Thence, as the Priestess from her Cave inspir’d, When to his Cell the rancid God retir’d, Double Entendres their fond Audience blind, Their boasted Oracles abuse Mankind:  400 False Joys around their Hearts in Slumbers play, And the warm tingling Blood steals fast away; The Soul grows dizzy, lost in Senses Night, And melts in pleasing Pain and vain Delight.  Not that the sowrest Critick can reprove The soft the moving Scenes of Virtuous Love:  Life’s Sunny Morn, which wears, alas! too fast; Pity it e’er should hurt, or should not always last!  Has Bankrupt Nature then no more to give, Or by a Trick persuades Mankind to live? 410 No—­when with Prudence join’d ’tis still the same } Or ripens into Friendship’s nobler Name, } The Matter pure, immortal is the Flame. } No Fool, no Debauchee could ever prove The honest Luxury of Virtuous Love; Then curs’d are those who that fair Name abuse, And holy Hymen’s sacred Fillets loose; Who poison Fountains, and infect the Air, Ruine the Witty, and debauch the Fair; With nauseous Images their Scenes debase 420 At once their Country’s Ruine and Disgrace. Weigh well each Thought if all be Just and Right, For those must clearly think who clearly write.  Nothing obscure, equivocal, or mean, Much less what is or impious or obscene:  Altho the tempting Serpent play his part, And wind in glitt’ring Folds around thy Heart; Reject the trait’rous Charmer, tear him thence, And keep thy Vertue and thy Innocence. [Sidenote:  The Manchinel, or Eves Apple.] In wild America’s rank Champaign grows 430 A Tree which Europe oft too dearly knows; It rises high in cool inchanting Groves, Whose green broad Leaves the fainting Trav’ler loves; Fair is the treach’rous Fruit, and charms your Eye, But ah! beware! for if you taste you die.  Too well alas! it thrives when planted here, Its deadly Branches shade our Theatre.  Of Mesures, Numbers, Pauses next I sing, And rest the breathless Muse with cautious Wing:  Of Embryo Thoughts, unripen’d yet by Time, 440 The Rules of Verse, of Quantity and Rhime:  With trembling Steps through Shades unknown I stray, And mark a rugged and a dubious way; Yet some small glimm’ring Light will hence be show’d, And future Trav’lers may enlarge the Road.