And that you ought to take that course,
As we take you, for better or worse,
And gratefully fubmit to those
Who you, before another, chofe.
For why fhou'd ev'ry savage beast
Exceed his great lord's interest?
Have freer pow'r than he, in grace
And nature, o'er the creature has?
Because the laws he fince has made
Have cut off all the pow'r he had;
Retrench'd the abfolute dominion
That nature gave him over women ;
When all his power will not extend
One law of nature to fufpend;
And but to offer to repeal

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The smallest claufe, is to repel.

This, if men rightly understood

Their privilege, they wou'd make good,

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And not, like fots, permit their wives
T'encroach on their prerogatives,

For which fin they deserve to be
Kept, as they are, in slavery:

And this fome precious gifted teachers,

Unrev'rently reputed Leachers,

And disobey'd in making love,

Have vow'd to all the world to prove,

And make ye fuffer as you ought,

For that uncharitable fault :

But I forget myself, and rove

Beyond th' instructions of my love.
Forgive me, fair, and only blame
Th' extravagancy of my flame,
Since 'tis too much at once to fhow
Excess of love and temper too;
All I have said that 's bad and true,
Was never meant to aim at you,

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Who have fo fov'reign a control

O'er that poor flave of your's, my foul,

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That, rather than to forfeit you,

Has ventur'd lofs of heav'n too;
Both with an equal pow'r possest,
To render all that ferve you bleft;

But none like him, who's deftin'd either

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To have or lose you both together;

And if you 'll but this fault release,
For so it must be, fince you please,

I'll pay down all that vow, and more,
Which you commanded, and I swore,
And expiate, upon my skin,
Th' arrears in full of all my
For 'tis but just that I fhould pay
Th' accruing penance for delay,

fin:

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Which shall be done, until it move
Your equal pity and your love.

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The knight, perufing this epiftle,

Believ'd he 'ad brought her to his whistle;
And read it, like a jocund lover,

With great applause, t' himself, twice over; 340
Subfcrib'd his name, but at a fit

And humble distance, to his wit:
And dated it with wondrous art,
Giv'n from the bottom of his heart:
Then feal'd it with his coat of love,
A smoking faggot—and above
Upon a scroll-I burn, and weep-
And near it—for her ladyship,
Of all her fex most excellent,
These to her gentle hands present.
Then gave it to his faithful fquire,

With leffons how t' obferve, and eye her.

She first confider'd which was better,

To fend it back, or burn the letter:

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But gueffing that it might import,
Tho' nothing else, at least her fport,
She open'd it, and read it out,

With many a smile and leering flout;
Refolv'd to answer it in kind,

And thus perform'd what she defign'd.

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