The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 2 | Page 7

described,
His doctrines when she first imbibed;
What he had
planted, now was grown;
His virtues she might call her own;
As he
approves, as he dislikes,
Love or contempt her fancy strikes.

Self-love, in nature rooted fast,
Attends us first, and leaves us last;

Why she likes him, admire not at her;
She loves herself, and that's the
matter.
How was her tutor wont to praise
The geniuses of ancient
days!
(Those authors he so oft had named,

For learning, wit, and
wisdom, famed;)
Was struck with love, esteem, and awe,
For
persons whom he never saw.
Suppose Cadenus flourish'd then,
He
must adore such godlike men.
If one short volume could comprise

All that was witty, learn'd, and wise,
How would it be esteem'd and
read,
Although the writer long were dead!
If such an author were
alive,
How all would for his friendship strive,
And come in crowds
to see his face!
And this she takes to be her case.
Cadenus answers
every end,
The book, the author, and the friend;
The utmost her
desires will reach,
Is but to learn what he can teach:
His converse is
a system fit
Alone to fill up all her wit;
While every passion of her

mind
In him is centred and confined.
Love can with speech inspire
a mute,
And taught Vanessa to dispute.
This topic, never touch'd
before,
Display'd her eloquence the more:
Her knowledge, with
such pains acquired,
By this new passion grew inspired;
Through
this she made all objects pass,
Which gave a tincture o'er the mass;

As rivers, though they bend and twine,
Still to the sea their course
incline:
Or, as philosophers, who find
Some favourite system to
their mind;
In every point to make it fit,
Will force all nature to
submit.
Cadenus, who could ne'er suspect
His lessons would have
such effect,
Or be so artfully applied,
Insensibly came on her side.

It was an unforeseen event;
Things took a turn he never meant.

Whoe'er excels in what we prize,
Appears a hero in our eyes;
Each
girl, when pleased with what is taught,
Will have the teacher in her
thought.
When miss delights in her spinet,
A fiddler may a fortune
get;
A blockhead, with melodious voice,
In boarding-schools may
have his choice:
And oft the dancing-master's art
Climbs from the
toe to touch the heart.
In learning let a nymph delight,
The pedant
gets a mistress by't.
Cadenus, to his grief and shame,
Could scarce
oppose Vanessa's flame;
And, though her arguments were strong,

At least could hardly wish them wrong.
Howe'er it came, he could not
tell,
But sure she never talk'd so well.
His pride began to interpose;

Preferr'd before a crowd of beaux!
So bright a nymph to come
unsought!
Such wonder by his merit wrought!
'Tis merit must with
her prevail!
He never knew her judgment fail!
She noted all she
ever read!
And had a most discerning head!
'Tis an old maxim in
the schools,
That flattery's the food of fools;
Yet now and then your
men of wit
Will condescend to take a bit.
So when Cadenus could
not hide,
He chose to justify his pride;
Construing the passion she
had shown,
Much to her praise, more to his own.
Nature in him had
merit placed,
In her a most judicious taste.
Love, hitherto a transient
guest,
Ne'er held possession of his breast;
So long attending at the
gate,
Disdain'd to enter in so late.
Love why do we one passion call,

When 'tis a compound of them all?
Where hot and cold, where

sharp and sweet,
In all their equipages meet;
Where pleasures mix'd
with pains appear,
Sorrow with joy, and hope with fear;
Wherein
his dignity and age
Forbid Cadenus to engage.
But friendship, in its
greatest height,
A constant, rational delight,
On virtue's basis fix'd
to last,
When love allurements long are past,
Which gently warms,
but cannot burn,
He gladly offers in return;
His want of passion will
redeem
With gratitude, respect, esteem:
With what devotion we
bestow,
When goddesses appear below.
While thus Cadenus
entertains
Vanessa in exalted strains,
The nymph in sober words
entreats
A truce with all sublime conceits;
For why such raptures,
flights, and fancies,
To her who durst not read romances?
In lofty
style to make replies,
Which he had taught her to despise?
But
when her tutor will affect
Devotion, duty, and respect,
He fairly
abdicates the throne:
The government is now her own;
He has a
forfeiture incurr'd;
She vows to take him at his word,
And hopes he
will not think it strange
If both should now their stations change,

The nymph will have her turn to be
The tutor; and the pupil, he;

Though she already can discern
Her scholar is not apt to learn;
Or
wants capacity to reach
The science she designs to teach;
Wherein
his genius was below
The skill of every common beau,
Who,
though he cannot spell, is wise
Enough to read a lady's eyes,

And
will each accidental glance
Interpret for a kind advance.
But what
success Vanessa met,
Is to the world a secret yet.
Whether the
nymph, to please her swain,
Talks in a high romantic strain;
Or
whether he at last descends
To act with less seraphic ends;
Or to
compound the business, whether
They temper love and books
together;
Must never to mankind be told,
Nor shall the conscious
Muse unfold.
Meantime the mournful Queen of Love
Led but a
weary life above.
She ventures now to leave the skies,
Grown by
Vanessa's conduct wise:
For though by one perverse event
Pallas
had cross'd her first intent;
Though her design was not obtain'd:
Yet
had she much experience gain'd,
And, by