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The Choice. A Dialogue between Emilia and Marissa.

Marissa.
1 Virtue sure's th' only Treasure,
2 Th' only solid lasting Pleasure:
3 It does our Souls, our Thoughts refine,
4 And gives us Joys almost Divine.
5 It may a while obscur'd remain,
6 But soon its Lustre will regain;
7 Like Phœbus chase the Shades away,
8 And bring again triumphant Day:
9 Censures like Clouds sometimes appear,
10 And keep its Rays from shining clear:
11 But having reach'd Meridian Height,
12 They fly before its conqu'ring Light;
13 Before that Light whose glorious Blaze
14 Does trembling guilty Souls amaze,
15 And from its dazling Seat on high
16 Disperses Splendor thro' the Skie:
17 Pale Envy sickens at the Sight,
18 And full of Shame, and full of Spite,
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19 To the dark nether World returns,
20 And there, her Disappointment mourns:
21 But oh! my dearest Friend, I find
22 That Malice still is left behind:
23 Alas! that Fury never sleeps,
24 But thro' the World still slily creeps,
25 Each Day a new Disguise she takes,
26 Each Day some diff'rent Figure makes:
27 Like Zeal and Pity she appears,
28 And drown'd in false dissembling Tears,
29 Often the Mask of Friendship wears,
30 And with a Shew of Love insnares,
31 On me she's bent to wreak her Spite,
32 And with her dire Attacks affright:
33 From her to this Recess I fled,
34 And here my Life obscurely led;
35 Supposing She with Crouds wou'd stay,
36 Or with the Great, the Rich, the Gay,
37 With the Young, the Fair, the Wise,
38 And me, poor worthless me, despise;
39 But now too late, alas! I find
40 She will not, will not stay behind,
Emilia.
41 Since Virtue's seated in her Breast,
42 Marissa ne'er can be distrest:
43 Malice may you perhaps assail,
44 But never, never can prevail:
45 Fortune too may take her part,
46 Exert her Strength, and shew her Art;
47 With these the Vicious may combine,
48 And favour their unjust Design;
49 But Virtue will the Shock sustain,
50 And you'll unvanquish'd still remain:
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51 Your inward Joys will be secure,
52 And you'll no Loss, nor Ill endure.
Marissa.
53 Virtue has, ever had my Love,
54 And still my Choice, my Guide shall prove;
55 To me shall still point out the Way,
56 Until I reach eternal Day,
57 That dear, that welcome, blissful Shore
58 Where I shall never suffer more;
59 No more the Toils of Life sustain,
60 But live secure from Sin and Pain.
61 Hark! hark! I'm call'd! I'm call'd away!
62 I cannot, will not, longer stay:
63 My Guardian Angel see appear,
64 See! see! he cuts the yielding Air:
65 Celestial Musick sweetly plays,
66 I hear! I hear Seraphick Lays!
67 O! the soft enchanting Sound!
68 Nothing here's so charming found!
69 Adieu, vain World, vain World, adiue:
70 I come, ye blest! I come to you!
71 Fortune's Gifts I ne'er could prize,
72 And now her Trifles I despise:
73 If at my Feet her Bounties lay,
74 And Crowns were scatter'd in my Way,
75 I'd scorn 'em all, and onward go;
76 There's nothing tempting here below.
Emilia.
77 O! stay my Friend! O! stay for me,
78 I still will your Companion be:
79 My Love to Virtue, Love to you,
80 Was ever strong, and ever true;
81 And still the same shall ever prove;
82 Nothing my fixt Resolves shall move.
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83 The Sun may sooner cease to shine,
84 And it may freeze beneath the Line;
85 Mountains may sink, and Plains may rise,
86 Beasts chuse the Seas, and Fish the Skies;
87 Birds their lov'd airy Region leave,
88 And flatt'ring Men no more deceive,
89 Than my Marissa shall e'er find
90 Emilia faithless, or unkind:
91 O! do not then her suit disdain,
92 O! let her not implore in vain:
93 She longs, she longs with you to die;
94 Thus, Hand in Hand we'll upward fly;
95 Thus, thus, my best, my dearest Friend,
96 Thus, thus embracing we'll ascend.
Marissa.
97 No, thou lov'd Darling of my Heart,
98 We'll never, never, never part:
99 Those Virtues which our Souls combine,
100 Shall ever in our Union shine:
101 Together we'll lay down our Clay,
102 Together throw the Load away;
103 And bright as Fire, and light as Air,
104 To the superior World repair;
105 To glorious Seats, and Realms Divine,
106 Where Love do's in Perfection shine:
107 Love undisguis'd, without alloy,
108 Noble, pure, and full of Joy,
109 Sincere, and strong, and still the same,
110 One steady, bright, immortal Flame:
111 There, there our Friendship we'll improve,
112 Together tast the Sweets of Love;
113 Still in each other's Bliss rejoice,
114 And prove one Soul, one Thought, one Voice;
115 In nothing ever disagree,
116 Throughout a blest Eternity.

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Title (in Source Edition): The Choice. A Dialogue between Emilia and Marissa.
Author: Lady Mary Chudleigh
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Genres: dialogue

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Chudleigh, Mary Lee, 1656-1710. Poems on several occasions. Together with the Song of the three children paraphras'd. By the Lady Chudleigh. London: Printed by W.B. for Bernard Lintott at the Middle Temple Gate in Fleetstreet, 1703, pp. 112-115. [16],125,[17],73,[1]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T97275) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [(OC) 280 j.452].)

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