190

The wars of Troy were round the pillar feen:
Here fierce Tydides wounds the Cyprian queen;
Here Hector gloriou from Patroclus' fall,"
Here dragg'd in triumph ronnd the Trojan wall.
Motion and life did every part infpire,
Bold was the work, and prov'd the master's fire;
A ftrong expreffion most he seem'd t' affect,
And here and there disclos'd a brave neglect.

A golden column next in rank appear'd.
On which a shrine of pureft gold was rear'd;
Finifh'd the whole, and labour'd every part,
With patient touches of unwearied art:
The Mantuan there in fober triun.ph fat,
Compos'd his posture, and his look fedate;
On Homer still he fix'd a reverend eye,
Great without pride, in modest majesty.
In living fculpture on the fides were spread
The Latian wars, and haughty Turnus dead;
Eliza ftretch'd upon the funeral pyre,
Eneas bending with his aged fire.

200

Troy flam'd in burning gold, and o'er the throne Arms and the man in golden cyphers fhone.

Four fwans fuftain a car of filver bright, 210 With heads advanc'd, and pinions stretch'd for flight:

Here, like fome furious prophet, Pindar rode,
And feem'd to labour with th' infpiring God.
Across the harp a careless hand he flings,
And boldly finks into the founding strings,
The figur'd games of Greece the column grace,
Neptune and Jove survey the rapid race.
The youths hang o'er their chariots as they run;
The fiery fteeds feem ftarting from the ftone;
The champions in diftorted poftures threat; 220
And all appear'd irregularly great.

Here happy Horace tun'd th' Aufonian lyre
To fweeter founds, and temper'd Pindar s fire;
Pleas'd with Alceæus' manly rage t' infuse
The fofter spirit of the Sapphic muse.
The polish'd pillar different sculptures grace;
A work outlafting monumental brass.

IMITATIONS.

Ver. 196, &c.

There faw I ftand on a pillere
That was of tinned iron cleere,
The Latin poet Virgilye,

That hath bore up of a great while
The fame of pious Æneas:

And next him on a pillere was
Of copper, Venus' clerke Ovide,
That hath fowen wondrous wide
The great god of love's fame-
Tho faw I on a piliere by
Of iron wrought full fternly,
The great poet Dan Lucan,
That n his fhoulders bore up then
As hye as that I might fee,"
The fame of Julius and Pompee.

And next him on a pillere flode
Of fulphure, like as he were wode,
Dan Claudian, fo the for to tell,
That bare up all the fame of hell, &c.

Here fmiling Loves and Bacchanals appear,
The Julian ftar and great Augustus here.
The doves that round the infant poet fpread 230
Myrtles and bays, hung hovering o'er his head.

Here, in a fhrine that caft a dazzling light,
State fix'd in thought the mighty Stagyrite;
His facred head a radiant Zodiac crown'd,
And various animals his fides surround;
His piercing eyes, erect, appear to view
Superior worlds, and look all nature through.

With equal rays immortal Tully fhone,
The Roman roftra deck'd the conful's throne:
Gathering his flowing robe, he feem'd to ftand 240
In act to speak, and graceful stretch'd his hand.
Behind, Rome's genius waits with civic crowns,
And the great father of his country owns.

259

These maffy columns in a circle rise, O'er which a pompous dome invades the skies: Scarce to the top I ftretch'd my aching fight, So large it fpread, and fwell'd to fuch a height. Full in the midft proud Fame's imperial feat With jewels blaz'd, magnificiently great; The vivid emeralds there revive the eye, The flaming rubies fhew their fanguine dye, Bright azure rays from lively fapphires ftream, And lucid amber cafts a golden gleam. With various-colour'd light the pavement fhone, And all on fire appear'd the glowing throne; The dome's high arch reflects the mingled blaze, And forms a rainbow of alternate rays." When on the goddefs firft I caft my fight, Scarce feem'd her ftatue of a cubit's height; But fwell'd to larger fize, the more I gaz'd, 269 Till to the roof her towering front she rais'd. With her, the Temple every moment grew, And ampler viftaş open'd to my view: Upward the columns fhoot, the roofs ascend, And arches widen, and long aifles extend. Such was her form, as ancient bards have told, Wings raise her arms, and wings her feet infold; A thousand busy tongues the goddefs bears, And thousand open eyes, and thousand listening ears. Beneath, in order rang'd, the tuneful nine (Her virgin handmaids) ftill attend the fhrine: With eyes on Fame for ever fix'd, they fing; For Fame they raise the voice, and tune the ftring, With time's first birth began the heavenly lays. And laft, eternal, through the length of days.

IMITATIONS.

Ver. 259. Scarce seem'd her stature, &c.
Methought that fhe was fo lite,
That the length of a cubite
Was longer than she seemed be;
But thus foone in a while fhe,
Her felfe tho wonderly straight,
That with her feet the the earth right,
And with her head fhe touchyd heaven-
Ver. 270. Beneath, in order rang'd, &c.]
I heard about her throne y-fung
That all the palays walls rung,
So fung the mighty mufe, the
That cleped is Calliope,
And her feven sisters eke-

279

Around these wonders as I caft a look, The trumpet founded, and the temple fhook, And all the nations, fummon'd at the call, From different quarters fill the crowded hall: Of various tongues the mingled founds were heard ;

In various garbs promifcuous throngs appear'd; Thick as the bees, that with the fpring renew Their flowery toils, and fip the fragrant dew, When the wing'd colonies firft tempt the sky, O'er dusky fields and shaded waters fly,

280

Or, fettling, feize the sweets the blossoms yield,
And a low murmur runs along the field.
Millions of fuppliant crowds the shrine attend,
And all degrees before the goddess bend;
The poor, the rich, the valiant, and the fage, 290
And boasting youth, and narrative old age.
Their pleas were different, their request the fame;
For good and bad alike are fond of Fame.
Some the difgrac'd, and fome with honours crown'd;
Unlike fucceffes equal merits found.
Thus her blind fifter, fickle Fortune, reigns,
And undifcerning fcatters crowns and chains.

First at the fhrine the learned world appear, And to the goddess thus prefer their prayer. Long have we fought t' inftruct and please mankind, 300

With ftudies pale, with midnight vigils blind;
But thank'd by few, rewarded yet by none,
We here appeal to thy fuperior throne:
On wit and learning the just prize bestow,
For Fame is all we must expect below.

The goddess heard, and bade the muses raise
The golden trumpet of eternal praise :
From pole to pole the winds diffuse the found,
That fills the circuit of the world around;

Not all at once, as thunder breaks the cloud; 310
The notes at firft were rather fweet than loud:
By juft degrees they every moment rife,
Fill the wide earth, and gain upon the skies.
At every breath were balmy odours shed,
Which still grew fweeter, as they wider spread;
Lefs fragrant fcents th' unfolding rose exhales,
Or fpices breathing in Arabian gales.

IMITATIONS.

Ver. 276. Around these wonders, &c.]
I heard a noife approachen blive,
That far'd as bees done in a hive,
Against her time of out-flying,
Right fuch a manere murmuring,
For all the world it seemed me,
Tho gan I look about and see

That there came entering into th' hall,
A right great company withal;
And that of fundry regions,
Of all kind of conditions, &c.-
Ver. 294. Some fhe difgrac'd, &c.]

And fome of them the granted fone,
And fome the warned well and fair,
And some she granted the contrair-
Right as her fifter dame Fortune
Is wont to ferve in commune

320

Next these the good and just, an awful train, Thus on their knees addrefs the facred fane. Since living virtue is with envy curs'd, And the best men are treated like the worst, Do thou, juft goddess, call our merits forth, And give each deed th' exact intrinfic worth. Not with bare juftice fhall your act be crown'd, (Said Fame) but high above defert renown'd: Let fuller notes th' applauding world amaze, And the loud clarion labour in your praise.

This band dismiss'd, behold another crowd Preferr'd the fame request, and lowly bow'd; The conftant tenor of whofe well-fpent days 330 No lefs deferv'd a juft return of praise. But ftraight the direful trump of flander founds ; Through the big dome the doubling thunder bounds; Loud as the burst of cannon rends the fkies, The dire report through every region flies, In every ear inceffant rumours rung, And gathering scandals grew on every tongue. From the black trumpet's rufty concave broke Sulphureous flames, and clouds of rolling smoke : The poisonous vapour blots the purple skies, 340 And withers all before it as it flies.

A troop came next, who crowns and armour

wore,

And proud defiance in their looks they bore:

IMITATIONS.

Ver. 318. The good and juft, &c.]

Tho came the third companye,
And gan up to the dees to hye,
And down on knees they fell anone,
And faiden: We been everichone
Folke that han full truely
Deferved fame right-fully,
And prayen you it might be knowe
Right as it is, and forth blowe.

I grant, quoth the, for now we lift
That your good works fhall be wist.
And yet ye fhall have better loos,
Right in despite of all, your foos,
Than worthy is, and that anone.
Let now (quoth fhe) thy trump gone→→→
And certes all the breath that went
Out of his trump's mouth fmel'd
As men a pot of baume held
Among a basket full of rofes.--
Ver. 328, 338. Behold another crowd, &c.-
From the black trumpet's rusly, &c.]
Therewithal there came anone
Another huge companye

Of good folke

What did this Eolus, but he

Took out his trump of brass,

That fouler than the devil was >
And gan his trump for to blowe,
As all the world fhould overthrowe.
Throughout every regione
Went this foul trumpet's foune
Swift as a pellet out of å gunne,
When fire is in the powder runne.
And such a smoke gan out wende,
Out of the foul trumpet's ende-&ar

For thee (they cry'd) amidst alarms and ftrife,
We fail'd in tempefts down the stream of life;
For thee whole nations fill'd with flames and blood.
And fwam to empire through the purple flood.
Thofe ills we dar'd, thy infpiration own;
What virtue feem'd was done for thee alone.
Ambitious fools! (the queen reply'd, and frown'd)
Be all your acts in dark oblivion drown'd;
There fleep forgot, with mighty tyrants gone,
Your ftatues moulder'd, and your names unknown!
A fudden cloud ftraight fnatch'd them from my
fight,

And each majeftic phantom funk in night.

351

Then came the fmalleft tribe I yet had feen ;
Plain was their drefs, and modeft was their mien.
Great idol of mankind! we neither claim
The praise of merit, nor aspire to fame!

But, fafe in deferts from th' applaufe of men, 360
Would die unheard-of, as we liv'd unseen.
'Tis all we beg thee, to conceal from fight
Thofe acts of goodness which themfelves requite.
O let us still the fecret joy partake,
To follow virtue ev'n for virtue's fake.

And live there men, who flight immortal fame?
Who then with incenfe fhall adore our name?
But, mortals! know, 'tis ftill our greatest pride,
To blaze thofe virtues which the good would hide.
Rife! mufes, rife! add all your tuneful breath; 370
These must not fleep in darkness and in death.
She faid in air the trembling mufic floats,
And on the winds triumphant fwell the notes;
So foft, though high, fo loud, and yet so clear,
Ev'n liftening angels lean from heaven to hear:
To farthest fhores th' ambrofial spirit flies,
Sweet to the world, and grateful to the fkies.
Next these a youthful train their vows exprefs'd,
With feathers crown'd, with gay embroidery
drefs'd:

Hither, they cry'd, direct your eyes, and fee 380 The men of pleasure, drefs, and gallantry;

Ours is the place at banquets, balls, and plays;
Sprightly our nights, polite are all our days;
Courts we frequent, where 'tis our pleasing care
To pay due vifits, and addrefs the fair:
In fact, 'tis true, no nymph we could perfuade,
But ftill in fancy vanquish'd every maid;
Of unknown ducheffes lewd tales we tell,
Yet, would the world believe us, all were well.
The joy let others have, and we the name,
389
And what we want in pleasure, grant in fame.
The queen affents, the trumpet rends the skies,
And at cach blaft a lady's honour dies. (preft

Pleas'd with the ftrange fuccefs, vaft numbers
Around the farine, and made the fame request:
What you (the cry'd), unlearn'd in arts to please,
Slaves to yourfelves, and even fatigued with eafe,
Who lofe a length of undeferving days,
Would you ufurp the lover's dear bought praife?
To just contempt, ye vain pretenders, fall,
The people's fable, and the scorn of all.
Straight the black clarion fends a horrid found,
Loud laughs burst out, and bitter fcoffs fly round,
Whispers are heard, with taunts reviling loud,
And fcornful hiffes run through all the crowd.

400

Laft, those who boast of mighty mifchiefs done, Enslave their country, or ufurp a throne; Or who their glory's dire foundation lay'd On fovereigns ruin'd, or on friends betray'd; Calm, thinking villains, whom no faith could fix,

Of crooked counfels and dark politics;

410

Of thefe a gloomy tribe furround the throne, And beg to make th' immortal treafons known. i ne trumpet roars, long flaky flames expire, With fparks that seem'd to fet the world on fire. At the dread found, pale mortals food aghaft, And ftartled nature trembled with the blast. This having heard and feen, fome power un known [the throne. Straight chang'd the scene, and snatch'd me from

IMITATIONS.

Ver. 356. Then came the fmalleft, &c.]
I faw anone the fifth route,
That to this lady gan loute,
And downe on knees anone to fall,
And to her they befoughten all,
To hiden their good works eke.
And faid, they yeve not a leke
For no fame ne fuch renowne;
For they for contemplacyoune,
And Goddes love had it wrought,
Ne of fame would they ought.
What, quoth fhe, and be ye
And ween ye for to do good,
And for to have it of no fame?
Have ye defpite to have my name?
Nay ye fhall lien everichone:
Blow thy trump, and that anone
(Quoth fhe) then Eolus, I hote,
And ring thefe folks works by rote,
That all the world may of it heare;
And he gan blow their loos fo cleare,

wood?

IMITATIONS.

In his golden clarioune,

Through the world went the fonne,

All fo kindly, and eke so soft,

That ther fame was blown aloft.

Ver. 406. Laft, those who boast of mighty, &c.] Tho came another companye,

That had y-done the treachery, &c.

Ver. 418. This having heard and feen. &c.] The scene here changes from the Temple of Fame, to that of Rumour, which is almost entirely Chaucer's. The particulars follow.

Tho faw I ftonde in a valey,
Under the caftle faft by
A house, that Domus Dedali
That Labyrinthus cleped is,
Nas made fo wonderly I wis,
Ne half fo queintly y-wrought!
And everio as fwift as thought,
This queint houfe about went,
That never more it ftill ftent-
And cke this hufe hath of entrees,
As many as leaves are on trees

Before my view appear'd a structure fair,
Its site uncertain, if in earth or air;
With rapid motion turn'd the mansion round;
With ceafelefs noife the ringing walls refound:
Not lefs in number were the fpacious doors,
Than leaves on trees, or fands upon the shores;
Which ftill unfolded ftand, by night, by day,
Pervious to winds, and open every way.
As flames by nature to the skies afcend,
As weighty bodies to the centre tend,
As to the fea returning rivers roll,

And the touch'd needle trembles to the pole;
Hither as to their proper place, arise

420

430

All various founds from earth, and feas, and skies,
Or fpoke aloud, or whisper'd in the ear;
Nor ever filence, reft, or peace, is here.
As on the smooth expanfe of crystal lakes
The finking ftone at first a circle makes;
The trembling surface, by the motion stirr'd,
Spreads in a second circle, then a third;
Wide, and more wide, the floating rings ad-

Fill all the watery plain, and to the margin dance :
Thus every voice and found, when first they break,
On neighbouring air a foft impreffion make;
Another ambient circle then they move;
That, in its turn, impels the next above;
Through undulating air the founds are fent,
And spread o'er all the fluid element.

450

There various news I heard of love and ftrife,
Of peace and war, health, fickness, death, and life,
Of lofs and gain, of famine and of store,
Of ftorms at fea, and travels on the shore,
Of prodigies, and portents feen in air,

Of fires and plagues, and stars with blazing hair,
Of turns of fortune, changes in the state,
The falls of favourites, projects of the great,
Of old mifmanagements, taxations new:
All neither wholly falfe, nor wholly true.

IMITATIONS.

In fummer, when they ben grene;
And in the roof yet men may ene
A thousand hoels and well mo
To letten the foune out-go;
And by day in every tide,
Ben all the doors open wide,
And by night each one unfhet;
No porter is there one to let,
No manner tydings in to pace:
Ne never reft is in that place.

Ver. 448. There various news I heard, &c.]

Of werres, of peace, of marriages,
Of reft, of labour, of voyages,
Of abode, of dethe, and of life,

Of love and hate, accord and ftrife,
Of lofs, of lore, and of winnings,
Of hele, of fickness, and leffings,
Of divers tranfmutations,
Of eftates and eke of regions,
Of truft, of dred, of jealousy,
Of wit, of winning, and of folly,
Of good, or bad government,
Of fire, and of divers accident."

469

Above, below, without, within, around, Confus'd, unnumber'd multitudes are found, Who pass, repafs, advance, and glide away; Hofts rais'd by fear, and phantoms of a day : Aftrologers, that future fates forefhew, Projectors, quacks, and lawyers not a few; And priests, and party zealots, numerous bands With home-born lies, or tales from foreign lands: Each talk'd aloud, or in fome fecret place, And wild impatience ftar'd in every face. The flying rumours gather'd as they roll'd, Scarce any tale was fooner heard than told; And all who told it added something new, 4701 And all who heard it made enlargements too, In every ear it spread, on every tongue it grew, Thus flying eaft and weft, and north and fouth, News travell'd with increase from mouth to mouth. So from a fpark, that kindled firft hy chance, With gathering force the quickening flames ad

vance;

Till to the clouds their curling heads afpire,
And towers and temples fink in floods of fire.

When thus ripe lies are to perfection sprung, Full grown, and fit to grace a mortal tongue, 480 Through thousand vents, impatient, forth they flow,

And rush in millions on the world below,

Fame fits aloft, and points them out their course,
Their date determines, and prescribes their force:
Some to remain, and fome to perish foon;

Or wane and wax alternate like the moon.
Around, a thousand winged wonders fly,
Borne by the trumpet's blast, and scatter'd through
the sky.

There, at one paffage, oft you might furvey
A lie and truth contending for the way;

IMITATIONS.

490

Ver. 458. Above, below, without, within, &c.]
But fuch a grete congregation
Of folke as I faw roame about,
Some within, and fome without,
Was never feen, ne fhall be eft-
And every wight that I faw there
Rowned everich in others ear
A new tyding privily,

Or else he told it openly

Right thus, and faid, Knowft not thou
That is betide to-night now?

No, quoth he, tell me what?

And then he told him this and that, &c.
-Thus north and fouth

Went every tyding from mouth to mouth,
And that encreafing evermo,

As fire is wont to quicken and go
From a fparkle fprong amifs,
Till all the citee brent up is.
Ver. 489. There, at one paffage, &c.]
And fometime I faw there at once,
A leffing and a fad footh faw
That

gonnen at adventure draw
Out of a window forth to pace-

And no man, be he ever fo wrothe,

Shall have one of these two, but bothe, &c,

And long 'twas doubtful, both so closely pent,
Which first should iffue through the narrow vent:
At laft agreed, together out they fly,
Infeparable now, the truth and lie;

The ftrict companions are for ever join'd,
And this or that unmix'd, no mortal e'er fhall
find.

While thus I ftood, intent to fee and hear,
One came, methought, and whisper'd in my ear:
What could thus high thy rafh ambition raife?
Art thou, fond youth, a candidate for praife? 500
'Tis true, faid I, not void of hopes I came,
For who fo fond as youthful bards of fame!
But few, alas! the cafual bleffing boaft,
So hard to gain, so easy to be loft.

How vain that second life in others breath,
Th' eftate which wits inherit after death!
Eafe, health, and life, for this they must resign,
(Unfure the tenure, but how vast the fine!)
The great man's curse, without the gains, endure,
Be envy'd, wretched, and be flatter'd, poor; 510
All lucklefs wits their enemies profeft,
And all fuccefsful, jealous friends at beft.
Nor Fame I flight, nor for her favours call
She comes unlook'd-for, if the comes at all.
But if the purchase costs so dear a price
As foothing folly, or exalting vice:
Oh! if the mufe must flatter lawless sway,
And follow ftill where fortune leads the way;
Or if no bafis bear my rifing name,
But the fall'n ruins of another's fame;
Then, teach me, heaven! to fcorn the guilty bays,
Drive from my breast that wretched luft of praise;
Unblemish'd let me live, or die unknown:
Oh, grant an honest fame, or grant me none!

JANUARY AND MAY :

OR,

THE MERCHANT'S TALE.

FROM CHAUCER.

THERE liv'd in Lombardy, as authors write,
In day of old, a wife and worthy knight;
Of gentle manners, as of generous race,

520

Bleft with much fenfe, more riches, and fome grace;

Yet, led aftray by Venus' foft delights,
He fcarce could rule fome idle appetites:
For long ago, let priests say what they could,
Weak finful laymen were but flesh and blood.

But in due time, when fixty years were o'er,
He vow'd to lead this vicious life no more:
Whether pure holiness inspir'd him forth to wed,
Or dotage turn'd his brain, is hard to find;
But his high courage prick'd him forth to wed,
And try the pleasures of a lawful bed.
This was his nightly dream, his daily care,
And to the heavenly powers his conftant prayer,
Once ere he dy'd, to tafte the blissful life
Of a kind husband and a loving wife,

These thoughts he fortify'd with reasons still, (For none want reafons to confirm their will). Grave authors fay, and witty poets fing, That honeft wedlock is a glorious thing: But depth of judgment most in him appears, Who wifely weds in his maturer years. Then let him choose a damfel young and fair, To blefs his age, and bring a worthy heir;

To foothe his cares, and, free from noise and strife,
Conduct him gently to the verge of life.

Let finful bachelors their wocs deplore,
Full well they merit all they feel, and more:
Unaw'd by precepts human or divine,
Like birds and beafts promifcuously they join:
Nor know to make the prefent blessing last,
To hope the future, or efteem the past:
But vainly boast the joys they never try'd,
And find divulg'd the secrets they would hide.
The marry'd man may bear his yoke with eafe,
Secure at once himfelf and heaven to please ;
And pafs his inoffenfive hours away,
In blifs all night, and innocence all day: [mains,
Though fortune change, his constant spouse re-
Augments his joys, or mitigates his pains.

But what fo pure, which envious tongues will fpare?

Some wicked wits have libell'd all the fair,
With matchlefs impudence they style a wife
The dear-bought curfc, and lawful plague of life;
A bofom-ferpent, a domestic evil,

A night invasion, and a mid-day devil.
Let not the wife these flanderous words regard,
But curfe the bones of every lying bard.
All other goods by fortune's hand are given,
A wife is the peculiar gift of heaven.
Vain fortune's favours, never at a flay,
Like empty fhadows, pass, and glide away;
One folid comfort, our eternal wife,
Abundantly fupplies us all our life:
This bleffing lafts (if those who try fay true)
As long as heart can wish-and longer too.
Our grandfire Adam, ere of Eve poffefs'd,
Alone, and ev'n in paradise unblefs'd,
With mournful looks the blissful fcenes furvey'd,
And wander'd in the folitary shade:
The Maker faw, took pity, and bestow'd
Woman, the laft, the beft referv'd of God.

A wife ah, gentle deities, can he
That has a wife, e'er feel adverfity?
Would men but follow what the fex advise,
All things would profper, all the world grow wife.
'Twas by Rebecca's aid that Jacob won
His father's bleffing from an elder fon :
Abusive Nabal ow'd his forfeit life
To the wife conduct of a prudent wife:
Heroic Judith, as old Hebrews fhew,
Preferv'd the Jews, and flew th' Affyrian foc:
At Hefter's fuit, the perfecuting sword
Was fheath'd, and Ifrael liv'd to blefs the Lord.
Thefe weighty motives, January the fage
Maturely ponder'd in his riper age;
And, charm'd with virtuous joys and fober life,
Would try that Chriflian comfort, call'd
His friends were fummon'd on a point fo nice,
To pass their judgment, and to give advice;

wife.