When Orpheus went down to the regions below,
  Which men are forbidden to see,
He tun'd up his Lyre, as [old histories]1 show,
  To set his Euridice free.

All Hell was astonish'd a person so wise
  Should [rashly]2 endanger his life,
And venture so far -- but how vast their surprise,
  When they heard that he came for his Wife!

To find out a punishment due to [his]3 fault
  Old Pluto [long]4 puzzl'd his brain;
But Hell had not torments sufficient, he thought,
  So he gave him his Wife back again.

But pity, succeeding, [found place in his heart]5,
  And, pleas'd with his playing so well,
He took her again, in reward of his Art:
  Such [merit]6 had Music in Hell!