And why fhould fuch (within himself he cry'd)
Lock the loft wealth a thousand want befide?
But, what new marks of wonder foon took place,
In ev'ry fettling feature of his face,

When, from his veft, the young companion bore
That cup, the gen'rous landlord own'd before,
And paid profufely, with the precious bowl,
The ftinted kindness of this churlish foul !

BUT, now, the clouds in airy tumult fly;
The fun, emerging, opes an azure sky;
A fresher green the smelling leaves display,
And, glitt'ring as they tremble, cheer the day:
The weather courts them from the poor retreat;
And the glad mafter bolts the wary gate.

WHILE hence they walk, the pilgrim's bofom wrought, With all the travel of uncertain thought. His partner's acts without their cause appear: 'Twas there a vice, and feem'd a madness here. Detefting that, and pitying this, he goes, Loft and confounded with the various fhows.

;

Now night's dim fhades again involve the sky;
Again the wand'rers want a place to lie
Again they fearch, and find a lodging nigh.
The foil improv'd around; the manfion neat ;
And, neither poorly low, nor idly great :
It seem'd to speak its master's turn of mind
Content, and, not for praise, but virtue, kind.

HITHER the walkers turn, with weary feet Then, blefs the manfion, and the mafter greet: Their greeting fair, bestow'd with modeft guise, The courteous master hears, and thus replies—

WITHOUT a vain, without a grudging heart, To him who gives us all, I yield a part:

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From

From him you come; for him accept it here;
A frank and sober, 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 houshold round his hall repair,
Warn'd by a bell, and close the hours with pray'r.

Ar 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, Oftrange return! grew black, and gafp'd, and died. Horror of horrors! what! his only fon!

How look'd our hermit when the fact was done? Not hell, though 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 steps the youth purfues. The country lay Perplex'd with roads: a fervant fhew'd the way. A river crofs'd the path. The paffage o'er Was nice to find: the fervant trod before. Long arms of oaks an open bridge supply'd ; And, deep, the waves, beneath the bending, glide. The youth, who feem'd to watch a time to fin, Approach'd the careless guide, and thruft him in : Plunging, he falls; and, rifing, lifts his head; Then, flafhing, turns, and finks among the dead.

WILD, fparkling rage inflames the father's eyes; He burits the bands of fear, and madly cries, Detefted wretch! But fcarce his fpeech began, When the ftranger 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 inveft his hair;
Celestial odours breathe through purpled air;
And wings, whofe colours glitter'd on the day,
Wide at his back, their gradual plumes difplay.
The form ethereal burts upon his fight,
And moves in all the majefty of light.

THOUGH loud, at firft, the pilgrim's paffion grew,
Sudden he gaz'd, and wift not what to do;
Surprife, 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 ravish'd as he spoke.

THY pray'r, thy praife, thy life to vice unknown,
In fweet memorial, rife before the throne:
These charms, fuccefs in our bright region find,
And force an angel down to calm thy thind.
For this commiffion'd, I forfook the sky-
Nay, ceafe to kneel-Thy fellow-fervant I.

THEN, know the truth of government divine; And let thefe fcruples be no longer thine.

THE Maker juftly claims that world he made,
In this the right of Providence is laid:
Its facred majesty through all depends
On ufing fecond means to work his ends.
'Tis thus, withdrawn in ftate from human eye,
The pow'r exerts his attributes on high;
Your actions ufes; nor controuls your will ;
And bids the doubting fons of men be ftill.

WHAT ftrange events can ftrike with more furprize,
Than thofe which lately ftruck thy wond'ring eyes?
Yet, taught by thefe, confefs th' Almighty juft;
And, where you can't unriddle, learn to trust.

;

THE great, vain man, who far'd on coftly food Whofe life was too luxurious to be good;

Who

Who made his iv'ry ftands with goblets shine;
And forc'd his guests to morning draughts of wine;
Has, with the cup, the graceless custom loft;
And ftill 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 ore of lead,
With heaping coals of fire upon its head:
In the kind warinth, the metal learns to glow;
And, loose 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 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 duft, Now owns, in tears, the punishment was just.

BUT, how had all his fortune felt a wreck,
Had that falfe fervant sped in fafety 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 flood wond'ring, as the feraph flew.
Thus look'd Elisha, when, to mount on high,
His mafter took the chariot of the sky:

The

The fiery pomp, afcending, left the view;
The prophet gaz'd, and with'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 antient place.
And pafs'd a life, of piety, and peace.

VIII.
CHARACTER OF BELINDA.

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ER lively looks a sprightly mind disclose,
Quick as her eyes, and as unfix'd as those :
Favours to none, to all the fimiles extends;
Oft the rejects, but never once offends.
Bright as the fun, her eyes the gazers strike;
And, like the fun, they fhine on all alike.
Yet graceful eafe, and sweetness void of pride,
Might hide her faults-if belles have faults to hide.
If, to her fhare, fome female errors fall,

Look on her face-and you'll forget them all.

IX.

CHARACTER OF LADY LYTTLETON.

M

ADE to engage all hearts, and charm all eyes: Tho' meek, magnanimous; tho' witty, wife: Polite, as all her life in courts had been; Yet good, as the the world had never feen :

The