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[Page 130]
A Letter Written for a LADY in Answer to a Friend.
1 HAd you not known your Merit was so great.
2 That my Laurinda I could ne'er forget;
3 Dulness, you might have want of Friendship thought.
4 And my neglect in writing call a Fault:
5 But though I want your Genius to express,
6 Believe me, dearest Friend, my Love's not less;
7 I would accost your Muse with equal Skill,
8 For though I want the Wit, I have the Will,
9 Did not my Reason whisper like a friend,
10 That I should wrong my self, should I pretend;
[Page 131]11 But for my friendship I must boldly own
12 'Tis firm and Constant, and shall stoop to none;
13 Nor is my Heart (which you I thought had known)
14 So chang'd or frozen since I came to Town;
15 That it by any Object could be mov'd
16 To slight my dear Laurinda whom I lov'd:
17 Alas, sweet friend, you know not our distress,
18 You never dream upon our Grievances;
19 Though pestilential Blasts all round us blow,
20 And many a beauteous darling face undo:
21 Though Bells do toll, and all to fears encline;
22 Fears, that would spoil a better Muse than mine,
23 You careless in the Silver Grove are seen,
24 (I wish for your sake I could call it Green)
25 Courting the Places Genius to inspire,
26 And strength of Fancy warms instead of Fire;
27 But I benumb'd with all this Frost and Snow,
28 Begin now to believe my Muse is so.
29 I like a Linnet, wishing for the Spring,
30 (Linnet I say) because I learn to sing;
[Page 132]31 Hop up and down all day my lonely Cage,
32 And find that Cold's as bad as fumbling Age,
33 Nothing can stir up my Poetick Rage;
34 My Verses dare not yet their worth expose,
35 For well their Feet may halt when they are froze;
36 But when the Summer cloaths the naked Trees,
37 And Balmy Winds refresh with gentle breeze:
38 When Flowers their gay Wedding Robes put on,
39 To please and welcome in the vigorous Sun;
40 Then Silvia sitting by Laurinda's side,
41 Shall prove this Truth, and shall not be deny'd,
42 That none on Earth can e'er more faithful be,
43 Or her dear Friend can value more than she.
Silvia.
Source edition
D'Urfey, Thomas, 1653-1723. New poems, consisting of satyrs, elegies, and odes together with a choice collection of the newest court songs set to musick by the best masters of the age / all written by Mr. D'Urfey. London: Printed for J. Bullord ... and A. Roper ..., 1690, pp. 130-132. [16],207,[1]p. (ESTC R17889) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Harding C 1197 (1)].)
Editorial principles
Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.
Other works by Thomas D'Urfey
- Against Free-Will. A SONG. ()
- Another EPILOGUE Intended for the same. ()
- The Author answers his Friend, who blames him for not singing, when desired, he contradict the Third Satyr of Horace, beginning with Omnibus hoc vitium est Cantoribus inter Amicos, &c. He defends Tigellius, and proves that Horace had no actual Skill in Vocal Musick. ()
- A Catch in Three Parts, set by Mr. Hen. Purcel, and taken from the Latin of BUCHANAN. ()
- A CATCH set by Docter BLOW. ()
- A Dialogue between a Town Spark and his Miss. ()
- A Dialogue between PHILANDER and SILVIA, set to an excellent new Scotch Tune. ()
- The DREAM: Or, CELADON's Complaint of MORPHEUS to the Assembly of the GODS. ()
- An ELEGY On the Death of that true Perfection of Beauty and Goodness, the Lady ESSEX SPICKET, who dyed of the Small-Pox, immediately after her Marriage. ()
- An ELEGY on the Death of the Great Duke of ORMOND. ()
- An ELEGY On the late Holy Father Pope INNOCENT the Eleventh. ()
- EPIGRAM On the Sacred Memory of that glorious Patron of POETS, greatest and best of Monarchs, KING CHARLES the Second. ()
- An Epilogue intended for a late COMEDY, and to be spoke by Mr. MONFORD, in a long Presbyterian Cloak. ()
- Epilogue to the Opera of DIDO and AENEAS, ()
- An EPITHALAMIUM on the Marriage of the Lord MORPETH with the Lady ANN CAPELL. ()
- Epithalamy on the Marriage of the Right Honourable the Lady Essex Roberts. ()
- EPSOM-WELLS: A Satyr by way of Dialogue, between Critick and Fame. ()
- The Farmers Daughter, a SONG, set to a Pleasant Scotch Tune. ()
- The HEALTH. A Second Movement. ()
- The KING'S Health: A CATCH Sung in Parts. ()
- A LASH AT ATHEISTS: The POET speaking, as the Ghost of a Quondam Libertine, suppos'd to be the late E. of R. Reflects on that part of Seneca's Troas, beginning atPost Mortem nihil est, Ipsaq; Mors nihilVelocis spatii meta Novissima:Spem ponant avidi seliciti metum.Quaeris quo Iaceas post Obitum locoQuo non Nata Iacent. ()
- The Law of Nature; A SONG set to an Excellent new Tune. ()
- A Letter written by the Author for a Friend, to one in Town; being a SATYR, on DINGBOY and a Rampant WIDOW. 1685. ()
- Loves Revenge. A SONG. ()
- A Mock SONG to, When first AMINTOR su'd for a Kiss, &c. ()
- The MORALIST. A Song. ()
- Mr. HAINES's Second Recantation: A PROLOGUE intended to be spoken by him dress'd in a Turkish habit. ()
- A NEW ESSAY In Defence of VERSE, With a SATYR Upon the Enemies of POETRY. ()
- An ODE TO THE QUEEN. ()
- An ODE, From the Greek of ANACREON. ()
- An ODE. To my much honored Friend Sir THOMAS GARRARD, Baronet, upon his Climacterical YEAR. ()
- The Old Fumbler. A SONG: Set by Mr. Hen. Purcell. ()
- Paid for Peeping: A POEM, Occasion'd by a Peeping hole into a Chamber where a Beautiful and Virtuous young Lady Lodg'd, through which undiscover'd, I could observe all her Actions. ()
- A PARALLEL. ()
- A POEM Panegyrical On His GRACE THE D. of ALBEMARLE; With Remarks on His Voyage for JAMAICA, and the late Treasure brought Home in the JAMES and MARY. ()
- Prologue spoken by Mr. HAINS to TRAPOLIN, or a Duke and no Duke. ()
- A PROLOGUE, By way of SATYR, spoke before King CHARLES II. at New-Market. ()
- The Scotch VIRAGO. A SONG Sung to the Queen at Kensington. ()
- A Second Burlesque LETTER written for a Friend, suppos'd to be a CUCKOLD'S GHOST, coming from Hell, and answering a Satyr of STUM CLARET his Brother Vintner; With a Conjugal Reprimand to SALACIA his late Mournful WIDOW. ()
- A SONG set to a pleasant Scotch Tune. ()
- SONG. ()
- A SONG. ()
- A SONG. ()
- SONG. II. To a young LADY Affronted by an Envious old Woman. ()
- TO A LADY, Twitting him with his being Peevish, and having Ill Humours. ()
- To Chloris: A SONG. ()
- TO CHLORIS: A SONG. ()
- To CLORIS: An ODE set to the New RIGGADON. ()
- To CYNTHIA. ()
- To CYNTHIA. ()
- To Cynthia. A SONG. ()
- To pretty Mrs. H. D. upon the sight of her Picture standing amongst other at Mr. Knellers. ()
- To the KING: An ODE on his Birth Day. ()
- To the Right Honorable the Lady Olympia R. on her Genius in POETRY. ()
- TO THE Right HONOURABLE THE LADY E. R. Vpon her finding a Spider in her BED. ()
- TO THE Right HONOURABLE THE. Earl of RADNOR ON HIS MARRIAGE. ()
- A TRUE TALE OF A True INTRIGUE. ()