Among the vocal vales he heard her song,
And sought, the vales and echoing groves among.
At length he found, and woo'd the rural maid;
She knew the monarch, and with fear obey'd.
"Be ev'ry youth like royal Abbas mov'd.
"And ev'ry Georgian maid like Abra lov'd!
The royal lover bore her from the plain;
Yet still her crook and bleating flock remain:
Oft as she went she backward turn'd her view,
And bade that crook and bleating flock adieu.
Fair, happy maid! to other scenes remove;
To richer scenes of golden pow'r and love!
Go, leave the simple pipe, and shepherd's strain;
With love delight thee, and with Abbas reign.
"Be ev'ry youth like royal Abbas mov'd,
"And ev'ry Georgian maid like Abra lov'd".
Yet, midst the blaze of courts, she fix'd her.
love
On the cool fountain, or the shady grove;
Still, with the shepherd's innocence, her mind
To the sweet vale and flow'ry mead inclin'd;
And oft as Spring renew'd the plains with
flow'rs,
[hours,
Breath'd his soft gales, and led the fragrant
With sure return she sought the sylvan scene,
The breezy mountains, and the forests green.
Her maids around her mov'd, a duteous band!
Each bore a crook all-rural in her hand :
Some simple lay of flocks and herds they sung;
With joy the mountain and the forest rung,
"Be ev'ry youth like royal Abbas mov'd, "And ev'ry Georgian maid like Abra lov'd!" And oft the royal lover left the care And thorns of state, attendant on the Fair; Oft to the shades and low-roof'd cots retir'd, Or sought the vale where first his heart was A russet mantle, like a swain, he wore; [fir'd: And thought of crowns and busy courts no more. "Be ev'ry youth like royal Abbas mov'd, "And ev'ry Georgian maid like Abra lov'd!" Blest was the life that royal Abbas led : Sweet was his love, and innocent his bed. What if in wealth the noble maid excel; The simple shepherd-girl can love as well. Let those who rule on Persia's jewell'd throne Be fam'd for love, and gentlest love alone; Or wreathe, like Abbas, full of fair renown, The lover's myrtle with the warrior's crown. "O happy days!" the maids around her say; "O haste, profuse of blessings, haste away!
"Be ev'ry youth like royal Abbas mov'd, "And ev'ry Georgian maid like Abra lov'd!"
Agib and Secander; or, the Fugitives.
With ease alluring, and with plenty blest.
No more the shepherds' whit'ning tents appear,
Scene, a Mountain in Circassia.-Time, Mid-Nor the kind products of a bounteous year;
IN fair Circassia, where, to love inclin'd, Each swain was blest, for ev'ry maid was kind; At that still hour when awful midnight reigns, And none but wretches haunt the twilight plains,
No more the date, with snowy blossoms
But Ruin spreads her baleful fires around.
In vain Circassia boasts her spicy groves, For ever fam'd for pure and happy loves:
To shield your harvest, and defend your fair :
The Turk and Tartar like designs pursue,
Fix'd to destroy, and stedfast to undo.
Wild as his land, in native deserts bred,
By lust incited, or by malice led,
The villain Arab, as he prowls for prey,
Oft marks with blood and wasting flames the
Yet none so cruel as the Tartar foe,
[way;
To death inur'd, and nurs'd in scenes of woe.
He said; when loud along the vale was heard
A shriller shriek, and nearer fires appear'd;
The affrighted shepherds, through the dews of
night,
[Alight.
Wide o'er the moon-light hills renew'd their
$93. The Splendid Shilling. J. PHILIPS. "Sing heavenly Muse! "Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme;" A Shilling, Breeches, and Chimeras dire. HAPPY the man, who, void of cares and strife, In silken or in leathern purse retains
A splendid shilling. He nor hears with pain
New oysters cried, nor sighs for cheerful ale :
But with his friends, when nightly mists arise,
To Juniper's Magpie, or Town Hall, * repairs;
Where, mindful of the nymph whose wanton eye
Transfix'd his soul, and kindled amorous flames,
Chloe or Phillis, he each circling glass
Wishes her health, and joy, and equal love.
Meanwhile he smokes, and laughs at merry tale,
Or pun ambiguous, or conundrum quaint.
But I, whom griping penury surrounds,
And hunger, sure attendant upon want,
With scanty offals, and small acid tiff,
(Wretched repast!) my meagre corse sustain :
Then solitary walk, or doze at home
In garret vile, and with a warming puff
Regale chill'd fingers; or from tube as black
As winter chimney, or well-polish'd jet,
Exhale mundungus, ill perfuming scent;
Not blacker tube, nor of a shorter size,
Smokes Cambro-Briton (vers'd in pedigree,
Sprung from Cadwallader and Arthur, kings,
Full famous in romantic tale) when he
O'er many a craggy hill and barren cliff,
Upon a cargo of fam'd Cestrian cheese,
High overshadowing rides, with a design
To vend his wares, or at th' Arvonian mart,
Or Maridunum, or the ancient town
Yclep'd Brechinia, or where Vaga's stream
Encircles Ariconium, fruitful soil!
Whence flow nectareous wines, that well may
With Massic, Setin, or renown'd Falern. [vie
Thus, while my joyless minutes tedious flow,
With looks demure, and silent pace, a Dun,
Horrible monster! hated by Gods and men,
my aërial citadel ascends:
With vocal heel, thrice thund'ring at my gate,
With hideous accent thrice he calls; I know
The voice ill-boding, and the solemn sound.
What should I do? or whither turn? Amaz'd,
Confounded, to the dark recess I fly
Of wood-hole; straight my bristling hairs erect
Through sudden fear; a chilly sweat bedews
My shudd'ring limbs, and (wonderful to tell!)
My tongue forgets her faculty of speech;
So horrible he seems! His faded brow
Entrench'd with many a frown, and conic beard,
And spreading band, admir'd by modern saints,
Disastrous acts forebode; in his right hand
Long scrolls of paper solemnly he waves,
With characters and figures dire inscrib'd,
Grievous to mortal eyes (ye gods, avert
Such plagues from righteous men!). Behind him
Another monster not unlike himself, [stalks
Sullen of aspect, by the vulgar call'd
A Catchpole, whose polluted hands the gods
With force incredible, and magic charms,
Erst have endued: if he his ample palm
Should haply on ill-fated shoulder lay
Of debtor straight his body, to the touch
Obsequious (as whilom knights were wont),
To some enchanted castle is convey'd,
Where gates impregnable, and coercive chains,
In durance strict detain him! till, in form
Of money, Pallas sets the captive free.
Beware ye debtors! when ye walk beware,
Be circumspect: oft with insidious ken
This caitiff eyes your steps aloof; and oft
Lies perdue in a nook or gloomy cave,
Prompt to enchant some inadvertent wretch
With his unhallow'd touch. So (poets sing),
Grimalkin, to domestic vermin sworn
An everlasting foe, with watchful eye
Lies nightly brooding o'er a chinky gap,
Protending her fell claws, to thoughtless mice
Sure ruin. So her disembowell'd web
Arachne in a hall or kitchen spreads,
Obvious to vagrant flies: she secret stands
Within her woven cell; the humming prey,
Regardless of their fate, rush on the toils
Inextricable, nor will aught avail
Their arts, or arms, or shapes of lovely hue;
The wasp insidious, and the buzzing drone,
And butterfly, proud of expanded wings
Distinct with gold, entangled in her snares,
seless resistance make: with eager strides, She tow'ring flies to her expected spoils; Then with envenom'd jaws the vital blood Drinks of reluctant foes, and to her cave Their bulky carcases triumphant drags.
So pass my days. But when nocturnal shades This world envelop, and th' inclement air
Two noted alehouses in Oxford, 1700.
Persuades men to repel benumbing frosts
With pleasant wines, and crackling blaze of
wood;
Me, lonely sitting, nor the glimmering light
Of make-weight candle, nor the joyous talk
Of loving friends, delights; distress'd, forlorn,
Amidst the horrors of the tedious night,
Darkling I sigh, and feed with dismal thoughts
My anxious mind; or sometimes mournful verse
Indite, and sing of groves and myrtle shades,
Or despate lady near a purling stream,
Or lover pendant on a willow-tree,
Meanwhile I labor with eternal drought,
And restless wish, and rave; my parched throat
Finds no relief, nor heavy eyes repose:
But if a slumber haply does invade
My weary limbs, my fancy's still awake,
Thoughtful of drink, and eager, in a dream,
Tipples imaginary pots of ale,
In vain awake, I find the settled thirst
Still gnawing, and the pleasant phantom curse:
Thus do I live, from pleasure quite debarr'd,
Nor taste the fruits that the sun's genial rays
Mature -john-apple, nor the downy peach,
Nor walnut in rough furrow'd coat secure,
Nor medlar fruit delicious in decay.
Afflictions great! yet greater still remain :
My galligaskins, that have long withstood
The winter's fury, and encroaching frosts,
By time subdued (what will not time subdue?)
A horrid chasm disclose, with orifice
Wide, discontinuous; at which the winds,
Eurus and Auster, and the dreadful force
Of Boreas, that congeals the Cronian waves,
Tumultuous enter with dire chilling blasts,
Portending agues. Thus a well-fraught ship,
Long sail'd secure, or through th' Egean deep,
Or the Ionian, till cruising near
The Lilybean shore, with hideous crush
On Scylla or Charybdis (dang'rous rocks)
She strikes rebounding; whence the shatter'd
So fierce a shock unable to withstand,
Admits the sea; in at the gaping side
The crowding waves rush with impetuous
Resistless, overwhelming! Horrors seize
The mariners; death in their eyes appears;
They stare, they rave, they pump, they swear,
they pray;
(Vain efforts!) still the batt'ring waves rush in,
Implacable; till, delug'd by the foam,
The ship sinks found'ring in the vast abyss.
§ 94. An Epistle to a Lady. NUGENT.
CLARINDA, dearly lov'd, attend
The counsels of a faithful friend;
Who with the warmest wishes fraught,
Feels all, at least, that friendship ought!
But since, by ruling Heaven's design,
Another's fate shall influence thine;
Oh may these lines for him prepare,
A bliss, which I would die to share!
Man may for wealth or glory roam,
But woman must be blest at home;
To this should all her studies tend,
This her great object and her end.
Distaste unmingled pleasures bring,
And use can blunt Affliction's sting;
Hence perfect bliss no mortals know,
And few are plung'd in utter woe:
While Nature, arin'd against Despair,
Gives pow'r to mend, or strength to bear;
And half the thought content may gain,
Which spleen employs to purchase pain.
Trace not the fair domestic plan
From what you would, but what you can!
Nor, peevish, spurn the scanty store,
Because you think you merit more!
Bliss ever differs in degree,
Thy share alone is meant for thee;
And thou shouldst think, however small,
That share enough, for 'tis thy all:
Vain scorn will aggravate distress,
And only make that little less.
Admit whatever trifles come;
Units compose the largest sum:
Oh tell them o'er, and say how vain
Are those who form Ambition's train ;
Which swell the monarch's gorgeous state,
And bribe to ill the guilty great!
But thou, more blest, more wise than these,
Shalt build up happiness on ease.
Hail, sweet Content! where joy serene
Gilds the mild soul's unruffled scene;
And, with blithe Fancy's pencil wrought,
Spreads the white web of flowing thought,
Shines lovely in the cheerful face,
And clothes each charm with native grace;
Effusion pure of bliss sincere,
A vestment for a god to wear.
Far other ornaments compose
The garb that shrouds dissembled woes,
Piec'd out with motley dyes and sorts,
Freaks, whimsies, festivals, and sports:
The troubled mind's fantastic dress,
Which madness titles Happiness;
While the gay wretch to revels bears
The pale remains of sighs and tears;
And seeks in crowds, like her undone,
What only can be found in one.
But chief, my gentle friend! remove
Far from thy couch seducing Love:
Oh shun the false magician's art,
Nor trust thy yet unguarded heart!
Charm'd by his spells fair Honor flies,
And thousand treach'rous phantoms rise;
Where Guilt in Beauty's ray beguiles,
And Ruin lurks in Friendship's smiles.
Lo! where th' enchanting captive dreams
Of warbling groves and purling streams;
Of painted meads, of flow'rs that shed
Their odors round her fragrant bed.
Quick shifts the scene, the charm is lost,
She wakes upon a desert coast;
No friendly hand to lend its aid,
No guardian bow'r to spread its shade;
Expos'd to ev'ry chilling blast,
She treads th' inhospitable waste;
And down the drear decline of life
Sinks, a forlorn, dishonor'd wife.
Neglect not thou the voice of Fame,
But, clear from crime, be free from blame!
Though all were innocence within,
'Tis guilt to wear the garb of sin;
Virtue rejects the foul disguise:
None merit praise who praise despise.
Slight not, in supercilious strain,
Long practis'd modes, as low or vain!
The world will vindicate their cause,
And claim blind faith in Custom's laws.
Safer with multitudes to stray,
Than tread alone a fairer way;
To mingle with the erring throng,
Than boldly speak ten millions wrong.
Beware of the relentless train
Who forms adore, who forms maintain!
Lest prudes demure, or coxcombs loud,
Accuse thee to the partial crowd;
Foes who the laws of honor slight,
A judge who measures guilt by spite.
Behold the sage Aurelia stand,
Disgrace and fame at her command;
As if Heaven's delegate design'd,
Sole arbiter of all her kind.
Whether she try some favor'd piece
By rules devis'd in ancient Greece;
Or whether, modern in her flight,
She tells what Paris thinks polite :
For much her talents to advance,
She studied Greece, and travell'd France;
There learn'd the happy art to please
With all the charms of labor'd ease;
Beauty, and wit, and worth supplies,
Yet graceful in the good and wise.
Rich with this gift, and none beside,
In Fashion's stream how many glide!
Secure from ev'ry mental woe,
From treach'rous friend or open foe;
From social sympathy, that shares
The public loss or private cares;
Whether the barb'rous foe invade,
Or Merit pine in Fortune's shade.
Hence gentle Anna, ever gay,
The same to-morrow as to-day,
Save where, perchance, when others weep,
Her cheek the decent sorrow steep;
Save when, perhaps, a melting tale
O'er ev'ry tender breast prevail:
The good, the bad, the great, the small,
She likes, she loves, she honors all.
And yet, if sland'rous malice blame,
Patient she yields a sister's fame.
Alike if satire or if praise,
She says whate'er the circle says;
Implicit does whate'er they do,
Without one point in wish or view.
Sure test of others, faithful glass,
Through which the various phantoms pass.
Wide blank, unfeeling when alone;
No care, no joy, no thought her own.
Not thus succeeds the peerless dame,
Who looks and talks, and acts for fame;
Intent so wide her cares extend,
To make the universe her friend.
Now with the gay in frolics shines,
Now reasons deep with deep divines :
Through looks and nods, with meaning fraught, With courtiers now extols the great,
To teach what she was never taught.
By her each latent spring is seen;
The workings foul of secret spleen;
The guilt that sculks in fair pretence;
Or folly veil'd in specious sense:
And much her righteous spirit grieves,
When worthlessness the world deceives;
Whether the erring crowd commends
Some patriot sway'd by private ends;
Or husband trust a faithless wife,
Secure, in ignorance, from strife.
Averse she brings their deeds to view,
But justice claims the rig'rous due;
Humanely anxious to produce
At least some possible excuse.
Oh ne'er may virtue's dire disgrace
Prepare a triumph for the base!
Mere forms the fool implicit sway,
Which witlings with contempt survey;
Blind folly no defect can see,
Half wisdom views but one degree.
The wise remoter uses reach,
Which judgement and experience teach.
Whoever would be pleas'd and please,
Must do what others do with ease.
Great precept, undefin'd by rule,
And only learn'd in Custom's school;
To no peculiar form confin'd,
It spreads through all the human kind;
With patriots sighs o'er Britain's fate:
Now breathes with zealots holy fires,
Now melts in less refin'd desires :
Doom'd to exceed in each degree,
Too wise, too weak, too proud, too free
Too various for one single word,
The high sublime of deep absurd :
While ev'ry talent nature grants
Just serves to show how much she wants.
Although in combine
The virtues of our sex and thine:
Her hand restrains the widow's tears;
Her sense informs, and soothes, and cheers:
Yet, like an angel in disguise,
She shines but to some favor'd eyes;
Nor is the distant herd allow'd
To view the radiance through the cloud.
But thine is ev'ry winning art;
Thine is the friendly, honest heart;
And should the gen'rous spirit flow
Beyond where prudence fears to go;
Such sallies are of nobler kind
Than virtues of a narrow mind.
$95. Alexander's Feast; or the Power of Music. An Ode on St. Cecilia's Day. DRYDEN. 'Twas at the royal feast, for Persia won,
By Philip's warlike son:
Aloft in awful state
The godlike hero sate
On his imperial throne:
His valiant peers were plac'd around; Their brows with roses and with myrtle bound; So should desert in arms be crown'd.
The lovely Thais by his side
Sat, like a blooming eastern bride,
In flow'r of youth and beauty's pride.
Happy, happy, happy pair;
None but the brave,
None but the brave,
None but the brave deserves the fair.
Timotheus, plac'd on high
Amid the tuneful choir,
With flying fingers touch'd the lyre:
The trembling notes ascend the sky,
And heavenly joys inspire.
The song began from Jove:
Who left his blissful seats above,
Such is the pow'r of mighty love!
A dragon's fiery form belied the god :
Sublime on radiant spheres he rode,
When he to fair Olympia press'd, And stamp'd an image of himself, a sovereign of the world.
The list'ning crowd admires the lofty sound;
A present deity, the vaulted roofs rebound:
With ravish'd ears
The monarch hears,
Assumes the god,
And seems to shake the spheres.
The praise of Bacchus then the sweet musician
Of Bacchus, ever fair and ever young:
The jolly god in triumph comes;
Sound the trumpets, beat the drums;
Flush'd with a purple grace
He shows his honest face.
Now give the hautboys breath; he comes, he
Bacchus, ever fair and young, [comes!
Drinking joys did first ordain:
Bacchus blessings are a treasure,
Drinking is the soldier's pleasure;
Rich the treasure, ·
Sweet the pleasure;
Sweet is pleasure after pain.
Sooth'd with the sound, the king grew vain;
Fought all his battles o'er again;
And thrice he routed all his foes; and thrice he slew the slain.
The master saw the madness rise;
His glowing cheeks, his ardent eyes;
And, while he heaven and earth defied,
Chang'd his hand, and check'd his pride.
He chose a mournful Muse,
Soft pity to infuse :
He sung Darius great and good,
By too severe a fate,
Fall'n, fall'n, fall'n, fall'n,
Fall'n from his high estate,
And welt'ring in his blood;
Deserted at his utmost need
By those his former bounty fed,
On the bare earth expos'd he lies,
With not a friend to close his eyes.
With downeast look the joyless victor sate,
Revolving in his alter'd soul
The various turns of fate below:
And now and then a sigh he stole ;
And tears began to flow.
The mighty master smil'd to see
That love was in the next degree:
"Twas but a kindred sound to move;
For pity melts the mind to love.
Softly sweet, in Lydian measures,
Soon he sooth'd his soul to pleasures.
War he sung is toil and trouble;
Honor but an empty bubble;
Never ending, still beginning,
Fighting still, and still destroying:
If the world be worth thy winning,
Think, oh think it worth enjoying;
Lovely Thais sits beside thee,
Take the good the gods provide thee.
The many rend the skies with loud applause;
So love was crown'd, but music won the cause,
The prince, unable to conceal his pain,
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