BOOK I. Canto I
THE ARGUMENT
From sea's wild fury, and the wilder rage
Of faithless Turks, two noble strangers freed,
Let courtesy their grateful souls engage
To such a debt as doth obstruct their speed:

Where they, to fill those scenes inactive rest
Would tedious make, in fair description saw,
How Sparta's Prince, for his queen's loss opprest,
Found all those ills cured in Pharonnidal.

THE earth, which lately lay, like nature's tomb,
Marbled in frosts, had from her pregnant womb
Displayed the fragrant spring; when, courted by
A calm fresh morning, ere heaven's brightest eye
Adorned the east, a Spartan lord, (whom fame,
Taught from desert, made glorious by the name
Of Aminander), with a noble train,
Whose active youth did sloth, like sin, disdain,
Attended, had worn out the morning in
Chase of a stately stag; which, having been
Forced from the forest's safe protection to Discovering plain, his clamorous foes had drew
Up to a steep cliff's lofty top; where he,
As if grown proud so sacrificed to be
To man's delight, 'mongst the pursuing cry,
Who make the valleys echo victory,
Sinks weeping; whilst exalted shouts did tell
The distant herds--their ancient leader fell.

The half-tired hunters, their swift game stopt here
By death, like noble conquerors appear
To give that foe, which now resistless lies, With their shrill horns his funeral obsequies
Which whilst performing, their diverted sight
Turns to behold a far more fatal fight--

BOOK II. Canto I
THE ARGUMENT

Still wakeful guilt, Almanzor's rebel sin,
Taking advantage of unguarded mirth,
Which now without mistrust did revel in
The princess' court, gives thence new treason birth.

By treachery seized, and through night's shades conveyed,
She had for ever in this storm been lost,
Had not its rage by such rude hands been staid,
That safety near as much as danger cost.

THESE hell-engendered embryos, which had long
Lay hid within Almanzor's breast, grown strong,
Now for delivery strive; clandestine plots,
Ripened with age and lust, dissolve the knots
Wherein his fear had fettered them, and fly
Beyond the circle of his loyalty.
Since his deserts made him a stranger to
His princess' court, he'd lived like those that do
Fly that pursuing vengeance which attends
A rebel's acts, seen only to such friends,
Whose blemished honour suffering in his fall, Assist his rising, though they venture all
By that unlawful act, on paths that may
Precipitate to ruin. The dark way
Had long been sought for, consultations did
Whisper rebellion in soft airs, forbid
To live in louder language, until, like
Inevitable thunder, it could strike
As swift, as secret, and as sure as those,
Heaven's anger hurls through all that durst oppose.
In all the progress of that dark design, Whose unseen engines strove to undermine
That power, which since Heaven doth in kings infuse,
None but unhallowed rebels durst abuse,
Time, treason's secret midwife, did produce
No birth like this.--Such friends, as often use
Had taught him their soul's characters, he makes
Sharers of's guilt; but, whilst he troubled takes
A care to fit each smaller wheel unto
This fatal engine, those black powers, that do
Assist such dark designs, a moving spirit Supply it with. Although Almanzor's merit
Purchased few friends, yet had his tempting gold
Corrupted some, 'mongst which it surest hold

BOOK III. Canto I
THE ARGUMENT

Beneath the powerful tyranny of love,
Whilst the fair princess weeps out every star
In pleasure's sphere, those dark clouds to remove,
All royal pastimes in it practised are.

Amongst whose triumphs, that her train might lend
Her their attendance in the shades of grief,
Passion brings some so near a fatal end,
That timely pity scarce affords relief.

SOME months now spent, since, in the clouded court
Of sad Pharonnida, each princely sport
Was with Argalia's absence masked within
Sables of discontent, robes that had been
Of late her chiefest dress: no cheerful smile
E'er cheered her brow; those walks which were erewhile
The schools where they disputed love, were now
Only made use of, when her grief sought how
To hide its treacherous tear: the unfilled bed
O' the widow, whose conjugal joy is fled,
I' the hot and vigorous youth of fancy, to Eternal absence, sooner may renew
(Though she for tears repeated praises seeks)
The blooming spring of beauty on her cheeks.

When bright-plumed Day on the expanded wings
Of air approaches, Light's fair herald brings
No overtures of peace to her; each prayer
In pious zeal she makes, a pale despair
In their celestial journey clogs. But long
Her feeble sex could not endure these strong
Assaults of passion, ere the red and white, Vanquished, from beauty's throne had took their flight,
And nought but melancholy paleness left
To attend the light of her dim eyes--bereft
Of all their brightness; pining agues in
The earthquake of each joint, leaving within
The veins more blood than dwelt in hers which beat
The heart's slow motions with a hectic heat.

Long passion's tyrant reigns not, ere this change
Of mirth and beauty, letting sorrow range
Beyond the circle of discretion, in Her father that suspicion which had been
Kindled before, renewing, he removes
His court to hers; but the kind visit proves

BOOK IV. Canto I
THE ARGUMENT
Whilst noise and tumult fill the court, the sad
Orlinda, to lament alone retired,
Finds the brave Captain in death's symptoms clad,
Whose perfect health her friendly care acquired.

The scouts with an unwelcome emptiness
Of news returned; the princess' secret flight
Yet well succeeds, but now in sad distress
Finds a black morning to that dismal night.

WHEN Fear, like an unskilful pilot in
A storm distracted, long in vain had been
Placed at the helm of Action, whilst those rude
Waves raised by greater winds, the multitude,
Swelled with uncertain counsels, all met in
A thick and dangerous confluence; those within
The castle, by a hotter passion to
A high-wrought fury startled, did undo
Those links of counsel, which the other broke
With corrosives of fear, by the rude stroke
Of heedless anger; whose uncivil strife Had robbed revenge of justice, and each life
That here was in death's inundations spilt,
Shed but to aggravate a private guilt,
Had not the prince, whose anger's flame they feared
More than grim death, to appease the storm appeared.

Beat from the out-works of their hopes, all in
A busy tumult are employed within
The princess' lodgings; but there only find
Their knowledge by her secret flight struck blind,
Stumbled on errors. No characters, but what The wasteful hand of death had scattered at
The guard, inform them; and even those seem left
The weak opposers of successful theft,
Dropt as their foe's victorious fate flew by,
To show his fortune and their loyalty.
Leaving which late warm tenements of breath,
Without once throwing up that bed of death,
Their grave-clothes o'er them, every active friend
Hastes toward her search, whilst suffering females spend
The hours (grown slow since burdened by their fears) In prayers, whose doubts they numbered by their tears.

BOOK V. Canto I
THE ARGUMENT
Tired with afflictions, in a safe retreat
From the active world, Pharonnida is now
Making a sacred monastry her seat;
Where, near approaching the confirming vow,

A rude assault makes her a prisoner to
Almanzor's power; to expiate whose sin,
The subtle traitor swiftly leads her to
The court, where she had long a stranger been.

HERE harsh employments, the unsavoury weeds
Of barren wants, had overrun the seeds
Of fancy with domestic cares, and in
Those winter storms shipwrecked whate'er had been
My youth's imperfect offspring, had not I,
For love of this, neglected poverty--
That meagre fiend, whose rusty talons stick
Contempt on all that are enforced to seek
Like me a poor subsistence 'mongst the low
Shrubs of employment; whilst blest wits, that grow
Good Fortune's favourites, like proud cedars stand, Scorning the stroke of every feeble hand,
Whose vain attempts, though they should martyr sense,
Would be repulsed with big-bulked confidence:
Yet blush not, gentle Muse! thou oft hast had
Followers, by Fortune's hand as meanly clad,
And such as, when time had worn envy forth,
Succeeding ages honoured for their worth.

Then though not by these rare examples fired
To vain presumption, with a soul untired
As his, whose fancy's short ephemeras know No life--but what doth from his liquor flow,
Whose wit, grown wanton with Canary's wealth,
Makes the chaste Muse a pandress to a health,
Our royal lovers' story I'll pursue
Through Time's dark paths; which now have led me to
Behold Argalia, by assisting Art
Advanced to health, preparing to depart
From his obscure abode, to prosecute
Designs, which, when success strikes terror mute
With pleasing joy, shall him the mirror prove Of forward valour, glossed with filial love.

But let us here with prosperous blessings leave
Awhile the noble hero, and receive.