The fear fupreme around their foften'd beds, Some holy man by prayer all op'ning Heaver difpreds.

Attended by a glad acclaiming train,
Of those he refcued had from gaping hell,
Then turn'd the Knight, and, to his hall again
Soft-pacing, fought of Peace the moffy cell:
Yet down his checks the gems of pity fell,
To fee the helpless wretches that remain'd,
There left thro' delves and defarts dive to vell;
Amaz'd, their looks with pale difmay were
fain'd.

And spreading wide their hands they meck repentance feign'd.

But, ali! their fcerned day of grace was paft:
For (horrible to tell!) a defart wild
Before them ftretch'd, bare,comfortlefs, and vaft;
With gibbets, bones, and carcafes defii d.
There nor trim field, nor lively culture fimil'd;
Nor waving fhade was feen, nor fountain fair;
But fands abrupt on fands lay loufely pil'd,
Thro' which they floundering toil 'd with painful

care,

Whilft Phoebus fmote them fore, and fir'd the

cloudlefs air.

Then, varying to a joyless land of bogs,
The fadden'd country a grey wafte appear'd;
Where nought but putrid ftreams and noifome
fogs

For ever hung on drizzly Aufter's beard;
Or elfe the ground by piercing Caurus fear'd,
Was jagg'd with froft, or heap'd with glazed
fnow:

Thro' thefe extremes a ceafeicfs round they fteer'd,

By cruel fiends ftill hurried to and fro, Gaunt Beggary, and Scorn, with many bellhounds moc.

The first was with bafe dunghill raga yehd, Tainting the gale, in which they flutter'd light; Of morbid hue his features, funk, and fad ; His hollow eyne fhook forth a fickly light; And o'er his lank jaw-bone, in piteous plight, His black rough beard was matted.rank,and vile; Direful to fee! and heart-appalling fight! Meantime foul fcurf and blotches him detik; And dogs, where'er he went, ftill barked all the while.

The other was a fell defpightful fiend:
Hell holds none worfe in baleful bow'r below:
By pride, and wit, and rage, and rancor keen's;
Of Man alike if good or bad the foe:
With nofe up-turn'd, he always made a fhow
As if he felt fome nauteous fcent; his cre
Was cold and keen, like blaft from boreal inow;
And taunts he called forth moft bitterly.
Such were the twain that off drove this ungodly fry.

Even fo through Brentford town, a town of mud,
An herd of briftly fwine is prick'd along;
The filthy beafts, that never chew the cud.
Still grunt and fqueak, and fing their troublous
And

fong,

And oft they plunge themselves the mire among: But ay the ruthlets driver goads them on, And ay of barking dogs the bitter throng Makes them renew their unmelodious moan; Ne ever find they reft from their unrefting fone. To the Memory of Sir Ifaac Newton.

855.
THOMSON.
Inferibed to the Right Honourable Sir Robert
Walpole.

SHALL the great foul of Newton quit this earth,
To mingle with his ftars; and every Mufe,
Aftonith'd into filence, fhun the weight
Of honours due to his illuftrious name?

Yet am I not deterr'd, though high the theme,
And fung to harps of angels; for with you,
Ethereal flames! ambitious I aspire
In Nature's general fymphony to join.

And what new wonders can you fhew your gueft?
Who, while on this dim fpot, where mortals toil
Clouded in duft, from Motion's fimple laws
Could trace the fecret hand of Providence
Wide-working thro' this univerfal frame.

The tide revertive, unattracted, leaves A yellow wafte of idle fands behind.

Have ye not liften'd, while he bound the funs And planers to their spheres th' unequal taik Of human kind till then. Oft had they roll'd O'er ering man the year, and oft difgrac'd The pride of fchools, before their courfe was known Full in its caufes and effects, to him, All-piercing fage! who fat not down and dream'd Romantic fchemes, defended by the din Of fpecipus words, and tyranny of naines; But, bidding his amazing mind attend, And, with heroic patience, years and years Deep-fearching, faw at laft the fyftem dawn, And fhine, of all his race, on him alone. [ftrong! What were his raptures then! how pure! how And what the triumphs of old Greece and Rome, By his diminish'd, but the pride of boys In fome fmall fray victorious! when instead Of thatter'd parcels of this earth ufurp'd By violence unmanly, and fore deeds Of cruelty and blood, Nature herfelf Stood all-fubdued by him, and open laid Her ev'ry latent glory to his view. All intellectual eye, our folar round Firft gazing thro', he, by the blended pow'r Of gravitation and projection, faw The whole in filent harmony revolve. From unallifted visjon hid, the moons, To cheer remoter planets numerous form'd, By him in all their mingled tracts were feen. He alfo fix'd our wand'ring queen of night: Whether the wanes into a fcanty orb, Or, waxing broad, with her pale fhadowy light, In a foft deluge overflows the sky. Her ev'ry motion clear difcerning, He Adjusted to the mutual main, and taught Why now the mighty mafs of water twells Refiftlefs, heaving on the broken rocks, And the full river turning; till again

Then breaking hence, he took his ardent flight Thro' the blue infinite; and ev'ry star, Which the clear concave of a winter's night Pours on the eye, or attronomic tube, Far-ftretching fnatches from the dark abyfs, Or fuch as farther in fucceffive kies To fancy thine alone, at his approach Blaz'd into funs, the living centre each Of an harmonious fyftem: all combin'd, And rul'd unerring by that fingle pow'r Which draws the ftone projected to the ground. O unprofufe magnificence divine!

The heavens are all his own; from the wild rule Of whirling vortices and circling spheres, To their first great fimplicity reitor d. The schools affonifa'd food; but found it vain To combat ftill with demonftration strong, And, unawaken'd, dream beneath the blaze Of truth. At once their pleasing vifions fled, With the gay fhadows of the morning mix'd, When Newton role, our philofophic fun.

The aerial flow of found was known to him, From whence it firft in wavy circles breaks, Till the touch'd organ takes the meffage in. Nor could the darting beam, of speed immenfe, Efcape his fwift purfuit, and meafuring eye. Even light itfelf, which ev'ry thing difplays, Shone undifcover'd, till his brighter mind Untwisted all the fhining robe of day; And from the whitening undiftinguish'd blaze, Collecting ev'ry ray into his kind, To the charm'd eye cduc'd the gorgeous train Of parent-colours. First, the flaming red Sprung vivid forth; the tawny orange next; And next delicious yellow, by whole fide Fell the kind beams of all-refreshing green; Then the pure blue, that fwells autumnal skies, Ethereal play'd; and then, of fadder hue, Emerg'd the deepen'd indico, as when The heavy-fkirted evening droops with froft; While the laft gleamings of refracted light Died in the fainting violet away. Thefe, when the clouds diftil the rofy fhow'r, Shine out diftinct adown the wat`ry bow; While o'er our heads the dewy vision bends Delightful, melting on the fields beneath. Myriads of mingling dyes from these refult, And myriads ftill remain-Infinite fource Of beauty, ever-flufhing, ever-new!

Fi 3

Did

That now he wanders thro' thofe endless worlds He here fo well defcried, and wond'ring talks, And hymns their Author with his glad compeers.

who

But who can number up his labours His high difcov'ries fing? when but a few Of the deep-ftudying race can ftretch their minds To what he knew: in fancy's lighter thought How thall the Mufe then grafp the mighty theme?

What wonder thence that his devotion fwell'd Refponfive to his knowledge? for could he, Whofe piercing mental eye diffutive saw The finish'd univerfity of things, In all its order, magnitude and parts, Forbear inceffant to adore that Pow'r Who fills, fuftains, and actuates the whole ?

Say, ye who beft can tell, ye happy few, Who faw him in the fofteft lights of life, All unwithheld, indulging to his friends The vaft unborrow'd treafures of his mind, Oh fpeak the wondrous man! how mild, how calm, How greatly humble, how divinely good; How firm eftablish'd on eternal truth; Fervent in doing well, with ev'ry nerve Still preffing on, forgetful of the past, And panting for perfection: far above Thofe little cares and vifionary joys That fo perplex the fond impatiion'd heart Of ever-cheated, ever-trufting man!

And you, ye hopeiefs gloomy-minded tribe, You, who, unconfcious of those nobler flights That reach impatient at immortal life, Against the prime endearing privilege Of being dare contend, fay, can a foul Of fuch extenfive, deep, tremendous pow'rs, Enlarging till, be but a finer breath Of fpirits dancing thro' their tubes awhile, And then for ever loft in vacant air

But hark! methinks I hear a warning voice, Solemn as when fome awful change is come, Sound thro' the world—“ 'Tis done! the mea"fure's full; [ftones, "And I refign my charge."-Ye mould ring That build the tow'ring pyramid, the proud Triumphal arch, the monument effac'd By ruthlefs ruin, and whate'er fupports The worshipp'd name of hoar antiquity, Down to the duft! what grandeur can ye beaft, While Newton lifts his column to the fkies, Beyond the wafte of time? Let no weak drop Be thed for him. The virgin in her bloom Cut off, the joyous youth, and darling child, Thefe are the tombs that claim the tender tear And elegiac fong. But Newton calls For other notes of gratulation high,

O Britain's boaft! whether with angels thou Sitteft in dread difcourfe, or fellow-bleft, Who joy to fee the honour of their kind; Or whether, mounted on cherubic wing, Thy fwift carcer is with the whirling orbs, Comparing things with things, in rapture loft, And grateful adoration, for that light So plenteous ray'd into thy mind below, From Light himself: Oh look with pity down On human kind, a frail erroneous race! Exalt the fpirit of a downward world! O'er thy dejected country chief prefide, And be her Genius call'd! her ftudies raise, Correct her manners, and infpire her youth: For, tho' deprav'd and funk, the brought thee forth, And glories in thy name; the points thee cut To all her fons, and bids them eye thy ftar : While in expectance of the fecond life, When time fhall be no more, the facred duft Sleeps with her kings, and dignifies the scene.

$56. Hymn on Solitude. THOMSON. AIL, mildly-pleafing Solitude, Companion of the wife and good; But from whofe holy piercing eye The herd of fools and villains fly.

H

Oh! how I love with thee to walk, And liften to thy whifper'd talk, Which innocence and truth imparts, And melts the moft obdurate hearts!"

A thoufand fhapes you wear with cafe, And fill in ev'ry fhape you pleafe. Now wrapt in fome myfterious dream, A lone philofopher you feem; Now quick from hill to vale you fly, And now you fweep the vaulted fky. A fhepherd next you haunt the plain, And warble forth your oaten strain ; A lover now, with all the grace Of that fweet paflion in your face: Then, calm'd to friendship, you affume The gentle-looking Hartford's bloom, As, with her Mufidora, fhe

Her Mufidora fond of thee) Amid the long withdrawing vale !Awakes the rival'd nightingale.

Thine is the balmy breath of morn,
Juft as the dew-bent rofe is born;
And while meridian fervors beat,
Thine is the woodland dumb retreat;
But chief, when evening fcenes decay,
And the faint landfcape fwims away,
Thine is the doubtful foft decline,
And that beft hour of mufing thine.

Defcending angels blefs thy train,
The virtues of the fage and fwain;
Plain innocence, in white array'd,
Before thee lifts her fearless head:
Religion's beams around thee thine,
And cheer thy glcoms with light divine:

About

Still as the fwelling paffions 'gan difclofe
The buds of future virtues. did prepare
With prudent culture the young shoots to rear,
And aye in this endearing pious toil
They by a palmer ¶ fage instructed were, [while
Who from deep thought and ftudious search ere-
Had learnt to mend the heart and till the human
foil.

A GENTLE knight there was whofe noble deeds
O'er Fairyland by Fame were blazon'd round;
For warlike enterprize and fage areeds
Among the chief alike was he renown'd,
Whence with the marks of highest honourscrown'd
By Gloriana, in domeftic peace,
That port to which the wife are ever bound,
He anchor'd was, and chang'd the toffing feas
Of bustling bufy life for calin fequefter'd cale.
There in domeftic virtue rich and great,
As erft in public, 'mid his wide domain
Long in primeval patriarchal state,
The lord, the judge, the father of the plain
He dwelt; and with him in the golden chain
Of wedded faith ylink'd a matron fage
Aye dwelt, fweet partner of his joy and pain!
Sweet charmer of his youth, friend of his age,
Skill'd to improve his blifs, his forrows to alluage!
From this fair union, not of fordid gain,
But merit fimilar and mutual love,
True fource of lineal virtue, fprung a train
Of youths and virgins, like the beauteous grove
Which round the temple of Olympic Jove
Begist with youthful bloom the parent tree §,
The facred olive, whence old Elis wove
Her verdant crowns of peaceful victory,
The guerdons of bold ftrength and fwift activity.
Se round their noble parents goodly rofe
Thefe gen'rous fcions; they with watchful care,

For by celeftial Wisdom whilom led

Thro' all the apartments of th' immortal mind,
He view'd the secret stores, and mark'd the fted
To judgment, wit, and memory, affign'd;
And now fenfation and reflection join'd
To fill with images her darkfome grotte,
Where variously disjointed or combin'd,
As reafon, fancy, or opinion, wrought, [thought.
Their various inaks they play'd,and fed herpentive
Als ++ thro' the fields of Science had he ftray'd
With eager fearch, and fent his piercing eve
Thro' each learn'd fchool, each philofophic thade,
Where Truth and Virtue erft were deem'd to lie,
If haply the fair vagrants he mote‡‡ipy,
Or hear the mufic of their charming lore;
Bút all unable there to fatisfy

His curious foul, he turn'd him to explore
The facred writ of Faith, to learn, believe, adore.
Thence foe profefs'd of Falfehood and Deceit,
Thofe fly artificers of Tyranny,

Aye holding up before uncertain feet
His faithful light to knowledge, Liberty,
Mankind he led to civil policy,
And mild Religion's charitable law,
That fram'd by Mercy and Benignity
The perfecuting fword forbids to draw,
And free-created fouls with penal terrours awe.
Ne with the glorious gifts elate and vain
Lock'd he his wifdom up in churlish pride,
But ftooping from his height would even deign
The feebie fteps of infancy to guide:
Eternal glory him therefore betide;
Let ev'ry gen'rous youth his praife proclaim,
Who wand ring thro' the world s rude forest wide,
By him hath been ytaught his course to frame
ToVirtue's sweet abodes and heaven afpiring Fame!
For this the Fairy knight with anxious thought
And fond paternal care his counsel pray'd,
And him of gentleft courtely befought
His guidance to vouchfafe and friendly aid,
The while his tender offspring he convey'd
Thro' devious paths to that fecure retreat
Where fage Pedia with each tuneful maid
On a wide mount had fix'd her rural feat,
Mid flow'ry gardens plac'd, untrod by vulgar feet.
And now forth-pacing with his blooming heir,
And that fame virtuous palmer them to guide,

Arm'd