That Love, the great Instructor of the Mind,
That forms anew, and fashions every Soul,
Refines the gross Defects of human Kind;
Humbles the proud and vain, inspires the dull;
Gives Cowards noble Heat in Fight,
And teaches feeble Women how to write:
That doth the Universe Command,
Does from my Iris' Heart direct her Hand.
I give you the Liberty to say this to your Heart, if you please: And that you may know with what Justice you do so, I will confess in my turn.
The Confession.
That Love's my Conduct where I go,
And Love instructs me all I do.
Prudence no longer is my Guide,
Nor take I Counsel of my Pride.
In vain does Honour now invade,
In vain does Reason take my part,
If against Love it do persuade,
If it rebel against my Heart.
If the soft Ev'ning do invite,
And I incline to take the Air,
The Birds, the Spring, the Flow'rs no more delight;
'Tis Love makes all the Pleasure there:
Love, which about me still I bear;
I'm charm'd with what I thither bring,
And add a Softness to the Spring.
If for Devotion I design,
Love meets me, even at the Shrine;
In all my Worships claims a part,
And robs even Heaven of my Heart:
All Day does counsel aud controul,
And all the Night employs my Soul.
No wonder then if all you think be true,
That Love's concern'd in all I do for you.
And, Damon, you, know that Love is no ill Master; and I must say, with a Blush, that he has found me no unapt Scholar; and he instructs too agreeably not to succeed in all he undertakes.
Who can resist his soft Commands?
When he resolves, what God withstands?
But I ought to explain to you my Watch: The naked Love which you will find in the middle of it, with his Wings clipp'd, to shew you he is fixed and constant, and will not fly away, points you out with his Arrow the four and twenty Hours that compose the Day and the Night: Over every Hour you will find written what you ought to do, during its Course; and every Half-hour is marked with a Sigh, since the quality of a Lover is, to sigh day and night: Sighs are the Children of Lovers, that are born every Hour. And that my Watch may always be just, Love himself ought to conduct it; and your Heart should keep time with the Movement:
My Present's delicate and new,
If by your Heart the Motion's set;
According as that's false or true,
You'll find my Watch will answer it.
Every Hour is tedious to a Lover separated from his Mistress: and to shew you how good I am, I will have my Watch instruct you, to pass some of them without Inquietude; that the force of your Imagination may sometimes charm the Trouble you have for my Absence:
Perhaps I am mistaken here,
My Heart may too much Credit give:
But, Damon, you can charm my Fear,
And soon my Error undeceive.