It seem'd to speak its master's turn of mind, Hither the walkers turn, with weary feet, Then bless the mansion, and the master greet: Their greeting fair, bestow'd with modest guise, The courteous master hears, and thus replies: Without a vain, without a grudging heart, prayer. At length the world, renew'd by calm repose, Was strong for toil; the dappled morn arose; Before the Pilgrims part, the younger crept Near the closed cradle where an infant slept, And writhed his neck: the landlord's little pride, O strange return! grew black, and gasp'd, and died. Horrour of horrours! what, his only son! How look'd our Hermit when the fact was done! Not hell, though hell's black jaws in sunder part, And breathe blue fire, could more assault his heart. Confused, and struck with silence at the deed, Wild sparkling rage inflames the Father's eyes, He bursts the bands of fear, and madly cries: "Detested wretch!"-But scarce his speech began, When the strange partner seem'd no longer man: His youthful face grew more serenely sweet; His robe turn'd white, and flow'd upon his feet; Fair rounds of radiant points invest his hair; Celestial odours breathe through purpled air ; And wings, whose colours glitter'd on the day, Wide at his back their gradual plumes display. The form ethereal bursts upon his sight, And moves in all the majesty of light. Though loud at first the Pilgrim's passion grew, "Thy prayer, thy praise, thy life, to vice unknown, "In sweet memorial rise before the throne : “These charms, success in our bright region find, "And force an Angel down, to calm thy mind; "For this, commission'd, I forsook the sky, Nay, cease to kneel-thy fellow-servant I. "Then know the truth of government divine, "And let these scruples be no longer thine: "The Maker justly claims that world he made, "In this the right of Providence is laid; "Its sacred majesty through all depends, "On using second means to work his ends: "'Tis thus, withdrawn in state from human "The Power exerts his attributes on high; eye, "Your actions uses, nor controls your will, "And bids the doubting sons of men be still. "What strange events can strike with more surprise, "Than those which lately struck thy wandering eyes? "Yet, taught by these, confess the Almighty just, you can't unriddle, learn to trust. "And where "The great, vain man, who fared on costly food, "Whose life was too luxurious to be good; “Who made his ivory stands, with goblets shine, "And forced his guests to morning draughts of wine, "Has, with the cup, the graceless custom lost, "And still he welcomes, but with less of cost. 66 "The mean, suspicious wretch, whose bolted door Ne'er moved in duty to the wandering poor; "With him I left the cup, to teach his mind "That Heaven can bless, if mortals will be kind. "With heaping coals of fire upon its head; "In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow, And, loose from dross, the silver 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 lived in pain, "And measured back his steps to earth again. "But God, to save the father, took the son. "But how had all his fortune felt a wrack, "Had that false servant sped in safety back; “This night his treasured heaps he meant to steal, "And what a fund of charity would fail! 66 "Thus Heaven instructs thy mind: this trial o'er, Depart in peace, resign, and sin no more. On sounding pinions here the youth withdrew, T |