KISS IX.

CEASE thy sweet, thy balmy Kisses; Cease thy many-wreathed smiles; Cease thy melting, murm'ring blisses; Cease thy fond bewitching wiles:

On my bosom soft-reclin'd

Cease to pour thy tender joys: Pleasure's limits are confin'd,

Pleasure oft repeated cloys.

Sparingly your bounty use !
When I ask for Kisses nine,
Sev'n at least you must refuse,
And let only two be mine:

Yet let These be neither long,
Nor delicious sweets respire!
But like Those which Virgins young
Artless give their aged sire:

E

Utrumque nec longum, nec udum :
Qualia teligero Diana

Dat casta fratri! qualia dat patri
Experta nullos nata cupidines!
Mox è meis, lasciva, ocellis

Curre procul natitante planta:

Tu deme septem, &c.] All polite voluptuaries have ever admired these little wanton cruelties in their mistresses; thus Horace speaks with the greatest rapture of his Licymnia: Dum flagrantia detorquet ad oscula

Cervicem, aut facili sævitiâ negat,
Quæ poscente nagis gaudeat eripi,
Interdum rapere occupet.

HOR. LIB. 11. ODE 12.

While now her bending neck she plies

Backward to meet the burning kiss ;

Then with an easy cruelty denies,

And wishes you would snatch not ask the bliss.

FRANCIS.

Boileau's imitation of this passage of Horace is too beautiful to be denied a place here, where he speaks of a kiss snatch'd from the lips of Iris :

Qui mollement résiste, et par un doux caprice,

Quelquefois le refuse, afin qu'on le ravisse.

BOILEAU. Ari Poetique. Chant. 11.

[Natitante planta, &c.] Milton has a very happy expression similar to this in the following passage:

Such as, with a sister's love,
Beauteous Dian may bestow

On the radiant Son of Jove,
Phoebus of the silver bow.

Tripping light, with wanton grace:
Now my lips disorder'd fly,
And in some retired place

Hide thee from my searching eye :

Then in sportive am'rous play,
Victor-like, I'll seize my love;
Seize thee! as the bird of prey
Pounces on a trembling dove.

Each recess I'll traverse o'er,

Where I think thou liest conceal'd:

Ev'ry covert I'll explore,

Till my Wanton's all reveal'd.

So saying, by the hand he took me rais'd,
And over fields and waters, as in air
Smooth-sliding without step, last led me up
A woody mountain.

MILTON. PAR. LOST. BOOK VIII.

Et te remotis in penetralibus,
Et te latebris abdito in intimis:
Sequar latebras usque in imas,
In penetrale sequar repôstum ;

Predamque, victor fervidus, in meam
Utrinque herileis injiciens manus,
Raptabo; ut imbellem columbam
Unguibus accipiter recurvis.

Tu deprecantes victa dabis manus,
Harensque totis pendula brachiis,
Placare me septem jocosis
Basiolis cupies, inepta!

Errabis;-illud crimen ut eluam,
Septena jungam basia septies,
Atque hoc catenatis lacertis
Impediam, fugitiva, collum.

[Et te remotis, &c.] Cornelius Gallus mentions the same amorous dalliance:

Erubuit vultus ipsa puella meos,

Et nunc subridens latebras fugitiva petebat.

CORN. GALL.

At sight of me, deep blush'd the lovely maid,

Then side-long laugh'd, and flying sought the shade.

DUNKIN.

Now your arms submissive raising,

Round my neck those arms you'll throw; Now sev'n Kisses sweetly-pleasing

For your freedom you'll bestow :

But those venal Sev'n are vain ;

Sev'n times sev'n's the price, sweet Maid! Thou my piis'ner shalt remain,

Till the balmy ransom's paid.

And such dalliance was equally grateful to Horace :

Nunc et latentis proditor intimo

Gratus puellæ risus ab angulo.

HOR. ODE IX. LIB. I.

The laugh, that from the corner flies,

The sportive fair one shall betray.

FRANCIS.

In like manner, too, frolicked the mistress of Virgil's shepherd:

Malo me Galatea petit, lasciva puella,

Et fugit ad salices, sed se cupit ante videri,

Which Pope thus beautifully imitates:

VIRG. ECLOG. III.

The Sprightly Sylvia trips along the green,
She runs, but hopes she does not run unseen;
While a kind glance at her pursuer flies,
How much at variance are her feet and eyes!