In Cupid's school, whoe'er would take degreeMust learn his rudiments by reading me,Seamen with sailing art their vessels move;Art guides the chariot: art instructs to love.Of ships and chariots others know the rule;But I am master in Love's mighty school.Cupid indeed is obstinate and wild,A stubborn god; but yet the god's a child:Easy to govern in his tender age,Like fierce Achilles in his pupilage:That hero, born for conquest, trembling stoodBefore the centaur, and receiv'd the rod.As Chiron mollified his cruel mindWith art; and taught his warlike hands to windThe silver strings of his melodious lyre;So love's fair goddess does my soul inspireTo teach her softer arts; to sooth the mind,And smooth the rugged breasts of human kind.Yet Cupid and Achilles, each with scornAnd rage were fill'd; and both were goddess-born.The bull reclaim'd and yolk'd, the burden draws:The horse receives the bit within his jaws.And stubborn love shall bend beneath my sway,Tho' struggling oft he tries to disobey.He shakes his torch, he wounds me with his darts;But vain his force, and vainer are his arts.The more he burns my soul, or wounds my sight,The more he teaches to revenge the spite.I boast no aid the Delphian god affords,Nor auspice from the flight of chattering birds,Nor Clio, nor her sisters, have I seen,As Hesiod saw them on the shady green:Experience makes my work a truth so tried,You may believe; and Venus be my guide.Far hence ye vestals be, who bind your hair;And wives, who gowns below your ancles wear.I sing the brothels loose and unconfin'd,Th' unpunishable pleasures of the kind;Which all alike for love or money find.
Siquis in hoc artem populo non novit amandi,Hoc legat et lecto carmine doctus amet.Arte citae veloque rates remoque moventur,Arte leves currus: arte regendus amor.Curribus Automedon lentisque erat aptus habenis,Tiphys in Haemonia puppe magister erat:Me Venus artificem tenero praefecit Amori;Tiphys et Automedon dicar Amoris ego.Ille quidem ferus est et qui mihi saepe repugnet:Sed puer est, aetas mollis et apta regi.Phillyrides puerum cithara perfecit Achillem,Atque animos placida contudit arte feros.Qui totiens socios, totiens exterruit hostes,Creditur annosum pertimuisse senem.Quas Hector sensurus erat, poscente magistroVerberibus iussas praebuit ille manus.Aeacidae Chiron, ego sum praeceptor Amoris:Saevus uterque puer, natus uterque dea.Sed tamen et tauri cervix oneratur aratro,Frenaque magnanimi dente teruntur equi;Et mihi cedet Amor, quamvis mea vulneret arcuPectora, iactatas excutiatque faces.Quo me fixit Amor, quo me violentius ussit,Hoc melior facti vulneris ultor ero:Non ego, Phoebe, datas a te mihi mentiar artes,Nec nos aëriae voce monemur avis,Nec mihi sunt visae Clio Cliusque sororesServanti pecudes vallibus, Ascra, tuis:Usus opus movet hoc: vati parete perito;Vera canam: coeptis, mater Amoris, ades!Este procul, vittae tenues, insigne pudoris,Quaeque tegis medios, instita longa, pedes.Nos venerem tutam concessaque furta canemus,Inque meo nullum carmine crimen erit.
You, who in Cupid's roll inscribe your name,First seek an object worthy of your flame;Then strive, with art, your lady's mind to gain;And last, provide your love may long remain.On these three precepts all my work shall move:These are the rules and principles of love.Before your youth with marriage is oppress't,Make choice of one who suits your humour bestAnd such a damsel drops not from the sky;She must be sought for with a curious eye.The wary angler, in the winding brook,Knows what the fish, and where to bait his hook.The fowler and the huntsman know by nameThe certain haunts and harbour of their game.So must the lover beat the likeliest grounds;Th' Assemblies where his quarries most abound:Nor shall my novice wander far astray;These rules shall put him in the ready way.Thou shalt not fail around the continent,As far as Perseus or as Paris went:For Rome alone affords thee such a store,As all the world can hardly shew thee more.The face of heav'n with fewer stars is crown'd,Than beauties in the Roman sphere are found.Whether thy love is bent on blooming youth,On dawning sweetness, in unartful truth;Or courts the juicy joys of riper growth;Here may'st thou find thy full desires in both:Or if autumnal beauties please thy sight(An age that knows to give and take delight;)Millions of matrons, of the graver sort,In common prudence, will not balk the sport.In summer's heats thou need'st but only goTo Pompey's cool and shady portico;Or Concord's fane; or that proud edificeWhose turrets near the bawdy suburbs rise;Or to that other portico, where standsThe cruel father urging his commands.And fifty daughters wait the time of rest,To plunge their poniards in the bridegroom's breast.Or Venus' temple; where, on annual nights,They mourn Adonis with Assyrian rites.Nor shun the Jewish walk, where the foul droveOn sabbaths rest from everything but love.Nor Isis' temple; for that sacred whoreMakes others, what to Jove she was before;And if the hall itself be not belied,E'en there the cause of love is often tried;Near it at least, or in the palace yard,From whence the noisy combatants are heard.The crafty counsellors, in formal gown,There gain another's cause, but lose their own.Their eloquence is nonpluss'd in the suit;And lawyers, who had words at will, are mute.Venus from her adjoining temple smilesTo see them caught in their litigious wiles;Grave senators lead home the youthful dame,Returning clients when they patrons came.But above all, the Playhouse is the place;There's choice of quarry in that narrow chace:There take thy stand, and sharply looking out,Soon may'st thou find a mistress in the rout,For length of time or for a single bout.The Theatres are berries for the fair;Like ants or mole-hills thither they repair;Like bees to hives so numerously they throng,It may be said they to that place belong:Thither they swarm who have the public voice;There choose, if plenty not distracts thy choice.To see, and to be seen, in heaps they run;Some to undo, and some to be undone.
Principio, quod amare velis, reperire labora,Qui nova nunc primum miles in arma venis.Proximus huic labor est placitam exorare puellam:Tertius, ut longo tempore duret amor.Hic modus, haec nostro signabitur area curru:Haec erit admissa meta terenda rota.Dum licet, et loris passim potes ire solutis,Elige cui dicas 'tu mihi sola places.'Haec tibi non tenues veniet delapsa per auras:Quaerenda est oculis apta puella tuis.Scit bene venator, cervis ubi retia tendat,Scit bene, qua frendens valle moretur aper;Aucupibus noti frutices; qui sustinet hamos,Novit quae multo pisce natentur aquae:Tu quoque, materiam longo qui quaeris amori,Ante frequens quo sit disce puella loco.Non ego quaerentem vento dare vela iubebo,Nec tibi, ut invenias, longa terenda via est.Andromedan Perseus nigris portarit ab Indis,Raptaque sit Phrygio Graia puella viro,Tot tibi tamque dabit formosas Roma puellas,'Haec habet' ut dicas 'quicquid in orbe fuit.'Gargara quot segetes, quot habet Methymna racemos,Aequore quot pisces, fronde teguntur aves,Quot caelum stellas, tot habet tua Roma puellas:Mater in Aeneae constitit urbe sui.Seu caperis primis et adhuc crescentibus annis,Ante oculos veniet vera puella tuos:Sive cupis iuvenem, iuvenes tibi mille placebunt.Cogeris voti nescius esse tui:Seu te forte iuvat sera et sapientior aetas,Hoc quoque, crede mihi, plenius agmen erit.Tu modo Pompeia lentus spatiare sub umbra,Cum sol Herculei terga leonis adit:Aut ubi muneribus nati sua munera materAddidit, externo marmore dives opus.Nec tibi vitetur quae, priscis sparsa tabellis,Porticus auctoris Livia nomen habet:Quaque parare necem miseris patruelibus ausaeBelides et stricto stat ferus ense pater.Nec te praetereat Veneri ploratus Adonis,Cultaque Iudaeo septima sacra Syro.Nec fuge linigerae Memphitica templa iuvencae:Multas illa facit, quod fuit ipsa Iovi.Et fora conveniunt (quis credere possit?) amori:Flammaque in arguto saepe reperta foro:Subdita qua Veneris facto de marmore temploAppias expressis aëra pulsat aquis,Illo saepe loco capitur consultus Amori,Quique aliis cavit, non cavet ipse sibi:Illo saepe loco desunt sua verba diserto,Resque novae veniunt, causaque agenda sua est.Hunc Venus e templis, quae sunt confinia, ridet:Qui modo patronus, nunc cupit esse cliens.Sed tu praecipue curvis venare theatris:Haec loca sunt voto fertiliora tuo.Illic invenies quod ames, quod ludere possis,Quodque semel tangas, quodque tenere velis.Ut redit itque frequens longum formica per agmen,Granifero solitum cum vehit ore cibum,Aut ut apes saltusque suos et olentia nactaePascua per flores et thyma summa volant,Sic ruit ad celebres cultissima femina ludos:Copia iudicium saepe morata meum est.Spectatum veniunt, veniunt spectentur ut ipsae:Ille locus casti damna pudoris habet.
From Romulus the rise of plays began,To his new subjects a commodious man;Who, his unmarried soldiers to supply,Took care the commonwealth should multiply;Providing Sabine women for his braves,Like a true king, to get a race of slaves.His playhouse, not of Parian marble made,Nor was it spread with purple sails for shade;The stage with rushes or with leaves they strew'd;No scenes in prospect, no machining god.On rows of homely turf they sat to see,Crown'd with the wreaths of ev'ry common tree.There, while they sit in rustic majesty,Each lover had his mistress in his eye;And whom he saw most suiting to his mind,For joys of matrimonial rape design'd.Scarce could they wait the plaudit in their haste;But ere the dances and the song were past,The monarch gave the signal from his throne,And rising, bade his merry men fall on.The martial crew, like soldiers, ready press'd,Just at the word (the word too was the best),With joyful cries each other animate;Some choose, and some at hazard seize their mate.As doves from eagles, or from wolves the lambs,So from their lawless lovers fly the dames.Their fear was one, but not one face of fear:Some rend the lovely tresses of the hair:Some shriek, and some are struck with dumb despair.Her absent mother one invokes in vain;One stands amaz'd, not daring to complain;The nimbler trust their feet, the slow remain.But nought availing, all are captives led,Trembling and blushing, to the genial bed.She who too long resisted or denied,The lusty lover made by force a bride,And with superior strength compell'd her to his side,Then sooth'd her thus! "My soul's far better part,Cease weeping, nor afflict thy tender heart;For what thy father to thy mother was,That faith to thee, that solemn vow I pass!Thus Romulus became so popular;This was the way to thrive in peace and war;To pay his army, and fresh whores to bring:Who wouldn't fight for such a gracious king!Thus love in theatres did first improve,And theatres are still the scene of love.
Primus sollicitos fecisti, Romule, ludos,Cum iuvit viduos rapta Sabina viros.Tunc neque marmoreo pendebant vela theatro,Nec fuerant liquido pulpita rubra croco;Illic quas tulerant nemorosa Palatia, frondesSimpliciter positae, scena sine arte fuit;In gradibus sedit populus de caespite factis,Qualibet hirsutas fronde tegente comas.Respiciunt, oculisque notant sibi quisque puellamQuam velit, et tacito pectore multa movent.Dumque, rudem praebente modum tibicine Tusco,Ludius aequatam ter pede pulsat humum,In medio plausu (plausus tunc arte carebant)Rex populo praedae signa petita dedit.Protinus exiliunt, animum clamore fatentes,Virginibus cupidas iniciuntque manus.Ut fugiunt aquilas, timidissima turba, columbae,Ut fugit invisos agna novella lupos:Sic illae timuere viros sine more ruentes;Constitit in nulla qui fuit ante color.Nam timor unus erat, facies non una timoris:Pars laniat crines, pars sine mente sedet;Altera maesta silet, frustra vocat altera matrem:Haec queritur, stupet haec; haec manet, illa fugit;Ducuntur raptae, genialis praeda, puellae,Et potuit multas ipse decere timor.Siqua repugnarat nimium comitemque negabat,Sublatam cupido vir tulit ipse sinu,Atque ita 'quid teneros lacrimis corrumpis ocellos?Quod matri pater est, hoc tibi' dixit 'ero.'Romule, militibus scisti dare commoda solus:Haec mihi si dederis commoda, miles ero.Scilicet ex illo sollemnia more theatraNunc quoque formosis insidiosa manent.
Nor shun the chariots and the courser's race;The circus is no inconvenient place.No need is there of talking on the hands;Nor nods, nor signs, which lovers understand.But boldly next the fair your seat provide,Close as ye can to hers-and side by side.Pleas'd or unpleas'd, no matter, crowding sit;For so the laws of public shows permit.Then find occasion to begin discourse;Enquire whose chariot this, and whose that horse?To whatsoever side she is inclin'd,Suit all her inclinations to her mind;Like what she likes, from thence your court begin.And whom she favours, wish that he may win.But when the statues of the deitiesIn chariots roll'd, appear before the prize;When Venus comes, with deep devotion rise.If dust be on her lap, or grains of sand,Brush both away with your officious hand.If none there be, yet brush that nothing thence,And still to touch her lap make some pretence.Touch any thing of hers, and if her trainSweep on the ground, let it not sweep in vain;But gently take it up and wipe it clean;And while you wipe it, with observing eyes,Who knows but you may see her naked thighs!Observe who sits behind her, and beware,Lest his encroaching knees should press the fairLight service takes light minds, for some can tellOf favours won by laying cushions well;By fanning faces some their fortunes meet,And some by laying footstools for their feet.These overtures of love the circus gives,Nor at the sword play less the lover thrives;For there the son of Venus fights his prize,And deepest wounds are oft receiv'd from eyes.One, while the crowd their acclamations make,Or while he bets and puts his ring to stake,Is struck from far and feels the flying dart,And of the spectacle is made a part.
Nec te nobilium fugiat certamen equorum;Multa capax populi commoda Circus habet.Nil opus est digitis, per quos arcana loquaris,Nec tibi per nutus accipienda nota est:Proximus a domina, nullo prohibente, sedeto,Iunge tuum lateri qua potes usque latus;Et bene, quod cogit, si nolis, linea iungi,Quod tibi tangenda est lege puella loci.Hic tibi quaeratur socii sermonis origo,Et moveant primos publica verba sonos.Cuius equi veniant, facito, studiose, requiras:Nec mora, quisquis erit, cui favet illa, fave.At cum pompa frequens caelestibus ibit eburnis,Tu Veneri dominae plaude favente manu;Utque fit, in gremium pulvis si forte puellaeDeciderit, digitis excutiendus erit:Etsi nullus erit pulvis, tamen excute nullum:Quaelibet officio causa sit apta tuo.Pallia si terra nimium demissa iacebunt,Collige, et inmunda sedulus effer humo;Protinus, officii pretium, patiente puellaContingent oculis crura videnda tuis.Respice praeterea, post vos quicumque sedebit,Ne premat opposito mollia terga genu.Parva leves capiunt animos: fuit utile multisPulvinum facili composuisse manu.Profuit et tenui ventos movisse tabella,Et cava sub tenerum scamna dedisse pedem.Hos aditus Circusque novo praebebit amori,Sparsaque sollicito tristis harena foro.Illa saepe puer Veneris pugnavit harena,Et qui spectavit vulnera, vulnus habet.Dum loquitur tangitque manum poscitque libellumEt quaerit posito pignore, vincat uter,Saucius ingemuit telumque volatile sensit,Et pars spectati muneris ipse fuit.
Caesar would represent a naval fight,For his own honour and for Rome's delight.From either sea the youths and maidens come,And all the world was then contain'd in Rome!In this vast concourse, in this choice of game,What Roman heart but felt a foreign flame!Once more our prince prepares to make us glad,And the remaining east to Rome will add.Rejoice, ye Roman soldiers, in your urns,Your ensigns from the Parthians shall return,And the slain Crassi shall no longer mourn.A youth is sent those trophies to demand,Ard bears his father's thunders in his hand;Doubt not th' imperial boy in wars unseen,In childhood all of Caesar's race are men.Celestial seeds shoot out before their day,Prevent their years, and brook no dull delay.Thus infant Hercules the snakes did press,And in his cradle did his sire confess.Bacchus a boy, yet like a hero fought,And early spoils from conquer'd India brought.Thus you your father's troops shall lead to fight,And thus shall vanquish in your father's right.These rudiments you to your lineage owe;Born to increase your titles as you grow.Brethren you had, revenge your brethren slain;You have a father, and his rights maintain.Arm'd by your country's parent and your own,Redeem your country and restore his throne.Your enemies assert an impious cause;You fight both for divine and human laws.Already in their cause they are o'ercome;Subject them too, by force of arms, to Rome.Great father Mars with greater Caesar join,To give a prosperous omen to your line;One of you is, and one shall be divine.I prophesy you shall, you shall o'ercome;My verse shall bring you back in triumph home:Speak in my verse, exhort to loud alarms;0, were my numbers equal to your arms,Then would I sing the Parthians' overthrow;Their shot averse sent from a flying bowThe Parthians, who already flying fight,Already give an omen of their flight.0, when will come the day, by heaven designed,When thou, the best and fairest of mankind,Drawn by white horses, shalt in triumph ride,With conquer'd slaves attending on thy side;Slaves that no longer can be safe in flight:O glorious object, O surprising sight,O day of public joy, too good to end in night!On such a day, if thou, and next to thee,Some beauty sits the spectacle to see;If she enquires the names of conquer'd kings,Of mountains, rivers, and of hidden springs,Answer to all thou know'st; and if need be,Of things unknown seem to speak knowingly:This is Euphrates, crown'd with reeds; and thereFlows the swift Tigris, with his sea-green hair.Invent new names of things unknown before:Call this Armenia, that the Caspian shore;Call this a Mede, and that a Parthian youth;Talk probably,-no matter for the truth.
Quid, modo cum belli navalis imagine CaesarPersidas induxit Cecropiasque rates?Nempe ab utroque mari iuvenes, ab utroque puellaeVenere, atque ingens orbis in Urbe fuit.Quis non invenit turba, quod amaret, in illa?Eheu, quam multos advena torsit amor!Ecce, parat Caesar domito quod defuit orbiAddere: nunc, oriens ultime, noster eris.Parthe, dabis poenas: Crassi gaudete sepulti,Signaque barbaricas non bene passa manus.Ultor adest, primisque ducem profitetur in annis,Bellaque non puero tractat agenda puer.Parcite natales timidi numerare deorum:Caesaribus virtus contigit ante diem.Ingenium caeleste suis velocius annisSurgit, et ignavae fert male damna morae.Parvus erat, manibusque duos Tirynthius anguesPressit, et in cunis iam Iove dignus erat.Nunc quoque qui puer es, quantus tum, Bacche, fuisti,Cum timuit thyrsos India victa tuos?Auspiciis annisque patris, puer, arma movebis,Et vinces annis auspiciisque patris:Tale rudimentum tanto sub nomine debes,Nunc iuvenum princeps, deinde future senum;Cum tibi sint fratres, fratres ulciscere laesos:Cumque pater tibi sit, iura tuere patris.Induit arma tibi genitor patriaeque tuusque:Hostis ab invito regna parente rapit;Tu pia tela feres, sceleratas ille sagittas:Stabit pro signis iusque piumque tuis.Vincuntur causa Parthi: vincantur et armis;Eoas Latio dux meus addat opes.Marsque pater Caesarque pater, date numen eunti:Nam deus e vobis alter es, alter eris.Auguror, en, vinces; votivaque carmina reddam,Et magno nobis ore sonandus eris.Consistes, aciemque meis hortabere verbis;O desint animis ne mea verba tuis!Tergaque Parthorum Romanaque pectora dicam,Telaque, ab averso quae iacit hostis equo.Qui fugis ut vincas, quid victo, Parthe, relinquis?Parthe, malum iam nunc Mars tuus omen habet.Ergo erit illa dies, qua tu, pulcherrime rerum,Quattuor in niveis aureus ibis equis.Ibunt ante duces onerati colla catenis,Ne possint tuti, qua prius, esse fuga.Spectabunt laeti iuvenes mixtaeque puellae,Diffundetque animos omnibus ista dies.Atque aliqua ex illis cum regum nomina quaeret,Quae loca, qui montes, quaeve ferantur aquae,Omnia responde, nec tantum siqua rogabit;Et quae nescieris, ut bene nota refer.Hic est Euphrates, praecinctus harundine frontem:Cui coma dependet caerula, Tigris erit.Hos facito Armenios; haec est Danaëia Persis:Urbs in Achaemeniis vallibus ista fuit.Ille vel ille, duces; et erunt quae nomina dicas,Si poteris, vere, si minus, apta tamen.
In feasts, as at our shows, new means abound;More pleasure there, than that of wine, is found.The Paphian goddess there her ambush lays;And love, betwixt the horns of Bacchus plays:Desires increase at ev'ry swilling draught;Brisk vapour add new vigour to the thought.There Cupid's purple wings no flight afford,But wet with wine, he flutters on the board.He shakes his pinions, but he cannot move;Fix'd he remains, and turns a maudlin love.Wine warms the blood, and makes the spirits flow;Care flies, and wrinkles from the forehead go;Exalts the poor, invigorates the weak,Gives mirth and laughter, and a rosy cheek.Bold truth it speaks; and spoken, dare maintain;And brings our old simplicity again.Love sparkles in the cup and fills it higher;Wine feeds the flames, and fuel adds to fire.But choose no mistress in thy drunken fit;Wine gilds too much their beauties and their wit.Nor trust thy judgment when the tapers dance;But sober, and by day thy suit advance.By daylight Paris judg'd the beauteous three;And for the fairest did the prize decree.Night is a cheat, and all deformitiesAre hid, or lessen'd, in her dark disguise.The sun's fair light each error will confess,In face, in shape, in jewels, and in dress.Why name I ev'ry place where youths abound?'Tis loss of time; and a true fruitful ground.The Baian baths, where ships at anchor ride,And wholesome streams from sulphur fountains glide;Where wounded youths are by experience taught,The waters are less healthful than they thought,Or Dian's fane, which near the suburb lies;Where priests, for their promotion, fight a prize.That maiden goddess is love's mortal foe,And much from her his subjects undergo.
Dant etiam positis aditum convivia mensis:Est aliquid praeter vina, quod inde petas.Saepe illic positi teneris adducta lacertisPurpureus Bacchi cornua pressit Amor:Vinaque cum bibulas sparsere Cupidinis alas,Permanet et capto stat gravis ille loco.Ille quidem pennas velociter excutit udas:Sed tamen et spargi pectus amore nocet.Vina parant animos faciuntque caloribus aptos:Cura fugit multo diluiturque mero.Tunc veniunt risus, tum pauper cornua sumit,Tum dolor et curae rugaque frontis abit.Tunc aperit mentes aevo rarissima nostroSimplicitas, artes excutiente deo.Illic saepe animos iuvenum rapuere puellae,Et Venus in vinis ignis in igne fuit.Hic tu fallaci nimium ne crede lucernae:Iudicio formae noxque merumque nocent.Luce deas caeloque Paris spectavit aperto,Cum dixit Veneri 'vincis utramque, Venus.'Nocte latent mendae, vitioque ignoscitur omni,Horaque formosam quamlibet illa facit.Consule de gemmis, de tincta murice lana,Consule de facie corporibusque diem.Quid tibi femineos coetus venatibus aptosEnumerem? numero cedet harena meo.Quid referam Baias, praetextaque litora velis,Et quae de calido sulpure fumat aqua?Hinc aliquis vulnus referens in pectore dixit'Non haec, ut fama est, unda salubris erat.'Ecce suburbanae templum nemorale DianaePartaque per gladios regna nocente manu:Illa, quod est virgo, quod tela Cupidinis odit,Multa dedit populo vulnera, multa dabit.
Thus far the sportful muse, with myrtle bound,Has sung where lovely lasses may be found,Now let me sing, how she who wounds your mind,With art, may be to cure your wounds inclined.Young nobles, to my laws attention lend,And all you vulgar of my school attend.First then believe, all women may be won;Attempt with confidence, the work is done.The grasshopper shall first forbear to singIn summer season, or the birds in spring;Than women can resist your flatt'ring skill;E'en she will yield who swears she never will.To secret pleasures both the sexes move;But women most, who most dissemble, love;'Twere best for us, if they would first declare;Avow their passion, and submit to prayer.The cow by looing tells the bull her flame;The neighing mare invites her stallion to the game.Man is more temp'rate in his lust than they;And more than woman can his passion sway.Biblis, we know, did first her love declare,And had recourse to death in her despair.Her brother she, her father Myrrha sought;And lov'd; but lov'd not as a daughter ought.Now from a tree she stills her od'rous tears;Which yet the name of her who shed 'em bear.In Ida's shady vale a bull appeared,White as the snow, the fairest of the herd;A beauty spot of black there only rose,Betwixt his equal horns and ample brows;The love and wish of all the Cretan cows.The queen beheld him as his head he rear'd;And envied ev'ry leap he gave the herd.A secret fire she nourished in her breast;And hated ev'ry heifer he caress'd.A story known, and known for true, I tell;Nor Crete, though lying, can the truth conceal.She cut him grass (so much can love command)She strok'd, she fed him with her royal hand;Was pleas'd in pastures with the herd to roam,And Minos by the bull was overcome.Cease, Queen, with gems t'adorn thy beauteous brows,The monarch of thy heart no jewel knows.Nor in thy glass compose thy looks and eyes;Secure from all thy charms thy lover lies:Yet trust thy mirror, when it tells thee true,Thou art no heifer to allure his view.Soon wouldst thou quit thy royal diademTo thy fair rivals; to be horned like them.If Minos please, no lover seek to find;If not, at least seek one of human kind.The wretched queen the Cretan court forsakes;In woods and wilds her habitation makes;She curses ev'ry beauteous cow she sees;"Ah, why dost thou my lord and master please!And think'st, ungrateful creature as thou art,With frisking awkardly to gain his heart."She said; and straight commands with frowning look,To put her, undeserving, to the yoke.Or feigns some holy rites of sacrifice,And sees her rival's death with joyful eyes;Then when the bloody priest has done his part,Pleas'd, in her hand she holds the beating heart;Nor from a scornful taunt can scarce refrain,Go, fool, and strive to please my love again"Now she would be Europa.—Io now;(One bare a bull. and one was made a cow.)Yet she at last her brutal bliss obtain'd,And in a wooden cow the bull sustained;Fill'd with his seed, accomplish'd her desire,Till, by his form, the son betray'd the sire.
Hactenus, unde legas quod ames, ubi retia ponas,Praecipit imparibus vecta Thalea rotis.Nunc tibi, quae placuit, quas sit capienda per artes,Dicere praecipuae molior artis opus.Quisquis ubique, viri, dociles advertite mentes,Pollicitisque favens, vulgus, adeste meis.Prima tuae menti veniat fiducia, cunctasPosse capi; capies, tu modo tende plagas.Vere prius volucres taceant, aestate cicadae,Maenalius lepori det sua terga canis,Femina quam iuveni blande temptata repugnet:Haec quoque, quam poteris credere nolle, volet.Utque viro furtiva venus, sic grata puellae:Vir male dissimulat: tectius illa cupit.Conveniat maribus, nequam nos ante rogemus,Femina iam partes victa rogantis agat.Mollibus in pratis admugit femina tauro:Femina cornipedi semper adhinnit equo.Parcior in nobis nec tam furiosa libido:Legitimum finem flamma virilis habet.Byblida quid referam, vetito quae fratris amoreArsit et est laqueo fortiter ulta nefas?Myrrha patrem, sed non qua filia debet, amavit,Et nunc obducto cortice pressa latet:Illius lacrimis, quas arbore fundit odora,Unguimur, et dominae nomina gutta tenet.Forte sub umbrosis nemorosae vallibus IdaeCandidus, armenti gloria, taurus erat,Signatus tenui media inter cornua nigro:Una fuit labes, cetera lactis erant.Illum Cnosiadesque Cydoneaeque iuvencaeOptarunt tergo sustinuisse suo.Pasiphaë fieri gaudebat adultera tauri;Invida formosas oderat illa boves.Nota cano: non hoc, centum quae sustinet urbes,Quamvis sit mendax, Creta negare potest.Ipsa novas frondes et prata tenerrima tauroFertur inadsueta subsecuisse manu.It comes armentis, nec ituram cura moraturConiugis, et Minos a bove victus erat.Quo tibi, Pasiphaë, pretiosas sumere vestes?Ille tuus nullas sentit adulter opes.Quid tibi cum speculo, montana armenta petenti?Quid totiens positas fingis, inepta, comas?Crede tamen speculo, quod te negat esse iuvencam.Quam cuperes fronti cornua nata tuae!Sive placet Minos, nullus quaeratur adulter:Sive virum mavis fallere, falle viro!In nemus et saltus thalamo regina relictoFertur, ut Aonio concita Baccha deo.A, quotiens vaccam vultu spectavit iniquo,Et dixit 'domino cur placet ista meo?Aspice, ut ante ipsum teneris exultet in herbis:Nec dubito, quin se stulta decere putet.'Dixit, et ingenti iamdudum de grege duciIussit et inmeritam sub iuga curva trahi,Aut cadere ante aras commentaque sacra coegit,Et tenuit laeta paelicis exta manu.Paelicibus quotiens placavit numina caesis,Atque ait, exta tenens 'ite, placete meo!'Et modo se Europen fieri, modo postulat Io,Altera quod bos est, altera vecta bove.Hanc tamen implevit, vacca deceptus acerna,Dux gregis, et partu proditus auctor erat.
If Atreus' wife to incest had not run,(But ah, how hard it is to love but one!)His coursers Phoebus had not driv'n away,To shun that sight, and interrupt the day.Thy daughter, Nissus, pull'd thy purple hair;And barking sea-dogs yet her bowels tear.At sea and land Atrides sav'd his life;Yet fell a prey to his adult'rous wife.Who knows not what revenge Medea sought,When the slain offspring bore the father's fault!Thus Phoenix did a woman's love bewail;And thus Hippolytus by Phaedra fell.These crimes revengeful matrons did commit!Hotter their lust, and sharper is their wit.Doubt not from them an easy victory;Scarce of a thousand dames will one deny.All women are content that men should woo;She who complains, and she who will not do.Rest then secure, whate'er thy luck may prove,Not to be hated for declaring love:And yet how canst thou miss, since womankindIs frail and vain; and still to change inclin'd?Old husbands, and stale gallants, they despise;And more another's than their own they prize.A larger crop adorns our neighbour's field,More milk his kine from swelling udders yield.
Cressa Thyesteo si se abstinuisset amore(Et quantum est uno posse carere viro?),Non medium rupisset iter, curruque retortoAuroram versis Phoebus adisset equis.Filia purpureos Niso furata capillosPube premit rabidos inguinibusque canes.Qui Martem terra, Neptunum effugit in undis,Coniugis Atrides victima dira fuit.Cui non defleta est Ephyraeae flamma Creüsae,Et nece natorum sanguinolenta parens?Flevit Amyntorides per inania lumina Phoenix:Hippolytum pavidi diripuistis equi.Quid fodis inmeritis, Phineu, sua lumina natis?Poena reversura est in caput ista tuum.Omnia feminea sunt ista libidine mota;Acrior est nostra, plusque furoris habet.Ergo age, ne dubita cunctas sperare puellas;Vix erit e multis, quae neget, una, tibi.Quae dant quaeque negant, gaudent tamen esse rogatae:Ut iam fallaris, tuta repulsa tua est.Sed cur fallaris, cum sit nova grata voluptasEt capiant animos plus aliena suis?Fertilior seges est alienis semper in agris,Vicinumque pecus grandius uber habet.Sed prius ancillam captandae nosse puellaeCura sit: accessus molliet illa tuos.Proxima consiliis dominae sit ut illa, videto,Neve parum tacitis conscia fida iocis.Hanc tu pollicitis, hanc tu corrumpe rogando:Quod petis, ex facili, si volet illa, feres.Illa leget tempus (medici quoque tempora servant)Quo facilis dominae mens sit et apta capi.Mens erit apta capi tum, cum laetissima rerumUt seges in pingui luxuriabit humo.Pectora dum gaudent nec sunt adstricta dolore,Ipsa patent, blanda tum subit arte Venus.Tum, cum tristis erat, defensa est Ilios armis:Militibus gravidum laeta recepit equum.
First gain the maid; by her thou shalt be sureA free access, and easy to procure;Who knows what to her office does belong,Is in the secret, and can hold her tongue,Bribe her with gifts, with promises, and pray'rs;For her good word goes far in love affairs.The time and fit occasion leave to her,When she most amply can thy suit prefer.The time for maids to fire their lady's bloodIs when they find her in a merry mood.When all things at her wish and pleasure move;Her heart is open then, and free to love.Then mirth and wantonness to lust betray,And smooth the passage to the lover's way.Troy stood the siege, when fill'd with anxious careOne merry fit concluded all the war.If some fair rival vex her jealous mind,Offer thy service to revenge in kind.Instruct the damsel, while she combs her hair,To raise the choler of that injur'd fair;And sighing, make her mistress understandShe has the means of vengeance in her hand.Then, naming thee, thy humble suit prefer;And swear thou languishest and diest for her.Then let her lose no time, but push at all;For women soon are rais'd, and soon they fall.Give their first fury leisure to relent,They melt like ice, and suddenly repent.T' enjoy the maid, will that thy suit advance?'Tis a hard question, and a doubtful chance.One maid corrupted, bawds the better for't;Another for herself would keep the sport.Thy bus'ness may be furthered or delay'd,But by my counsel, let alone the maidE'en tho' she should consent to do the feat;The profit's little, and the danger great.I will not lead thee through a rugged road,But where the way lies open, safe and broad,Yet if thou find'st her very much thy friend,And her good face her diligence commend,Let the fair mistress have the first embrace,And let the maid come after in her place.But this I will advise, and mark my words,For 'tis the best advice my skill affords;If needs thou with the damsel wilt begin,Before th' attempt is made, make sure to win;For then the secret better will be kept,And she can tell no tales when once she's dipt.'Tis for the fowler's int'rest to beware,The bird intangled, should not 'scape the snare.The fish once prick'd avoids the bearded hook,And spoils the sport of all the neighb'ring brook.But if the wench be thine, she makes thy way,And for thy sake, her mistress will betray;Tell all she knows, and all she hears her sayKeep well the counsel of thy faithful spy;So shalt thou learn whene'er she treads awry.
Tum quoque temptanda est, cum paelice laesa dolebit:Tum facies opera, ne sit inulta, tua.Hanc matutinos pectens ancilla capillosIncitet, et velo remigis addat opem,Et secum tenui suspirans murmure dicat'At, puto, non poteras ipsa referre vicem.'Tum de te narret, tum persuadentia verbaAddat, et insano iuret amore mori.Sed propera, ne vela cadant auraeque residant:Ut fragilis glacies, interit ira mora.Quaeris, an hanc ipsam prosit violare ministram?Talibus admissis alea grandis inest.Haec a concubitu fit sedula, tardior illa,Haec dominae munus te parat, illa sibi.Casus in eventu est: licet hic indulgeat ausis,Consilium tamen est abstinuisse meum.Non ego per praeceps et acuta cacumina vadam,Nec iuvenum quisquam me duce captus erit.Si tamen illa tibi, dum dat recipitque tabellas,Corpore, non tantum sedulitate placet,Fac domina potiare prius, comes illa sequatur:Non tibi ab ancilla est incipienda venus.Hoc unum moneo, siquid modo creditur arti,Nec mea dicta rapax per mare ventus agit:Aut non temptaris aut perfice! tollitur index,Cum semel in partem criminis ipsa venit.Non avis utiliter viscatis effugit alis;Non bene de laxis cassibus exit aper.Saucius arrepto piscis teneatur ab hamo:Perprime temptatam, nec nisi victor abi.[Tunc neque te prodet communi noxia culpa,][Factaque erunt dominae dictaque nota tibi. ]Sed bene celetur: bene si celabitur index,Notitiae suberit semper amica tuae.