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Phaon.] Thou wouldft have had thy own word for 

 it, if thou hadft feen me. I was fo handfome, that 

 people could not comprehend how one who was nei~ 

 5 ther begotten by an immortal, nor born of a goddefs, 

 and without a miracle, could be fo handfome ; and 

 therefore they fell upon the conceit, that the mother 

 of Love herfelf endowed me with fupernatural charms 

 in reward for fome fervices I had done her. The mul- 

 titude of my admirers was fo great, as to become a 

 burden to me ; all the painters were employed in paint- 

 ing only me ; all the women loft their repofe on my 

 account ; and Sappho, the famous fongftrefs of Lefbos, 

 even her fenfes. The poor girl, in a fit of defpair, at 

 feeing that all her paffionate fongs were wafted upon 

 me, threw herfelf headlong from the Leucadian rock ; 

 about the craggy cliffs whereof, as it is currently re- 

 ported, her lovely plaintive voice is ftill ever heard to 

 reverberate in the lilence of the night ; and, in feeble 

 founds, as if ftifled by her tears ? re-echos Phaon ! 

 Phaon ! 



Nireus.] For this fhe was obliged to do penance. 



Phaon.] My beauty was at length my own ruin. 

 A brute of a jealous fellow who found me where he did 

 not expect me, tranfported me hither by a ftroke of a 

 poignard, where fome malicious daemon has pofTefTed 

 me, and, as I can no longer doubt, has fafcinated all 

 eyes, except my own, to my difadvantage. It is a very 

 difagreeable metamorphorls, believe me ! 



Nireus.] Poor Phaon, I have an idea of what thou 

 muft fuffer. What thou feeleft now, I alfo expe- 

 rienced on my coming hither. I am Nireus. 



Phaon.} 



