Lifted the Roman Steel against thy Friend.
Thousands befides the tribute of a verse
Demand; but who can count the stars of heaven ?
Who fing their influence on this lower world?
BEHOLD, who yonder comes! in fober ftate, 530 Fair, mild, and strong, as is a vernal sun : 'Tis Phoebus' felf, or else the Mantuan Swain! Great HOMER too appears, of daring wing, Parent of fong! and equal by his fide,
The BRITISH MUSE; join'd hand in hand they walk, Darkling, full up the middle fteep to fame.
Nor abfent are those shades, whose skilful touch Pathetic drew th' impaffion'd heart, and charm'd Transported Athens with the MORAL SCENE: 539 Nor those who, tuneful, wak'd th' enchanting LYRE.
FIRST of your kind! Society divine!
Still vifit thus my nights, for you referv'd,
And mount my foaring foul to thoughts like yours.
Silence, thou lonely power! the door be thine;
See on the hallowed hour that none intrude,
Save a few chofen friends, who fometimes deign
To bless my humble roof, with sense refin'd,
Learning digefted well, exalted faith,
Unftudy'd wit, and humour ever gay.
Or from the Mufes' hill will POPE defcend,
To raise the facred hour, to bid it fmile,
And with the focial spirit warm the heart:
For tho' not sweeter his own HOMER fings,
Yet is his life the more endearing fong.
WHERE art thou, HAMMOND? Thou the darling pride,
The friend and lover of the tuneful throng!
Ah why, dear youth, in all the blooming prime
Of vernal genius, where difclofing faft
Each active worth, each manly virtue lay,
Why wert thou ravish'd from our hope fo foon? 560
What now avails that noble thirst of fame,
Which ftung thy fervent breaft? That treasur'd ftore
Of knowledge, carly gain'd? That eager zeal
To ferve thy country, glowing in the band
Of YOUTHFUL PATRIOTS, who fuftain her name?
What now, alas! that life-diffufing charm
Of sprightly wit? That rapture for the Muse,
That heart of friendship, and that foul of joy,
Which bade with fofteft fighs thy virtues smile?
Ah! only fhew'd, to check our fond purfuits, 570
And teach our humbled hopes that life is vain!
THUS in fome deep retirement would I pafs The winter-glooms, with friends of pliant foul, Or blithe, or folemn, as the theme inspir'd: With them would fearch, if Nature's boundless frame Was call'd, late rifing from the void of night, Or fprung eternal from th' ETERNAL MIND;
Its life, its laws, its progrefs, and its end.
Hence larger prospects of the beauteous whole
Would, gradual, open on our opening minds; 580
And each diffufive harmony unite,
In full perfection, to th' aftonish'd eye.
Then would we try to fcan the moral World,
Which, tho' to us it seems embroil'd, moves on
In higher order; fitted, and impell'd,
By WISDOM's fineft hand, and iffuing all
In general Good. The fage hiftoric Muse
Should next conduct us thro' the deeps of time :
Shew us how empire grew, declin'd, and fell,
589
In scatter'd states; what makes the nations fmile,
Improves their foil, and gives them double funs;
And why they pine beneath the brightest skies,
In Nature's richeft lap. As thus we talk'd,
Our hearts would burn within us, would inhale
That portion of divinity, that ray
Of pureft heaven, which lights the public foul
Of patriots, and of heroes. But if doom'd,
In powerless humble fortune, to repress
These ardent rifings of the kindling foul;
Then, even fuperior to ambition, we
Would learn the private virtues; how to glide
Thro' fhades and plains, along the fmootheft ftream Of rural life or fnatch'd away by hope,
Thro' the dim fpaces of futurity,
With earnest eye anticipate those scenes
Of happiness, and wonder; where the mind,
In endless growth and infinite ascent,
Rifes from ftate to ftate, and world to world.
But when with these the serious thought is foil'd,
We, shifting for relief, would play the shapes
of frolic fancy; and inceffant form
Those rapid pictures, that affembled train
Of fleet ideas, never join'd before,
Whence lively Wit excites to gay furprize ;
Or folly-painting Humour, grave himself,
Calls laughter forth, deep-fhaking every nerve.
MEAN-TIME the village rouzes up the fire;
While well attefted, and as well believ'd,
Heard folemn, goes the goblin-story round;
Till fuperftitious horror creeps o'er all.
Or, frequent in the founding hall, they wake
The rural gambol. Ruftic mirth goes round;
The fimple joke that takes the shepherd's heart,
Eafily pleas'd; the long loud laugh, fincere ;
The kifs, fnatch'd hafty from the fide-long maid,
On purpose guardless, or pretending sleep :
The leap, the flap, the haul; and, fhook to notes
Of native music, the refpondent dance.
Thus jocund fleets with them the winter-night.
THE city fwarms intenfe. The public haunt, 630 Full of each theme, and warm with mixt discourse, Hums
Hums indiftinct. The fons of riot flow
Down the loose stream of false inchanted joy,
To fwift deftruction. On the rankled foul
The gaming fury falls; and in one gulph
Of total ruin, honour, virtue, peace,
Friends, families, and fortune, headlong fink.
Up-fprings the dance along the lighted dome,
Mix'd, and evolv'd, a thousand sprightly ways.
The glittering court effufes every pomp ;.
The circle deepens: beam'd from gaudy robes,
Tapers, and sparkling gems, and radiant eyes,
A foft effulgence o'er the palace waves :
While, a gay infect in his summer-shine,
The fop, light-fluttering, spreads his mealy wings.
DREAD o'er the scene, the ghost of HAMLET ftalks; OTHELLO rages; poor MONIMIA mourns ; And BELVIDER A pours her foul in love. Terror alarms the breaft; the comely tear
Steals o'er the cheek: or else the COMIC MUSE 650 Holds to the world a picture of itself,
And raises fly the fair impartial laugh.
Sometimes the lifts her strain, and paints the scenes
Of beauteous life; whate'er can deck mankind,
Or charm the heart, in generous * BEVIL shew'd. 655
• A character in the CONSCIOUS LOVERS, written by Sir RICHARD STEELE.
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