ORIGINAL 
[Aug, 
PGE LR: . 

THEODOSIUS anp CONSTANTIA. 
To WILLIAM MEREDITH, Esq. 
i dreams of fancy footh the penfive heart, 
And woes fiGtitious pleafing pains impart 5 
How much more foothing i is the tender Le 
“Where all ch’ unborrow’ d charms, of Truth 
prevail ! ain 
Sorrows we | fung from hilt’ry’s faithful page, 
Awaken fympathy, and wanquifh rage. 
Ye gen’sous few! whoie finer feelings move 
Refponfive to the joys and pangs of iove, 
Attend the theme my plaintive mufe has 
choie, = 
¥Fan?d Theovofius and Conftantia’s woes. 
Conceive a maid with ev'ry virtue crown’d, 
Ailike for beauty and for wit renown’d 3° 
Where matchlets fymmetry of form confpires 
Yo fuicitate and ipread Love’s dormant fires; , 
Where (peaking eyes, and mind-i lumin’d face, 
‘Give foul to fhape, and dignity t» grace :— 
Such was Conftantia : but her foraid fire, 
Averfe to lib’ral Love’s refining fire; 
‘Yo freezing frend-like av’rice a flave, : 
Sent, her love’s viim, to the gloomy grave, 
_ This beauteous virgin Theodofius woo'd, 
A youth with worth, of early growth endu’d 
Prefoundly learned ; yet whofe noble ae 
2. place for Ae u’n-defcended Love could find: 
For, in the bofom of the greatly wife, 
Venus and Mercury together rife. 
Scon in Con‘tantia’s b.eaft his goodly fame 
And pleafing converfe fpread the gen’rous flamg; 
But difagreement foul between their fires, 
Lampt all the ardour of Love’s lib’sal fires. 
Then was the youth, to dire revenge a prey, 
orn from fweet converfe with the fair away ; 
#nd foon her tather, whofe relentlefs rage, 
Wor tears could move, nor pity foft affuage, 
Reiolv’d to facrifice her matchlefs charms, 
Wit» brutal fury, to another’s arms, 
But Theodofus, plung’d in deep defpair, 
Soon, in a letter, thus addrefstd the fair: 
** Lovely Conftantia, once my fav’rite theme, 
Ts now, alas! my sn.fery fupreme. 
‘Maft I then live, difireffing thought! to fee 
Thofe charms another’s, ence defign’d for me? 
Streams, fizlis, and meadows,where fo oft of love 
Ve talkd delighted, now my torment prove; 
Life’s purple tides to me unwilling roll, : 
And Hope’s laft ray expires within my foul. 
Farewel, and ever happy may you be, 
Wor break your tranfport with one theught of 
boo 
me: 
Diftracted as fhe read, the weeping fairs 
Was now réiolv’d her faiher's 3 rage to dare ; 
Ard fooner with heroic courage dies 
“Viban with a marriage inll of guilt comply. 
pat when the well-beloved youth the heard, 
kad in the night’s deep filence difappear’d, 
To heav’n fhe yvow’d to confecrate her days, . 
“And {pend her tive in peni ence and praife. 
Now in a cloytter’s folitary cell, 
Where barb’sous zeal and melsncholy dwell, 
The beauteous maid, immur 'd, a prey to grief, 
Sought, in cunfeffion of her fins, relief. ’ 4 
A prieft there was within the convent fam’d 
For thoughts fublime, ‘and’ Father Francis 
nam’d ; 
Him, kneeling, thus with agotty oppreft, 
And drown’d in tears the noble maid addreft : 
t« My conduét has depriv’d of life, I fear, 
A youth, ah! once to ne how juftly dear ! 
Whofe well-taught mind was gen’rous, brave, 
and free, 
And without fault, fave that of loving me 3 
For him my tears in ceafelefs torrents flow, 
And keen remembrance points the fling of woe.”* 
While thus the beauteous mourner fought : 
relief, 
The revrend priet was overwhelm’d with 
Bile! 5 
Their poit the pow’rs of life almof furleok, 
And agony the feat beneath him fhook. | 
For now the fair Conftantia ttood revealld 
To Theodofius, in the prieft- conceal’d ; 
But ftudious to elude her fearching eyes, 
The father ftiil retain’d his dark difguife. 
His foul he mans with fortitude fevere, 
Colleéts his thoughts, and checks the guthing 
tear ; 
With accents mild, and words of fo reign balm, 
He tiles her grief to mitigate and charm 
His fpeech : he tempett of her gricf reftrain’d,” 
Aad her loft peace the maid awhile regain’d ; 
Next day to heav’n, and pure affection trnag 
She-took the veil, and bade the world adieu. 
Now by a letter to the fair addreft, 
The long-loft Theodofius food confeft 5 
And father Francis thus, in p!aintive frains, 
Sooth’d the fair fource of all his joys and pains 
«As the firft fruits of comfort ever thine, 
Since now the vot’ ry of a life divine, 
Know Theodofius lives, and lives in me, ) 
Lott to the world’s delights, dear maid, for thee ; 
Our difappointed love will prove our gain, 
And mutual joy fucceed to mutual pain?” 
Wi h tears of raptute fuch as virtue gives, 
The fair one wept, and cry’d, “ He lives, he 
lives ! 
The pangs of hopelefs forrow now will-ceafé, 
And lite’s laft trembling fiame expire in peace.” 
Decp in the cloifter’s horrid gloom immur’d, 
By walls of ftone, and maffy gates fecur’d, 
Ten years"compofed of melancholy days 
Conftantia {pent in penitence and praite 5 
At length a fever, whofe devouring rage 
With ruthlefs rav age {pares nor fex, nor agey - 
But brings: to all an undiftinguish’d doom, - 
Sw epes gen'rous f heodofius to his tomb. | 
But 
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