Hither the walkers turn, with weary feet, Then bless the mansion, and the master greet: Their greeting fair, bestow'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, A frank and fober, more than coftly cheer. He spoke, and bid the welcome table spread, 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; 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 cross'd the path; the paffage o'er
Was nice to find; the fervant rode before;
Long arms of oaks an open bridge fupply'd,
And deep the waves beneath the bending glide.

The

The youth, who feem'd to watch a time to fin,
Approach'd the careless guide, and thrust 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 bursts the bands of fear, and madly cries,
Detefted wretch- -But scarce his fpeech began,
When the strange 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 invest his hair;
Celestial odours breathe thro' purpled air;
And wings, whose colours glitter'd on the day,
Wide at his back the gradual plumes difplay.
The form etherial bursts upon his fight,
And moves in all the majefty of light.

Tho' loud, at first, the pilgrim's passion grew,
Sudden he gaz'd, and wist 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:
Thefe 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.
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The

The maker juftly claims that world he made;
In this the right of providence is laid;
Its facred majesty thro' all depends
On using second means to work his ends:
'Tis thus, withdrawn in ftate 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 strange events can strike 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 truft!

The great, vain man, who far'd on coftly food, Whofe life was too luxurious to be good; Who made his ivory ftands with goblets shine, And forc'd his guests to morning draughts of wine, Has, with the cup, the graceless custom loft; And still he welcomes, but with lefs of coft. The mean, fufpicious wretch, whose 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 oar 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

(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 dust,
Now owns, in tears, the punishment was juft.
But now had all his fortune felt a wreck,
Had that falfe fervant fped in safety back?
This night his treafur'd heaps he meant to steal;
And what a fund of charity would fail!

Thus heav'n inftructs thy mind: this trial o'er, Depart in peace, refign, and fin no more.

On founding pinions here the youth withdrew, The fage stood wond'ring as the seraph flew. Thus look'd Elisha, 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 wish'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.

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