ON A BEAUTIFUL YOUTH STRUCK BLIND WITH LIGHTNING.
This quatrain, the original of which does not appear to have been
traced, was first published in 'The Bee' for Saturday, the 6th of
October, 1759, p. 8. It is there succeeded by the following Latin
epigram, 'in the same spirit':--
LUMINE Acon dextro capta est Leonida sinistro
Et poterat forma vincere uterque Deos.
Parve puer lumen quod habes concede puellae
Sic tu caecus amor sic erit illa Venus.
There are several variations of this in the 'Gentleman's Magazine' for
1745, pp. 104, 159, 213, 327, one of which is said to be 'By a monk of
Winchester,' with a reference to 'Cambden's 'Remains', p. 413.' None of
these corresponds exactly with Goldsmith's text; and the lady's name is
uniformly given as 'Leonilla.' A writer in the 'Quarterly Review', vol.
171, p. 296, prints the 'original' thus --
Lumine Acon dextro, capta est Leonilla sinistro,
Et potis est forma vincere uterque Deos.
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