open these gifts over the heads of Belinda and the others in the coffeehouse in order to make them extremely angry and upset. The reader should note the mythological allusion to Ulysses (the Roman name of Odysseus; line 82). In The Odyssey the hero receives a bag of winds from Aeolus, the god of winds. Odysseus needs this gift to make his sailboat move when there are no winds on the sea.
Umbriel returns to the coffeehouse (in line 89) and finds Belinda crying in the arms of another woman named Thalestris. Umbriel breaks the magical bag over their heads. Thalestris tells Belinda that the Baron's act will cause her to be the victim of malicious gossip, and that such gossip will cause Belinda to lose her "honor" (line 110). Such a comment also suggests a loss of virtue, a loss of virginity. Thalestris also tells Belinda that the Baron will enclose the lock of hair in a crystal and set it in a ring to wear on his finger (line 114). Finally Thalestris goes to her friend, Sir Plume, for help; but Sir Plume can only stutter and stammer.
The Baron is still happy over his victory and claims that he will wear the ring (containing the lock) on his hand forever (line 138). Umbriel then opens his second gift, the vial, over Belinda's head (line 142).
Belinda begins to sigh and cry.
The fourth canto ends with a speech spoken by the heroine (lines 147-76). This is the speech on ill humor. Once again Pope is mocking the more serious speeches of genuine epics. Belinda cries that she wishes she had never been to the coffeehouse in Hampton Court. In fact, she even wishes that she had never ever been in the company of men. She even states that there were omens (line161) that warned her about some approaching evil: (1) her cosmetic box fell three times, (2) the china tea set shook, (3) Poll, the parrot, would not speak, and (4) Shock misbehaved. Then Belinda remembers her dream and Ariel's warning. But it is too late!