At length 'tis morn, and at the dawn of day
Along the wide canals the Zephyrs play;
Fresh o'er the gay parterres the breezes creep,
And shake the neighb'ring wood to banifh fleep..
Up rife the guests, obedient to the call,
An early banquet deck'd the fplendid hall;
Rich lufcious wine a golden goblet grac'd,
Which the kind mafter forc'd the guests to tafte.
Then pleas'd and thankful, from the porch they go;
And, but the landlord, none had caufe of woe;
His Cup was vanifh'd; for in fecret guife
The younger gueft purloin'd the glitt'ring prize.
As one who fpies a ferpent in his way,
Glift'ning and bafking in the fummer ray,
Disorder'd ftops to fhun the danger near,
Then walks with faintnefs on, and looks with fear;
So feem'd the fire, when far upon the road,
The fhining Spoil his wiley partner fhow'd.
He ftopp'd with filence, walk'd with trembling heart,
And much he with'd, but durft not afk to part:
Murmuring he lifts his eyes, and thinks it hard,
That gen'rous actions meet a bafe reward.
While thus they pafs, the fun his glory throuds,
The changing fkies hang out their fable clouds;
A found in air prefag'd approaching rain,
And beafts to covert fcud a-crofs the plain.
Warn'd by the figns, the wan'dring pair retreat
To feek for fhelter at a neighb'ring feat.
"Twas built with turrets, on a rifing ground,
And ftrong, and large, and unimprov❜d around,
Its owner's temper, tim rous and fevere,
Unkind and griping, caus'd a defert there.
As near the Mifer's heavy doors they drew,,
Fierce rifing gufts with fudden fury blew,
The nimble light'ning mix'd with fhow'rs began,
And o'er their heads loud-rolling thunder ran.
Here long they knock, but knock or call in vain,
Driv'n by the wind, and batter'd by the rain.
At length fome pity warm'd the mafter's breaft,
('Twas then his threshold firft receiv'd a gueft)
Slow creaking turns the door with jealous care,
And half he welcomes in the fhiv'ring pair;
One frugal faggot lights the naked walls,
And nature's fervour through their limbs recalls:
D 4
Bread of the coarseft fort, with eager wine,
(Each hardly granted) ferv'd them both to dine
And when the tempeft first appear'd to cease,
A ready warning bid them part in peace.
With ftill remark the pond'ring Hermit view'd
In one fo rich, a life fo poor and rude;
And why fhould fuch (within hirafelf he cry'd)
Lock the loft wealth a thousand want befide?
But what new marks of wonder foon took place,
In ev'ry fettling feature of his face!
When from his veft the young companion bore
That Cup, the gen'rous landlord own'd before,
And paid profufely with the precious bowl
The ftinted kindness of this churlish foul.
But now the clouds in airy tumult fy,
The fun emerging opes an azure sky;
A frefher green the fmelling leaves difplay,
And glitt'ring as they tremble, cheer the day:
The weather courts them from the poor retreat,
And the glad mafter bolts the wary gate.
While hence they walk, the Pilgrim's bofom wrought
With all the travel of uncertain thought;
His partner's acts without their caufe appear,
'I was there a vice, and feem'd a madness here:
Detefting that, and pitying this he goes,
Loft and confounded with the various fhows.
Now night's dim fhades again involve the sky;
Again the wand'rers want a place to lie,
Again they fearch, and find a lodging nigh.
The foil improv'd around, the manfion neat,
And neither poorly low, nor idly great:
It feem'd to fpeak its mafter's turn of mind,
Content, and not for praife, but virtue kind.
Hither the walkers turn with weary feet,
Then blefs the manfion, and the mafter greet:
Their greeting fair, beftow'd with modeft guife,
The courteous mafter hears, and thus replies:
Without a vain, without a grudging heart,
To him who gives us all, I yield a part;
From him you come, for him accept it here, w
A frank and fober, more than coftly cheer.
He fpoke, and bid the welcome table fpread,
Then talk'd of virtue till the time of bed,
When the grave houfhold round his hall repair,
Warn'd by a bell, and close the hours with pray?r.
At length the world renew'd by calm repofe
Was ftrong for toil, the dappled morn arofe; Shan
Before the pilgrims part, the younger crept,
Near the clos'd cradle where an infant flept,
And writh'd his neck: the landlord's little pride,
O ftrange return! grew black, and gafp'd, and dy'd.
Horror of horrors! what! his only fon!
How look'd our hermit when the fact was done?
Not hell, tho' hell's black jaws in funder part,
And breathe blue fire, could more affault his heart.
Confus'd, and ftruck with filence at the deed,
He flies, but trembling fails to fly with speed,
His fteps the youth purfues; the country lay
Perplex'd with roads, a fervant fhow'd the way:
A river crofs'd the path; the passage o'er
Was nice to find; the fervant trod before;:
Long arms of oaks an open bridge fupply'd,
And deep the waves beneath the bending glide..
The youth, who feem'd to watch a time to fin,
Approach'd the careless guide, and thruft him in ;
Plunging he falls, and rifing lifts his head,
Then flashing turns, and finks among the dead.
Wild, fparkling rage inflames the father's eyes,
He burfts the bands of fear, and madly cries,
Detefted wretch!- but fcarce his fpeech began,
When the ftrange partner feem'd no longer man:
His youthful face grew more ferenely sweet; .
His robe turn'd white, and flow'd upon his feet.
Fair rounds of radiant points inveft his hair;
Celestial odours breathe through purpled air;
And wings,, whofe colours glitter'd on the day,
Wide at his back their gradual plumes difplay..
The form ethereal burfts upon his fight,
And moves in all the majefty of light.
Though loud at firft the pilgrim's paffion grew,
Sudden he gaz'd, and wift not what to do;
Surprize in fecret chains his words fufpends,
And in a calm his fettling temper ends.
But filence here the beauteous angel broke,
(The voice of mufic ravifh'd as he spoke.).
Thy pray'r, thy praife, thy life to vice unknown,
In fweet memorial rife before the throne:
These charms, fuccefs in our bright region find,
And force an angel down to calm thy mind;
For this commiffion'd, I forfook the sky:
Nay, cease to kneel-Thy fellow-fervant I.
Then know the truth of government divine,
And let thefe fcruples be no longer thine.
The Maker juftly claims that world he made,
In this the right of Providence is laid;
Its facred Majefty through all depends
On ufing fecond means to work his ends :
'Tis thus, withdrawn in state from human eye,
The pow'r exerts his attributes on high,
Your actions uses, nor controuls your will,
And bids the doubting fons of men be still.
What ftrange events can ftrike with more furprize,
Than those which lately ftruck thy wond'ring eyes?
Yet taught by thefe, confefs th' Almighty juft,
And where you can't unriddle, 'learn to trust.
The Great, Vain Man, who far'd on coftly food,
Whofe life was too luxurious to be good;
Who made his iv'ry-ftands with goblets fhine,
And forc'd his guefts to morning draughts of wine,
Has, with the Cup, the gracelefs custom loft,
And ftill he welcomes, but with lefs of coft.
The mean, fufpicious Wretch, whofe bolted door:
Ne'er mov'd in duty to the wand'ring poor;
With him I left the Cup, to teach his mind
That heav'n can blefs, if mortals will be kind.
Confcious of wanting worth, he views the bowl,
And feels compaffion touch his grateful foul.
Thus artifts melt the fullen ore of lead,
With heaping coals of fire upon its head;
In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow,
And, loofe from drofs, the filver runs below.
Long had our pious Friend in virtue trod,
But now the child half-wean'd his heart from God;
(Child of his age) for him he liv'd in pain,
And meafur'd back his fteps to earth again.
To what exceffes had his dotage run?
But God, to fave the father, took the fon.
To all but thee, in fits he feem'd to go,
(And 'twas my miniftry to deal the blow.)
The poor fond parent, humbled in the duft,
Now owns in tears the punishment was juft.
But how had all his fortune felt a wrack,.
Had that falfe Servant fped in fafety back?
This night his treafur'd heaps he meant to fteal,
And what a fund of charity wou'd fail!
Thus Heav'n inftructs thy mind: This trial o'er,
Depart in peace, refign, and fia no more.
On founding pinions here the youth withdrew,
The fage ftood wond'ring, as the Seraph flew.
Thus look'd Elifha, when to mount on high
His mafter took the chariot of the sky;
The fiery pomp afcending left the view;
The prophet gaz'd, and wifh'd to follow too.
The bending Hermit here a pray'r begun,
Lord! as in heav'n, on earth thy will be done.
Then gladly turning, fought his ancient place,
And pafs'd a life of piety and peace.
A FAIRY TALE, in the ancient English Stile. [PARNELL.]
N Britain's ifle and Arthur's days,
When midnight Faeries daunc'd the maze,.
Liv'd Edwin of the green;
Edwin, I wis, a gentle youth,.
Endow'd with courage, fenfe and truth,,
Tho' badly fhap'd he been.
His mountain-back mote well be faid
To measure height against his head,,
And lift itfelf above:
Yet fpite of all that nature did
To make his ancouth form forbid,
This creature dar'd: to love.
He felt the charms of Edith's eyes,.
Nor wanted hope to gain the prize,.
Could ladies look within
But one Sir Topaz drefs'd with art,,
And, if a fhape cou'd win a heart,,
He had a fhape to win.
Edwin (if right I read my fong)
With flighted paffion pac'd along,
All in the moony light:
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