all poflible Veneration. Tour ROTAL HIGHNESS Moft Obedient, Mcfi Hilrhh'.. Moft Drvbtrf Servant, John Drydcn. The |