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Earth's diftant ends our glory fhall behold,
And the new world launch forth to seek the old.
Then fhips of uncouth form shall stem the tide,
And feather'd people crowd my wealthy fide,
And naked youths and painted chiefs admire,
Our speech, our colour, and our strange attire!
Oh, ftretch thy reign, fair peace! from fhore to fhore,
Till conqueft cease, and flavery be no more;
Till the freed Indians in their native groves
Reap their own fruits, and woo their fable loves;
Peru once more a race of kings behold, 411
And other Mexicos be roof'd with gold.
Exil'd by thee from earth to deepest hell,
In brazen bonds fhall barbarous difcord dwell;
Gigantic pride, pale terror, gloomy care,
And mad ambition, fhall attend her there :
There purple vengeance bath'd in gore retires,
Her weapons blunted, and extinct her fires:

There hateful envy her own fnakes shall feel,
And perfecution mourn her broken wheel: 420
There faction roar, rebellion bite her chain,
And gafping furies thirst for blood in vain.

Here cease thy flight, nor with unhallow'd lays

Touch the fair fame of Albion's golden days:
The thoughts of gods let Granville's verse recite,
And bring the scenes of opening fate to light :
My humble mufe, in unambitious ftrains,
Paints the green forefts and the flowery plains,
Where peace defcending bids her olive spring,
And scatters bleffings from her dove-like wing.
Ev'n I more fweetly pafs my careless days,
Pleas'd in the filent fhade with empty praise ;
Enough for me, that to the liftening (wains
First in these fields I fung the Sylvan strains.

431

O DE S.

ODE FOR MUSIC ON ST. CECILIA'S DAY.

DESCEND, ye nine! defcend, and fing;
The breathing inftruments inspire ;
Wake into voice each filent ftring,
And fweep the founding lyre!

In a fadly-pleafing strain

Let the warbling lute complain;
Let the loud trumpet found,
Till the roofs all around

The thrill echoes rebound:
While, in more lengthen'd notes and flow,
The deep, majestic, folemn organs blow,
Hark! the numbers foft and clear
Gently steal upon the ear;

Now louder, and yet louder rife,

And fill with spreading founds the skies; Erulting in triumph now fwell the bold notes, In broken air trembling, the wild mufic floats; Till, by degrees, remote and small, The strains decay,

And melt away, In a dying, dying fall.

n.

By mufic, minds an equal temper know,
Nor fwell too high, nor fink too low.
If in the breast tumultuous joys arise,
Mufic her foft, affuafive voice applies;

Or when the foul is prefs'd with cares,
Exalts her in enlivening airs.
Warriors the fires with animated founds;
Pours balm into the bleeding lover's wounds;
Melancholy lifts her head,
Morpheus roufes from his bed,
Sloth unfolds her arms and wakes,
Liftening envy drops her snakes;
Inteftine war no more our paffions wage,
And giddy factions hear away their
rage.

111.

But when our country's cause provokes to arms,
How martial mufic every bofom warms!
So when the first bold vessel dar'd the feas,
High on the ftern the Thracian rais'd his train,
While Argo faw her kindred trees
Defcend from Pelion to the main,

Transported demi-gods ftood round, And men grew heroes at the found, Enflam'd with glory's charms : Each chief his seven-fold fhield difplay'd, And half unfheath'd the fhining blade: And feas, and rocks, and skies, rebound To arms, to arms, to arms!

IV.

But when through all th' infernal bounds,
Which flaming Phlegeton furrounds,

Love, ftrong as death, the poets led
To the pale nations of the dead,
What founds were heard,
What scenes appear'd,

O'er all the dreary coafts!
Dreadful gleams,
Dismal screams,
Fires that glow,
Shrieks of woe,
Sullen moans,
Hollow groans,

And cries of tortur'd ghosts!
But hark! he strikes the golden lyre;
And fee! the tortur'd ghosts refpire.
See, fhady forms advance!
Thy ftone, O Sifyphus, ftands still,
Ixion retts upon his wheel,

And the pale spectres dance!
The furies fink upon their iron beds,
And fnakes, uncurl'd, hang liftening round their
heads.

V.

By the ftreams that ever flow,

By the fragrant winds that blow
O'er the Elyfian flowers;

By thofe happy fouls who dwell
In yellow meads of afphodel,
Or amaranthine bowers;
By the hero's armed fhades,
Glittering through the gloomy glades;
By the youths that dy'd for love,
Wandering in the myrtle grove,
Reftore, reftore Eurydice to life:
Oh, take the husband, or return the wife

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Mufic the fierceft grief can charm,
And fate's fevereft rage difarm:
Mufic can soften pain to ease,

And make despair and madness please:
Our joys below it can improve,
And antedate the blifs above.

This the divine Cecilia found,

And to her Maker's praise confin'd the found. When the full organ joins the tuneful quire,

Th' immortal powers incline their ear; Borne on the fwelling notes our fouls afpire, While folemn airs improve the facred fire; And angels lean from heaven to hear. Of Orpheus now no more let poets tell, To bright Cecilia greater power is given: His numbers rais'd a fhade from hell, Her's lift the foul to heaven.

TWO CHORUSES

TO THE TRAGEDY OF BRUTUS.

Altered from Shakspeare by the Duke of Buckingham; at whofe defire these two Chorufes were compofed, to fupply as many, wanting in his play. They were fet many years afterwards by the famous Bononcini, and performed at Buckingham-house.

CHORUS OF ATHENIANS.

STROPHE 1.

YE fhades, where facred truth is fought;
Groves, where immortal fages taught;
Where heavenly vifions Plato fir'd,
And Epicurus lay inspir'd!

In vain your guiltless laurels food
Unfpotted long with human blood.

War, horrid war, your thoughtful walks invades,
And fteel now glitters in the mufes fhades.

ANTISTROPHE 1.

Oh, heaven-born fifters! fource of art!
Who charm the sense, or mend the heart;
Who lead fair virtue's train along,
Mortal truth and mystic song!

To what new clime, what diftant fky,
Forfaken, friendless, shall ye fly?

Say, will ye blefs the bleak Atlantic fhore?
Or bid the furious Gaul be rude no more?
STROPHE II.

When Athens finks by fates unjust,
When wild barbarians fpurn her duft;
Perhaps ev'a Britain's utmoft ftore
Shall cease to blush with stranger's gore;
See arts her favage fons controul,
And Athens rifing near the pole!
Till some new tyrant lifts his purple hand,
And civil madness tears them from the land.
ANTISTROPHE II.

Ye gods, what justice rules the ball!
Freedom and arts together fall;
Fools grant whate'er ambition craves,
And men, once ignorant, are flaves.
Oh, curs'd effects of civil hate,

In ev'ry age, in every state!

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What tender paffions take their turns,
What home-felt raptures move!
His heart now melts, now leaps, now burns,
With reverence, hope, and love.

CHORUS.

Hence guilty joys, distastes, furmifes,
Hence falfe tears, deceits, disguises,
Dangers, doubts, delays, surprises;

Fires that fcorch, yet dare not shine:
Pureft love's unwafting treasure,
Conftant faith, fair hope, long leisure;
Days of eafe, and nights of pleasure;
Sacred Hymen! thefe are thine.

ODE ON SOLITUDE.

Written when the Author was about Twelve Years old.

HAPPY the man, whose wish and care

A few paternal acres bound,

Content to breathe his native air,

In his own ground.

Whofe herds with milk, whofe fields with bread,
Whofe flocks fupply him with attire ;
Whofe trees in fummer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Bleft, who can unconcern'dly find
Hours, days, and years flide soft away,
In health of body, peace of mind,

Quiet by day,
Sound fleep by night; ftudy and ease,
Together mix'd; fweet recreation,
And innocence, which moft does please
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unfeen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die,
Steal from the world, and not a ftone
Tell where I lie.

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AN ESSAY ON CRITICISM.

WRITTEN IN THE YEAR 1709.

Si quid neristi rectius iftis

Candidus imperti; fi non, his utere mecum.

HORACE.

CONT
CONTENTS OF THE ESSAY ON CRITICISM.

PART I.

INTRODUCTION. That 'tis as great a fault to judge

ill, as to write ill, and a more dangerous one to
the public, ver. I.

That a true Tafte is as rare to be found as a true
Genius, ver. 9 to 18.

That most men are born with some Tafte, but
fpoiled by falfe Education, ver. 19 to 25.
The multitude of Critics and caufes of them, ver.
26 to 45.

That we are to study our own Taste, and know
the limits of it, ver. 46 to 67.

Nature the best guide of judgment, ver. 68 to 87.
Improved by Art and Rules, which are but ae-
thodized Nature, ver. 88.

Rules derived from the Practice of the Ancient
Poets, ver. 98 to 110.

That therefore the Ancients are necessary to be
ftudied by a Critic, particularly Homer and
Virgil, ver. 120 to 138.

Of Licences, and the use of them by the Ancients,
ver. 140 to 180.

Reverence due to the Ancients, and praise of them,
ver. 181, &c.

PART II. Ver. 203, &c.
Caufes hindring a true Judgment. 1. Pride, ver.
208. 2. Imperfect Learning, ver. 215. 3.
Judging by parts, and not by the whole, ver.

233 to 288, Critics in Wit, Language, Verfi-
fication, only, 288, 305, 339, &c. 4. Being
too hard to pleafe, or too apt to admire, ver.
384. 5. Partiality-too much love to a Sect,-
to the Ancients or Moderns, ver. 394. 6. Prè-
judice or Prevention, ver. 408. 7. Singularity,
ver. 424. 8. Inconftancy, ver. 430. 9. Party
Spirit, ver. 452, &c. 10. Envy, ver. 466. A-
gainst Envy, and in praise of Good-nature, ver.
508, &c. When Severity is chiefly to be used
by Critics, ver. 526, &c.

PART III. Ver. 568, &c.

Rules for the Conduct of Manners in a Critic. I.
Candour, ver. 563. Modefty, ver. 556. Good-
breeding, ver. $72. Sincerity and Freedom of
Advice, ver. 578. 2. When one's Counsel is
to be restrained, ver. 584. Character of an in-
corrigible Poet, ver. 600; and of an impertinent
Critic, ver. 610, &c. Character of a good Cri-
tic, ver. 629. The Hiftory of Criticism, and
Characters of the beft Critics: Ariftotle, ver.
645. Horace, ver. 653. Dionyfius, ver. 665.
Petronius, ver. 667. Quintilian, ver. 670.
Longinus, ver. 675. Of the Decay of Criti-
cifm, and its Revival. Erafmus, ver. 693. Vi-
da, ver. 705. Boileau, ver. 714. Lord Rof-
common, &c. ver. 725. Conclufion.

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