The babe clung, crying, to his nurfe's breaft,
Scar'd with the dazzling helm, and nodding creft.
With fecret pleasure, each fond parent fimil'd,
And Hector hafted to relieve his child;
The glitt'ring terrors from his brows unbound,
And plac'd the beaming helmet on the ground.
Then kifs'd the child; and, lifting high in air,
Thus, to the gods, preferr'd a parent's pray'r.
"O Thou, whofe glory fills th' etherial throne!
And all ye deathlefs pow'rs !-protect my son !
Grant him, like me, to purchase just renown;
To guard the Trojans ; to defend the crown;
Against his country's foes the war to wage;
And rife the Hector of the future age.
So, when, triumphant from sucessful toils,
Of heroes flain he bears the reeking fpoils,
Whole hofts may hail him with deferv'd acclaim,
And fay-This chief tranfcends his father's fame.
While, pleas'd, amidst the gen'ral fhouts of Troy,
His mother's conscious heart o'erflows with joy."
He spoke and, foudly gazing on her charms,
Reftor'd the pleasing burden to her arms.
Soft on her fragrant breaft the babe fhe laid,
Hush'd to repose, and, with a fmile, furvey'd.
The troubled pleasure, foon chaftis'd with fear,
She mingled with the fmile-a tender tear.
The foften'd chief, with kind compaffion, view'd
And dry'd the falling drops and thus purfu'd.
"ANDROMACHE! my foul's far better part !
Why, with untimely forrows, heaves thy heart?
No hoftile hand can antedate my doom,
'Till fate condemn me to the filent tomb.
Fix'd is the term of all the race of earth;
And fuch the hard condition of our birth.
No force can, then, refift; no flight can fave:
All fink, alike; the fearful, and the brave-
No more but haften to thy tasks at home;
There, guide the spindle, and direct the loom.
Me glory fummons to the martial scene;
The field of combat is the fphere for men.
Where heroes war, the foremost place I claim,
The fit in danger, as the firit in fame."
THUS having said, th' undaunted chief resumes
His ow'ry helmet, black with fhading plumes.
His princefs parts, with a prophetic figh;
Unwilling parts, and oft reverts her eye,
That ftream'd at ev'ry look: then, moving flow,
Sought her own palace, and indulg'd her woe.
There, while her tears deplor'd the godlike man,
Thro' all her train, the foft infection ran;
The pious maids their mingled forrows fhed,
And mourn'd the living Hector, as the dead.
AND, now, unveil'd, the toilet ftand display'd,
Each filver vafe in myftic order laid.
First, rob'd in white, the nymph intent adores,
With head uncover'd, the cofmetic pow'rs
A heav'nly image in the glass appears :
To that the bends, to that her eye the rears..
Th' inferior prieftefs, at the altar's fide,
Trembling, begins the facred rites of pride.
Unnumber'd treasures ope at once, and here.
The various off'rings of the world appear :
From each, fhe nicely culls, with curious toil,
And decks the goddefs with the glitt'ring spoil.
The casket India's glowing gems unlocks,
And all Arabia breathes from yonder box.
The tortoise, here, and elephant, unite,
Transform'd to combs, the fpeckled, and the white,
Here files of pins extend their fhining rows,
Puffs, powders, patches bibles, billet-doux.
Now awful beauty puts on all its arms;
The fair, each moment, rifes in her charms,
Repairs her fmiles, awakens ev'ry grace,
And calls forth all the wonders of her face.
THE SPIRIT OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
TOW profp'rous gales the bending canvas fwell'd;
From thefe rude hores our fearless courfe we held :
Beneath the glift'ning wave, the god of day.
Had now five times withdrawn the parting ray,
When o'er the prow, a fudden darkness spread,
And, flowly floating o'er the masts' tall head,
A black cloud hover'd: nor appear'd from far
The moon's pale glimpfe, nor faintly twinkling ftar.
So deep a gloom, the lowering vapour caft,
Trasfix'd with awe, the bravest stood aghast.
Mean-while, a hollow burfting roar refounds,
As when hoarfe furges lash their rocky mounds:
Nor had the black'ning wave, nor frowning heav'n,
The wonted. figns of gath'ring tempefts giv❜n.
Amaz'd we stood. "O thou, our fortune's guide!
"Avert this omen, mighty God!" I cried-
When, lo! flow rifing through the darken'd air,
Appall'd, we faw an hiedous phantom glare.
High and enormous o'er the flood he tower'd,
And, thwart our way, with fullen aspect lower'd :
An earthy paleness o'er his cheeks was spread;
Erect uprofe his hairs of wither'd red:
Writhing to speak, his fable lips disclose,
Sharp and disjoin'd, his gnashing teeths' blue rows:
His haggard beard flow'd quiv'ring in the wind;
Revenge and horror, in his mien, combin'd:
His clouded front, by with'ring lightning fcar'd,
The inward anguifh of his foul declar'd:
His red eyes, glowing from their dusky caves,
Shot livid fires: far echoing o'er the waves,
His voice refounded, as the cavern'd fhore,
With hollow groan, repeats the tempeft's roar.
Our bristling hairs, and tott'ring knees, confess'd
Wild dread; the while, with visage ghaftly wan,
His black lips trembling, thus the fiend began.
"O you! the boldest of the nations, fir'd
By daring pride, by luft of fame infpir'd;
Who, fcornful of the bowers of sweet repose,
Thro' these my waves advance your daring prows,
Regardless of the length'ning wat'ry way,
And all the ftorms that own my fovereign fway;
Who, mid furrounding rocks and shelves, explore
Where never hero brav'd my rage before;
Ye fons of Lufus! who, with eyes profane,
Have view'd the fecrets of my awful reign;
Have pafs'd the bounds which jealous nature drew,
To veil her fecret shrine from mortal view;
Hear from my lips, what direful woes attend,
And, bursting foon, fhall o'er your race defcend.
"WITH ev'ry bounding keel that dares my rage, Eternal war my rocks and ftorms fhall wage;
The next proud fleet, that, through my drear domain,
With daring fearch, fhall hoift the ftreaming vane,
That gallant navy, by my whirlwinds tofs'd,
And raging feas, shall perish on my coaft.
Then he, who first my secret reign descried,
A naked corfe, wide floating o'er the tide,
Shall drive. Unless my heart's full raptures fail,
O Lufus! oft fhalt thou thy children wail;
Each year, thy fhipwreck'd fons fhalt thou deplore;
Each year, thy fheeted mafts fhall ftrew my fhore."
He paus'd-in a&t fill farther to disclose
A long, a dreary prophecy of woes :
When, fpringing onward, loud my voice refounds,
And 'midft his rage, the threat'ning fhade confounds.
"Whart art thou, horrid form! that rid'st the air?
By Heav'n's eternal light, ftern fiend! declare !"—
His lips he writhes; his eyes around he throws;
And, from his breaft, deep hollow groans arofe.
Sternly askaunce he ftood. With wounded pride
And anguish torn-" In me, behold!" he cried,
(While dark-red fparkles from his eye-balls roll'd)
"In me-the spirit of the Cape behold !"-
He spoke and, deep, a lengthen'd figh he drew,
A doleful found-and vanish'd from the view.
The frighten'd billows gave a rolling fwell,
And, diftant far, prolong'd the dismal yell;
Faint, and more faint, the howling echoes die,
And the black cloud, difperfing, leaves the sky.
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