Dublin, August 20,
1733
JONATHAN SWIFT.
I
Am always pleas'd with any attempts of this nature among my own sex;
and
could be glad if the exercise of our heads were a little more in
fashion:
[6]
since it too often happens, that this is the only uncultivated part
about us. But custom, and (what is more discouraging) the lords over
us,
determine against us, and we must do as our neightbours and they would
have us, no matter whether right or wrong. I can't help making an
observation here, greatly to the author's honour, that throughout her
whole book, I don't remember to have met with one immodest expression;
nor, what is more remarkable, a word of that passion which has made so
many female poets; I mean love. Whenever I meet with a sister in print,
I always expect to hear that
Corydon
has prov'd false; or that
Sylvia's
cruel parents have had prudence enough to keep two mad people from
playing the fool together, for life. I've often wish'd, for the honour
of our sex, that these subjects had been exhausted seventeen hundred
years ago; but am afraid that seventeen hundred years hence, we shall
have the same fame as false
Corydon's,
and the same complaining
Sylvia's.
'Tis pity, that this passion alone should set us to rhyming. The
subject is so beaten, that it cannot possibly afford us any thing new;
and probatly that's one reason, why we so seldom succeed in our
poetical
excursions. There is, however, one affection I cannot but admire in
this
authoress; and that is, her excess of gratitude to all those by whom
she
has been any way obliged.
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20]
S
I N C E R I T Y : A P o e m.
Occasion'd by a Friend's resenting some Advice I
gave.
I.
Sincerity, what are
thy views?
No more my breast attend.
By thee, alas! we often lose,
But seldom gain a friend.
II.
No more with
dang’rous zeal presume
To warn whom you esteem:
Be wise, or I foresee your doom;
Impertinence you’ll
seem.
III.
A thousand ills
from thee I’ve found;
A thousand more I fear.
In worlds like this, should you abound?
What business have you here?
IV.
But if you still
must haunt my breast,
To desarts we’ll
repair;
Or seek the mansions of the
blest;
They
know your value there.
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25]
[26]
[27]
[28]
A Letter for my
Son
to one of his School-
fellows, Son to Henry Rose, Esq;
Dear
Rose, as I lately was writing some
verse,
Which I next day intended in school to rehearse,
My Mother came in, and I thought she’d run wild:
“This Mr.
Mackmullen has
ruin’d my child:
He uses me ill, and the world shall know it;
I sent you to Latin, he makes you a Poet:
A fine way of training a shopkeeper’s son!
‘Twould better become him to teach you to
dun
:
Let him teach both his wit and his rhyming, to
Rose;
And give you some lessons to help to sell clothes:
He’ll have an estate, and ‘twill do very well,
That he, like his father, in arts should excel;
But for you, if your father will take my advice,
He’ll send you no more, till he lowers his price:
A
guinea a quarter! ‘tis monstrously dear! –
You might learn to
dance for
four guineas a year:
Then, Sir, tell your Master, that these are hard times;
And paper’s too dear to be wasted in rhymes:
I’ll teach you a way of employing it better;
As, July
the fifteenth, Lord
Levington
debtor:
You may rhyme till you’re blind, what arises from thence?
But
debtor and and
creditor brings in the
pence :
Those beggarly muses but come for a curse;
But give me the wit, that puts gold in the purse.”
[29]
From what she
then told me, I plainly discern,
What different lessons we
scholars must
learn.
You’re happy, dear
Rose, for
as far as I find,
You’ve nothing to do, but embellish your mind.
What different tasks are assign’d us by fate!
'Tis yours to
become, mine to
get an estate.
Then,
Rose, mind your
learning, whatever you do;
For I have the easier task of the two.
***********************************************************************
[30]
[31]
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[45]
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[51]
[52]
P O E M S
B Y
Mrs. A P H R A B E H
N
[53]
Mrs.
B E H N,
Was
descended from a good family in the city of Canterbury. She was born in the
reign of Charles the
First, but in what year is not known. Her father's name was Johnson, whose relation to Lord Willoughby engaged him for the sake
of the post of Lietuenant General of Surinam
and the thirty six islands, to undertake a voyage with his whole family
to the West-Indies, at which
time our Poetess was very young. Mr. Johnson
died at sea, but his family arrived at Surinam.
Here our Poetess became acquainted with the story and person of the
American Prince Oroonoko,
whose adventures she so feelingly and elegantly described in the
celebrated novel of that name, upon which Mr. Southern has built his Tragedy of
Oroonoko. Her intimacy with Oroonoko was so remarkable as even
to occasion some reflections on her character, which is vindicated in
the account of her life written by a female friend, and prefixed to her
Novels.
After some stay at Surinam,
our Poetess returned to London,
and was married to Mr. Behn,
a merchant there, but of Dutch
extraction. This marriage gave her an opportunity of appearing with
advantage at court; where she was so well received,
[54]
that she was even thought a proper person to be intrusted with
tehmanagement of some important affairs during the
Dutch war, which occasioned her
going into
Flanders and
residing at
Antwerp. Here by
means of a political intrigue with a
Dutchman,
whom her life-writer calls
Vander
Albert, she discovered the design formed by the
Dutch, of sailing up the river
Thames, and buring the
English ships in their harbours,
which she communicated to the court of
England;
but her intelligence, though well grounded, as appeared by the event,
being only laughted at and slighted, she laid aside all further
thoughts
of state-affairs, and amused herself during her stay at
Antwerp with the gallantries of
that
city.
The account that she herself gives of her adventures
there is very humourous. In a letter to a friend she writes thus, "My
other lover is about twice
Albert's
age, nay and bulk too, tho'
Albert
be not the most
Barbary shape
you have seen, you must know him by the name of
Van Bruin; he was introduced to me
by
Albert his kinsman, and
was obliged by him to furnish me in his absence with what money and
other things I should please to command, or have occasion for. This old
fellow had not visited me often, before I began to be sensible of the
influence of my eyes upon this old piece of touchwood; but he had not
confidence to tell me he loved me, and modesty you know is no common
fault of his countrymen. He often insinuated that he knew a
[55]
man of substance, thought stricken indeed in years, who was
passionately in love with me, and desired to know whether my heart was
so far engaged, that his friend should not entertain any hopes. I
replied that I was surpised to hear a friend of
Albert's making an interest in me
for another, and that if love were a passion I was any way sensible of,
it could never be for an old man. But all this would not do, in a day
or
two I received this eloquent epistle from him." Here Mrs.
Behn inserts a translation of
Van Bruin's letter, which was
written in a most ridiculous stile, telling her he had often strove to
reveal to her the tempest of his heart, and with his own mouth scale
the
walls of her affections; but terrified with the strength of her
fortifications, he concluded to make more regular approaches, to attack
her at a farther distance, and try first what a bombardment of letters
would do; whether these carcasses of love thrown into the sconces of
her
eyes, would break into the midst of her breast, beat down the outguard
of her aversion, and blow up the magazine of her cruelty, that she
might
be brought to a capitulation, and yield upon reasonable terms.--He then
considers her as a goodly ship under sail for the
Indies; her hair is the penants,
her forehead the prow, her eyes the guns, her nose the rudder. He
wishes
he could once see her keel above water, and desires to be her pilot, to
steer through the
Cape of Good
Hope,
to the
Indies of Love.
Our ingenious Poetess sent him a suitable answer
[56]
to this truly ridiculous and
Dutchman-like
epistle. She rallies him for setting out in so unprofitable a voyage as
love, and humourously reckons up the expences of the voyage; as
ribbons,
and hoods for her penants, diamond rings, lockets, and pearl necklaces
for her guns of offence and defense, silks, holland, lawn, cambric,
&c. for her rigging.
Mrs.
Behn
tells us she diverted herself with
Van
Bruin in
Albert's
absence, till he began to be troublesome, so that to rid herself of
him,
she was forced to disclose the whole affair to
Albert, who was so enraged that he
threatened the death of his rival, but he was pacified by his mistress,
and content to upbraid the other for his treachery, and forbid him the
house; but this, says Mrs.
Behn,
"produced a very droll scene, for my
Nestorian
lover would not give ground to
Albert,
but challenged him to snicker-snee for me, and a thousand things as
comical; in short, nothing but my positive command could satisfy him,
and on that he promised no more to trouble me. Sure as he thought
himself of me, he was thunder-struck when he heard me not only forbid
him the house, but ridicule all his addresses to his rival
Albert: with a countenance full of
despair, he went away not only from my lodgings, but the next day from
Antwerp."
The authoress of her life has given us farther
account of her affairs with
Albert,
in which she contrived to preserve hier honour, without injuring her
gratitude. There was a woman at
Antwerp,
who
[57]
had often warned Mrs.
Behn of
Albert's inconstancy,
assuring her
he never loved after enjoyment, and sometimes changed even before; of
which she herself was an instance;
Albert
having married her, and deserted her on the wedding-night. Our Poetess
took the opportunity of her acquaintance with this lady to put an
honest
trick upon her lover, and at the same time do justice to an injured
woman. Accordingly she made an appointment with
Albert and contrived that the lady,
whose name was
Catalina,
should meet him in her stead. The plot succeeded, and
Catalina, infinitely pleased with
the adventure, appointed the next night, and the following, till at
last
he discovered the cheat, and resolved to gratify both his love and
resentment, by enjoying Mrs.
Behn
even against her will. To this purpose he bribed an elderly woman, whom
Mrs.
Behn kept out of
charity,
to put him to bed drest in her night-cloaths in her place, when Mrs.
Behn was passing the evening in a
merchant's house in the town. The merchant's son and his two daughters
waited on her home; and to conclude the evening's mirth with a frolick,
the young gentleman proposed going to bed to the old woman, and that
they should all come in with candles, and surprise them togther. As it
was agreed, so they did, but no sooner was the young spark put to bed,
but he found himself accosted with ardour, and a man's voice, saying,
"Have I now caught thee, thou malicious charmer! now I'll not let thee
go till thou hast done me justice for all the
[58]
wrongs thou hast offered my doating love." The rest of the company were
extremely surprised to find
Albert
in Mrs.
Behn's bed instead of
the old woman, and
Albert no
less surprised to find the young spark instead of Mrs.
Behn. In the conclusion, the old
woman was discarded, and
Albert's
fury at his disappointment appeased by a promise from Mrs.
Behn, of marrying him at his
arrival in
England; but
Albert returning to
Holland to make preparations for
his
voyage to
England, died of a
fever at
Amsterdam.
Mrs. Behn, after passing some time in this manner at
Antwerp, returned to
London, where she dedicated the
rest of her life to pleasure and poetry. Besides her miscellaneous
pieces in verse, she wrote seventeen plays, and some histories and
novels. Her wit gained her the esteem of Mr.
Dryden, Mr.
Southern, &c. and at the same
time the love and addresses of several gentlemen; among whome she was
very fond of one, with whom she corresponded under the name of
Lycidas, but who, it seems, did not
return her passion with equal warmth.
Mrs.
Behn
died
April 16, 1689, and was
buried in the cloister of
Westminster-Abby;
and over her, on a small square stone, is engraved the following
Epitaph:
Mrs. APHRA BEHN died
April 1689.
Here lies a proof that wit can
never be
Defence enough against
mortality.
Great Poetess, O! thy stupendous
lays,
The world admires, and the Muses
praise.
[59]
[60]
[61]
[62]
[63]
[64]
[65]
[66]
"Love
when he shoots abroad his darts,
"Regards not where they light:
"The
aged to the youthful hearts
"At random they unite.
[67]
"The
soft unbearded youth, who never found
"The charms in any blooming
face,
"From one of fifty takes the
wound,
"And
eagerly
pursues the cunning chase:
"While she an
arted youth puts on;
"Softens
her voice, and languishes her eyes;
"Affects the dress, the
mien, the tone,
"Assumes
the noisy wit, and ceases to be wise;
"The
tender maid to the rough warrior yields;
"Unfrighted at his wounds
and
scars,
"Pursues him through the
camps
and fields,
"And
courts the story of his dangerous wars,
"With
pleasures hears his scapes, and does not fail,
"To
pay him with a joy for every tale.
"The fair young bigot, full of love and
prayer,
"Doats
on the lewd and careless libertine:
"The
thinking stateman fumbles with the player,
"And dearly buys the (barely
wishing) sin.
"The
peer with some mean damsel of the trade,
"Expensive,
common, ugly and decay’d:
"The
gay young ‘squire, on the
blouz’d
laundry-maid.
"All
things in heaven, in earth, and sea,
"Love gives his laws unto;
"Tho’
under different objects, they
"Alike obey, and bow;
"Sometimes
to be reveng’d on those,
"Whose beauty makes ’em proudly
nice,
"He
does a flame on them impose,
"To some unworthy choice.
[68]
"Thus
rarely equal hearts in love you’ll find,
"Which
makes ‘em still present the God as blind.”
Whilst thus he spake, my wondering eyes were staid
With
a profound attention on a maid!
Upon
whose smiles the Graces did a-wait,
And
all the Beauties round about her sate;
Officious
Cupids do her eyes obey,
Sharp’ning
their darts from ev’ry conquering ray:
Some
from her smiles they point with soft desires,
Whilst
others from her motion take their fires;
Some
the embroider’d vail and train do bear,
And
some around her fan the gentle air;
Whilst
others flying, scatter fragrant show’rs,
And
strew the paths she treads with painted flow’rs,
The
rest are all employ’d to dress her
bow’rs;
While
she does all, the smiling Gods caress,
And they new attributes receive from each
address.
[69]
[70]
[71]
[72]
[73]
[74]
[75]
[76]
[77]
[78]
[79]
[80]
[81]
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[83]
H
O P E.
"
'Tis wondrous
populous from the excess,
"Of persons from all parts that
thither press;
"One side of this magnifick city
stands,
"On a foundation of unfaithful
sands;
[84]
"Which oftentimes the glorious
load destroys,
"Which long designing was with
pomp
and noise;
"The other parts well founded,
neat and strong,
"Less beautiful, less business,
and less
throng.
" 'Tis built upon a river’s bank,
whose clear
"And murmuring glide delights the
eye and ear."
[85]
[86]
[87]
[88]
[89]
[90]
[91]
[92]
T
h e C i t y o f D I S C R E T I O N.
"The houses there retir'd in
gardens are,
"And all is done with little noise,
"One seldom sees assemblies
there,
"Or publick shews for grief
or joys.
"One rarely walks but in the night,
"And most endeavour to avoid the light.
"There the whole world their
bus'ness carry,
"Without or confidant, or secretary:
"One still is under great constraint,
"Must always suffer, but ne'er make complaint;
"'Tis there the dumb and silent languishes
"Are born, which can so well explain the heart:
"Which without speaking can so much express,
"And secrets to the soul the nearest way impart
"Language, which prettily persuades belief;
"Whose silent eloquence obliges joy or grief."
This city's call'd
Discretion,
being the name
Of her that is lieutenant of the same,
And sister to Respect; a lady who
Seldom obtains a conquest at first view;
But in repeated visits one shall find
Sufficient charms of beauty and of mind:
Her vigorous piercing eyes can, when they please,
Make themselves lov'd, and understood with ease.
Not too severe, but yet reserv'd and wise,
And her address is full of
subtilties;
[93]
Which, upon all occasions, serves
her turn
T'express her kindness, and to hide her scorn;
'Twas here
Aminta liv'd, and
here I paid
My constant visits to the lovely maid.
With mighty force upon my soul I strove
To hide the sentiments of my raging love.
All that I spoke did but indifferent seem,
Or went no higher than a great esteem.
But 'twas not long my passion I conceal'd,
My flame, in spight of me, itself reveal'd.
T h
e s i l e n t C O N F E S S I O N .
"And
tho' I do not speak, alas,
"My eyes and sighs too much do say!
"And pale and languishing my face,
"The torments of my
soul betray;
"They the sad story
do unfold,
"Love cannot his own
secrets hold;
"And though fear ties my tongue, Respect my eyes,
"Yet something will
disclose the pain;
"Which breaking out
throws off disguise,
"Reproaches her with
cruelties;
"Which she augments by new disdain;
" ----Where e'er she
be, I still am there;
"Whate'er she do, I
that prefer;
"In spight of all my strength, at her approach,
"I tremble with a sight or touch;
[94]
"Paleness or blushes do my face surprize,
"If mine by chance meet her encountering
eyes;
"'Twas thus she learn'd my weakness and
her pow'r;
"And knew too well she was my conqueror."
And now----
Her eyes no more their wonted
smiles afford,
But grew more fierce the more they were ador'd;
The marks of her
esteem, which heretofore
Rais'd my aspiring flame, oblige no more;
She calls up all her pride to her defence,
And as a crime condemns my just pretence;
Me from her presence does in fury chace;
No supplications
can
my doom reverse;
And vainly certain of her victory,
Retir'd into the Den of Cruelty.
[95]
[96]
T
h e R I V E R o f D E S P A I R
.
"It’s torrent
has no other source,
"But tears from dying lovers eyes;
"Which mix’d with sighs precipitate its course,
"Soft'ning the senseless rocks in gliding by;
"Whose
doleful murmurs have such eloquence,
"That even the neighbouring trees and flow'rs have pitying
sense;
"And Cruelty alone knows in what fort,
"Against the moving sound to make a defence,
"Who laughs at all despair and death as sport."
A dismal wood the river's banks do bear,
Securing even the day from entering there;
The sun’s bright rays a passage cannot find,
Whose boughs make constant war against the wind;
Yet through their leaves glimmers a sullen light,
Which renders all below more terrible than night,
And
shews
upon
the bark of every tree
Sad stories carv’d of Love and Cruelty;
The grove is fill’d with sighs, with cries and groans,
Reproaches and complaints in dying moans;
The neighbouring echoes nothing do repeat,
But what the soul sends forth with sad regret;
And all things there no other murmurs
make,
But what from language full of death they take.
'Twas in this place despairing e'er
to free
Aminta from the arms of
Cruelty,
[97]
That I design'd to render up my
breath,
And charge the cruel charmer with my death.
[98]
[99]
[100]
[101]
[102]
[103]
[104]
[105]
"
A
Lady lovely with a charming mien,
"Gay, frank, and open, and an air serene;
"In every look she does her soul impart,
"With ease one reads the sentiments of her heart;
"Her humour generous and her language free,
"And all her conversation graceful liberty:
"Her villa is youth’s general rendezvous,
"Where in delightful gardens, winding groves,
"The happy lovers dwell with secrecy,
"Uninterrupted by fond jealousy:
" 'Tis there with innocence, they do and say
"A thousand things to pass the short-lived day:
"There free from censuring spies, they entertain,
"And pleasures taste, unintermix’d with pain."
‘Tis there we see what most we do adore,
And yet we
languish
to discover more.
Hard fate of lovers, who are ne’er content
In an estate so blessed, and innocent.
But still press forward, urg'd by soft desires
To joy that oft extinguishes their fires;
In this degree I found a happiness,
Which naught but wishing more cou'd render less.
I saw
Aminta
here
without controul,
And told her all the secrets of my soul;
Whilst she t’express her height of
amity,
Communicated all her thoughts to me.
[106]
[107]
[108]
[109]
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The
P E N I T E N T
I.
“WITH
rigour arm yourself (I cry’d)
“It is but just and fit;
“I merit all this treatment from your pride,
“All the reproaches of your wit;
“Put on the cruel tyrant as you will;
“But know my tender heart adores you still.
[120]
II.
“And yet that
heart has murmur’d too,
“And been so insolent to let you know
“It did complain, and rave, and rail’d at you;
“Yet all the while by every God I swear
“By every pow’r pitying the wretched here;
“By all those charms that disengage
“My soul from the extreeas of rage;
“By all the arts you have to save and kill,
“My faithful tender heart adores you still.
III.
“But oh you shou’d excuse my soft
complaint,
“Even my wild ravings too prefer
“I sigh, I burn, I weep, I faint,
“And vent my passions to the air;
“Whilst all my torment, all my care
“Serves but to make you put new graces on,
“You laugh and rally my despair,
“Which to my rivals renders you more fair;
“And but the more confirms my being undone:
“Sport with my pain as gaily as you will,
“My fond, my tender heart adores you still.”
My differing passions thus did never cease
Till they had touch’d her soul with tenderness;
[121]
My rivals now are banish’d by
degrees,
And with ‘em all my fears and jealousies,
And all advanc’d as if design’d to please.
In this vast isle a famous city
stands,
Who for its beauty all the rest commands,
Built to delight the wondering gazer’s eyes,
Of all the world the great metropolis.
Called by LOVE’s name; and here the charming
God,
When he retires to pleasure, makes abode;
‘Tis here both art and nature strive to shew
What pride, expence, and luxury can do,
To make it ravishing and awful too:
All nations hourly thither do resort,
To add a splendor to this glorious court;
The young, the old, the witty, and the wise,
The fair, the ugly, lavish, and precise;
Cowards and brave, the modest, and the loud,
Promiscuously are blended in the crowd.
From distant shores young kings their courts remove,
To pay their homage to the God of Love,
Where all their sacred awful majesty,
Their boasted and their fond divinity;
Lose their vast force; as lesser lights are
hid,
When the fierce
God of day his beauties spread.
The wondering world for Gods did Kings adore,
Till Love confirm’d them mortal by his pow’r;
[122]
And in Love’s court do with their
vassals live,
Without or homage or prerogative:
Which the young God not only
blind must shew
But as defective in his judgement too.
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[150]
Love in fantastic
triumph sat,
Whilst bleeding hearts around him flowed,
For whom fresh pains he did
create,
And strange tyrannic power he shewed;
From thy bright eyes he took his fire,
Which round about, in sport he hurled;
But 'twas from mine, he took desire
Enough to undo the amorous world.
From me he took his sighs and tears,
From thee his pride and cruelty;
From me his
languishments and fears,
And every
killing dart from thee;
Thus thou and I the God have armed,
And set him up a Deity;
But my poor heart alone is harmed,
Whilst thine the victor is, and free.
[151]
[152]
[153]
[154]
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S O N G.[1]
On Her Loving Two
Equally.
I.
HOW strongly does my passion
flow,
Divided equally 'twixt two?
Damon had ne'er subdu'd
my heart,
Had not Alexis took his part;
Nor cou'd Alexis pow'rful
prove,
Without my Damon's aid, to
gain my love.
II.
When my Alexis present is,
Then I for Damon sigh and
mourn
But when Alexis I do miss,
Damon gains nothing but
my scorn.
But if it chance they both are by,
For both alike I languish, sigh, and die.
III
Cure then, thou mighty winged
God,
This restless fever in my blood;
One golden-pointed dart take back:
But which, O Cupid, wilt thou
take?
If Damon, all my hopes are
crost;
Or that of my Alexis, I am
lost.
************************************************************
[156]
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[161]
[162]
[163]
[164]
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[168]
[169]
[170]
[171]
P O E M S
B Y
Miss E L I Z A C A R T E
R
[172]
Miss E L I Z A
C A R T E R
Daughter of the Rev. Dr. CARTER of
Deal, in Kent, is now living; and is
remarkable for her knowldge of the antient and modern languages, as
well
as the several branches of philosophy. This Lady is no less famous for
her refined taste, and excellent talent in poetry: as will appear from
the following little pieces, which are all her modesty has ever
suffered
to be made public.
[173]
[174]
[175]
[176]
[177]
[178]
[179]
P O E M S
B Y
Lady C H U D L E I G H
[180]
Lady C H U D L
E I G H
Was born in the
monght of August, anno 1656,
and was the daughter of Richard
Lee,
of Winslade, in the county of
Devon, Esq; She was
acquainted with
no other language than her native tongue; but her love of books, and
great capacity, enabled her to make a considerable figure among the
Literati of her time.
She was married to Sir George Chudleigh, of Ashton, in the county of Devon, Bart. by whom she had issue
Eliza Maria, and George, who succeeded to the title
and estate, Thomas and
others.
She wrote several things besides those of her works
in print, which are carefully preserved in the family. The long poem
here printed, under the title of The
Ladies Defence, in a dialogue between Sir John Brute, &c. has gone
through several editions, and was occasioned by an angry sermon
preached
against the fair sex.
This short account of Lady Chudleigh is extracted from a much
larger of the ingenious Mr. Ballard,
published in his entertaining Memoirs
of Learned Ladies.
[181]
P O E M S
B Y
Lady C H U D L E I G H
To the L A D I E S.[1] [2]
Wife and servant are the same,
But only differ in the name:
For when the
fatal knot is ty'd,
Which nothing, nothing can divide,
When she the word obey has said,
And man by law supreme has made,
Then all that’s kind is laid aside,
And nothing left but state and pride:
Fierce as an eastern prince he grows,
And all his innate
rigour shows:
Then but to look, to laugh, or speak,
Will the nuptial contract break.
Like mutes, she signs alone must make,
And never any freedom take:
But still be governed by a nod,
And fear her husband as a god:
Him still must serve, him still obey,
And nothing act, and nothing say,
But what her haughty lord thinks fit,
Who, with the power, has all the wit.
Then shun, oh!
shun that wretched state,
And all the
fawning flatt'rers hate.
Value yourselves, and men despise:
You must be proud, if you’ll be wise.
[182]
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[204]
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[209]
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[213]
[214]
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[216]
[217]
[218]
[219]
[220]
[221]
[222]
[223]
[224]
[225]
[226]
[227]
P O E M S
B Y
Mrs. C O C K B U R N
[228]
Mrs. C O C K B
U R N
Was
the youngest daughter of Capt. David
Trotter, a Scots
gentleman, and commander in the royal navy, in the reign of Charles II. and of Mrs. Sarah Ballenden, who was nearly
related to the illustrious families of Maitland,
Duke of Lauderdale, and Drummond, Earl of Perth.
She was born at London
on the 16th of August, 1679.
She gave early marks of her genius, and brought a tragedy on the stage
with great applause by her 17th year, which, with three others and a
comedy, compose all her dramatic works.
But poetry and dramatic writings were not the main
objects of this Lady's attention, which was chiefly employ'd on
religion
and philosophy. In May 1702, she publish'd a Defence of Mr. Locke's Essay on Human
Understanding, against some remarks published in 1697, for which she
received the thanks of Mr. Locke.
In 1726-7, she publish'd a Letter to Dr. Holdsworth, of Oxford, occasioned by a sermon
reflecting on Mr. Locke; and,
in 1747, a Vindication of Dr. S.
Clarke against Dr. Rutherforth.
Mrs. Cockburn
wrote many other discourses on serious and important subjects, but has
left behind her very few poems.
She was married to the Rev. Mr. Cockburn in the year 1708, and died
on the 11th of May, 1749, in
the 71st year of her age.
[229]
[230]
[231]
[232]
[233]
[234]
[235]
[236]
[237]
[238]
[239]
P O E M S
B Y
Mrs. C O N S T A N T I A G R I E R S O
N
[240]
Mrs. CONSTANTIA
GRIERSON
of Kilkenny, in
Ireland,
Was a most excellent scholar, not only in Greek and Roman literature, but in history,
divinity, philosophy, and mathematics: and what makes her character the
more remarkable is, that she died so early as the age of 27, and that
she acquired this great learning merely by the force of her own genius,
and continual application.
She gave proof of her knowledge in the Latin tongue by her dedication of
the Dublin edition of Tacitus to the Lord Carteret, and by that of Terence to his son, to whom she
likewise wrote a Greek
epigram.
She also wrote several poems in English;
but of these there are not extant, except a few dispersed up and down
Mrs. Barber's volume of
poems,
and two pieces published by Mrs. Pilkington,
with all which we have here presented our readers.
[241]
[242]
[243]
[244]
[245]
[246]
[247]
[248]
[249]
[250]
[251]
[252]
[253]
P O E M S
B Y
Mrs. M A R Y J O N E S
[254]
Mrs. M A R Y
J O N E S
Is
the daughter of the late Mr. Oliver
Jones, of Oxford. She
is now living; and the reader will readily agree that Oxford is deservedly called the
SEAT
of the MUSES whilst this ingenious LADY resides there.
Her
uncommon merit early recommended her to the notice of the polite world;
and she has the honour of the friendship and acquaintance of
HER
ROYAL HIGHNESS the PRINCESS
OF
ORANGE; as well as an intimacy with many of our English Nobility. To her Poems she
has added a Collection of Letters, chiefly to the Honourable Miss Lovelace; in all which there
appears a genteel familiarity, and great vivacity both of stile and
sentiment.
[255]
[256]
[257]
[258]
[259]
[260]
[261]
[262]
[263]
[264]
[265]
[266]
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[269]
[270]
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[279]
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[281]
[282]
[283]
***************************************************************************
To Mrs. C L A Y T O N,
With a H A R E. [
1] [
2]
A
'Squire, who long had fed on ale,
(Or thick or clear, or mild or stale,
Concerns us not) a hunting goes,
Last Thursday morn’ e’er
Phoebus rose,
Headlong he rides
full
many a mile,
O’er many a hedge, and many a
stile;
Dire horror spread where’er he came,
And frighten’d all his lordship’s game:
Nay hares and foxes yet unborn
May
rue the hunting of that morn’.
A luckless hare at length pass’d by;
The dogs take scent, away they fly;
Tears and
intreaties come too late,
Poor
puss, alas! Submits to fate.
One
boon she begs before she dies,
“And pray what’s that?” the squire replies.
Only when this my house of
clay
Shall to the hounds become a prey,
(As soon, ah cruel hounds! It must)
And these sad eyes return to dust;
May this my last request be heard,
And decently my
corps interr’d
Within a concave
basket’s womb,
With this inscription on my tomb;
“To
Mrs. Clayton,
Poland
Street—
Bear me, ye
porters! While I’m
sweet.”
And now farewell what once was mine!
With pleasure I these fields resign:
Happy, if that good lady
owns
My flesh was good, and picks my bones.
[284]
[285]
[286]
[287]
[288]
[289]
[290]
[291]
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[300]
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Notes
p. 20
Randi L. Vater
Barber, "Sincerity. A Poem."
Headnote
Restoration
poet, Mary Barber, was born Mary Barter in England in 1690. As a
young woman, Barter met and married
Jonathan Barber, a clothier from Dublin, Ireland. Barber gave
birth to four children, and her
eldest son, Constantine, was the inspiration for some of her most
notable
poems, such as “Written for my Son, and Spoken by him in School, upon
his
Master’s first bringing in a Rod.”
Barber published her first poems in Dublin, but in 1728, with the help
of her patrons, the Carterets, Barber returned to England and assembled
a large
list of notable subscribers for a volume of poetry she was
publishing. It was here that Jonathan Swift became an
avid reader of Barber’s work, and she, along with other notable, female
writers
of the period, became part of the Swift-dubbed “Triumfeminate.”
Barber published her first and last
collection of poems, Poems on Several
Occasions, in 1734. After the death
of her husband, Barber moved back to Ireland to live with her son,
Constantine,
and she wrote no more poetry. Barber
died in 1757, but the legacy of her poetry would prove to live on for
centuries.
Barber’s
world revolved around her family and her writing, and she combined the
two to
function in her everyday life. Barber
claimed to write, “chiefly to form the minds of [her] children”;
however,
scholars would come to remember Barber’s poetry more for her satiric
critiques
of the sociopolitical situations in England and Ireland during the 18th
Century. Much of Barber’s poetry was
concerned with education, marriage, the plight of the impoverished
widow, and
the oppression of the Irish. However,
“Sincerity. A Poem” focuses more on the friendship between women and
their
behaviors in a world where appearances mean everything. Barber
was inspired to write this poem after
a disagreement with a friend in which Barber gave some unappreciated
advice. In this poem, Barber raises the
question of what is more important in friendship--sincerity or
decorum.
Notes to the Poem
Blest: The object of adoring or reverence, adorable, worthy to be
blessed by man (
OED) or God.
Bibliography
McCutcheon,
Elizabeth. "Teaching Comedy in Mary Barber’s Poetry." ...So
funny, they forgot to laugh: British and American
Women's Comedy, 1100-2004. Ed. Teresa Canosa and Diana Solomon.
19 Feb. 2004.
U.
of
California,
Santa Barbara.
15 March 2004.
<http://home.earthlink.net/~dianska/barber.htm>
“Biography
and Index to the Works of Mary Barber On Line.”
The
Penn
State
Archive of Women’s Poetry to 1800. Ed. Kathleen Nulton
Kemmerer. 18 May 2001.
Penn
State
U. 15 March 2004.
<http://www.hn.psu.edu/faculty/kkemmerer/women/Barber/default.htm>
p. 28
Herbert M.
Lovelace
Barber, "A Letter for my Son to one of his School-Fellows, Son to Henry
Rose, Esq."
Headnote
Mary Barber was married to Jonathan Barber, who was born in England but
became a woolen-draper in Dublin. She published several poems in
the 1720s while in Dublin, including The Widow’s Address (Dublin
1725). Through the Carterets, her patrons, she came to know Dr.
Delany, who in turn introduced her to Jonathan Swift and his friends by
1728. Swift was greatly impressed by Mrs. Barber and called her a
“poeticall Genius”.
When Mary Barber came to England in 1730, Swift
launched an elaborate campaign to promote a subscription to a
collection
of her poems. Like many books of poetry by women, money was
raised to publish their works by securing advance sales to “patrons”
who then had the honor of seeing their names in print in the
preliminary pages of the volume. A large and impressive list of
subscribers was secured including the names of Gay, Pope, Sir Robert
Walpole, and many of the nobility.
Scholars speculate that Mary’s husband died by 1733,
for no more mention is made of him. In early 1734 she was
arrested
for bringing some of Swift’s supposedly subversive manuscripts into
England but was soon released. Samuel Richardson, who was also a
subscriber, published her
Poems on
Several Occasions in 1734. Mary Barber’s health began to
fail soon afterward; she wrote little after this. Her concern
with
some of the details of daily life and the experience of parenting seems
quite contemporary. She died in 1757.
Notes on the Poem:
dun: To make
repeated and persistent demands upon, to importune;
esp. for money due. (
OED)
guinea: A
monetary unit roughly equivalent to a pound. (
OED)
pence: A quanity
or amount of money. (
OED)
scholars:
Students.
Bibliography
Barber, Mary. “A Letter For My Son To One Of His School-Fellows, Son to
Henry Rose, Esq.”
British
Literature 1640-1789: An Anthology. Ed. Robert Demaria Jr. 2nd
ed.
Malden: Blackwell, 2001. 74-75.
Lonsdale, Roger, ed.
Eighteenth
Century Woman Poets: An Oxford Anthology. New York: Oxford
UP, 1990. 118-119.
The Penn State Archives of
Women’s Poetry to 1800. Ed. Kathleen Kemmerer. 18 May
2001. Penn State University. 3 Mar 2003 <
http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/kkemmerer/18thc/women/barber>
p.
59
Teresa Schmitt
Behn, "A Voyage to the Isle of Love"
Free translation of Paul Tallemant's (1642-1713) "Le Voyage de L'isle
d'Amour."
"A Voyage to the Isle of Love" is Aphra Behn’s expanded and improved
translation from "Le Voyage de
L’Isle d’Amour" by Paul Tallemant (1642- 1713). The French
original was first printed in
Paris
in 1663 and is an
account from Lisander to his friend Lysidas about his trip to the Isle
of Love; it includes the revealing insights Lisander gained on the
nature of this feeling. Behn’s
translation was published for the first time in 1684 in her
Poems on Several Occasions (Todd
402). By 1684 Behn had been busy producing
yearly plays since her first—"The Forced Marriage"—in 1670. Her
translation of Tallemant’s work fits with her interest in depicting the
nature
of human relationships and especially the role of women in the
equation.
p. 66
Teresa
Schmitt
Behn, "Love's Power" (part of "A Voyage to the Isle of Love")
Headnote
"Love’s
Power" is part of "A Voyage to the Isle of Love,"
which is Aphra Behn’s expanded and improved translation from "Le Voyage
de
L’Isle d’Amour" by Paul Tallemant (1642- 1713). The French
original was first printed in
Paris
in 1663 and is an
account from Lisander to his friend Lysidas about his trip to the Isle
of Love; it includes the revealing insights Lisander gained on the
nature of this feeling. Behn’s
translation was published for the first time in 1684 in her Poems on Several Occasions (Todd
402). By 1684 Behn had been busy producing
yearly plays since her first—"The Forced Marriage"—in 1670. Her
translation of Tallemant’s work fits with her interest in depicting the
nature
of human relationships and especially the role of women in the
equation. The "Love’s
Power" segment deals with the act of falling in love and being at the
mercy of
Cupid, who because of his blindness, carelessly makes unlikely matches.
The
randomness of Cupid’s darts is interesting to underscore at a time of
conventional marriage rules. The poem is a statement of rebelliousness
in a world of
partnerships that depended on social and financial benefits. The poem
also
offers a strong element of analysis of woman’s power over love and men.
Under Cupid’s
"dart light,” it is the "rough warrior,” or the "gay young
‘squire,"
who falls for a woman at whom he should not otherwise have looked. It
is the "arted"
female who possesses the magic to charm men and even direct Cupid’s
darts which
"from her smiles they point with soft desires." Even more, it is "her
motion(s)" that direct the "fire" of love.
Later
the poem addresses the notion of Respect as the child born to father
Love and mother Esteem, which is relevant to her
consideration of equality between the sexes in that time period.
The poem tries to follow an
ABAB rhyme sequence, though this is not constant throughout the poem.
There is
the occasional rhyming couplet or triplet.
Other transcriptions of the poem by editors
Janet Todd and Montague Summers use spelling
variations. They both initiate many content words (Aged, Youthful,
Heart) with capital letters, which diverges
from Colman's version. They have also chosen to use a different font
style
instead of quotation marks for the monologue sections. Finally, their
versions
include the following word differences:
Colman
Todd/Sommers
pursue
persues
noisy
noysy
statesman
states-man
squire
squire
you’ll
you’l
cupids
cupid’s
ev’ry
every
embroider’d
imbroider’d
strew
strow
employ’d
imploy’d
caress
carress
Notes
on the Poem
Pursues: To
follow the course of, to seek
after, to aim at, to proceed. (
OED)
Arted: Made artificial, artificialized, versed in
artifice. (
OED)
Mien: The air, bearing, carriage or manner of a
person as expressive of character or mood. (
OED)
Bigot: A
hypocritical professor of religion, a hypocrite; a superstitious
adherent of religion; a
person obstinately and unreasonably wedded to a particular religious
creed, opinion, or ritual. (
OED)
Blouz’d: Wearing a loosely-fitting bodice
worn by women and girls, usually tucked inside the skirt at the waist.
(
OED)
Nice: Loose-mannered, lascivious, fastidious,
or difficult to please. (
OED)
Staid: Fixed, unchanging. (
OED)
Graces: (Mythology) Sister-goddesses, bestowers of
beauty and charm: Aglaia, Thalia, and
Euphrossyne. (
OED)
Bow’rs: A lady’s private apartment, a
boudoir. An abode. (
OED)
Caress: To treat affectionately and with kindness,
to make much of. (
OED)
Attributes: A quality of character ascribed to any
person or thing, a bodily quality, mode of existence, affection,
essential and permanent quality, praise or honor (
OED)
Bibliography
Behn, Aphra.
"Love’s Power." Poems of the most
eminent ladies of Great
Britain
and Ireland.
Ed. George Colman. London:
n.p., 1773
Behn, Aphra. The Works
of Aphra Behn. Ed. Janet Todd. Vol
I. Columbus:
Ohio
State
University
Press, 1992.
Behn, Aphra. The Works of
Aphra Behn. Ed. Montague Summers. Vol VI.
New
York: Phaeton Press, 1967.
Nestvold,
Ruth.
"The Aphra Behn Page.”
1995-2000.
<http://www.lit.arts.net/Behn/begin-ab.html.>
p. 83
Jamie
Bonta
Behn, "Hope" (part of "A Voyage to the Isle of Love")
Notes
pomp: a
parade,
display, or show
throng: crowding
of people
p. 92
Kristen
Koester
Behn, "The City of Discretion" (part of "A Voyage to the Isle of
Love")
Notes
discretion: (1)
The action of separating or distinguishing, or condition of being
distinguished or disjunct. (2) The action of discerning or judging;
judgement; decision, discrimination. (Obs.) (4) Liberty or power of
deciding, or of acting according to one's own judgement, or as one
thinks fit; uncontrolled power of disposal. (
OED)
constraint:
The exercise of force to determine or confine action; coercion,
compulsion.(
OED)
joy: A vivid
emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction;
the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted; exultation
of spirit; gladness; delight. (
OED)
grief: Hardship,
suffering; a kind, or cause, of hardship or suffering.(
OED)
languish: (1)
The action or state of languishing. (2) A tender look or glance.(
OED)
subtilty:
(1) An
ingenious
contrivance; a crafty or cunning device; an artifice; freq. in
unfavourable sense, a wily stratagem or trick, something craftily
invented. Obs. (2) A
refinement or nicety of thought,
speculation, or argument; a fine distinction; a nice
point.(OED)
p. 94
Debora Jeans
"The Silent Confession" (part of "A Voyage to the Isle of Love")
Headnote
I have transcribed the poem exactly as
written, however, I
have made some minor changes to the typesetting. One change I have made
is how
I have written the lowercase letter “s”. I have elected to use the
current type
instead of the style used when the book was written. That letter
resembled a
lower case “f” making some words appear to be another totally different
word.
An example would be in the fourth line the word is soul
but
on first glance it looks like foul.
This poem is about the speaker's admiration
and desire for a
woman, but the feelings are not reciprocated. This is a lyric poem that
expresses the poets feelings. It is divided into two sections. The
first part
is written in iambic tetrameter and is expressing how the poet is
consumed with
another lady. The second part is when the poets feelings are known but
not
reciprocated, only rebuffed. The meter changes to iambic pentameter.
Behn uses visual and tactile imagery
throughout the
whole poem. We can see the speaker's face turn red with embarrassment
and almost
feel the “tremble” when the speaker is touched. She also uses metonymy
like
"retiring into the Den of Cruelty"
when the object of the speaker's desires is unpleasant after finding
out the speaker's
true feelings.
Notes
wonted: usual
marks of her
esteem:
favorable attention
supplications:
actions; reverent applications or requests
Bibliography
Todd, Janet.
The Secret Life of Aphra Behn.
London:
Andre Deutsch Ltd, 1996.
Todd, Janet. The Critical
Fortunes of Aphra Behn. Columbia,
SC:
Camden House, 1998.
p. 96
Misty Johnson
Behn "The River of Despair" (part of "A Voyage to the Isle of Love")
Headnote
While the details of Aphra Behn’s
life maybe unclear
one thing doesn’t vary; no matter what book you read, the
characteristics of
her writing remain the same. She was a
confident and intelligent writer and she had the courage to address the
issues
and ills of society. She spoke out about
the joys of sex and against forced marriage and the lack of morality in
upper
class society. Perhaps her desire to
marry out of love and her passionate feelings about true love are what
inspired
her to write The River of Despair.
This poem takes place in the woods and depicts a very
pastoral
scene. The speaker is saying goodbye to
her lover as her lover is dying.
Notes
doleful:
Sorrowful; causing grief or misfortune (
OED)
shew: Variant of
show. (
OED)
Aminta: A
pastoral name often used by Behn, the name may be taken from Tasso’s
pastoral drama or love-idyll, Aminta,
from
Italy.
Aminta is the Italian form of
the Greek masculine Amyntas. Aminta is
a shepherd hero, who spent his boyhood in companionship with Sylvia,
the
shepherdess. Aminta is in love with
Sylvia and pretends to be stung by a bee on the lips. Sylvia
tries to ease the pain by kissing
Aminta on the lips and declares herself a votary of Diana. Sylvia
denies Aminta’s love and becomes a
huntress and chases wild beasts, which leads to Aminta’s attempt at
suicide
(see
http://www.theatrehistory.com).
Bibliography
"Aminta."
TheatreHistory.com.
2000.
15 Mar. 2004
<http://www.theatrehistory.com/italian/tasso002.html>
Pearsall,
Judy, ed. The Concise
Oxford
English Dictionary. 10th ed. 2002.
Todd, Janet, ed. A Dictionary
of British and American Women Writers 1660-1800.
New
Jersey: Rowman & Littlefield, 1987.
p. 105
Gretchen
Pyles
Behn, "Confidence" (part of "A Voyage to the Isle of Love")
Headnote
The poem "Confidence" by Aphra Behn has a pastoral
focus on love. The author wants us, the
reader, to focus on an ideal, mythical “golden age.” The setting
of her pastoral poem is in
“delightful gardens, winding groves,” and follows the usual setting of
a
pastoral poem, which is in the countryside and includes shepherds and
shepherdesses. Her characters live
simple lives and focus on their pursuit of love.
Aphra Behn’s poem encourages a beautiful and true love. The
characters have chosen each other and are
“happy lovers.” They are free from
“censuring spies,” which allows them to be open and honest with their
love. Aphra Behn wants her audience to
see how love can truly be without the structure that society has placed
on it,
including arranged marriages.
Notes on the Poem
Aminta: A
pastoral name often used by Behn, the name may be taken from Tasso’s
pastoral drama or love-idyll, Aminta,
from
Italy.
Aminta is the Italian form of
the Greek masculine Amyntas. Aminta is
a shepherd hero, who spent his boyhood in companionship with Sylvia,
the
shepherdess. Aminta is in love with
Sylvia and pretends to be stung by a bee on the lips. Sylvia
tries to ease the pain by kissing
Aminta on the lips and declares herself a votary of Diana. Sylvia
denies Aminta’s love and becomes a
huntress and chases wild beasts, which leads to Aminta’s attempt at
suicide
(see
http://www.theatrehistory.com).
amity: friendly relations between states or individuals.
Bibliography
Bates, Alfred. The Drama: Its
History, Literature and Influence on Civilization. 5
(1906): 7-10. Available:
http://www.theatrehistory.com.
Oxford English Dictionary Online. 2004.
17 March 2004. Available: http://dictionary.oed.com.
p. 119
Renee
Carter, March 2003
Behn, "The Penitent"
Headnote
Aphra Behn, a seventeenth century British writer, often writes about
relationships between two people. This poem is about a relationship
between two lovers which has somehow gone wrong. In this poem, Behn
utilizes an irregular rhyme scheme and repetition to convey the
speaker’s desire to gain forgiveness from his beloved. By saying “ I
merit all this treatment from your pride,” the speaker is explaining
that he realizes he is at fault for the argument. Throughout the poem,
the speaker assures his beloved that he still loves her no matter how
badly she treats him. Every section of the poem ends with the speaker
telling his lover that his “tender heart adores [her] still.” In the
last stanza of the poem, the speaker explains that he has succeeded in
winning over his lover. The message of this poem is that an apology can
make a world of difference in a relationship.
Notes on the Poem
Penitent: A
person who repents with serious
purpose to amend the sin or wrongdoing. (
OED)
Bibliography
Behn, Aphra. “The Penitent.”
Poems
of the most eminent ladies of Great Britain and
Ireland, esp. Mrs. Barber, Mrs.
Behn, Mrs. Carter, etc. Ed. George Colman and B.
Thornton. London: n.p., 1773. 119-21.
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar, eds.
The Norton Anthology of Literature by
Women: The Tradition in English. New York: W.W. Norton and
Company, 1985.
Kunitz, Stanley J., and Herald Haycraft, eds. “Aphra Behn.”
British Authors Before 1800: A
Biographical Dictionary. New York: H.W. Wilson Company, 1952.
Simpson, J.A., and E.S.C. Weiner, preparers. "Penitent."
The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd
ed. 1989.
p. 121
Chris
Burke, March 2003
Behn, "The City of Love"
Headnote
Widely considered to be one of the earliest writers on feminist themes,
Aphra Behn was most well known for her plays during the course of her
life. One of the main themes that she wrote about was the
superficiality of marriage relations during her time period, and also
the superficiality of social class distinctions. Here, in her
poem
“The City of Love,” she suggests that the solution to these problems is
love itself. The idea that love can be used to transcend social
boundaries is an important theme that particularly applies to the
Restoration period, due largely to its emphasis on social class.
Behn felt that there was a beauty in all sexuality that could overcome
social boundaries. In her poem, “The City of Love,” she focuses
upon this problem, and explains that love is one thing that can unite
all people, regardless of class or any other arbitrary social
category.
Notes on the Poem
God: Introduces
the character of Cupid, the god of love, who comes into play throughout
the rest of the poem.
Lose: May
possibly be interpreted as “loose,” meaning, “to unleash, to let
loose.”
God of Day: most
likely
refers to either Helios or Apollo, which is consistent with the
references to Cupid as the god of love.
Blind: Refers to
the idea that “love is blind.” The young god refers to Cupid, the
god of love.
Bibliography
Behn, Aphra. “The City of Love.”
Poems of the Most Eminent Ladies of Great
Britain and Ireland. Ed. George Colman and B.
Thornton. London: n.p. 1773. 121-122.
Behn, Aphra.
The Works of
Aphra Behn. Ed. Janet Todd. London: Redwood Press, 1992
p. 150
Laura
Brenner, March 2003
Behn, "Love Armed"
Headnote
This lyric was first published at the beginning of Behn’s play
Abdelazar, or the Moor’s Revenge (1677). This play is a revenge
tragedy. The heroic villain is a convention of the genre of
revenge tragedy. This song arouses the heroic villain, Abdelazar,
to action and seems to describe the condition of the queen who loves
him
though he secretly scorns her. Ironically, the song foreshadows
the Moor’s own fate of unrequited love.
Notes on the poem
Love....sat: A
formal celebration of conquest in which the defeated party was,
according to Roman tradition, paraded through the streets as a
trophy. A popular Renaissance masque was the
Triumph of Cupid, in which Cupid
displays his prize. This scene in the play is reminiscent of the
masque of Cupid in Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene.” (See
Norton)
Create: This
rhyme is an example of Eye Rhyme because the words sat and create
appear
to rhyme but when pronounced do not.
Killing dart: Cupid’s arrows.
Bibliography
Behn, Aphra. “Love Armed.” Poetry Archive. 6 March
2003. <
http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/love_armed.html>.
Behn, Aphra. “Song: Love Arm’d.” Poems of the most eminent
ladies of Great Britain and Ireland, esp. Mrs. Barber, Mrs. Behn, Mrs.
Carter, etc. Ed. George Colman. London: n.p., 1773. 150.
Behn, Aphra. “Song: Love Armed.”
The Norton
Anthology of Poetry. Ed. Margaret
Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy. New York: W. W.
Norton & Company, 1996. 497.
Green, Barclay. Class notes. Northern Kentucky
University. Seventeenth Century British Literature. 5 March
2003.
“Languishment.”
The Oxford
English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. 638.
“Section Summary: Aphra Behn.” Longman Publishers. 5 March
2003. <http://wps.ablongman.com/>.
p. 181 (two entries)
June
Reilley, March 2003
Chudleigh, "To the Ladies"
Headnote
This poem, composed by Lady Mary Chudleigh, in 1699, is an example of
the use of iambic tetrameter combined with binarism. It is written as a
complaint directed at Reverend John Sprint. Created as a response to a
marriage sermon, in which women are told to be subjective to their
husbands and “Give up their reason, and their wills resign, and every
look, and every thought confine” (The Ladies Defence, Chudleigh), the
poetess critically looks at the suffocating results of matrimony in
this
age. This idea of marital freedom becomes a central theme in
Chudleigh’s works and points to the importance of the intellectual
development of 17th century English women. Chudleigh, coming from a
Puritan background, was a firm supporter of Queen Anne and a
protégé of Mary Astell; she was also involved in a
painful
marriage. She was wed unhappily at seventeen to a baron and also
experienced the painful loss of her daughter, Eliza. These experiences
colored the views of Chudleigh, concerning the treatment of 17th women
and influenced her biting poetic expression of the social rules
existing between the sexes, in regard to deceitful, courtship flattery.
Men used this feigned adulation to conquer women, by imprisoning, and
sometimes abusing them in marriage. Chudleigh implored the ladies to
value their freedom, to contemplate pensively on the value of
matrimony, and to trust their instincts.
Notes on the Poem
Fawning:
Deceitful flattery.
Bibliography
Damrosch, David, ed.
The Longman
Anthology Of British Literature. 2nd ed. New York: Longman,
2002.
2224.
Demaria, Robert, ed.
British
Literature 1640-1789. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell
Press: 1996. 145.
Hunter, J. Paul. “Formalism and History: Binarism and the
Anglophone Couple.”
MLQ 61.1
(2000): 109-129.
Project Muse,
Northern Kentucky University. 2 Feb 2003.
Lonsdale, Robert, ed.
Eighteenth
Century Women Poets. New York: Oxford University Press.
1990. 33.
Lynch, Jack. “Interpretation.” To the Ladies. 21 Mar 2001.
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlyench/Texts/ladies.html 2 Feb. 2003.
Olive, Barbara. “A Puritan Subject’s Panegyrics to Queen Anne.”
SEL-42-3 (2002)-475-499-Project Muse- Northern Kentucky University. 2
Feb. 2003.
OED. Search: fawning, wit. 2 Feb. 2003.
Mary Lady Chudleigh, “The Ladies Defence.” Pennsylvania State
University. English Department. 1 May 2000.
<gopher://dept.english.upenn.edu//00/Courses/Curran202/Chudleigh/defence>
2 Feb 2003.
Rizzo, Betty. “Equivocations of Gender and Rank: Eighteenth-Century
Sporting Women.”
SEL
26.1
(2002): 70-93.
Project Muse.
Northern Kentucky University. 2 Feb 2003.
Runge, Laura, L. “Beauty and Gallantry: A Model of Polite
Conversation Revisited.”
SEL
25.1 (2001): 43-63.
Project
Muse. Northern Kentucky University. 2 Feb. 2003.
Todd, Janet, ed.
A Dictionary
of British and American Women Writers 1660-1800. Totowa, New
Jersey: Rowman & Littlefield, 1985. 12, 24, 25, 280, 303.
Uphaus, Robert and Gretchen Foster.
The Other 18th Century English: Women of
Letters. East Lansing, MI: Colleagues Press: 1991. 145.
p. 181
Jennifer Ann
Kobos, March 2003
Chudleigh, "To the Ladies"
Headnote
Lady Mary Chudleigh was an essayist and poet. Her writings are
influenced by the Greek and Roman classics, English literature, and
philosophy. Her marriage at the age of seventeen to thirty year old Sir
George Chudleigh influenced her to write “To the Ladies.” In this poem
she expresses her experiences. This poem, by Lady Mary Chudleigh, is
written in iambic tetrameter. The poem is an attack upon marriage.
Marriage is to be a sacred bond between two people in love. Her
description of marriage is a “fatal knot” that nothing can break. In
the
eighteenth century a wife was a “servant” to her husband. The wife does
not have the freedom to do what she wanted. Her husband is her God and
prince; he tells her what to do and when. This was not an uncommon
feeling for women in the eighteenth century. Women were put on this
earth for one reason and one reason only: to serve and obey her man.
Notes on the Poem
Fatal
knot:
The marriage is doomed, or seals the fate of those in it. (
OED)
Rigour: Severity
in dealing with a person or persons; extreme strictness; harshness.(
OED)
Shun: To escape
(a
threatened evil, an unwelcomed task). (
OED)
Fawning: An act
of fawning; a servile cringe, a weedling courtesy. (
OED)
Bibliography
Demaria Jr., Robert, ed.
British
Literature 1640-1789, An
Anthology. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1996.
Lynch, Jack. Eighteenth Century Resources. 9 March 2002. <
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/ladies.html>
6 March 2003.
Todd, Janet, ed.
A Dictionary of
British and American Women Writers 1660-1800. Totowa, New
Jersey:
Rowman and Littlefield, 1987.
Uphaus, Robert W., and Gretchen M. Foster, ed.
The Other Eighteenth Century English Women
of Letters 1660-1800. Michigan: East Lansing Colleagues Press,
1991.
p. 283 (two entries)
Stephen J.
Tully, March 2003
Jones, "To Mrs. Clayton, with a Hare"
Headnote
The author of this poem, Mary Jones, was a relatively
obscure eighteenth- century English writer. The date of her birth
and the circumstances of her childhood are not well documented.
It
is known that she was born sometime in the beginning of the eighteenth
century, and that she spent most of her adult life living in Oxford
with her brother, Rev. Oliver Jones, Chanter of Christ Church
Cathedral, and that she never wed (Todd 181). Though she was of
relatively modest social standing, Mary developed lifelong friendships
with an aristocratic circle which included the Lovelace, Clayton, and
Boyler families. Jones exchanged numerous letters and poems with
her friends. This particular poem was written for Charlot
Clayton,
who resided at Fern Hill, in Windsor Forest (Lonsdale 155). Jones
preferred to keep her writing private, but finally relented to the
encouragement of her friends and published a collection of poems,
Miscellanies in Prose and Verse,
in
1750. This was her only published volume. A number of these
poems were included in Volume One, Poems by the Most Eminent Ladies of
Great Britain and Ireland, published in 1755 (Lonsdale 156). Mary
Jones died in 1788.
This poem is written in mock pastoral form,
which was popular in the first half of the eighteenth century.
This mode was often used to express humorous criticism of various
elements of everyday life, by utilizing mythical and natural imagery
associated with the traditional pastoral form. Though this poem
lacks the nearly ubiquitous presence of the shepherd and his love, it
uses the pastoral setting of an English hunt, as related through the
eloquent voice of the Hare. The poem is very entertaining at face
value, but the reader is left to speculate on the true message of the
poem. Is it a tale of sexual conquest, or is it simply an
innocent, whimsical poem written for a dear friend? Only the two
ladies know for sure.
Notes on
the Poem.
Phoebus: Phoebus refers to Apollo, the god
of the sun, poetry, and music, who presided over the muses.
Mrs. Clayton: Mrs.
Charlot Clayton was an aristocrat and a close friend of Mary Jones.
Bibliography
Lonsdale, Roger, ed.
Eighteenth-Century
Women Poets. Oxford and New York: Oxford UP, 1989.
Todd, Janet, ed.
A Dictionary of
British and American Women Writers 1660 – 1800. Totowa, New
Jersey: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1987.
p. 283
Tina
Maruffi, March 2003
Jones, "To Mrs. Clayton, with a Hare"
Headnote
Mary Jones was a published writer in the mid 1700’s.
The year of her birth is unknown, but as of 1732 she is said to have
been close friends with Martha Lovelace, who was maid of honor to
Queen Caroline. She died in 1778. Mary Jones had been
published as early as 1740.
Notes on the Poem
Phoebus: A name
of Apollo as the Sun-god; the sun personified.
Headlong:
Rushing forward with ungoverned speed.
Full: Exerting
the utmost force.
Stile: Steps
over a fence.
Nay: No.
Rue: Regret.
Intreaties:
Another spelling of “entreaties,” meaning an earnest request,
Puss: Usually
refers to a cat, but here refers to the hare.
Boon:
Prayer, entreaty.
House of clay:
The rabbit’s body.
Corps: Earlier
spelling of “corpse.”
Basket: Basket
from which the hare is released to be coursed.
Poland-street: A
street in London.
Porter: Pperson
whose employment is to carry burdens.
Sweet: Fresh.
Owns: To
acknowledge with approval.