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.

TO The Right Honourable, JAMES, EARL of SALISBURY, VISCOUNT CRAMBORN, AND BARON of ISLINGTON.

MY LORD,

WHO should one celibrate with Verse and Song, but the Great, the Noble and the Brave? where dedicate an Isle of Love, but to the Gay, the Soft and Young? and who amongst Men can lay a better claim to these

than Your Lordship? who like the Sun new risen with the early Day, looks round the World and sees nothing it cannot claim an interest in (for what cannot Wit, Beauty, Wealth and Honour claim?) The violent storms of Sedi∣tion and Rebellion are hush'd and calm'd; black Treason is retir'd to its old abode, the dark Abyss of Hell; the mysterious Riddles of Politick Knaves and Fools, which so long a∣mused and troubled the World's repose, are luckily unfolded; and Your Lordship is salu∣ted at Your first coming forth, Your first set∣ting out for the glorious and happy Race of Life, by a Nation all glad, gay and smiling; and you have nothing before you but a ravi∣shing prospect of eternal Joys, and everlasting inviting Pleasures, and all that Love and Fortune can bestow on their darling Youth, at∣tend You in the noble persuit; and nothing can prevent Your being the most happy of her Favourites, but a too eager flight, a two swift speed o'er the charming flowry Meads and Plains that lie in view, between Your setting out and the end of Your glorious Chase. A long and illustrious race of Nobility has attended

Your great Name, but none I believe ever came into the World with Your Lordship's advanta∣ges; amongst which, my Lord, 'tis not the least that You have the glory to be truly Loy∣al, and to be adorn'd with those excellent Principles, which render Nobility so absolute∣ly worth the Veneration which is paid 'em; 'tis those, my Lord, and not the Title that make it truly great: Grandeur in any other serves but to point 'em out more particularly to the World, and shew their Faults with the grea∣ter magnitude, and render 'em more liable to contempt and that Reward which justly per∣sues Ingratitude; nor is it, my Lord, the ma∣ny unhappy Examples this Age has produc'd that has deter'd you from herding with the busie Unfortunates, and bringing Your power∣full aid to their detestable cause, but a noble Honesty in Your Nature, a Generosity in Your Soul. That even part of Your Education had the good fortune not to be able to corrupt; no Opinion cou'd byass You, no Precedent debauch You; though all the fansied Glories of Power were promis'd You, though all the Contempt thrown on good and brave Men, all the sub∣tile

Arguments of the old Serpent, were us'd against the best of Kings and his illu∣strious Successour, still You were unmov'd; Your young stout Heart with a Gallantry and Force unusual resisted and desied the gil∣ded Bait, laugh'd at the industrious Politicks of the busie Wise, and stubbornly Loyal, con∣temn'd the Counsels of the Grave. Go on, my Lord, advance in Noble resolution, grow up in strength of Loyalty, settle it about Your Soul, root it there like the first Principles of Religion, which nothing ever throughly defa∣ces, and which in spight of even Reason the Soul retains, whatever little Debaucheries the Tongue may commit; You that are great, are born the Bulwarks of sacred Majesty, its defence against all the storms of Fate, the Safety of the People in the Supporters of the Throne; and sure none that ever obey'd the Laws of God and the Dictates of Honour ever paid those Duties to a Sovereign that more truly merited the Defence and Adorations of his People than this of ours; and tis a bles∣sing (since we are oblig'd to render it to the worst of Tyrant Kings) that we have one

who so well justifies that intire Love and Sub∣misson we ought to pay him. You, my Lord, are one whom Thousands of good Men look up to with wondrous Veneration and Joy, when 'tis said Your Lordship amongst Your other Vertues is Loyal too, a true Tory! (a word of Ho∣nour now, the Royal Cause has sanctified it,) and though Your Lordship needs no encou∣ragement to a good that rewards it self, yet I am confident You are not onely rank'd in the esteem of the best of Monarchs, but we shall behold you as one of our Preservers, and all England as one of its great Patrons, when Ages that shall come shall find Your noble Name inroll'd amongst the Friends to Monar∣chy in an Age of so villainous Corruption: Yes, my Lord, they will find it there and bless You. 'Tis this, my Lord, with every other Grace and Noble Vertue that adorns You, and gives the World such promises of Wonders in You, that makes me ambitious to be the first in the Croud of Your Admirers, that shall have the honour to celibrate Your great Name. Be pleased then, my Lord, to accept this Little Piece, which lazy Mi∣nutes

begot and hard Fate has oblig'd me to bring forth into the censuring World, to which if any thing can reconcile it, 'twill be the glory it has to bear Your Noble Name in the front, and to be Patronized by so great and good a Man: Permit but my Zeal for Your Lordship to attone for the rest of my Faults, and Your Lordship will extremely oblige,

My Lord,

Your Lordship's most Humble, and most Obedient Servant,

A. Behn.