[Page 218]

The Speech of Cupid, upon seeing him self painted by the Honourable Miss Carteret
[ed.] "The Hon Miss Carteret is Grace, eldest daughter of Lord Carteret. She married Lionel third Earl of Dysert in 1729." (Tucker, Bernard, ed. The poetry of Mary Barber ?1690-1757. Lewiston, NY; Queenston, Ont.; Lampeter: E. Mellen Press, 1992. 206.) (AH)
, (now Countess of Dysert) on a Fan.

Written by Mrs. Grierson.
1 In various Forms have I been shown,
2 Tho' little yet to Mortals known;
3 In antient Temples painted blind,
4 Nor less imperfect in my Mind:
5 Abroad I threw my random Darts,
6 And, spiteful, pierc'd ill-suited Hearts:
7 The steady Patriot, wise and brave,
8 Is to some giddy Jilt a Slave;
9 The thoughtful Sage oft weds a Shrew;
10 And Vestals languish for a Beau:
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11 The fiery Youth's unguided Rage;
12 The childish Dotages of Age;
13 These, and ten thousand Follies more,
14 Are plac'd to injur'd Cupid's Score.
15 As such, is Love by Realms ador'd,
16 As such, his giddy Aid implor'd:
17 Tho' oft the thoughtless Nymph, and Swain,
18 That su'd me thus, have su'd in vain.
19 Yet, long insulted by Mankind,
20 Who from false Figures judg'd my Mind;
21 And on me all the Faults have thrown,
22 They were themselves asham'd to own;
23 I from this Picture plainly see,
24 A Mortal can be just to me;
25 That awful Sweetness can display,
26 With which Angelic Minds I sway;
27 With which I rule the Good on Earth,
28 And give exalted Passions Birth:
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29 The Form of Love, so long unknown,
30 At last by bright Charissa's shown:
31 Her Hand does ev'ry Beauty trace,
32 That can adorn a heav'nly Face;
33 And of my Graces more unfold,
34 Than ever Paint, or Verse, of old.
35 Now hear the God, whom Worlds revere,
36 What He decrees for Her, declare.
37 Thou, lovely Nymph! shalt shortly prove
38 Those Sweets, thou paint'st so well in Love:
39 Thou soon that charming Swain shalt see,
40 Whom Fate and I design for Thee;
41 His Head adorn'd with ev'ry Art;
42 With ev'ry Grace his glowing Heart,
43 That throbs with ev'ry fond Desire,
44 Thy Charms can raise, or Love inspire.
45 You from each other shall receive
46 The highest Joys I know to give:
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47 (Tho' to thy Parents, long before,
48 I thought I empty'd all my Store)
49 While your exalted Lives shall show
50 A Sketch of heav'nly Bliss below;
51 The Bliss of ev'ry god-like Mind,
52 Beneficent to human Kind;
53 And I to Mortals shine confess'd,
54 Both in your Paint, and in your Breast.

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Title (in Source Edition): The Speech of Cupid, upon seeing him self painted by the Honourable Miss Carteret, (now Countess of Dysert) on a Fan.
Author: Constantia Grierson (née Crawley)
Themes: art; painting
Genres: panegyric
References: DMI 11601

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Barber, Mary, ca. 1690-1757. Poems on Several Occasions [poems only]. London: Printed for C. Rivington, at the Bible and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1734, pp. 218-221. xlviii,283,[7]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T42622; DMI 519; Foxon p. 45) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Harding C 3644].)

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