The merchant from the Exchange returns in peace,

And the long labors of the toilet cease.
Belinda now, whom thirst of fame 1 invites,
Burns to encounter two adventurous knights,

At omber singly to decide their doom;

And swells her breast with conquests yet to come.
Straight the three bands prepare in arms to join,
Each band the number of the sacred nine.2
Soon as she spreads her hand, the aërial guard
Descend, and sit on each important card:
First Ariel perched upon a Matadore,3
Then each according to the rank they bore;
For sylphs, yet mindful of their ancient race,
Are, as when women, wondrous fond of place.
Behold, four Kings in majesty revered,

35

With hoary whiskers and a forky beard;

And four fair Queens, whose hands sustain a flower,
The expressive emblem of their softer power;
Four Knaves in garbs succinct, a trusty band;

40

Caps on their heads, and halberts 5 in their hand;

And party-colored troops, a shining train,

Draw forth to combat on the velvet plain.

The skillful nymph reviews her force with care:
Let Spades be trumps!7 she said, and trumps they were.

45

1 "Fame" is an objective genitive.

2 Nine has always been considered a mystic number. According to the Pythagoreans, man represented a full chord, or eight notes, and Deity the ninth. 3 "The three highest trumps in omber (spadille, manille, and basto) are called matadores. From the terms used in the game of omber,—spadille, basto, matadore, punto, etc., there can scarcely be a doubt that the other nations of western Europe derived their knowledge of it from the Spaniards" (CHATTO). 4 Tucked up.

5 Another form is "halberds." The word is of German origin: Hellebarte, an ax to split a helmet.

• What is meant by "velvet plain "?

7" Trump," a corruption of " triumph."

330

25

Now move to war her sable Matadores,1

In show like leaders of the swarthy Moors.

Spadillio 2 first, unconquerable lord!

Led off two captive trumps, and swept the board.
As many more Manillio3 forced to yield,

50

And marched a victor from the verdant field.4
Him Basto 5 followed; but his fate more hard
Gained but one trump and one plebeian 6 card.
With his broad saber next, a chief in years,
The hoary Majesty of Spades appears,
Puts forth one manly leg, to sight revealed,
The rest, his many-colored robe concealed.

55

The rebel Knave,7 who dares his prince engage,
Proves the just victim of his royal rage.

60

Ev'n mighty Pam,8 that kings and queens o'erthrew,
And mowed down armies in the fights of Loo,9
Sad chance of war! now destitute of aid,
Falls undistinguished by the victor Spade!

65

Thus far both armies to Belinda yield;
Now to the Baron fate inclines the field.10
His warlike Amazon 11 her host invades,
The imperial consort of the crown of Spades.

1 "The whole idea of this description of a game at omber is taken from Vida's description of a game at chess, in his poem entitled Scacchia Ludus " (WARBURTON).

2 Personified form of the term "spadille," the ace of spades, the first trump in omber.

3 Personified form of the term "manille," the deuce of trumps when trumps are black, the seven when they are red; the second trump in omber. 4 What is meant by " verdant field”? See also line 44.

5 The ace of clubs, the third trump in omber.

6 Why" plebeian "?

7 Commonly called the jack.

8 In certain games the knave of clubs is called pam.

9 The game of loo, in which the pam is the highest card. 10 The battle.

11 Why is "warlike" redundant? Explain " Amazon."

The Club's1 black tyrant first her victim died,
Spite of his haughty mien, and barbarous pride:
What boots 2 the regal circle3 on his head,
His giant limbs, in state unwieldy spread;
That long behind he trails his pompous robe,
And of all monarchs only grasps the globe?

4

70

The Baron now his Diamonds pours apace!
The embroidered King who shows but half his face,

75

And his refulgent Queen, with powers combined,

Of broken troops an easy conquest find.

Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, in wild disorder seen,

In heaps on heaps; one fate o'erwhelms them all.
The Knave of Diamonds tries his wily arts,

And wins (O shameful chance!) the Queen of Hearts.6
At this, the blood the virgin's cheek forsook,
A livid paleness spreads o'er all her look;
She sees, and trembles at the approaching ill,
Just in the jaws of ruin, and Codille.7
And now (as oft in some distempered state)
On one nice trick depends the general fate:
An Ace of Hearts steps forth: the King unseen

Lurked in her hand, and mourned his captive Queen:
He springs to vengeance with an eager pace,
And falls like thunder on the prostrate Ace.

1 "The Club's," etc. What is meant?

2 Avails; used personally.

4 Alone.

3 " Regal circle," crown.

5 " Level green." See lines 44, 52.

90

95

6 "The Knave of Diamonds . . . wins," etc. What is the suggestion? 7 A term used in omber when the opponents made more tricks than the omber, who then lost the pool.

The nymph exulting fills with shouts the sky;
The walls, the woods, and long canals reply.1

O thoughtless mortals! ever blind to fate,
Too soon dejected, and too soon elate.
Sudden these honors shall be snatched away,
And cursed forever this victorious day.

100

For lo! the board with cups and spoons is crowned, 105 The berries 2 crackle,3 and the mill turns round:

4

On shining altars of Japan they raise

The silver lamp; the fiery spirits 5 blaze:

From silver spouts the grateful liquors glide,
While China's earth 6 receives the smoking tide:

At once they gratify their scent and taste,
And frequent cups prolong the rich repast.
Straight hover round the fair her airy band;
Some, as she sipped, the fuming liquor fanned,
Some o'er her lap their careful plumes displayed,
Trembling, and conscious of the rich brocade.
Coffee (which makes the politician wise,

And see through all things with his half-shut eyes)?
Sent up in vapors to the Baron's brain

New stratagems, the radiant lock to gain.

120

Ah, cease, rash youth! desist ere 'tis too late,
Fear the just gods, and think of Scylla's fate!
Changed to a bird, and sent to flit in air,
She dearly pays for Nisus' 8 injured hair!

1 The whole description is a burlesque on the tournaments of romance. 2 Coffee. It was the fashion to grind the coffee in the room.

3 What kind of word is "crackle"?

4"Altars of Japan." Japan ware was probably introduced into England during the seventeenth century.

5 What is meant by " fiery spirits"?

6 China ware was introduced into Europe in the early part of the sixteenth century.

7 Pope, like Voltaire, was an inordinate coffee drinker.

8 Nisus, king of Megara, had on his head a purple lock of hair, and it was

But when to mischief mortals bend their will,
How soon they find fit instruments of ill!
Just then, Clarissa drew with tempting grace
A two-edged weapon 1 from her shining case:
So ladies in romance assist their knight,
Present the spear, and arm him for the fight.
He takes the gift with reverence, and extends
The little engine on his fingers' ends;
This just behind Belinda's neck he spread,2
As o'er the fragrant steams she bends her head.
Swift to the lock a thousand sprites repair,

125

130

135

A thousand wings, by turns, blow back the hair;
And thrice they twitched the diamond in her ear;

Thrice she looked back, and thrice the foe drew near.
Just in that instant, anxious Ariel sought

The close recesses of the virgin's thought:

140

As on the nosegay in her breast reclined,
He watched the ideas rising in her mind,
Sudden he viewed, in spite of all her art,
An earthly lover lurking at her heart.

Amazed, confused, he found his power expired,
Resigned to fate, and with a sigh retired.

145

The peer now spreads the glittering forfex wide,

To inclose the lock; now joins it, to divide.

Ev'n then, before the fatal engine closed,

A wretched sylph too fondly interposed;

150

Fate urged the shears, and cut the sylph in twain
(But airy substance soon unites again);3

The meeting points the sacred hair dissever

From the fair head, forever, and forever!

decreed that his city should never be conquered while that lock remained on his head. His daughter Scylla, in order to favor his enemy, Minos, king of Crete, with whom she was in love, cut off the lock while he lay asleep. In punishment for this crime she was transformed into a bird. 1 Scissors. 24 'Spread" what? 3 Cf. Milton's Paradise Lost, VI. lines 330, 331.