Poems upon several occasions with a voyage to the island of love : also The lover in fashion, being an account from Lydicus to Lysander of his voyage from the island of love / by Mrs. A. Behn ; to which is added a miscellany of new poems and songs, by several hands.

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Title
Poems upon several occasions with a voyage to the island of love : also The lover in fashion, being an account from Lydicus to Lysander of his voyage from the island of love / by Mrs. A. Behn ; to which is added a miscellany of new poems and songs, by several hands.
Author
Behn, Aphra, 1640-1689.
Publication
London :: Printed for Francis Saunders ...,
1697.
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"Poems upon several occasions with a voyage to the island of love : also The lover in fashion, being an account from Lydicus to Lysander of his voyage from the island of love / by Mrs. A. Behn ; to which is added a miscellany of new poems and songs, by several hands." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A27316.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 3, 2024.

Pages

To Amintas, Upon reading the Lives of some of the Ro∣mans,

HAd'st thou, Amintas, liv'd in that great age, When hardly Beauty was to nature known, What numbers to thy side might'st thou engage And conquer'd Kingdoms by thy looks alone?
That age when valor they did Beauty name, When Men did justly our brave sex prefer, Cause they durst dye, and scorn the publick shame Of adding Glory to the conqueror.

Page 162

Had mighty Scipio had thy charming face, Great Sophonisbe had refus'd to dye, Her passion o're the sense of her disgrace Had gain'd the more obliging victory.
Nor less wou'd Massanissa too have done, But to such Eyes, as to his Sword wou'd bow, For neither sex can here thy fetters shun, Being all Scipio, and Amintas too.
Had'st thou great Caesar been, the greater Queen, Wou'd trembling have her mortal Asps lay'd by' In thee she had not only Caesar seen, But all she did adore in Antony.
Had daring Sextus had thy lovely shape, The fairest Woman living had not dy'd. But blest the darkness that secur'd the Rape, Suffering her Pleasure to have debauch't her Pride.

Page 163

Nor had he stoln to Rome to have quencht his fire, If thee resistless in his Camp he'd seen, Thy Eyes had kept his virtue all intire, And Rome a happy monarchy had been.
Had Pompey lookt like thee, thô he had prov'd The vanquisht, yet from Egypts faithless King He had receiv'd the vows of being belov'd, In stead of Orders for his murdering.
But here, Amintas, thy misfortune lys, Nor brave nor good are in our age esteem'd, Content thee then with meaner victorys, Unless that Glorious age cou'd be redeem'd.

A. B.

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