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If you return

ah why these long delays? Poor Sappho dies while careless Phaon stays. O launch thy bark, nor fear the wat'ry plain; 250 Venus for thee shall finooth her native main. O launch thy bark, fecure of prosp'rous gales: Cupid for thee shall spread the swelling fails. If you will fly - (yet ah! what cause can be, Too cruel youth, that you should fly from me?) 255 If not from Phaon I must hope for ease, Ah let me feek it from the raging seas: To raging seas unpity'd I'll remove, And either cease to live or ceafe to love!

ELOISA

TO

ABELARD.

ARGUMENT.

ABELARD and Eloisa flourished in the tweifth Century, they

were two of the most diftinguished perfons of their age in lear ning and beauty, but for nothing more famous than for their unfortunate paflion. After a long courfe of calamities, they retired each to a feveral Convent, and confecrated the remainder of their days to religion. It was many years after this separation; that a letter of Abelard's to a Friend, which contained the hiftory of his misfortune, fell into the hands of Eloisa. This awakening all her tenderness, occafioned those celebrated letters (out of which the following is partly extracted) which give so lively a picture of the struggles of grace and nature, virtue and paffion. P.

23

[graphic]

Ah Wretch! belierd the Spouse of God in vain Confesd within the Slave of Love and Man.

Elito Ab:

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