Pamela, Or Virtue Rewarded - Page 186/191

Grief still choaked up the passage of my words; and he said, The shower

is over, my dear: let us walk out again.--He led me out, and I would

have spoken; but he said, I will not hear my dear creature say any

thing! To hearken to your assurance of complying with my request, would

look as if I doubted you, and wanted it. I am confident I needed only

to speak my mind, to be observed by you; and I shall never more think on

the subject, if you don't remind me of it. He then most sweetly changed

the discourse. Don't you with pleasure, my dear, said he, take in the delightful

fragrance that this sweet shower has given to these banks of flowers?

Your presence is so enlivening to me, that I could almost fancy, that

what we owe to the shower, is owing to that: And all nature, methinks,

blooms around me when I have my Pamela by my side. You are a poetess,

my dear; and I will give you a few lines, that I made myself on such an

occasion as this I am speaking of, the presence of a sweet companion,

and the fresh verdure, that, after a shower, succeeding a long drought,

shewed itself throughout all vegetable nature. And then, in a sweet and

easy accent, (with his dear arms about me as we walked,) he sung me the

following verses; of which he afterwards favoured me with a copy

: I. All nature blooms when you appear;

The fields their richest liv'ries wear;

Oaks, elms, and pines, blest with your view,

Shoot out fresh greens, and bud anew.

The varying seasons you supply;

And, when you're gone, they fade and die.

II. Sweet Philomel, in mournful strains,

To you appeals, to you complains.

The tow'ring lark, on rising wing,

Warbles to you, your praise does sing;

He cuts the yielding air, and flies

To heav'n, to type your future joys.

III. The purple violet, damask rose,

Each, to delight your senses, blows.

The lilies ope', as you appear;

And all the beauties of the year

Diffuse their odours at your feet,

Who give to ev'ry flow'r its sweet.

IV. For flow'rs and women are allied;

Both, nature's glory, and her pride!

Of ev'ry fragrant sweet possest,

They bloom but for the fair one's breast,

And to the swelling bosom borne,

Each other mutually adorn.

Thus sweetly did he palliate the woes, which the generosity of his

actions, mixed with the solemness of the occasion, and the strange

request he had vouchsafed to make me, had occasioned. And all he would

permit me to say, was, that I was not displeased with him!--Displeased

with you, dearest sir! said I: Let me thus testify my obligations, and

the force all your commands shall have upon me. And I took the liberty

to clasp my arms about his neck, and kissed him.