POLYPHEMUS, ACIS, GALATEA, DAMON.

POLYPH. Wnither, Fairest! art thou running,

Still my warm embraces shunning?

GAL. The lion calls not to his prey,

Nor bids the wolf the lambkin stay.

POLYPH. Thee Polyphemus! great as Jove,

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Calls to empire and to love,

To his palace in the rock,
To his dairy, to his flock;
To the grape of purple hue,
To the plum of glossy blue;
Wildings which expecting stand,
Proud to be gather'd by thy hand.

GAL. Of infant limbs to make my food,
And swill full draughts of human blood!
Go, Monster! bid some other guest:
I loathe the host; I loathe the feast.

AIR.

POLYPH. Cease to beauty to be suing: Ever whining love disdaining,

Da capo.

Let the brave their aims pursuing,

Still be conqu❜ring, not complaining.

AIR.

DAM. Would you gain the tender creature? Softly, gently, kindly treat her:

Suff'ring is the lover's part:

Beauty, by constraint, possessing,
You enjoy but half the blessing:

Lifeless charms without the heart.

RECITATIVE.

ACIS. His hideous love provokes my rage;

Weak as I am I must engage:

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Da capo.

Da capo.

The joys that attend it

By moments we measure;
But life is too little

To measure our care.

RECITATIVE.

GAL. Cease, O cease, thou gentle Youth!

Trust my constancy and truth;

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Da capo.

Trust my truth, and Pow'rs above,

The Pow'rs propitious still to love.

Da capo.

TRIO.

ACIS, GALATEA, POLYPHEMUS.

ACIS. GAL. The flock shall leave the mountains,

The woods the turtle dove,

The nymphs forsake the fountains,

Ere I forsake my love.

POLYPH. Torture! fury! rage! despair!

I cannot, cannot, cannot bear.

ACIS, GAL. Not show'rs to larks so pleasing,

Nor sunshine to the bee;

Not sleep to toil so easing,

As these dear smiles to me.

POLYPH. Fly swift, thou massy Ruin! fly: Die, presumptuous Acis! die.

RECITATIVE.

ACIS. Help, Galatea! help, ye Parent Gods! And take me dying to your deep abodes.

CHORUS.

Iourn, all ye Muses! weep, ye Swains!
Tune, tune your reeds to doleful strains;

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90

Groans, cries, and howlings, fill the neighb'ring shore, Ah!---the gentle Acis is no more.

SONG AND CHORUS.

GAL. Must I my Acis still bemoan,
Inglorious crush'd beneath that stone?
Must the lovely charming youth
Die for his constancy and truth?
Say, what comfort can you find?
For dark despair o'erclouds my mind.

CHORUS.

Cease, Galatea ! cease to grieve;
Bewail not, when thou can'st relieve;
Call forth thy pow'r, employ thy art;
The Goddess soon can heal thy smart:
To kindred Gods the youth return,
Thro' verdant plains to roll his urn.

RECITATIVE.

GAL. 'Tis done: thus I exert my pow'r divine; Be thou immortal, tho' thou art not mine.

AIR.

Heart! thou seat of soft delight,
Be thou now a fountain bright;
Purple be no more thy blood,
Glide thou like a crystal flood:
Rock! thy hollow womb disclose:
The bubbling fountain, lo! it flows.
Thro' the plains he joys to rove,
Murm'ring still his gentle love.

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110

Da capo.

CHORUS.

Galatea dry thy tears;

Acis now a God appears;

See how he rears him from his bed;
See the wreath that binds his head;
Hail! thou gentle murm'ring Stream!
Shepherds' pléasure, Muses' theme;
Thro' the plain still joy to rove,
Murm'ring still thy gentle love.

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