Works of William Cowper

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ITALIA-ESPANA EX-LIBRIS M. A. BUCHANAN





jI)v-v^P THE POETICAL WORKS WILLIAM COWPER.GLASGOW: CAMERON AND FERGUSON, 88 AXD 91 WEST NILE STEEET.

i0s>u53(-i 8o p GLASGOW: DUNN A X D \"\v n I G H T, PK1NTER3.

— CONTENTS.Table Talk, 5 14The Progress or Erkob.The Task. In Six Books:— 21 31Book I.—The Sofa 41 51Book ir.—The Time-Piece, 61 71Book III.— The Garden 83 91Book IV.— The Winter Evening 100 109—Book V. The Winter Morning Walk, 120 12SBook VI.— The Winter Walk at Noon 139 14STruth, 151ExPOSirLATION, 167 163Hope 170 170TlUOCINrcjI; OR, A REVIEW OF SCHOOLS ,. 171 171Charity, 171 171Conversation, 172 172Eetirement, 172 1'2Anti-Thelyphthora. A Tale, in Verse 172 173Olney Hymns, 173 174ailscellaseocs pieces: 174 '75History of John Gilpin, 17(3Verses Written at Bath, on Finding the Heel of a Shoe, in 174S, . . 176Psalm cxxivii 177 178An Ode, on Reading Mr Richardson's Historj' of Sir Charles Grandison, 178 .... 179In a Letter to C.P., Esq., ill with Rheumatism 179In a Letter to the Same, in Imitation of Shakspeare, 179 ISlSong, 1S3 184An Attempt at the Manner of Waller,A Song,A SongUpon a Venerable RivalOn the Picture of a Sleeping ChildThe Certainty of Death ....An Epistle to Robert Lloyd, EsqOf HimselfAn Apology for not Shewing her what I had Wrote,Written in a Quarrel,The Symptoms of Love,Written after Leaving her at New Burns,On her endeavouring to Conceal her G rief at PartingR. S. SWritten in a Fit of Illness,To DeliaDisappointment,Ode on the Marriage of a FriendThe Fifth Satire of the First Book of HoraceThe Ninth Satire of the First Book of HoraceAddress to Miss Macartney,An Ode,

iy CONTENTS.—Miscellaneous Pieces Continued. pageLines written under the Influence of Delirium, 18-5A Tale, founded on a Fact, which happened io January, 1779, . . 1S5The Love of the Worid Heproved, 1S5The Pineapple and the Bee, Id6On the Promotion of Edward Thurlow, Esq., to the Lord High Chan-cellorship of England, 186The Modern Patriot 1S6The Nightingale and Glowworm, 187The Eaven 187The Doves 187An English Verslflcation of a Thought that popped into my Head about ISS Two ilonths since, 188 188On the Burning of Lord Mansfield's LibraryOn the Same,AEiddle 188On observing some Names of Little Note recorded in the \" Biographia Britannica,\" 188 . . . 1S8To the Eev. Mr Newton, on his Eetum from Eamsgate,On a Goldfinch Starved to Death in his Cage, 1S9Eeport of an Adjudged Case, 189On the High Price of Fish 189To Mrs Newton, 189Mary and John, 190To Sir Joshua Eeynolds, 190 190A Poetical Epistle to Lady Austen,Heroism, ..... 191 102The Flatting Mill. An Illustration 193From a Letter to the Kev. Mr Newlon 19-3To the Eev. William Bull 104Verses Printed by Himself, on a Flood at Olney,Friendship 194The Colubriad, 196Epitaph on a Hare, 1 JG 197On the Loss of the Eoyal George, 197 197—Song—On PeaceSong \" When all within is peace,\"The Distressed Travellers ; or. Labour in Vain, 197The Eose 198The Valediction, 198To the Immortal Memorj' of the Halibut, 200 200APairing-Time anticipated. Fable, 201Human Frailty,Ode to Peace, 201Verses supposed to be written by Alexander Selkirk during his solitaryabode on the Island of Juan Fernandez, 201 202A Comparison, 282 203An Epistle to Joseph Hill, .AThe Moraliser Corrected. Tale,Ode to Apollo 203The Faithful Bird, 203Mutual Forbearance necessary to the Happiness of the Married State, 204 204Boadicea. An Ode 205 205........To the Eev. W. Cawthome Unwin,To the Eev. Mr Newton,The Lily and the Eose, 205The Winter Nosegay 205The Poet, the Oyster, and Sensitive Plant 206Epitaph on Dr Johnson 206On the Author of Letters on Literature, 206The Shrubbery, 207

1 CONTENTS.Miscellaneous Fieces— Continued. paqbThe Poplar Field 207 207To Miss C , on her Birthdaj', 207Gratitude. Addressed to Lady HeskethStanzas subjoined to the Yearly Bill of ilortality of the Parish of All- 203 208 Saints, Northampton, anno Domini 1787, 209......On a Similar Occasion. For the year 17SS, 2''>yOn a Similar Occasion. For the year 1789, 209On a Similar Occasion. For the year 1790, 210On a Similar Occasion. For the year 1792On a Similar Occasion. For the year 1793,Lines composed for a Memorial of Ashley Co^vper, E=q . . . 210 ,The Poef s New-Year's Gift, 210The Negro's Complaint, 211Pity for Poor Africans, 211The Morning Dream, 212Sweet Meat has Sour Sanco, 212EpigramThe Yearly Distress, 21.3 21.3Sonnet addressed to Henrj' Oowper, Esq. 213The Dog and the Water-Lily, 214Motto for a Clock, 214 214On Mrs Montagu's Feather Hangings 215On the Death of Mrs Throckmorton's Bullflnch 215An Epistle to au Afflicted Protectant Lady in France 21S 218AThe Needless Alarm. Tale, 21S 219Love AVjused, 21Annus Memorabilia, 1789On the Queen's Visit to London, the Night of the 17th of March, 1789,The Cock-fighter's GarlandOn the Benefit received by his Majesty from Sea-bathing in the year 17S9, 220 220Hymn foe the Use of the Sunday School at Olney, 220 221On the Receipt of a Hamper, 221On a Mischievous Bull,Verses to the Memory of Dr Lloj'd, 221 221To Mrs Throckmorton, on her beautiful Transcript of Horace's Ode, \"Ad Librum Suum,\"On the Eeceipt of my Mother's Picture out of NorfolkInscription for a Stone erected at the Sowing of a Grove of Oaks atChillington, the Seat of T. Giffard, Esq., 1790, 223Another, for a Stone erected on a similar occasion at the same place in the following year, 223 223To Mrs KingStanzas on the late Indecent Liberties taken with the Kemains of Milton, 223In Memory of the late J. Thornton, Esq., 224The Judginent of the Poets, 224Yardley Oak 225Epitaph on Mrs M. Higgins, of Weston, 227Sonnet to a Young Lady on her Birthday, 227The Retired Cat, 227On the Neglect of Homer, 228To the Nightingale 223Lines written in an Album, 223Epitaph on a Free but Tame Redbreast, 223On a Mistake in the Translation of Homer, 229 229,..-...Sonnet to William Wilberforce, Esq.,To Dr Austen 229To Warren Hasting.'?, Esq., . 229Lines addressed to Dr Darwin, , 229Catharina. First Part 2-:;0

vl CONTENTS.Miscellaneous Tieces— Continued. pageCatharina. Second Part 230 230Sonnet addressed to William Hayley, Esq., 231 231Epitaph on Fop, 231 231Sonnet to George Eomney, Esq., 231 231An Epitaph on a Pointer , 232 232On Receiving Hayley's Picture, 232 232Epitaph on Mr Chester, 232To my Cousin, Anne Bodham, 232 233To Mrs Unwin, 233 233To John Johnson, Esq., 236 238To a Young Friend, 236 236Inscription for a Hermitage 237 237Inscription for a Moss-House 237 . 237The Four Ages i3S . 239On a Plant of Virgin's Bower, 239 240To William Hayley. Esq 240A Tale. 240 .On a Spaniel, called Beau, killing a Young Bird,Beau's KeplyTo the Spanish Admiral, Cotmt Gravina,To MaryOn Eecsiving Heyne's VirgilAnswer to Stanzas addressed to Lady Hesketh,Inscription for the Tomb of Mr Hamilton,On the Ice Islands seen Floating in the German Ocean, .,The CastawayIn submersionem Navigii cui. Georgius Kegale Nomen, Inditum,Montes Glaciales. in Oceano Germanico Netantes,Idem Latiue KedditumIn Seditionem Horreudam,Monumental Inscription to WilUiua Nortbcot,

—;:: ; ;! COWPER'S POETICAL WORKS. TABLE TALK. AEGUMENT.True and false glory—Kings made for man— Attributes of royalty in England — — —Quevedo's satire on liiugs Ivings objects of pity Inquiry concerning —tlie cause of Englishmen's scoru of arbitrary rule Character of the Eng- — —lishman and the Frenchman Charms of freedom Freedom sometimes —needs tlie restraints of discipline Reference to the riots in Loudon Tribute to Lord Chatham—Political state of England—The vices that debase her portend her downfall — Political events the instruments of —Providence— The poet disilttims prophoiic inspiration The choice of a —mean subject denotes a weak mind- Reference to Homer, Virgil, and — —Milton Progress of poesy The poet laments that religion is not more frequently united with poetry.A. You told me, I remember, glory, The man that is not moved with what buUt he reads,On selfish priuciples, is shame and guilt That takes not fire at their heroic deeds.The deeds, that men admire as half Unworthy of the blessings of the brave. Is base in kind, and born to be a slave.divine, [design. But let eternal infamy pursueStark naught, because corrupt in their The wretch to nought but his ambitionStrange doctrine this! that withoutscruple tears true, [blastThe laurel that the verylightn! jg spares Who, for the sake of filling with oneBrings down the warrior's trophy to The post-horns of all Europe, lays her the dust. waste. [rock.And eats into his bloody sword like rust. Think yourself stationed on a towering B. I grant that, men continuing what To see a people scattered like a flock,they are, [war Some royal mastiff panting at theirFierce, avaricious, proud, there must be heels.And never meant the rule should be With all the savage thirst a tiger feels; Then view him self-proclaimed in aapplied [side.To him that fights with justice on his gazette [nations yetLet laurels dronch'd in pure Parnas- Chief monster that has plagued the The globe and sceptre in such handssian dews [muse,Reward his memory, dear to every misplaced, [graced!Who, with a courage of unshaken root. Those ensigns of dominion, how dis-In honom-'s field advancing bis firm The glass, that bids man mark thefoot, [draws. fleeting hour, [speak his power.Plants it upon the line that Justice And Death's own scythe, would betterAnd will prevail or perish iu her cause. Then grace the bony phantom in their'Tis to the virtues of such men, man stead [cockadeowes [bestows; With the king's shoulderknot and gayHis portion in the good that Heaven Clothe the twin brethren iu each other'sAnd when recording History displays dress.Feats of renown, though wrought in The same their occupation and success.ancient daj's, [and died A. 'Tis your belief the world was made for manTells of a few stout hearts that foughtWhere duty placed them, at their Kings do but reason on the self-samecountry's side, plan:

;; ; ;; —; ;; COWPEE'S POEMS.Maintaining yours, you cannot theirs Approved their method in all other [your kings ? \"condemn, [for them, things,\"Who think, or seem to think,man made \" But where, good sir, do you confineB. Seldom, alas! the po-sver of logic \" There,\" said his guide, \" the group is reigns in full view,\" [but few,''With much sufficiency in royal brains; \" Indeed! \" replied the Don, \"there areSuch reasoning falls like an inverted His black interpreter the charge dis-cone. dained; [reigned.\"Wanting its proper base to stand upon. \"Few, fellow?—there are all that everMan made for kings ! those optics are Wit, uudistinguishing, is apt to strike The guilty and not guiltj-, both alike.—but dim [him.That teU you so say, rather, they for I grant the sarcasm is too severe,That were indeed a king-ennobling And we can readily refute it here.thought, [they ought. While Alfred's name, the father of hisCould they, or would they, reason as age, [toric page.The diadem, with mighty projects lined. And the Siith Edward's grace the his-To catch renown by ruining mankind, A. Kings then at last have but the lotIs worth, with ail its gold and glittering of all:store, [more. By their own conduct they must standJust what the toy will sell for, and no or fall. B. True. While they live, the courtlyOh! bright occasions of dispensinggood, [stood! laureate pays [praise.How seldom used, how little under- His quit-rent ode, his peppercorn ofTo pour in Virtue's lap her just reward And many a dunce, whose fingers itchKeep Vice restrained behind a double to write.guard [throne Adds, as he can, his tributary miteTo quell the faction that affronts the A subject's faults a subject naay pro-By silent magnanimity alone ; [arts. claim, [gameTo nurse with tender care the thriving IWatch every beam Philosophy im- A monarch's errors are forbidden Thus, free from censure, overawed byparts; fear, [to wear,To give Eeligion her unbridled scope, And pi-aised for virtues that they scornNor judge by statute a believer's hope; The fleeting forms of majesty engageWith close fidelity and love unfeign'd Eespect, while stalking o'er life's nar-To keep thematrimon'al bond unstain'd; row stage, [to scan.Covetous only of a virtuous praise Then leave their crimes for historyHis Ufe a lesson to the land he sways And ask, with busy scorn, Was thisTo touch the sword with conscientious the man ?awe, [draw; Ipity kings whom worship waits uponNor draw it when but duty bids him Obsequious, from the cradle to theTo sheath it in the peace-restoring close throne; [bows.With joy beyond what victory bestows, Before whose infant eyes the flatterer And binds a wreath about their babyBlest country I where these kinglyglories shine [thine. brows;Blest England ! if this happiness be Whom education stiffens into state. A. Guard what you say : the patriotic And death awakens from that dreamtribe too late.V.'ill sneer, and charge you with a bribe. Oh ! if servility, with supple knees, Whose trade it is to sniile, to crouch, AB. bribe? to please [graceThe worth of his three kingdoms I defy.To lure me to the baseness of a lie; If smooth dissimulation, skilld toAnd. of all lies, (be that one poet's boast.) A devil's purpose with an angel s face;The lie that flatters I abhor the most. If smiling peeresses and simperingTho-e arts be theirs that hate his gentle peers, [yearsreign, [feign. Encompassing his throne a few shortBut he that loves him has no need to If the gat carriage and the pamper'dA. Tour smooth eulogium, to one steed, [lead;crown address'd. That wants no driving and disdains theSeems to imply a censure on. the rest. If guards,mechanically form'o in ranks, Plaj-ing, at beat of dnmi, their martial B. Quevedo, as he tells his sober tale,Ask'd, when inhell, to see the royal jail; pranks.

— ;! !; ; ! TABLE TALKShouldering and standing, as if struck B. Not Brindley nor Bridgewater would essayto stone. To turn the course of Helicon that way :While coudescendingmaiestylookson; Nor would the Nine consent the sacredIf nionarchyconsist iu such base things,Sighing, I say again, I pity kings tide [side,To be suspected, thwarted, and with- Should purl amidst the traffic of Cheap-stood, [good; Or tinkle in 'Change Alley, to amuseEven when belabours for his country's The leathern ears of stock-jobbers andTo see a band call'd jiatriot for no cause, Jews.But that they catch at popular applause, A. Vouchsafe, at least, to pitch theCareless of all the anxiety he feels, key of rhyme [lime.Hook disappointment on the pubUc To themes more pertinent, if less sub-wheels. When ministers and ministerial arts:With all iheir flippant fluency of tongue, Patriots, who love good places at theirHost confident, when palpably most hearts [still, wrong, When admirals extolled for standingIf this be kingly, then farewell for me Or doing nothing with a deal of skill;All kingship, and may I be poor and Generals, who will not conquer when free they may, [good pay;To be the Table Talli of clubs up- Firm friends to peace, to pleasure, andstairs, [pairs, When Freedom, wounded almost toTo which the unwash'd artificer re- despair, [where;To indulge his genius after long fatigue. Though discontent alone can find outBy diving into cabinet intrigue, When themes like these employ the(For what king's deem a toil, as well poet's tongue, they may. —I hear as mute as if a sjren sung.To him is relaxation and mere play :) Or tell me, if you can, what powerTo win no praise when well-wrought maintainsplans prevail, [fail A Briton's scorn of arbitrary chains ?But to be rudely censured when they That were a theme might animate theTo doubt the love his favourites may dead, pretend, And move the Ups of poets cast in lead.And in reality to And no friend B. The cause, though worth the search, may yet elude [shrewd,If he indulge a cultivated taste.His galleries with the works of art well Conjecture and remark, howevergraced, [waste They take, perhaps, a well-directed aim,To hear it call'd extravagance and Who seek it in his climate and hisIf these attendants, andif such as these, frame. [hereMust follow royalty, then welcome easeHowever humble and confined the Liberal in all things else, yet Nature With stern severity, deals out the year.sphere, Winter invades the spring, and oftenHappy the state that has not these to pours [flowers;fear! [teoiplative have dwelt A chilling flood on summer's droopingA. Thus men, whose thoughts con- Unwelcome vapours quench auturnnalOn situations which they never felt, beams, [streams;Startup sagacious,cover'd with the dust Ungenial blasts attending, curl theOf dreaming study and pedantic rust, The peasants urge their harvest, plyAnd prate and preach about what the fork [work.others prove, [glove. With double toil, and shiver at theirAs if the world and they were hand and Thus with a rigour, for his goodLeave kingly backs to cope with kingly design'd, mankind.cares, [jects theirs; She rears her favourite man of allThey have their weight to carry, sub- His form robust and of elastic tone,Poets, of all men. ever least regret Proportion'd well, half muscle andIncreasing taxes and the nation's debt. half bone.Could you contrive the payment, and Supplies with warm activity and force A mind well lodged, and masculine ofrehearseThe mighty plan, oracular, in verse, course.No bard, howe'er majestic, old or new, Hence Liberty, sweet Liberty inspiresShould claim my fixed attention more And keeps alive his flerce but noblethan you. flres.

!; ; ;; ;; COWPEB'S POEMS.Patient of constitutional control, Religion, richest favour of the skies. Stands most reveal'd before the free-He bears it with meek manliness of soulBut if authority grow wanton, woe man's eyes [day,To him that treads upon his free-born No shades of superstition blot the toe [laws Liberty chases all that gloom away.One step beyond the boundary of theFires him at once in Freedom's glorious The soul, emancipated, unoppre.ss'd. Free to prove all things, and hold fastcause. [vered, the best, [ing mindsThus ]jroud Prerogative, not much re- Learns much, and to a thousand listen-Is seldom felt, though .sometimes seen Communicates with joy the good sheand heard [gay, finds. [showAnd in his cage, like parrot fine and Courage in arms, and ever prompt toIs kept to strut, look big, and talk His manly forehead to the fiercest foe away. Glorious in war, but for the sake of Bom in a climate softer far than ours, peace.Not formed like us with such Herculean His spirits rising as his toils increase. Guards well what arts and industrypowers, [brisk.The Frenchman, easy, debonair, and have won, [born son.Give him his lass, his fiddle and his And Freedom claims him for her first- frisk. Slaves fight for what were better castIs always happy, reign whoever may, away, [ants sway;And laughs the sense of misery far The chain that binds them, and a tyr-away. [g\"st. But they that fight for freedom, under-He drinks his simple beverage with a take [at stake,And feasting on an onion and a crust, The noblest cause mankind can haveWe never fed the alacrity and joy Religion, virtue, truth, whate'er we callWith which he shouts and carols, Vire A blessing, freedom is the pledge of all.leRoi! [and glee O Liberty I the prisoner's pleasingFilled with as much true merriment dream, [theme,As if he heard his king say—'' Slave, be The poet's muse, his passion and hisfree ! \" [shows. Genius is thine, and thou art Fancy'sThus happiness depends, as Nature nurse, [of verseIjCSs on exterior things than most sup- Lost without thee the ennobling powers pose. Heroic song from thy free touch ac-Vigilant over all that He has made, quiresIvind Providence attends with gracious Its clearest tone, the rapture it inspires.aid; [prevail. Place me where Winter breathes hiaBid.? equity throughout his works keenest air,And weighs the nations iu an even And I will sing, if Liberty be there; And I will sing at Liberty's dear feet,scaleHe can encourage slavery to a smile. In Afric's torrid clime, or India's flerc-And fill with discontent a British isle. ost heat. [cause I grantA. Freeman and slave then, if ihe A. Sing where you please, iu such a—ease be such, [much. An English poet's privilege to rant.Stand on a level and you prove too But is not Freedom, at least is not ours,If all men indiscriminately share Too apt to play the wanton with herHis fostering power, and tutelary care, powers, [mound.As well be yoked by despotism's hand, Grow freakish, and o'erleaping everyAs dwell at large in Britain's chartcr'd Spread anarchy and terror all around?land. [charms to show, B. Agreed. But would you sell or slayB. No. Freedom has a thousand your horse course?That slaves, howe'er contented, never For bounding and curveting iu his Or if, when ridden with a careless rein,know. He break away and seek the distantThe mind attains beneath her happyi-eign [should attain plain? [trol,The growth that Nature meant she No. His high mettle, under good con-The varied field of science, ever new, Gives him Olympic speed, and shootsOpeningand\\-ideropeningon her view, him to the goal. ['some arts;She ventures onward with aprosperous liBX discipline employ her whole- Let magistrates alert perform theirforce, [course.\"While no base fear impedes her in her parts,

!: —; TABLE TALK.Not skulk, or put ou a prudential mask, He speaks, and they appear ; to HunAs if their duty were a desperate task; they oweLet active laws apply the neeiiful curb. Skill to direct, and strength to strikeTo guard the peace that riot would dis- the blow, [power turb; fcess, To manage with address, to seize withAnd Liberty, preserved from wild ex- The crisis of a dark <'e isive hour.Shall raise no feuds for armies to sup- So Gideon earn'd a victory not his own, press, [door, Subserviency his pi-aise, and that alone.When Tumult lately burst his prison Poor England! thou art a devotedAnd set plebeian thousands in a roar; deer,When he usurp'd authority's just place, Beset with every ill but that of fear.And dared to look his master in the face; The nations hunt: all mark thee for—When the rude rabble's watchward was a prey; [standst at bay: Destroy! [Troy; They swarm around thee, and thouAnd blazing London seemed a second Undaunted stUl, though wearied andLiberty blush'd, and hung her drooping perplex'd, [.saves thee next ? head, [dread. Once Chatham saved thee; but whoBeheld their progress with the deepest Alas! the tide of pleasure sweeps alongBlush'd that effects like these she should All that should be the boast of British produce, [broke loose. song. [thy brow,Worse than the deeds of galley-slaves 'Tis not the wreath that once adorn'dShe loses in such storms her vei-y The prize of happier times, will serve name, [the blame. thee now.And fierce licentiousness should bear Our ancestry, a gallant Christian race, Incomparable gem! thy worth untold; Patterns of every virtue, every grace,Cheap,thoughblood-bought,and thrown Confess'd a God : they kneel'd before away when sold; [friend they fought [wi-ought.May no foes ravage thee, and no false And praised Him in the victories HeBetray thee, while professing to defend! Now from the dust of ancient daysPrize it, ye ministers ye monarchs, bring forth ; spare [care Their sober zeal, integrity, and worth ;Ye patriots, guard it ^vith a miser's Courage, ungraced by these, affronts A. Patriots, alas ! the few that have the skies. been fouud, [around. Is but the tire without the sacrifice.Where most they flourish, upon English The stream that feeds the well-springThe country's need have scantily sup- of the heart plied; [ham died. Not more invigorates life's noblest part.—And the last left the scene when Chat- Than virtue quickens with a wannth B. Not so the virtue still adorns divine [decline. our age, [stage. The powers that sin has brought to aThough the chief actor died upon the .4. The inestimable estimate of BrownIn him, Demosthenes was heard again; Rose like a paper kite and charm'd theLiberty taught him her Athenian strain; town [well,She clothed him with authority and But measures plann'd and executed awe, [gave law. Shifted the wind that raised it. and itSpoke from his lips, and in his looks fell. [tread,His speech, his form, his action full of He trod the very self-same ground you And victory refuted all he said. grace, [face. B. And yet his judgment was notAnd all his country beaming in hisHe stood, as some inimitable hand framed amiss;Would strive to make a Paul or Tully Its error, if it err'd. was merely this He thought the dying hour already stand. [opposeNo sycophant or slave that dared come, [dumb.Her sacred cause, but trembled when And a complete recovery struck him he rose. But that effeminacy, folly, lust,And every venal stickler for the yoke Enervate and enfeeble, and needs must,Felt himself crush'd at the first word And that a nation shamefully debased he spoke. [command, Will be despised and trampled on at Such men are raised to station and last, [new,When Providence means mercy to a Unless sweet penitence her powers re- land, Is truth, if history itself be true.L.

—; —; ; ;; ;; ;;10 COWPER'S POEMS.There is a time, and justice marks the But Providence himself will intervensdate, To throw His dark displeasure o'er theFor long-forbearing clemency to wait; scene. [war.That hour elapsed, the iucurable revolt All are His instruments; each form ofIs punish'd, and down comes the thun- What burns at home, or threatensderbolt, [blow, from afar,If Mercy then put by the threatening Nature in arms, her elements at strife.Must she perform the same kind ofBce The storms that overset the joys of life,now ? [still Arc but His rods to scourge a guiltyMay she ! and if offended Heaven be land.Accessible, and praver iirevail, she And waste it at the bidding of His hand. He gives the word, and mutiny soonwill.'Tis not, however, insolence and noise, roarsThe tempest of tumultuary joys, In all her gates, and shakes her distantNor is it yet despondence and dismay shores [furl'dWill win her visits, or engage her stayPrayer only, and the penitential tear. —The standards of all nations are uii- She has one foe, and that one foe theCan call her smihng down, and flLx her world. [frown.here. [name) And if He doom that people with aBut when a country (one that I could And mark them with a seal of wrath,In prostitution sinks the sense of shame press'd down, [tough.When infamous venality, grown bold. Obduracy takes place ; callous andWrites on his bosom. To be let or sold The reprobated race grows judgment-When perjury, that heaven-defying proof: [heaven roars above;vice, [price, Earth shakes beneath them, andSells oaths by tale, and at the lowest But nothing scares them from theStamps God's own name upon a lie course they love.just made. To the lascivious pipe and wanton song.To turn a penny in the way of trade That charm down fear, they frolic itWhen avarice starves (and never hides along.his face) [race. With mad rapidity and unconcern,Two or three millions of the human Down to the gulf from which is noAnd not a tongue inquires how, where, return. [failor when, [now and then; They trust in navies, and their naviesThough conscience will have twinges God's curse can cast away ten thousandWhen profanation of the sacred cause sail! [dies;In all its parts, times, ministry, and They trust in armies, and their couragelaws, [and lost In wisdom, wealth, in fortune, and inBespeaks a land, once Christian, fallen lies;In all that wars against that title most; But all they trust in withers, as it must.What follows next, let cities of great When He commands in whom theyname, [claim place no trust. [their coast,And regions long since desolate pro- Vengeance at last pours down uponANineveh, Babylon, and ancient Home, long-despised, but now victoriousSpeak to the present times, and times host [abridgeto come Tyranny sends the chain that mustThey cry aloud in every careless ear, The noble sweep of all their privilege.\" Stop, while ye may, suspend your Gives liberty the last, the mortal shock,mad career 1 [fate Slips the slave's collar on, and snapsOh, learn from our example and our the .lock. fyou teach,Learn wisdom and repentance ere too A. Such lofty strains embellish whatlate!\" Mean you to prophesy, or but to preach?Not only vice disposes and prepares £. I know the mind that feels indeedThe mind that slumbers sweetly in her the flre [the lyre.snares, The Muse imparts, and can commandTo stoop to tyranny's usurp'd command, Acts with a force, and kindles with aAnd bend her polish'd neck beneath zeal, [feel.his hand, Whate'er the theme, that others never(A dire effect, by one of Nature's laws If human woes her soft attention c»aim, Aconnected with itsUnchangeably tender sympathy pervades thecause,) frame,

; ; ;; — —; ; ;She pours a sensibility divine Perhaps some bonny Caledonian air.Along the nerve of every feeling line. All birks and braes, though he wasBut if a deed not tamely to be borne. never there [great pains. ;Fire indignation and a sense of scorn, Or. having whelp'd a prologue withThe strings are swept with such a Feels himself spent, and fumbles forpower, so loud, [ish'd crowd. his brains [strokeThe storm of music shakes th' aston- A prologue interdash'd with many aSo, when remote futurity is brought An art contrived to advertise a joke,Before the keen inquiry of her thought, So that the jest is clearly to be seen.A terrible sagacity informs [storms. —Not in the words but in the gapThe poefs heart; he looks to distant betweenHe hears the thunder ere the tempest Manner is all in all, whate'er is writ,lowers, [human powers, The substitute for genius, sense, andAnd, arm'd with strength surpassing wit.Seizes events as yet unknown to man, To dally much with subjects meanAnd darts his soul into the dawning and low, [it so.plan. [name Proves that the mind is weak, or makesHence, inaEomanmouth, the graceful Neglected talents rust into decay,Of prophet and of poet was the same ; And every effort ends in push-pin play.Hence British poets too the priesthood The man that means success should shared. soar aboveAnd every hallow'd druid was a bard. A soldier's feather, or a lady's gloveBut no prophetic fires to me belong; Else summoning the muse to such aI play with syllables, and sport in song. theme, [cream. A. At Westminster, where little poetsTo set a distich upon six and five, [strive The fruit of all her labour is whipt-Where Discipline helps opening buds As if an eagle flew aloft, and then Stoop'd from its highest pitch to pounceof sense [pence, a wren.And makes his pupils proud with silver As if the poet, purposing to wed,I was a poet too; but modern taste Should carve himself a wife in ginger-Is so refined, and delicate, and chaste. bread, [pear'd,That verse, whatever fire the fancy Ages elapsed, ere Homer's lamp ap-warms, [charms. And ages ere the Mantuan swan wasWithout a creamy smoothness has no heard; [fore,Thus, all success depending on an ear. To carry nature lengths unknown be-And thinking I might purchase it too To give a Milton birth, ask\"d ages more.dear, Thus genius rose and set, at order'dIf sentiment were sacrificed to sound, times, [climes,And truth cut short to make a period And shot a day-spring into distantround, [worse Ennobling every region that he choseI judged a man of sense could scarce do He sunk in Greece, in Italy he roseThan caper in the morris-dance of And, tedious years of Gothic darknessverse. past, [last. B. Thus reputation is a spur to wit. Emerged, all splendour, in our isle atAnd some wits fiag through fear of Thus lovely halcyons dive into thelosing it. [course, main, [again.Give me the line that ploughs its stately Then shew far off their shining plumesLike a proud swan, conquering the A. Is genius only found in epic lays?stream by force [the heart. Prove this, and forfeit all pretence toThat like some cottage beauty, strikes praise. [once,Quite unindebted to the tricks of art. Make their heroic powers your own atWhen labour and when duluess, club Or candidly confess yourself a dunce.in hand, [stand. B. These were the chief; each inter-Like the two figures at St Dunstan's val of night [light;Beating alternately, in measured time. Was graced with many an undulatingThe clockwork tintiuabulum of rhyme, In less illustrious bards his beautyExact and regular the sounds will be shoneBut such mere quarter-strokes are not A meteor, or a star; in these, the sun.for me. [and long. The nightingale may claim the top-From him who rears a poem lank most bough [below.To him who strains his all into a song, While the poor grasshopper must chirp

—; ; ; ; ;! —12 COWPEE'S POEMS.Like him unnoticed, I, and such as I, Flew to its first position with a springSpread little wiugs, and rather skip That made the vaulted roofs of plea-than fly [land. sure riug. [schoolPerch'd on the meagre produce of the His court, the dissolute and hatefulAn ell or two of prospect we command. Of wantonness, where vice was taughtBut never peep beyond the thorny by rule, [inlaidbound, [roucd. Swarm'd with a scribbling herd, as deepOr oaken fence that hems the paddock With brutal lust as ever Circe made.In Eden, ere yet innocence of heart From these a long succession, in thoHad faded, poetry was not an art rageLanguage, above all teaching, or if Of rank obscenity debauch'd their age.taught. Nor ceased till, ever anxious to redressOnly by gratitude and glowing thought. The abuses of her sacred charge, theElegant as simplicity, and warm press, [trainAs ecstasy, unmanacled by fonn. The Muse instructed a well-nurtur'dNot promptedas in our degenerate days, Of abler votaries to cleanse the stain,By low ambition and the thirst of And claim the palm for purity of song,praise, That lewdness had usurp'd and wornWas natural as is the flowing stream. so long [sense,And yet magnificent— a God the theme Then decent pleasantry and sterlingThat theme on earth exhausted, though That neither gave nor would endure above offence, [and keen,'Tis found as everlasting as His love, Whipped out of sight with satire justMan lavish'dall his thoughts on human The puppy pack that had defiled thethings [kings; sceue. [himThe feats of heroes, and the wrath of In front of these came Addison. InBut still, while virtue kindled his de- Humour in holiday and sightly trim,light, [right. Sublimity and attic taste combined.The song was moral, and so far was To polish, furnish, and delight the mind.'T was thus, till luxury seduced the mind Then Pope, as harmony itself exact.To joys less innocent, as less refined; In verse well disciplined, complete,Then\" Genius danc'd a bacchanal; he compact,crown'd [bound Grave virtue and morality a grace [face,The brimminggoblet,seized the thyrsus, That, quite eclipsing pleasure's paintedHis brows with ivy. rush'd into the field Levied a tax of wonder and applause,Of \vild imagination, and there reel'd, Even on the fools that trampled onThe victun of his own lascivious fires, their laws.And dizzy with delight, profaned the But he (his musical finesse was such.sacred wires. [and Eome So nice his ear, so delicate his touch) Anacreon, Horace, play'd in Greece Made poetry a mere mechanic art.This bedlam part ; and others nearer And every warliler has his tuue byhome. [while he reigu'd Nature imparting her satiric gift, [heait.When Cromwell fought for power, and Her serious mirth, to Arbuthnot andThe proud protector of the power he Swift, gaiu'd, With droll sobriety they raise a smileKeligion, harsh, intolerant, austere, At folly's cost, themselves unmovedParent of manners like herself severe. the while. [vainDrew a rough copy of the Christian face That constellation set, the world inWithout the smile, the sweetness, or Must hope to look upon their like again.the grace A. Are we then left B. Not whollyThe dark and sullen humour of the time in the dark; [shews a spark.Judged every effort of the muse a Wit now and then, struck smartly,crime Sufficient to redeem the modern raceVerse, in the finest mould of fancy cast. From total night and absolute disgrace.Was lumber in an age so void of taste While servile trick and imitative knackBut when the second Charles assumed Confine the million in the beaten track.the sway. Perhaps some courser, who disdainsAnd arts revived, beneath a softer day. the road, [abroad.Then, like a bow long forced into a Snuffs up the wind, and flings himselfcurve, [a nerve. Contemporaries all surpass'd.see one,The mind releas'd from too constrain'd Short his career indeed, but ably run

—; ;; — !;Churchill himself, unconscious of his Pity! Religion has so seldom foundpowers, A skilful guide into poetic ground!In penury consumed his idle hours. The flowers would spring where'er sheAnd, like a scatter'd seed at random deigu'd to stray.sown, And every Muse attend her in her way.Was left to spring by vigourof his own. Virtue indeed meets many a rhymingLifted at length, by dignity of thought friend, [penn'd;And dint of genius, to an affluent lot, And many a compliment politelyHe laid his head in luxury's soft lap,And look too often there his easy nap. But, unattired in that becoming vest Keligion weaves for her, and half un-If brighter beams than all he threw not dress'd, [lorn,forth, [worth. Stands in the desert shivering and for-A'Twas negligence in him, not want of wintry figure, like a wither'd thorn.Surly and aloven!y,and bold and coarse. The shelves are full, all other themesToo proud for art, and trusting in mere are sped; [thread,force, Hackney'd and worn to the last flimsySpendthrift alike of money and of wit. Satire has long since done his best;Always at speed, and never drawing and curst [worst bit, [mood, And loathsome ribaldry has done hisHe struck the lyre in such a careless Fancy has sported all her powers awayAnd so disdain'd the rules he under- In tales, in trifles, and in children's play,stood, [mand. And 'tis the sad complaint, and almostThe laurel seem'd to wait on his com- true. [nothing new.He snatch'd it rudely from the Muse's Whate'er we write, we bring forthhand. [power, 'Twere new indeed, to see a bardall fire,Nature, exerting an unwearied Touch'd with a coal from heaven,Forms, opens, and gives scent to every assume the lyre, [sung,flower; [and leads And tell the world, still kindling as heSpreads the fresh verdure of the fold, With more than mortal music on hisThe dancing Naiads through the dewy tongue, [above,meads; [throats That He, who died below, and reignsSho fills profuse ten thousand little Inspires the son, and that His name is IWith music, modulating all their notes, Love.And charms the woodland scenes and i For, after all, if merely to beguile,wilds unknown, [own: By flowing numbers and a flowery style, [With artless airs and concerts of her The tedium that the lazy rich endure,But seldom (as if fearful of excense) Which now and then sweet poetry mayVouchsafes to man a poet's just pre- curetence Or, if to see the name of idle self,Fervency, freedom, fluency of thought. Stamp'd on the well-bound quarto,Harmony, strength, words exquisitely grace the shelf,sought; [the sky To float a bubble on the breath of fame,Fancy, that from the bow that spans Prompt his endeavour, and engageBrings colours, dipp'd in heaven, that his aim, never die Debased to servile purposes of pride.A soul exalted above earth; a mind How are the powers of genius mis-Skill'd in the characters that form applied ! [praise,mankind; The gift whose ofBce is the (iiver'sAnd, as the sun.in rising beauty dress'd. To trace Him in His word, His works,Looks to the west ward from the dappled His ways, [inviteeast, [terpose Then spread the rich discovery, and!And marks, whatever clouds may in Mankind to share in the divine delight,lire yet his race begins, its glorious Distorted from its use and just design,clo.se, [goal To make the pitiful possessor shine.An eye like his to catch the distant To purchase at the fool-frequented fairOr ere the wheels of verse begin to Of vanity, a wreath for self to wear,Like his to shed illuminating rays Troll, Is profanation of the basest kindOn every scene and subject it surveys Proof of a trifling and a worthless mind. ;Thus graced, the man asserts a poet's A. Hail, Sternhold then, and Eop-name, [claim. li Amen. [kins, hailAnd the world cheerfully admits the I If flattery, folly, lust, employ the pen;

— \"! ; ; —; :i4 COWPERS POEMS.If acrimony, slander, and abuse, A. 'Twou]d thin the ranks of theGive it a charge to blacken and traduce; poetic tribe, [proscribe.Though Butler's wit. Pope's numbers, To dash the pen through all that you—Prior's ease, B. No matter we could shift whenWith all that fancy can invent to please, they were notAdorn the polish'd periods as they fall. And should, no doubt, if they were allOne madrigal of theirs is worth them aU. I forgot. THE PROGRESS OF ERROR. AEGUMENT.— —Origin of error Man endowed with freedom of will Motives for action Attractions of music—The chase—Those amusements not suited to the clergy—Case of Occiduus— Force of example— Due observance of the —Sabbath— Cards and dancing The drunkard and the coxcomb-Folly and — —innocence— Hurtful pleasures Virtuous pleasures Effects of the inordi- —nate indulgence of pleasure Dangerous tendency of many works of —imagination Apostrophe to Lord Chesterfield- Our earliest years the most — —important Fashionable education The grand tour— Accomplishments have taken the place of virtue— Qualities requisite in a critic of the Bible —Power of the press Solicitude of enthusiasm to make proselytes— Fondness —of authors for their literary progeny The blunderer impatient of contra- —diction Moral faults and errors of the understanding reciprocally produce — —one another The cup of pleasure to be tasted with caution Force of habit —The wanderer from the right path directed to the Cross. \" Si quid loquar audiendum.\" Hob. Lib. iv. Od. 2.Sing, Muse, (if such a theme, so dark, From thoughtless youth to ruminatingso long, [song,) age.May And a Muse to grace it v^ith a Free in his will to choose or to refuse,By what unseen and unsuspected arts Man may improve the crisis, or abuseThe serpent Error twines round human Else on the fatahst's unrighteoushearts; [flowery shades plan,Tell where she lurks, beneath what Say, to what bar amenable were man ?That not a glimpse of genuine light With nought in charge, he could he- pervades, tray no trust, [must;Thepoisonous,black, insinuating worm And if he fell, would fall because heSuccessfu'ily conceals her loathsome If love reward hun, or if vengeanceform. strike.Take, if you can, ye careless and supine His recompense in both, unjust alike.Counsel and caution from a voice like Divine authority within his breastmine; [reach. Brings every thought, word, action, toTruths that the theorists could never the test; [or restrains.And observation taught me, I would Warns him or prompts, approves himteach. [fills. As reason, or as passion, takes theNot all whose eloquence the fancy reins. [from within,Musical as the chime of tinkling rills, Heaven from above, and conscience—Weak to perform, though mighty to Cries in his startledear \" Abstain frompretend, [end, sin !Can trace her mazy windings to their The world around solicits his desire,Discern the fraud beneath the spacious And kindles in his soul a treacherouslure, [cure. fire [guard.Prevent the danger or prescribe the While all his purposes and steps toThe clear harangue, and cold as it is Peace follows virtue as its sure rewardFalls soporiflconthelistlessear, [clear. And pleasure brings as surely in herLike quicksUver, the rhetoric they train [pain.display [away. Remorse, and sorrow, and vindictiveShines as it runs, but, grasp'd at, slips Man thus endued with an elejtivePlaced for his trial on this bustling voice, [choice,stage. Must be supplied with objects of his

; ; !;;;;; ;; ; THE PEOGEESS OF EEEOE. 15Where'er he turns, enjoyment and de- The joy, the danger, and the toil o'er-light, [sight pays; [of days.Or present, or la prospect, meet his 'Tis exercise and health, and lengthThese open on the spot their honey'd Again, impetuous to t'ne field he flies.store, [more; Leaps every fence but one, there fallsThose call him loudly to pursuit of and dies [him home,His unexhausted niiue, the sordid vice Like a slain deer, the tumbril britigsAvarice shews, and virtue is the price. Unmiss'd but by his dogs and by hisHere, various motives his ambition groom. [place,raise, [thirst of praise Ye clergy, while your orbit is yourPower, pomp, and splendour, and the Lights of the world, and stars of hu-There, beauty woos him with expanded man race [sphere.arms [charms. But. if eccentric, ye forsake yourEven bacchanalian madness has its Prodigies ominousand view'd with fear;Nor these alone, whose pleasures Thecomefs.baliif ul influence is adream.less refined [mind. Yours real, and pernicious in the ex-Might well alarm the most unguarded treme, [laid down—Seek to supplant his inesperienced What then! are appetites and lustsyouth, [truth With the same ease the man puts onOr lead him devious from the path of his gown? [place,Hourly allurements on his passions Will avarice and concupiscence give—press, [the excess. Charm'd by the sounds \" YourEever-Safe in themselves, but dangerous in enco.\" or '-Your Grace?\" [him fast;Hark ! bow it floats upon the dewy No. But his own engagement bindsair 1 [there Or if it does not, brands him to theOh, what a dying, dying close was last [knave.'Tis harmony from yon sequester'd What atheists call him, a designing [night hour A mere church juggler, hypocrite, andbower,Sweet harmony that soothes the mid- slave. [fuljest.Long ere the charioteer of day had run Oh laugh, or mourn with me, the rue-His morning course, th' enchantment A cassock'd huntsman, and a fiddlingwas begun, [again. priest; [cue:And he shall gild yon mountain's height He from Italian songsters takes hisEre yet the pleasing toll becomes a Set Paul to music, he shall quote himpain. [ascent too. [packIs this the rugged path, the steep —He takes the field. The master of theThat virtue points to ? Can a life thus Cries \" WeU done. Saint!\" and clapsspent him on the back.Lead to the bliss she promises the wise, Is this the path of sanctity? Is thisDetach the soul from earth, and speed To stand a %vay-markin the road to bliss ?her to the skies ? Himself a wanderer from the narrowYe devotees to your adored employ. way, [stray?Enthusiasts, drunk with an unreal joy. His silly sheep, what wonder if theyLove makes the music of the ble.=t above, Go. cast vour orders at your Bishop'sHeaven's harmony is universal love feet,And earthly sounds, though sweet and Send your dishonour'd gown to Mon-well combined. mouth Street '. [madeAnd lenient as soft opiates to the mind. The sacred function in your hands isLeave vice and folly unsubdued behind. Sad sacrilege! - no function, but a trade!Gray dawn appears ; the sportsman Oociduus is a pastor of renown; •and hia train When he has pray d and preachd theSpeckle the bosom of the distant plain Sabbath down, [day,'Tis he, the Nimrod of the neighbouring With wire and catgut he concludes thelairs, [theirs, Quavering and semiquaveriug careSave that his scent is less acute than away.For persevering chase and headlong The full concerto swells upon your earleaps, [keeps. All elbows shake. Look in, and youTrue beagle as the staunchest hound he would swearCharged with the folly of his life's mad The Babylonian tyrant with a nodscene, [mean; Had Bummon'd them to serve his goldeuHo takes i.'ffeuce, and wonders what you god, B

—; !; ; ;;;!16 COWPEB'S POEMS.So well that thought the employment Where Night, down stooping from herseems to suit ebon throne, [own.Psaltery and Backbnt, dulcimer and Views constellatioas brighter than herflute. 'Tis innocent, and harmless, and re-O fle ! 'Tis evangelical and pure ! [mure! fined.Observe each face, how sober and de- The baliii of care, Elysium of the mind.Ecstasy sets her stamp on every mien. Innocent 1 Oh, if venerable TimeChins fallen, and not an eyeball to be Slain at the foot of Pleasure be no crime.seen. Then, with his silver beard and magieStill I insist, though music heretofore wand,Has charm'd me much (not e'en Occi- Let Comus rise Archbishop of the landduus more.) [more meet Let him your rubric and your feastsLove, joy, and peace make harmony prescribe,For Sabbath evenings, and perhaps as Grand Metropolitan of all the tribe.sweet. fflock Of manners rough, and coarseWill not the sickliest sheep of every athletic cast, [taste.Eesort to this example as a rock, The rank debauch suits Clodio's filthyThere stand, and justify the foul abuse Euflllns, exquisitely formed by rule,Of Sabbath hour.? with plausible excuse? Not of the moral,but the dancing school,If apostolic gravity be free [we ? Wonders at Clodio's follies, in a toneTo play the fool on Sundays, why not As tragical as others at his own.If he the tinkling harpsichord regards He cannot drink five bottles, bilk theAs inoffensive, what offence in cards ? score.Strike up the Addles ! let us all be gay Then kill a constable, and drink fiveLaymen have leave to dance, if par- more;sons play. But he can draw a pattern, make a tart,O Italy ! thy Sabbaths will be soon And has the ladies' etiquette by heart.Our Sabbaths, closed with mummery Go, fool ; and, arm-in-arm with Clodioand buffoon [motley scene. pleadPreaching and pranks will share the Your cause beforeabaryouUttle dreadOurs parceU'd out, as thine have ever But know, the law that bids the drunk-been, [between. ard dieGod's worship and the mountebank Is far too just, to pass the tiifler by.'What says the prophet? Let that day be Both baby-featured, and of infant size,'NVithholinessandconsecratedrest. [blest View'd from a distance, and with heed-Pastime and business both it should less eyes,exclude, [intrude, Folly and innocence are so alike,And bar the door the moment they The difference, though essential, failsNobly distinguish'd above all the six to strike.By deeds in which the world must Yet foUy ever has a. vacant stare, [air never mix. A simpering countenance, and a triflingHear him again. He calls it a delight, But innocence, sedate, serene, erect,A day of luxury observed aright. Delights us, by engaging our respect.When the glad soul is made Heaven's Man, Nature's guest by invitationwelcome guest, [feast. sweet, [treat;Sits banqueting, and God provides the Eeceives from her both appetite andBut trLflers are engaged and cannot But if he play the glutton and exceed,come; His benefactress blushes at the deed.Their answer to the call is yoi at home. For Nature, nice, as liberal to dispense,Oh the dear pleasures of the velvet Made nothing but » brute the slaveplain, [again, sense. [rare—The painted tablets, dealt and dealt Daniel ate pulse by choice exampleCards, with what rapture, and the Heaven bless'd the youth, and madepohsh'd die, [supply him fresh and fair.The yawning chasm of indolence Gorgonius sits, abdominous and wan.Then to the dance, and make the Bober Like a fat squab upon a Chinese fanmoon [noon. He snuffs far off the anticipated joy,Witness of joys that shun the sight of Turtle and venison all his thoughtsBlame, cynic, if vou can, quadrille or employ, [sweat. \"hall, [hall Prepares for meals as jockeys take aThe snug close party, or the splendid Oh nauseous !— an emetic for a whet:

— THE PROGRESS OF EREOK. ItWill Providence o'erlook the wasted Call'd to these ci-ystal streams, do yegood? turn offTemperance were no virtue if He conW. Obscene, to swill and swallow at aThat pleasures, thereiore, or what trough? [bestowssuch we call, Envy the beast then, on whom HeavenAre hurtful, is a truth confess'd by all. Your plca.sures, with no ciu'ses in theAnd some that seem to threaten virtue close 1less, [excess. Pleasure admitted in undue degreeStill hurtful in the abuse, or by the Enslaves the wUl, nor leaves the judg- Is man then only for his torment ment free.placed, [taste ? 'Tis not alone the grape's enticing juiceThe centre of delights he may not Unnerves the moral powers, and marsLike fabled Tantalus, condemn'd to their uiC; [fame.hear [ear, Ambition, avarice, and the lust ofThe precious stream still purling in his And woman, lovely women, dees theLip-deep in what he longs for, and yet same. [powercurst The heart, eurrender'd to the ruling—With prohibition and perpetual thirst? Of some ungovern'd passion everyNo, wrangler, destitute of shame and hour, [bore sway.sense 1 [nence Finds by degrees the truths that oncaThe precept that enjoins him absti- And all their deep impressions, wearForbids him none but the licentious away; [pass'd,joy, [to destroy. So coin grows smooth, in traffic currentWhose fruit, though fair, tempts only Till Cesar's image is elTaced at last.Remorse, the fatal egg by Pleasure The breach, though small at first,laid soon opening wide,In every bosom where her nest is made, In rushes folly with a full-moon tide.Hatch'd by the beams of truth, denies Then welcome errors of whateverhim rest, [breast. size.And proves a raging scorpion in his To justify it by a thousand lies.No pleasure! Are domestic comforts As creeping Ivy clings to wood ordead? [ship fled? stone.Are all the nameless sweets of friend- And hides the ruin that it feeds upon.Has time worn out, or fashion put to So sophistry cleaves close to and pro-shame, [science, and good fame? tects [fects.Good sense, good health, good con- Sin's rotten trunk, concealing its de-All these belong to virtue, and all prove, Mortals whose pleasures are their onlyThat virtue has a title to your love. care, [are;Have you no touch of pity, that the First wish to be imposed on, and thenpoor [door; And lest the fulsome artiUce shouldStand starved at your inhospitable fail, [with a veil.Or if yourself, too scantily supplied. Themselves will hide its coarsenessNeed help, let honest industry provide. Not more industrious are the just andEarn, if you want; if you abound, trueimpart; [heart. To give to Virtue what Is 'Virtne's dueThe>;e both are pleasures to the feeling The praise of wisdom, comeliness, andNo pleasure ! Has some sickly eastern worth, [forthwaste And call her charms to public noticeSent us a wind to parch us at a blast ? Than Vice's mean and disingenuouaCan British paradise no scenes afford race [face;To please her sated and indifferent To hide the shocking features of herlord? Her form with dress and lotion theyAre sweet philosophy's enjoyments run repair, [her fair.Quite to the lees? And has religion Th'^u kiss their idol, and pronouncenone? Tae sacred implement I now employBrutes, capable, would tell you 'tis a lie. Might prove a mischief, or at best aAAnd judge you from the kennel and the trifle if it move but to amuse, [toy;Etye. [fane. But if to wrong the judgment andDelights like these, ye sensual and pro- abuse, [hand.Ye are bid, beggd,'besought to enter- Worse than a pcniard in the basesttain; It stabs at once the morals of a land.

; ;; ;; ; ; ;18 COWPER'S POEMS.Ye writers of what none with safety One, and one only, charged with deepreads, [leads; regret,Footing it In the dance that Fancy That thy worst part, thy principles,Ye novelists, who mar what ye would five yet [kindmend, [end. One sad epistle thence may cure man-Snivelling and drivelling folly without Of the plague spread by bundles leftWhose corresponding misses fill the behind. [appears,ream 'Tis granted, and no plainer truthWith sentimental frippery and dream, Our most important are our earhestCaught in a deUcate soft silken net years, [easeBy some lewd earl, or rakehell baronet The mind, impressible and soft, withYe pimps, who, under virtue's fair pre- Imbibes and copies what she hearstence, and sees, [the clueSteal to the closet of young innocence. And through life's labyrinth holds fastAnd teach her, inexperienced yet and That Education gives her. false or true. green, Plants raised with tenderness are sel-To scribble as you scribbled at fifteen. dom strong [thongWho kindling a combustion of desire. Man's coltish disposition asks theWith some cold moral think to quench And without disciphne the favouritethe fire, [vain child.Though all j-our engineering proves in Like a neglected forester, runs wild.The dribbling stream ne'er puts it out But we, as if good qualities would growagain [command Spontaneous, take but little pains toOh that a verse had power, and could sow; [Greek,WeFar, far away, these flesh flies of the give some Latin and a smatch ofland. Teach him to fence and figure twice aWho fasten without mercy on the fair. week, [we can,And suck, and leave a craving maggot And having done, we think, the bestthere 1 [tale, Praise his proficiency, and dub himHoweer disguised the inflammatory man. [theuce home,And cover'd with a fine-spun specious From schcol to Cam or Isis, andveU, [the gust And thence with all convenient speedSuch writers, and such readers, owe to Rome,And relish of their pleasure all to lust. With reverend tutor clad in habit lay,But the Muse, eagle-pinion'd, has in To tease for cash and quarrel with allview [you day [town,A quarry more important still than With memorandum-book for everyDown, down the wind she swims and And evei-y post, and where the c'naisesails away, [ the prey. broke down [by heart, ;Now stoops upon it, and now grasps His stock, a few French phrases gotPetronius! all the iluses weep for With much to learn, but nothing tothee, impart. [mands.But every tear shall scald thy memory. The youth, obedient to his sires corn-The Graces too, while \"Virtue at their Sets off a wanderer into foreign lands.shrine [thine, Surprised at all they meet, the goslingLay bleeding under that soft hand of pair, [silly stare.Felt each a mortal stab in her own With awkward gait, stretch'd neck, andbreast, [the priest. Discover huge cathedrals built withAbhorr d the sacrifice, and cursed stone, [our own;Thou polish'd and high-finish'd foe to And steeples towering high, much liketruth, [youth, But shew peculiar light by many a grinGraybeard corrupter of our listening At popish practices observed within. ITo purge and skim away the filth of Ere long some bo\viug, smirking, j 1vice, [entice. smart Abbe [their way, |That so refined it might the more Remarks two loiterers that have lost 1Then pour it on the morals of thy son. And being always primed with politesseTo taint his heart, was worthy of thine For men of their appearance andown! [vades. address, [taskNow while the poison all high life per- With much compassion undertake theWrite, if thou canst, one letter from To tell them more than they have witthe shades, to ask

;; ; ;; ; THE PEOGEESS OF EEEOE. 19Points to inscriptions whereso'er they Serves but to lead philosophers astray>tread, Where children would with ease dis-Such as, when legible, were never read. cern the way.But being canker'd now, and half worn And of all arts sagacious dupes invent,out, [doubt To cheat themselves and gain theCraze antiquarian brains with endless world s assent. [its intent.Some headless hero, or some Ctesar The worst is— Scripture warp'd from shew?, The carriage bowls along, and all areDefective only in his Eoman uose pleased greased;Exhibits elevations, drawings, plans. If Tom be sober, and the wheels wellModels of Herculanean pots and pans. But if the rogue be gone a cup tooAnd sells them medals, which if far,neither rare [care. Left out his linchpin, or forgot his tar,Nor ancient, will be so, preserved with It suffers interruption and delay,Strange the recital! from whatever And meets with hindrance in thecause [he draws, smoothest way. [vainHis great improvement and new light When some hypothesis absurd andThe squire once bashful is shamefaced Has flll'd with all its fumes a critic'sno more, [before braiu, [whim, ;But teems with powers he never felt The text that sorts not with his darlingWhether increased momentum, and Though plain to others, is obscure tothe force [sped his course, him. [force.With which from clime to clime he The will made subject to a lawlessAs axles sometimes kindle as they go, All is irregular and out of course;Cbafed him and brought dull nature to And Judgment drunk, and bribed toa glow lose his way, [at noonday.Or whether clearer skies and softer air. Winks hard, and talks of darkness atThat make Italian flowers so sweet and A critic on the sacred book should befair, Candid and learn' d, dispassionate andFreshening his lazy spirits as he ran. free [feel.Unfolded genially, and spread the Free from the wayward bias bigotsman; From fancy's influence, and intemper-Eeturning, he proclaims by many a ate zeal;grace, [his face. But above all (or let the wretch refrain.By shrugs and strange contortions of Nor touch the page he cannot but pro-How much a dunce that has been sent fane), [lust;to roam, [home. Free from the domineering power ofAExcels a dunce that has been kept at lewd interpreter is never just.Accomplishments have taken virtue's How shall I speak thee, or thy powerplace. address,And wisdom falls before exterior grace Thou god of our idolatry, the Press?We slight the precious kernel of the By thee, religion, liberty, and lawsstone. Exert their influence, and advance theirAnd toil to polish its rough coat alone. cause [laud befell, ;A just deportment, manners graced By thee, worse plagues than Pharaoh's [please. Diffused, make Earth the vestibule ofwith ease.Elegant phrase, and figure form'd to Hell : [good and wise,Are qualities that seem to comprehend Thou fountain, at which drink theWhatever parents, guardians, schools Thou ever bubbling spring of endlessintend; [mind. lies.Hence an unfumish'd and a listless Like Eden's dread probationary tree,Though busy, trifling; empty, though Ejiowledge of good and evil is fromrefined [clash thee! [rest,Hence all that interferes, and dares to No wild enthusiast ever yet couldWith indolence and luxury, is trash; Till half mankind were like himselfWhile learning, once the man's exclu- possess'd.sive pride, [side. Philosophers, who darken and put outSeems verging fast towards the female Eternal truth by everlasting doubt;Learning itself, received into a Church quac'^s, with passions undermind no command, [traband,WhoBy nature weak, or viciously inclined. All the world with doctrines con-

—; ) ; ;20 COWPER'S POEMS.Discoverers of they know not what, Committed once into the public arms,confined, [the blind: The baby seems to smile with added—Within CO bounds the blind that lead charms. [from shore,To streams of popular opinion drawn. Like something precioits ventured farDeposit in those shallows all their 'Tis valued for the danger's sake thaspawn. [around, more. [preme,The wriggling fry soon fill the creeks He views it with complacency su-Poisoning the waters where their Solicits kind attention to his dream.swarms abound [flood, And daily more enamour'd of theScorn d by the noblei- tenants of the cheat, [dear deceit.Minnows und gudgeons gorge the un- Kneels, and asks Heaven to bless thewholesome food. [fast, So one, whose story serves at least toThe propagated myriads spread so shew [ago.Even Leuweuhoeck himself would Men loved their own productions long [sum, Wood an unfeeling statue for hiastand aghast,Employ'd to calculate the enormous wife, [life.And ovra his crab-computing powers Nor rested till the gods had given ito'ercome. [known. If some mere driveller suck the sugar'dIs this hjTperbole? The world well fib, [and bib,Your sober thoughts will hardly find it One that still needs his leading-stringone. [takes And praise his genius, he is soon repaidFresh confidence the speculatist In praise applied to the same part—From every hair-brain'd proselyte he his head [half deceived, For tis a rule that holds for ever true.—makes,And therefore prints: himself but Grant me discernment, and I grant itTill others have the soothing tale 5\"ou.believed. [as fine Patient of contradiction as a child,Hence comment after comment, spun Affable, humble, diffident, and mild;As bloated spiders draw the flimsy Such was Sir Isaac, and such Boyleline: [lusts obey and LockeHence the same word that bids our Your blunderer is as sturdy as a rock.Is misapplied to sanctify their sway. The creature is so sure to kick and bite,AIf stubborn Greek refuse to be his muleteer's the man to set him right.friend, [bend; First Appetite enlists him Truth'sHebrew or Syriac shall be forced to sworn foe, [so.If languages and copies all crj*, Kol Then obstinate Self-will confirms himSomebody proved it centuries ago. Tell him he wanders; that his errorLike trout pursued, the critic in despair leads [treadsDarts to the mua and finds his safety To fatal ills ; that though the path hethere. [fly Be flowery, and he see no cause ofWomen, whom custom has forbid to fear, [him there;The scholars pitch (the scholar best Death and the pains of hell attendknows whj'). In vain; the slave of arrogance andWith all the simple and unletter'd poor. pride,Admire his learning, and almost He has no hearing on the prudent side.ftdore. His still refuted quirks he still repeats;Whoever errs, the priest can ne'er be New raised objections with new quib-wrong, [tongue. bles meets: [fends.With such fine words familiar to his Till sinking in the quicksand ne de-—Te ladies! (for, indifferent in your He dies disputing, and the contestcsuse, ends [behind.Ishould deserve to forfeit all applause But not the mischiefs; they, still leftWhatever shocks, or gives the least Like thistle-seeds are sown by every offence wind. [nious skill.To virtue, delicacy, truth, or sense, Thus men go wrong with an inge-(Try the criterion, 'tis a faithful guide,) Bend the straight rule to their ownNor has, nor can have. Scripture on its crooked will [supplied. ;Bide. [author's cares. And with a clear and shining lampNone but an author knows an First put it out, then take it for a g ji Je.Or Fancy's fondness for the child she Halting on crutches of unequal size.bears. One leg by truth supported, one by lies,

—— —; ; ;; ; ;;; THE TASK. 21They sidle to the goal with awkward Swallow the two grand nostrums they pace. dispense senseSecure of nothing—but to lose the race. That Scripture lies, and blasphemy is Faults in the life breed errors in the If clemency revolted by abusebrain, Be damnable, then clamn'd withoutAnd these reciprocally those again. excuse. [when they willThe mind and conduct mutually im- Some dream that they can silenceprint [mint The storm of passion, and say, \" Peace,And stamp their image in each other's be still:\" [address'dEach, sire and dam of an infernal race, But \"Thus far and no farther,\" whenBegettingand conceiving all that's base. To the wild wave, or wilder humanNone sends his arrow to the mark in breast,view, [true. Implies authority that never can, That never ought to be the lot of man.Whose hand is feeble, or his aim un-For though, ere yet the shaft is on the But, Muse, forbear ; long flights fore-wing, [string. bode a fall [sum of all.Or when it first forsakes the elastic Strike on the deep-toned chord theIt err but little from the intended line, Hear the just law— the judgment ofIt falls at last far wide of his design the skies! [of lies;So he who seeks a mansion in the sky, Ho that hates truth shall be the dupeMust watch his purpose with a stead- And he that tciU be cheated to the last,fast eye ; [sincere. Delusions strong as HeU shall bindThat prize belongs to none but the him fast. [cern,The least obliquity is fatal here. But if the wanderer his mistake dis- Judge his own ways, and sigh for aWith caution taste the sweet Circeancup; return, [lossHe that sips often, at last drinks it up. Bewilder'd once, must he bewaU hisHabits are soon assumed; but when —For ever and for ever? No thewe strive Cross ! [deist rave.To strip them off, 'tis being flay'd alive. There and there only (though thoCall'd to the temple of impure delight, And atheist, if Earth bear so base aHe that abstains, and he alone, does slave) [save.right. [home There, and there only, is the power toIf a wish wander that way, call it There no delusive hope invites de-He cannot long be safe whose wishes spair, [thereroam. [caught No mockery meets you, no deceptionBut if you pass the threshold, you are The spells and channs that blindedDie then, if power Almighty save you you before, [more.not. [steel'd. All vanish there, and fascinate noThere hardening by degrees, till double amI no i^reacher, let this hintTake leave of nature's God, and God suffice [vice reveal'd The Cross once seen is death to everyThen laugh at all you trembled at be- Else He that hung there suffer'd allfore, [roar. His pain, [in vain.And, joining the freethinkers' brutal Bled, groau'd, and agonised, and died THE TASK. —BOOK I. THE SOFA. AKGUMENT.AHistorical deduction of seats, from the stool to the sofa— schoolboy's ramble —A —walk in the country The scene described— Rural sounds as well as —sights delightful—Another walk Mistake concerning the charms of soli- — —tude corrected Colonnades commenced Alcove, and the view from it The wilderness—The grove— The thresher— The necessity and the benefits of exercise—The works of nature superior to, and in some instances inimitable by, art— The wearisomeness of what is commonly called a life of pleasure—Change of scene sometimes expedient— A common described, and the character of crazy Kate introduced—Gipsies— The blessings of

— COWPER'S POEMS.— —civilised life Thai state most favourable to virtue The South Seaislanders compassionated, but chiefly Omai— His present state of mind—supposed— Civilised life friendly to virtue, but not great cities Greatcities, and London in particular, allowed their due praise, but censuredFete champGtre— The book concludes mth a reflection on the effects ofdissipation and effeminacy upon our public measures.I SIXQ the Sofa. I who lately sang Now came the cane from India,Truth, Hope, and Charity, and touch'd smooth and bright [stripeswith awe [bling hand, With Nature's varui.sh. sevcr'd intoThe solemn chords, and with a trem That interlaced each other, these sup-Escaped with pain from that adven- plied [bracedturous flight, [theme: Of texture firm a lattice-work, thatNow seek repose upon an humbler The new machine, and it became aThe theme though humble, yet august chair. [erectand proud [the song. But restless was the chair; the backThe occasion -for the Fair commands Distress'd the weary loins, that felt noTime was. when clothing sumptuous ease; [partor for use. [had none The slippery seat betray'd the slidingSave their own painted skins, otir sires That pressed it, and the feet hvmgAs yet slack breeches were not ; satin dangling down, [fioor.smooth, [pile: Anxious in vain to find the distantOr velvet soft, or plush with shagj^' These for the rich ; the rest, whom fateliie hardy chief upon the rugged rock had placed\Vash'd by the sea, or on the gravelly In modest mediocrity, contentbank [loud. With base materials, sat on well-tann'dThrown up by wintry torrents roaring hides [smooth.Fearless of wrong, reposed his weary Obdurate and unyielding, glassystrength, [next With here and there a tuft of crimsonThose barbarous ages past, succeeded yarn.The birthday of Invention, weak at Or scarlet crewel in the cushion fix'd:first, If cushion might be call'd, what harderDull in design, and clumsy to perform. seem'd [was form'd.Joint-stools were then created ; on three Than the firm oak of which the frame No want of timber then was felt orlegs [holding firm—Upborne they stood: three legs up- fear'd [stoodA massy slab, in fashion square or lu Albion's happy isle. The lumberround. Ponderous, and fix'd by its own massyOn such a stool immortal Alfred sat, weight. [some say,And sway'd the sceptre of his infant But elbows still were wanting; theserealms; [sions drear .\u alderman of Cripplegate contrived,And such in ancient halls and man- And some ascribe the invention to aMay still be seen, but perforated sore priest,And driU'd in holes the solid oak is Burlj\"- and big, and studious of his ease.found [and through. But rude at first, and not with easyBy worms voracious eating through slope [the ribs.At length a generation more refined Receding wide, they press'd againstImproved the simple plan ; made three And bruised the side and elevated highlegs four. Taught the raised shovdders to invadeGave them a twisted form vermicular, the ears, [siresAnd o'er the seat with plenteous wad- Long time elapsed or ere our ruggedding stuff d [blue. Complain'd, though incommodiouslyInduced a splendid cover, green and pent in, [firstYellow and red, of tapestry richly And ill at ease behind. The ladieswrought [lime. 'Gan murmur, as became the softer sex.And woven close, or needlework sub- Ingenious Fancy, never better pleasedThere might ye see the piony spread Than when employ'd to accommodatewide, [his lass. the fair, [devisedThe full-blown rose, the shepherd and Heard the sweet moan with pity, andLap-dog and lambkin with black star- The soft settee ; one elbow at each eud.ing eyes, p^eak. And in the midst an elbow, it received.And parrots with twin cherries in their ! United yet divided, twain at once.

:; —; ; THE TASK. 23So sit two kings of Brentford on one I fed on scarlet hips and stony haws, ' I throne Or blushing crabs, or berries that | ; i emboss [austere. \And 80 two citizens who take the air I |Close pack'd and smUing, in a chaise The bramble, black as jet, or sloes iand one. Hard fare! but such as boyish appetite 'But relaxation of the languid frame Disdains not, nor the palate unde- jEy soft recumbency of outstretch'd praved j —[ so slow ;limbs, By culinary arts unsavoury deems. I No Sofa then awaited my return iWas bless reserved for happier daysThe growth of what is excellent, so Nor Sofa then I needed. Youth re-hard [world. pairs [toilTo attain perfection in this nether His wasted spirits quickly, by longThus first Necessity invented stools, Incurring short fatigue; and thoughConvenience next suggested elbow- our years.chairs, [last. As life declines, speed rapidly away,And luxury the accomplished Sofa And not a year but pilfers as he goesThe nurse sleeps sweetly, hired to Some youthful grace that age wouldwatch the sick, [sweetly he gladly keep,Whom snoring she disturbs. As A tooth or auburn lock, and by degreesWho quits the coach-box at the mid- Their length and colour from the locksnight hour [secure, they spareTo sleep within the carriage more The elastic spring of an unwearied footHis legs depending at the open door. That mounts the style with ease, orSweet sleep enjoys the curate in his leaps the fence.desk, [head, That play of lungs, inhaling and againThe tedious rector drawling o'er his Eespiring freely the fresh air, thatAnd sweet the clerk below: but neither makes [me,sleep [dead, Swift pace or steep a,=cent no toil toOf lazy nurse, who snores the sick man Mine have not pilfer'd yet ; nor yetNor his who quits the box at mid- impair'd [soothednight hour [secure. lly relish of fair prospect ; scenes thatTo slumber in the carriage more Or charm'dme 'young, no longeryoung,Kor sleep enjoy'd by curate in his I find [me still.desk. [sweet, StU] soothing and of power to charmNor yet the dozings of the clerk are And vritness, dear companion of myCompared with the repose the Sofa walks, [perceive |yields. Whose arm this twentieth winter IOh may I live exempted (while I live Fast lock'd in mine, with pleasureGuiltless of pamper'd appetite obscene) such as love, [worthFrom pangs arthritic that infest the toe Conflrm'd by long experience of thyOf libertine excess. The Sofa suits And well-tried virtues, could alone in-The gouty limb, 'tis true; but gouty spire, [long. limb. Witness a joy that thou hast doubledThough on a Sofa, may I never feel Thou knowest my praise of natureFor I have loved the rural walk most sincere, [jured upthrough lanes [bling sheep. And that my raptures are not con-Of grassy swarth close cropp'd by nib- To serve occasions of poetic pomp.And skirted thick with intertexture But genuine, and art partner of themfirm [rural walk aU.Of thorny boughs ; have loved the How oft upon yon eminence our paceO'er hills, through valleys, and by Has slacken'd to a pause, and we haverivers' brink, [bounds borne [it blew,myE'er since a truant boy I pass'd The ruffling wind, scarce conscious thatTo enjoy a ramble on the banks of While admiration feeding at the eye.Thames. And still unsated, dwelt upon the scene.And still remember, nor without regret, Thence with what pleasure have weOf hours, that sorrow since has much just discem'd [besideendear'd, [svmied. The distant plough slow moving, andHow oft, my slice of pocket store con- His labouring team, that swerved notStill himgering, penniless and far from from the track.home, The sturdy swain diminish'd to a boy.

; :;24 COWPEE'S POEMS.Here Onse, slow winding through a The jay, the pie, and even the bodinglevel plain [sprinkled o'er, owl [channs for me.Of spacious meads with cattle That hails the rising moon, haveConducts the eye along his sinuous Sounds inharmonious in themselvescourse [bank and harsh, [ever reigns.Delighted. There, fast rooted in their Yet heard in scenes where peace forStand, never overlook'd, our favourite And only there, please highly for theirelms, sake. [thoughtThat screen the herdsman's solitary Peace to the artist, whose ingenioushut; [stream, Devised the weather-house, that usefulWhile far beyond, and overthwart the toy! [rainsThat, as with molten glass, inlays the Fearless of humid air and gathering Forth steps the man, an emblem ofvale, [cloudsThe sloping land recedes into the myself, [tires.Displaying on its varied side the grace More delicate, his timorous mate re-Of hedge-row beauties numberless, When Winter soaks the flelds, andsquare tower, [cheerful bells female feet, [clay.Tall spire, from which the sound of Too weak to struggle with tenaciousJust undulates upon the listening ear; Or ford the rivulets, are best at home,CJroves, heaths, and smoking villages The task of new discoveries falls ouremote. [view'd. me. [charge.Scenes must be beautiful which daily At such a season, and with such aPlease daily, and whose novelty sur- Once went I forth, and found, tiU thenvives [years unknown,Long knowledge and the scrutiny of A cottage, whether oft we since repair:Praise justly due to those that I de- 'Tis perch'd upon the green hUl-top,scribe, [sounds but close [elmsNor rural sights alone, but rural Environ'd with a ring of branchingExhilarate the spirit, and restore That overhang the thatch, itself unseenThe tone of languid nature. Mighty Peeps at the vale below ; so thick beset \"With foliage of such dark redundantwinds, [spreading woodThat sweep the skirt of some far- growth, [nesl.Of ancient growth, make music not I call'd the low-roof 'd lodge the peasant'sunlike [shore, And hidden as it is, and far remote From such unpleasing sounds as hauntThe dash of Ocean on his windingAnd lull the spirit while they fill the the earmind [blast, In village or in town, the bay of cnrs Incessant, clinking hammers, grindingUnnumber'd branches waving in theAnd all their leaves fast fluttering, all wheels.at once. [roar And infants clamorous whether pleasedNor less composure waits upon the or pain'd, [mine.Of distant floods, or on the softer voice Oft have I wish'd the peaceful covertOf neighbouring fountain, or of rCIs Here, I have said, at least I shouldthat slip [as they fall possess [dulgeThrough the cleft rock, and chiming The poet's treasure, sDence, and in-Upon loose pebbles, lose themselves at The dreams of fancy, tranquil andlength [green. secure. [retreatIn matted grass, that, with a livelier Vain thought ! the dweller in that stillBetrays the secret of their silent course. Dearly obtains the refuge it affords.Nature inanimate employs sweet Its elevated site forbids the wretch To drink sweet waters of the crystalsounds,But animated nature sweeter still, well;To soothe and satisfy the human ear.Ten thousand warblers cheer the day, He dips his bowl into the weedy ditch, And, heavy-laden, brings his beverageand one [whose notes home, [dom waits,The livelong night: nor these alone, Far-fetch'd and little worth; nor sel-Nice-flnger'd art must emulate in Dependent on the baker's punctualvain, call, [door,But cawing rooks, and kites that swim To hear his creaking panniers at thesublime [loud; Angry and sad, and his last crust con-In stUl repeated circles, screaming sumed.

; THE TASK. 25So farewell envy of the peasant's uest. Exults in its command. The sheep-If solitude makes scant the meaus of fold here [glebe.life. Pours out its fleecy tenants o'er the—meSociety for '. Thou seeming sweet, At first, progressive as a stream, theymyBe still a pleasing object in view, seekMy visit still, but never mine abode. The middle field; but scatter'd byNot distant far, a length of colonnade degrees, [the land.Invites us : monument of ancient taste. Each to his choice, soon whiten allNow scom'd, but worthy of a better There, from the sunburnt hay-fleld, fate. homeward creeps [its charge,Our fathers knew the value of a screen The loaded wain, while, lighten'd ofFrom sultry suns, and in thsir shaded The wain that meets it passes swiftlywalks [noon by, [team,And long protracted bowers, enioy'd at The boorish driver leaning o'er his Vociferous, and impatient of delay.The gloom and coolness of declining Nor less attractive is the woodlandday. [deprivedVCe bear our shades about us; self- scene.Of other screeu, the thin umbrella Diversified with trees of every growth.spread, [tree. Alike, yet various. Here the grey,And range an Indian waste without a smooth trunks [shine,Thanks to Benevolus—he spares me Of ash, or lime, or beech, distinctlyyet [ing lines. Within the twilight of their distantThese chestnuts ranged in correspond shades [woodAnd, though himself so polish'd, still There lost behind a rising ground, the reprieves Seems sunk, and shorten'd to its top-The obsolete prolixity of shade. most boughs. [charms, Descending now (but cautious, lest No tree in all the grove but has its too fast,) Though each its hue peculiar; palerA sudden steep, upon a rustic bridge, some, [such,\Ve pass a gulf, in which the willows And of a wannish gray ; the -^viilowdip [to drink. And poplar, that with sliver lines hisTheir pendent boughs, stooping as if leaf, [geous arm;Hence, ankle-deep in moss and flowery And ash far stretching his umbra-thyme, [step Of deeper green the elm ; and deeperWe mount again, and feel at every still, [oak.Our foot half sunk in hillocks green Lord of the woods, the long-surviving Some glossy-leaved, and shining in theand soft, soil.Raised by the mole, the miner of the sun.He. not unlike the great ones of man- The maple, and the beech of oily nutskind, [dark. ProliSc.and the lime at dewy eveDisfigures earth, and, plotting in the Diffusing odours : nor unnoted passToils much to earn a monumental pile, The sycamore, capricious in attire.That may record the mischiefs he has Now grsea, now tawny, and, eredone. [alcove autumn yet [honours bright.The summit gain'd, behold the proud Have changed the woods, in scarletThat crowns it ! yet not all its pride Oer these, but far beyond (a spacious mapsecures [press'dThe grand retreat from injuries im- Of hill and valley interposed between.)By rural carvers, who with knives The Ouse, dividing the well-water'ddeface [name. land, [tires.The panels, leaving an obscure, rude Now glitters in the sun, and now re-In characters uncouth, and spelt amiss. As bashful, yet impatient to be seen.So strong the zeal to immortalise Hence the declivity is sharp andhimself [a few, short, [them weepsBeats in the breast of man, that even And such the re-ascent : betweenFew transient years, won from the A little naiad her impoverish'd urnabyss abhorr'd All summer long, which winter fillsOf blank obUvion, seem a glorious again. [gress now.prize, [eye, The folded gates would bar my pro-And even to a clown. Now roves the But that the lord of this enclosed de-And posted on this speculative height mesne,

:26 COWPEB'S POEMS.CommunicatiTe of the good he owns, Else noxious: oceans, rivers, lakes,Admits me to a share ; the guiltless eye and streams, [cleansedCommits no wrong, nor wastes what it All feel the freshening impulse, and areenjoys. \ blazing sun ? By restless undulation. Even the oakEefreshing chanre ! where now the Thrives by the rude concussion of theBy short transition we have lost his stormglare, [clime. He seems indeed indignant, and to feelAnd stepp'd at once into a cooler The impression of the blast with proudYe fallen avenues ! once more I mourn disdain.Your faie unmerited, once more rejoice Frowning as if in his unconscious armThat yet a remnant of your race sur- He held the thimder. But the monarchvives, [arch. owes,How airy and how light the graceful His firm stability to what he scorns,Yet awful as the consecrated roof More flx'd below, the more disturb'dEe-eehoing pious anthems ! while be- above. [bound,neath [a flood The law, by which all creatures else areThe chequer'd earth seems restless as Binds man, the lord of aU. HimselfBrush\"d by the wind. So sportive is derives [cause,the light [they dance, Xo mean advantage from a kindredShot through the boughs, it dances as From strenuous toil his hours ofShadow and sunshine intermingling sweetest ease.quick. [the leaves The sedentary stretch their lazy lengthAnd darkening, and enlightening, as When custom bids, but no refreshmentPlay wanton, every moment, every find, [the cheekspot. [and spirits cheer d. For none they need : the languid eye.And now. with nerves new-braced Deserted of its bloom, the flaccid,We tread the wilderness, whose well- shrunk, [soul, [sweep —roll'd walks, And wither'd muscle, and the vapidWith curvature of slow an4 easy Reproach their owner with that love of—Deception Innocent give ample space rest [loves.To narrow boimds. The grove re- To which he forfeits even the rest heceives us next ; [tall elms Not such the alert and active. i^Iea-Between the upright shafts of whose sure life [affords.We may discern the thresher at his By its true worth, the comfort ittask. [stant flail. And theirs alone seems worthy of theThump after thump resovmds the con- name. [most.That seems to swing uncertain, and Good health, and its associate in thayet falls [t^e chaff; Good temper; spiiits prompt to under-Full on the destined ear. Wide flies take, [arduous task;The rastling straw sends up a frequent And not soon spent, though in anmist [beam The powers of fancy and strongOf atoms, sparkling in the noonday thought are theirs; [themCome hither, ye that press your beds Even age itself seems privileged laof down [his bread With clear exemption from its ownAnd sleep not ; see him sweating o'er defects. [front— ABefore he eats it. \"Tis the primal sparkling eye beneath a wrinkledcurse. [pledge The veteran shews, and gracing a grayBut soften'd into mercy; made the beard [the graveOf cheerful days, and nights without a With youthful smiles, descends towardgroan. [sists. Sprightly, and old almost withoutBy ceaseless action, all that is sub- decay. [most,Constant rotation of the unwearxd Like a coy maiden. Ease, when courted —[health, Farthest retires an idol, at whosewheelThat Nature rides upon, maintains her shrine [leastWhoHer beauty, her fertility. She dreads oftenest sacrifice are favour'dAn instant's pause, and lives but while The love of Nature, and the scenes sheshe moves. draws, [should be found,Its own revolvency upholds the world. Is Nature's dictate. Strange! thereWinds from all quarters agitate the Who, self-imprisoud in their proudair. saloons,And fit the limpid element for use, Renounce the odours of the open field

; : : :; ; THE TASK. 27For the unscented fictions of the loom And mar the face of beauty, when noWho, satisfled with only pencill'd causescenes, For such immeasurable woe appears,Prefer to the performance of a God These Flora banishes, and gives theThe interior wonders of an artist's fair [than her own.hand. Sweet smiles, and bloom less transientLovely indeed the mimic works of Art. It is the constant revolution, staleBut Nature's works far lovelier. I And tasteless of the same repeatedadmire, [magic skill, joys, [languid lifeNone more admires, the painter's That palls and satiates, and makesWho shews me that which I shall A pedlar's pack, that bows the bearernever see. down. [the heartConveys a distant country into mine. Health suffers, and the spirits ebb;—And throws Itahan light on English Eecoils from its own choice at thewalls full feast [song,—But imitative strokes can do no more Is famish'd finds no music in the—Than please the eye sweet Nature No smartness in the jest, and wondersevery sense. why. [on.The air salubrious of her lofty hills, Yet thousands still desire to journeyThe cheering fragrance of her dewy Though halt and weary of the pathvales, [man they tread.—And music of her woods no works of The parah-tic who can hold her cardsMay rival these; these all bespeak a But cannot play them, borrows apower friend's handPeculiar, and exclusively her own. To deal and shuffle, to divide and sortBeneath the open sky she spreads the Her mingled suits and sequences, andfeast sits'Tis free to all— 'tis every day renew'd Spectatress both and spectacle, a sadWho scorns it, starves deservedly at And silent cypher, while her proxyhome. [long plays. [roomHe does not scorn it, who, imprison'd Others are dragg'd into the crowdedIn some unwholesome dungeon, and a Between supporters ; and, once seated,prey [dank sitTo sallow sickness, which the vapours Through downright inabiUty to rise,And clammy of his dark abode have Till the stout bearers lift the corpsebred. agam. [even theseEscapes at last to liberty and light These speak a loud memento. YetHis cheek recovers soon its healthful Themselves love life, and cling to it,hue, as heHis eye relumines its extingnish'd fires. That overhanjrs a torrent, to a twig.—He walks, ho leaps, he runs is wing'd They love it, and yet loathe it; fear to with joy, die, [live.And riots in the sweets of every hreeze. Yet scorn the purposes for which theyHa does not scorn it, who has long —Then wherefore not renounce them? endured N the dread, [breedsA fevers agonies, and fed on drugs. The slavish dread of sohtude, thatNor j'et the mariner, his blood inflamed Beflection and remorse, the fear ofWith acrid salts ; his very heart athirst shame,To gaze at Nature in her green array,Upon the ship's tall side he stands, And their inveterate habits, all forbid. Whom call we gay? That honourpossess'd [desire has been long [name.With visions prompted by intense The boast of mere pretenders to theFair fields appear below, such as ho The innocent are gay— the lark is gay,left [flnd,- That dries his feathers saturate vrithFar distant, such as he would die to dew [beamsHe seeks them headlong, and is seen Beneath the rosy cloud, while yet the Of dayspring overshoot his humbleno more. [reigns;The spleen is seldom felt where Flora nest.The lowering eye, the petulance, the The peasant too, a witness of his song,frown, [tort. Himself a songster, is as gay as he.And sullen sadness, that o'ershado, dis- But save me from the gaiety of those

mose headaches naU the- *7,re?es At what a sailor suffers; fancy too Delusive most where warmest ^v^shesw^-An'd^'Bafe^me too trom^heirs WA'moiulddreofatmanoftictirpaantsepohritssgslhaed return vsa^s^ notFlash desreration, and l^e^iay^ Ae.r^m S^^KFi;o?T^Tm^ogpac!rettyy^hasttrifpilpl'sdthoefthobnyes cruel And never tshmeildeodlefauglaitni.dinAgsndofnhoiws blasphemy, the heart Tht'^d^fa™; waste; ther^fnds the unless made so various, that when charuy.for-ThTmouth with TnriU!ThTearth was studious of change^ novelty, might beOt dSulfo?fman,^la^^^San^S^SAnd pleaded withPros1\"e'c?s:\owever.lovely maybe, see^TiU half their beauties fade |^e weajy ;Too^well acquninted with their smile: She°be.^ an idle pin of all she meetsmFastSSufs'eehiBglcssfammarscene ^S^ooS^-l-e^rl^^Then snug enclosures the Bhelt« dWDKoehtul^fvsheetnsfuersle.eqs\usaepnotfpyhitetsodcgrheaesrnmisnot,^ewr^chea'p^t^stMtdh^el I -^r'^lumn ofslow-rising smoke wood that shirts the absence may endear 0-ertop the lofty the savage rock, ma^Th\"?'s°uch short §^AheTetitw-relmeiinbsotenrwdaobalpneodlmeuessaelul.epsosnAtrkaiebstetiUtcheke.rtserhaemaMgtThen forests, or AGreeItrsd^tweitohfthhraelef-cwhieiehresr-edxuslhtirnugb.s At §KFer«ov'emvremhisinst,haoecrmc,ouarststbeoelm;sdtfolpfeecsrhoccho.kbpsucreHnkae.rmuodf he Th^fnicrVkeir fuel out of every And'arws feet the l^affled billows die. ^,e common, overgrown ^th _^f^rn. Wuf^nd pr°cWy goss, that, shapeless and 1 T^rbee''aF^sekUilulmhoafvtehtehpeeydiingrpeaelmtihsetyryc,laainmd U3 to the touch, has yet d'Ingei' AnrS^?eWs itself with on^amenrs of To^'conjure dean away the goli they no unpleasiug ramble;^ there I ?ore\">^ing .worthless dross^mto^its Smell^fresh. and. rich in odoriferoas T ^!i^^.hpn thev beg, dumb only when fruits ot earth, regales ISd fungous j Sv^W^ULhrohen^ofvuannexdpeerctseod nseweetwsh^mj| Saw'bluef'cad, in cloaJof satin I^Uh lace, and hat with splendid! riband bound. and i i EPrvint'-niaid was she, fell i. nkvifhTne who left her, wenMo^^^^^^^ ne'r'fanct iolloWd him tbr°\"-*J,°/^l; Bores, To distant shores, and she would sit I and weep

; THE TASK. 29Can change their whine into a mirth- Through plenty, lose in morals whatful note [dance they gain—When safe occasion offers ; and Tvith In manners victims of luxurious ease.And music of the bladder and the hag, These, therefore, I can pity, placed re-Beguile their woes, and make the mote [vents.woods resound. From all that science traces, art in-Such health and gaiety of heart enjoy Or inspiration teaches; and enclosedThe houseless rovers of the sylvan In boundless oceans never to be pass'dworld By navigators uniniorm'd as they,And breathing wholesome air, and Or plough'd perhaps by Bntish barkwandering much, again. [cause.Need other physic none to heal the But far beyond the rest, and with mosteffects Thee, gentle say-age! whom no love ofOf loathsome diet, penurj', and cold. theeBlest he, though uudistinguish'd Or thine, but curiosity perhaps.from the crowd [secm-e Or else vain-glory, promptedus to drawBy wealth or dignity, who dwells Forth from thy native bowers, to shewWhere man, by nature fierce, has laid thee hereaside [slow to learn, With what superior skUl we can abuseHis fierceness, having learnt, though The gifts of Providence, and squanderThe manners and the arts of civU life. life. [againHis wants, indeed, are many; but sup- The dream is past ; and thou hast foundply [reach Thy cocoas and bananas, palms andIs obvious; placed within the easy yams [But hast thou foundOf temperate wishes and industrious And homestall thatch'd with leaves.hands. [soil; Their former charms ? And havingHere virtue thrives as in her proper seen our state.Not rude and surly, and beset with Our palaces, our ladies, and our pompthorns, [springs Of equipage,ourgardens and our sports.And terrible to sight, as when she And heard our music ; are thy simple(If e'er she spring spontaneous) in re- friends, [lightsmote [prevails. Thy simple fare, and all thy plain de-And barbarous climes, where violence As dear to thee as once ? And haveAnd strength is lord of all; but gentle, thy joyskind. Lost nothing by comparison with ours ?By culture tamed, by liberty refresh'd, Eude as thou art, (for we returnedAnd all ter fruits by radiant truth thee rude show.)matured. whole; And ignorant, except of outwardWar and the chase engross the savage I cannot think thee yet so dull of heartWar followed for revenge, or to sup- And spiritless as never to regretplant [spot; Sweets tasted here, and left as soon asThe envied tenants of some happier known. [beach,The chase for sustenance, precarious Methinks I see thee strajring on thetrust ! [straint And asking of the stirge that bathesHis hard condition with severe con- thy footBinds all his faculties, forbids all growth If ever it has wash'd our distant shore.Of wisdom, proves a school in which I sec thee weep, and thine are honest he learns tears, [sadSly circumvention, unrelenting hate, A patriot's for his country: thou artMean self-attachment, and scarce ought At thought of her forlorn and abjectbeside. [north, state, [her up.Thus fare the shivering natives of the From which no power of thine can raiseAnd thus the rangers of the western Thus fancy paints thee, and, thoughworld. apt to err, [thee thus.Where it advances far into the deep. Perhaps errs Uttle when she paintsTowards the antarctic. Even the She tells me too, that duly every mornfavour'd isles, [sun Thou climb'st the mountain top, withSo lately found, although the constant eager eye [wasteCheer all their seasons with a gi\ateful Exploring far and wide the waterysmile, For sight of ship from England. EveryCan boast but little virtue; and inert speck

;; ; ; :;;30 COWPEE'S POEMS.Seen in the dim horizon, turns thee pale The richest scenery and the loveliestWith conflict of contending hojies and forms.fears. [eve, Where finds Philosophy her eagle eye,But comes at last the dull and dusky With which she gazes at yon burningAnd sends thee to thy cabin, well pre- disk [spots?pared [denied. Undazzled, and detects and counts hiiTo dream all night of what the day In London. Where her implement!WeAlas ! expect it not. found no bait exact, [and scansTo tempt us in thy country. Doing With which she calculates, computes,good, All distance, motion, magnitude, andDisinterested good, is not our trade. nowWe travel far, 'tis true, but not for Measures an atom, and now girds anought [again world ? [such a mart,And must be bribed to compass earth In London. Where has commerceBy other hopes and richer fruits than So rich, so throng'd, so drain'd, and soyours. [in the mild suppliedBut though true worth and virtue, As London, opulent, enlarged, and stillAnd genial soil of cultivated life Increasing London ? Babylon of oldThrive most, and may perhaps thrive Not more the glory of the earth, thanonly there, she [gloi-y now.AYet not in cities oft : in proud and gay more accomplish'd world's chiefAnd gain-devoted cities. Thither flow, She has her praise. Now mark aAs to a common and most noisome spot or two [to purgesewer. That so much beauty would do wellThe dregs and feculence of everj' land. And shew this queen of cities, that boIn cities foul example on most minds fairBegets its likeness. Bank abundance May yet be foul, so witty, yet not wise.breeds It is not seemly, nor of good report.In gross and pamper'd cities sloth and That she is slack in discipline ; morelust. prompt [of lawAnd wantonness andglnttonous excess. To avenge, than to prevent the breachIn cities, vice is hidden with most ease, That she is rigid in denouncing deathOr seen with least reproach ; and On petty robbers, and indulges lifevirtue, taught (there And liberty, and ofttimes honour too,By frequent lapse, can hope no triumph To peculators of the public goldBe3-ond the achievement of successful That thieves at home must hang, butflight. he, that putsI do confess them nurseries of the arts. Into his overgorged and bloated purseIn which they flourish most ; where, in The wealth of Indian provinces,the beams escapes. [good,Of warm encouragement and in the eye Nor is it well, nor can it come toOf public note, they reach their perfect That, through profane and infidel con-size. [proclaim'd tempt [annulSuch London is, by taste and wealth Of holy writ, she has presumed toThe fairest capital of all the world. And abrogate, as roundly as she may,By riot and iueoutinence the worst. The total ordinance and will of GodThere, touch'd by Keynolds, a dull blank Advancing Fashion to the post ofbecomes Truth,A lucid mirror, in which Nature sees And centreing all authority in modesAll her reflected features. Bacon there And customs of her own, till SabbathGives more than female beauty to a ritesstone, [lips. Have dwindled into uurospected forms,And Chatham's eloquence to marble And knees and hassocks are well nighNor does the chisel occupy alone divorced. [the townThe powers of sculpture, but the style God made the country, and mau made What wonder then, that health andas muchEach province of her art her equal care. virtue, gifts [draughtWith nice incision of her guided steel That can alone make sweet the bitter iShe ploughs a brazen field, and clothes That life holds out to all, should mosta soil [will. abound [groves ?So sterile, with what charms soe'er she And least be thrcaten'd in the fields and

—; — ;Possess ye therefore, ye who, borne WeBirds warbling all the music.about can spareIn chariots and sedans, know no The splendour of your lamps, they butfatigue [scenes eclipse [foundBut tbat of idleness, and taste no Our softer satellite. Your songs con-But such as art contrives, possess ye Our more harmonious notes : thestill [shine, thrush departs [is mute.Your element ; there only ye can Scared, and the offended nightingaleThere only minds like yours can do no There is a pubhc mischief in yourharm. [noon mirth [as yours.Our groves were planted to console at It plagues your country. Folly suchThe pensive wanderer in their shades. Graced with a sword, and worthier ofAt eve [tween a fan, [have done.The moonbeam, sliding softly in be- Has made, what enemies could ne'erThe sleeping leaves, is all the light Our arch of empire, steadfast but forthey wish, A mutilated structure, soontofalL [you —BOOK II. ^THE TniE-PIECE. AKGUilEXT.—Eefiections suggested by the conclusion of the former book Peace among the nations recommended on the ground of their common fellowship in sorrow — — —Prodigies enumerated Sicilian earthquakes Man rendered obnoxious to — —these calamities by sin God the agent in them The philosophy that stops —at secondary causes reproved Our own late miscarriages accounted for —Satirical notice taken of our trips to Fountaiubleau But the pulpit, not —satire, the proper engine of reformation The reverend advertiser of — — —engraved sermons Petit-maitre parson The good preacher Picture of a —theatrical clerical coxcomb Story-tellers and jesters in the pulpit reproved — —Apostrophe to popular applause Retailers of ancient philosophy expos- —tulated with Sum of the whole matter— Effects of sacerdotal mismanage- —ment on the laity Their folly and extravagance— The mischiefs of profu- —sion Profusion itself, with all its consequent evils, ascribed, as to its principal cause, to the want of discipline in the universities.Oh for a lodge in some vast wilderness, 1 Like kindred drops been mingled intoSome boundless contiguity of shade, | one. [stroys\"\Vhere rumour of oppression and de- Thus man devotes his brother, and de-,Of unsuccessful or successful war. [ceit, Aud worse than all, and most to beMyJffight never reach me more '. ear deplored [blot,is pain'd. As human nature's broadest, foulestMy soul is sick with every day's report Chains him, and tasks him, and exactsOf wrong and outrage with which his sweat [Lug heartearth is fill'd. [heart With stripes, that Mercy with a bleed-There is no flesh in man's obdurate Weeps when she sees inflicted on aIt does not feel for man ; the natural beast. [seeing this. bond Then what is man ? And what man.Of brotherhood is sever'd as the flax And having himian feelings, does notThat falls asunder at the touch of Are. blush [man ?He finds his feUow guilty of a skin And hang his head, to think himself aKot colour'd like his own, and having I would not have a slave to tUl mypower [cause ground.To enforce the wrong, for such a worthy To carry me, to fan me while I sleep,Dooms and devotes him as his lawful And tremble when I wake, for all theprey. wealth [earn'd.Lands intersected by a narrow frith That sinews bought and sold have everAbhor each other. Mountains inter- Xo: dear as freedom is, and in myposed, [else heart'sMake enemies of nations, who had Just estimation prized above all price,

—;33 COWPER'S POEMS.I had much rather be myself the slave. The voice of singing and the sprightlyAnd wear the bouds, than fasten them chord [showon him. [why abroad ? Are silent. Eevelry and dance andWe have no slaves at home —Then Suffer a syncope and solemn pause.And they themselves once ferried o'er While God performs upon the trem-the wave bling stage [alone.That parts us, are emancipate and Of His own works His dreadful part How doth the earth receive Him ?—loosed. [their lungsSlaves cannot breathe in England ; if With what sigusKeceive our air, that moment they are Of gratulation and delight, her King?free. [shackles fall. Pours she not all her choicest fruitsThey touch our country, and their abroad, [gums,That's noble, and bespeaks a nation Her sweetest flowers, her aromaticproud [then, Disclosing Paradise where'er HeAnd jealous of the blessing. Spread it treads '! [hollow wombAnd let it circulate thi-ough every vein She quakes at His approach. HerOf all your empire; that where Britain's Conceiving thunders, through a thou-power [too. sand deeps [foot.Is felt, mankind may feel her mercy And fiery caverns roars beneath HisSure there is need of social inter- The hills move lightly and the moun-course, aid, tains smoke. [extremest pointBenevolence, and peace, and mutual For He has touch'd them. From theBetween the nations, in a world that Of elevation down into the abyss,seems [cease, His wrath is busy and His frown is felt.To toll the death-bell of its own de- The rocks fall headlong and the valleysAnd by the voice of all its elements rise,•To preach the general doom. When The rivers die into offensive pools.were the winds And, charged with putrid verdure,Let slip with such a wan-ant to destroy ? breathe a grossWlipn did the waves so haughtily o'er- And mortal nuisance into all the air.Icap dry ? What solid was, by transformationTheir ancient barriers, deluging the strange, [earth.Fires from beneath, and meteors from Grows fluid, and the fli'd and rootedabove. Tormented into billows, heaves andPortentous, unexampled, unexplain'd. swells.Have kindled beacons in the skies, and Or -with vortiginous and hideous whirlthe old [fits Sucks down its prey insatiable. Im-And crazy earth has had her shaking mense [pangsMore frequent, and foregone her usual The tumult and the overthrow, therest. And agonies of human and of bniteIs it a time to wrangle, when the props Multitudes, fugitive on every side.And pillars of our planet seem to fail, And fugitive in vain. The sylvan sceneAnd Nature with a dim and sickly e^'e Migrates uplifted, and with all its soilTo wait the close of all ? But grant her Ahghting in far-distant fields finds out end [mands A new possessor, and survives theMore distant, and that prophecy de- change. [wroughtA longer respite, unacconiplish'd yet Ocean has caught the frenzy, wnd up-Still they are frowning signals, and To an enormous and o'erbearingbespeak fthe earth height, [voiceDispleasure in his breast who smites Not by a mighty wind, but by thatOr heals it, makes it lanquish or re- Which winds and waves obey, invadesjoice, [deserve the shoreAnd 'tis but seemly that, where all Eesistless. Never such a sudden flood,And stand exposed by common pec- Upridged so high, and sent on such acancy [be peace, charge, [the throngTo what no few have felt, there should Possess'd an inland scene. Where nowAnd brethren in calamity should love. That press'd the beach, and hasty toAlas for Sicily 1 rude fragments now depart [a.-e gone,Lie scatter'd where the shapely column Lookd to the sea for safety? Theystood. Gone with the refluent wave into theIler palaces are dust. In all her streets deep

;,A prince willi half bis people ! Ancient In all the good and ill that chequer lifetowers, Resolving all events with their effectsAnd roofs embattled lugh, the gloomy- And manifold results, into the will And arbitration wise of the Supreme.scenes [consumeWhere beauty oft and letterd worth Did not His eye rule all things, and in-Life in the improductive shades of tend [the leastdeath, [forth, The least of our concerns, (since fromFaU prone ; the pale inhabitants come The greatest oft originate,) could chanceAnd, happy in their unforeseen release Find place in His dominion, or disposeFrom all the rigours of restraint, enjoy One lawless particle to thwart His plan.The terrors of the day that sets them Then God might be surprised, and un-free. [hold thee fast. foreseen [turbWho then that has thee, would not Contingence might alarm Him and dis-Freedom! whom they that lose thee, The smooth and equal course of Hisso regret, [thee, affairs. [eyedThat even a judgment making way for This truth Philosophy, though eagle-Seems in their eyes, a mercy for thy In nature's tendencies, oft overlooks,sake. [such a flame And. having found his instrument, for-Such evil sin hath wrought; and gets [stUl,Kindled in heaven, that it bums down Or disregards, or more presumptuousto earth, [makes Denies the power that wills it. GodAnd in the furious inquest that it proclaimsOn God's behalf, lays waste His fairest His hot displeasure against foolish menworks. [meant That live an atheist Ufe: involves theThe very elements, though each be heaven [winds.The minister of man, to serve his In tempests, quits His grasp upon the And gives them all their fury ; bids awants, [he drawsConspire against him. With his breath, plagueA plague into his blood; and cannot Kindle a fiery boil upon the skin. And putrefy the breath of bloominguse [die.Life's necessary means, but he must health. [fiendStorms rise to o'erwhelm him; or if He caUs for famine, and the meagrestormy winds [rise, Blows mildew from between hisElse not, the waters of the deep shall shrivelld hps, [His mines.And needing none assistance of the And taints the golden ear. He springsstorm, [him there. And desolates a nation at a blast, [tellsShall roll them.'iclves ashore, and reach Forth steps the spruce philosopher, andThe earth shall shake him out of all Of homogeneal and discordant springs And principles; of causes, how theyhis holds. [content,Or make his house his grave : nor so workShall counterfeit the motions of the By necessary laws their sure effects Of action and reaction. He has foundflood, [gulfs.And drown him in her dry and dusty The sotirce of the disease that nature—What then were they the wicked feels, [banish fear.above all, [anehor'd isle And bids the world take heart andAnd we the righteous, whose fast- Thou fool ! wiU thy discovery of theMoved not, while theirs was rock'd like cause [Goda light skiff, [are clear. Suspend the effect, or heal it? Has notThe sport of every wave ? No : none StUl wrought by means since first HeAnd none than we more guilty. But made the world.where all [shafts And did He not of old employ His meansStand chargeable with guilt, and to the To drown it ? What is His creation lessOf wrath obnoxious, God may choose Than a capacious reservoir of means His mark. Form'd for His use. and ready at HisMay punish, if He please, the less, to >vill? [of Him,warn [them, Go. dress thine eyes with eye-salve, ask. The more malignant. If He spared not Or ask of whomsoever He has taught,Tremble and be amazed at thine escape. And learn, though late, the genuineFar guiltier England ! lest he spare not cause of all.thee. [ploy'd England, with all thy faults, I loveHappy the man who sees a God em- thee still,

! ——34 COWPERS POEMS.ily country ! and while yet a nook is And all were swift to follow whom all left [may be found, loved. [other such !Where English minds and manners Those suns are set. Oh, rise, someShall be constrained to lore thee. Or all that we have left, is empty talkThough thy clime [form'd Of old achievements, and despair ofBe fickle, and thy year most part de- new.With dripping rains, or wither'd by a Now hoist the sail, and let thefrost, [skies streamers float [deckI would not yet exchange thy sullen Upon the wanton breezes. Strew theAnd fields without a flower, for warmer With lavender, and sprinkle liquidFrance [groves sweets,\"With all her vines ; nor for Ausonia's That no rude savour maritime invade The nose of nice nobihtj'. Breathe softOf golden fruitage and her myrtle Ye clarionets, and softer still ye flutes, That winds and waters lull'd by magicbowers. [sublime soundsTo shake thy senate, and from heights May bear us smoothly to the GallicOf patriot eloquence to flash down fireUpon thy foes, was never meant mj'task; shore. [pass.—But I can feel thy fortunes, and partake True, we have lost an empire let itThy joys and sorrows with as true a True, we may thank the perfidy ofheart [feel France [land's crown,As any thunderer there. And I can That pick'd the jewel out of Eng-Thy follies too, and with a just disdain With all the cunning of an enviousFrown at effeminates, whose very looks —shrew. [of state.Eeflect dishonour on the land I love. And let that pass. 'twas but a trickHow, in the name of soldiership and A brave man knows no mahce, but atsense, [things, as smooth onceShould England prosper, when such Forgets in peace the injuries of war.And tender as a girl, all-essenced o'er And gives his direst foe a friend's em-With odours, and as profligate as sweet. brace, [very beardWho sell their laurel for a myrtle And shamed as we have been, to thewreath, [when such as these Braved and defied, and in our own seaAnd love when they should fight; proved [oncePresume to lay their hand upon the ark Too weak for those decisive blows thatOf her magnificent and awful cause ? Insured us mastery there, we yet re-Time was when it was praise and boast tain [boastenough [might, Some small pre-eminence, we justlyIn every clime, and travel where we At least superior jockeyship, and claimThat we were bom her children; praise The honours of the turf as all our oivn.enough Go then, well worthy of the praise yeTo fill th' ambition of a private man. seek, [at home..That Chatham's language was his And shew the shame ye might concealmother-tongue, [with his own. In foreign eyes !— be grooms, and vnuAud Wolfe's great name compatriot the plate, [crown IFarewell those honours, and farewell Where once your nobler fathers won awith them [have fallen 'Tis generous to communicate yourThe hope of such hereafter. They skill [learn'd:Each in his field of glory: one inarms. To those that need it. Folly is soonAnd one in council— Wolfe upon the lap And, under such preceptors, who canOf smiling Victory that moment won, faUlAnd Chatham, heart-sick of his coun- There is a pleasure in poetic painstrj-'s shame [stUl Which only poets know. The shiftsThey made us many soldiers. Chatham and turns, [formConsulting England's happiness at The expedients and inventions multi-home, To which the mind resorts, in chase ofSecured it by an unforgiving frown terms [win,If any wrong'd her. Wolfe, where'er Though apt, yet coy, and difficult tohe fought, T\" arrest the fleeting images that fillPut so much of his heart into his The anirror of the mind, and hold themact. fast, [offThat his example had a magnet's force, And force them eit, tiU be has pencill'd

; : ;! ! THE TASIL 35A faithful likeness of the forms he There stands the messenger of truth.views [art There standsThen to dispose his copies with such The legate of the sines ; his themeThat each may find its most pro- divine. pitious light, His office sacred, his credentials clear. By him, the violated law speaks outAnd shine by situation, hardly lessThan by the labour and the skill it Its thunders, and by him, in strains as cost. sweet [peace.Are occupations of the poet's mind As angels use, the gospel whispersSo pleasing, and that steal away the He 'stablishes the strong, restores thethought (\"import, weak, [broken heart,With such address from themes of sad Keclaims the wanderer, binds theThat, lost in his own musings, happy And, arm'd himself in panoply com- man! plete [armsHe feels the anxieties of Ufe, denied Of heavenly temper, furnishes withTheir wonted entertainment, all retire. Bright as his own, and trains, by everySuch joys has he that sings. But ah rulenot such, Of holy discipline, to glorious war.Or seldom such, thehearersof hissong. The sacramental host of God's elect.Fastidious, or else listless, or perhaps Are all such teachers ? would to HeavenAware of nothing arduous in a task all were [wedged between— —They never undertook, they little note But hark, the Doctors voice! fastHis dangers or escapes, and haply And Two empirics he stands, and withTheir least amusement where he found swollen cheeksthe most. [song. Inspires the news, his trumpet. KeenerBut is amusement all? Studious of farAnd yet ambitious not to sing in vain Than all invective is his bold harangue.I would not trifle merely though the While through that public organ of re-world [more. portBe loudest in their praise who do no He hails the clergy; and dcf3-ing shame.Yet what can satire, whether grave or Announces to the world his own andgay? theirs. [dismiss'd.It may correct a foible, may chastise He teaches those to read whom schoolsThe freaks of fashion, regulate the And colleges, untaught; sells accent,dress, [patch tone, [prayerEetrench a sword-blade, or displace a And emphasis in score, and gives toBut where are its sublimer tophies The adagio and andante it demands.found? [reclaim'd He grinds Divinity of other days [printWhat vice has it subdued ? whose heart Down into modern use; transforms oldBj' rigour, or whom laujrh'd into reform? To zigzag manuscript, and cheats theAlas ! Leviathan is not so tamed eyesLaugh'd at, he laughs again; and, Of gallery critics, by a thousand arts.stricken hard, [scales. Are there who purchase of the Doctor'sTurns to the stroke his adamantine ware ?—That fear no discipline of human hands. Oh name it not in Gath ! it cannot be. The pulpit, therefore, (and I name it That grave and learned clerks shouldflU'd [beware need such aid. [droll.\"With solemn awe, that bids me well He doubtless is in sport, and does butWith what intent I touch that holy Assuming thus a rank unknown before.thing;) [last. Grand caterer and drynurse of theThe pulpit (when the satirist has at Church. [warm,Strutting and vapouring in an empty I venerate the man whose heart isschool, [proselyte Whose hands are pure, whose doctrine ;)Spent all his force, and made no and whose lifeI say the pulpit (in the sober use Coincident, exhi'oit lucid proofOf its legitimate, peculiar powers) That he is honest in the sacred cause. To such I render more than mere re-Must stand acknowledged, while theworld shall stand, [guard. spect, [themselves.The most important and effectual Whose actions say that they respectSupport, and ornament of virtue's But loose in morals, and in mannerscause. vain,

;;36 COWPER'S POEMS.In conversation frivolous, in dress As with the diamond on his lily hand,Extreme, at once rapacious and profuse, And play his brilliant parts before myFrequent in park, with lady at his side, eyes [life ?Ambling and prattling scandal as he When I am hungry for the bread ofgoes, [books, He mocks his Maker, prostitutes andBut rare at home, and never at his shamesOr with his pen, save when he scrawls His noble office, and, instead of truth, Displaying his own beauty, starves hisa card; [roundConstant at routs, familiar \vith a flock. [stare.Of ladyships, a stranger to the poor; Therefore, avaunt! all attitude andAmbitious of preferment for its gold. And start theatric.practised at the glass.And well prepared by ignorance and I seek divine simplicity in him [side.sloth. Who handles things divine; and all be-By infidelity and love of world, [slave Though learn'd mth labour, and thoughTo make God's work a sinecure ; a much admired [form'd.—To his own pleasures and his patron's By curious eyes and judgments ill in- pride: To me is odious as the nasal twangFrom such apostles, O ye mitred heads, Heard at conventicle, where worthyPreserve the Church ! and lay not care- men, [themesless hands [not learn. Misled by custom, strain celestialOn skulls that cannot teach, and will Through the press'd nostril, spectacle-Would I describe a preacher, such as bestrid. [preach.Paul, [and own, Some, decent in demeanour while they\"Were he on earth, would hear, approve, That task perform'd, relapse into them-Paul should himself direct me. I would selves,trace [design. And having spoken wisely, at the closeHis master-strokes, and draw from his Grow wanton, and give proof to everyI would express him simple, grave, eye— [not.sincere; [plain, Whoe'er was edified, themselves wereIn doctrine uucorrupt; in language Forth comes the pocket mirror. FirstAnd plain in manner; decent, solenm, we stroke [lock;chaste, [pre.^s'd An eyebrow: next compose a stragghngAnd natural in gesture; much im- Then with an air most gracefully per-Himself, as conscious of his awful form'd.charge, [feeds Fall back into our seat, extend an arm, And lay it atit.s ease with gentle care.And anxious mainly that the flock he With iiandkerchief in hand, dependingMay feel it too ; affectionate in look.And tender in address, as well becomes low. [noseA messenger of grace to guilty men. The better hand more busy, gives the—Behold the picture! Is it like? Like Its bergamot, or aids the iudebted eyewhom ? With opera-glass to watch the moving [a skip.The things that mount the rostrum with scene,And then skip down again pronounce And recognise the slow retiring fair. ; Now this is fulsome, and offends mea text, [wrote. more Than in a Churchman slovenly neglectCry hem! andrcading what they never AAnd rustic coarseness would.Just fifteen minutes, huddle up their heavenly mindwork. [the scene. May be indifferent to her house of clay, And slight the hovel as beneath herAnd with a well-bred whisper closeIn man or woman, but far most inman.And most of all in man that ministers careAnd serves the altar, in my soul I loathe But how a body so fantastic, trim, And quaint in its deportment andmyAll affectation. 'Tis perfect scornObject of my implacable disgust. —attire, [a doubt.What! will a man play tricks, will he in- Can lodge a heavenly mind demands dulge He that negotiates between God andA silly fond conceit of his fair form man, [cernsAnd just proportion, fashionable mien. As God's ambassador, the graLd con-And pretty face, in presence of his Of judgment and of mercy should be- God? wareOr will he seek to dazzle me with tropes, Of lightness in his speech. 'Tis pitiful

;; THE TASK. 3?To court a grin, when you should woo In vain they push'd inquiry to thea soul [spire birth [Whence is man?To break a jest, when pity would in- And spring-time of the world ; asked.Patheiie exhortation; and to address Why form'd at all ? And wherefore asThe skittish fancy with facetious tales, he is? [what ritesWhen sent with God's commission to Where must he find his Maker ? Withthe heart. Adore Him? Will He hear, accept,So did not Paul. Direct me to a quib and bless ?Or meriy turn in all ho ever wTote, Or does He sit regardless of His works?And I consent you take it for your text. Has man within him an immortal seed?Your only one, till sides and benches Or does the tomb take all? If he sur-fail. vive [or woo?No he was serious in a serious cause, His ashes, where? and in what weal :And understood too well the weighty Knots worthy of solution, which aloneterms [not stoop A Deity could solve. Their answersThat he had ta'en in charge. He would vague.To conquer those by jocular exploits, And all at random, fabulous and dark,Whom truth and soberness assail'd in Left them as dark themselves. Their vain. [man rules of life [weak Oh, popular applause ! what heart of Defective and unsanction'd, proved tooIs proof against thy sweet seducing To bind the roving appetite, and leadcharms? [need Blind Nature to a God not yet reveal'd.The wi.sest and the best feel urgent 'Tis Eevelatiou satisfies all doubts,Of all their caution in thy gentlest Explains all mysteries, except her own.gales [alas ! And so illuminates the patii of life.But swell'd into a gust— who then, That fools discover it, and stray noWith all his canvas set, and inexpert. more.And therefore heedless, can withstand Now tell me, dignified and sapient sir. My man of morals, nurtured in thethy power? [less, baldPraise from the rivell'd lips of tooth- shadesDecrepitude, and in the looks of lean Of Academus, is this false or true ?And craving povenj', and in the bow Is Christ the abler teacher, or thoRespectful of the smutch'd artificer. schools ?Is oft too welcome, and may much If Christ, then why resort at every turndisturb [more To Athens or to Rome, for wisdomThe bias of the purpose. How much shortPour'd forth by beauty splendid and Of man's occasions, when in Him residepolite, Grace, knowledge, comfort, an uu-In language soft as adoration breathes ? fathom'd store ? [with a text.Ah spare your idol ! think him human How oft, when Paul hath served usstill; [ties too; Has Epictetus, Plato, Tully, preach'd!Charms he may have, but he has frail- Men that, if now alive, would sit con-Dote not too much, nor spoil what ye tent [worth.admire. [source And humble learners of a Saviour'sAll truth is from the sempiternal Preach it who might. Such was theirOf light divine. But Egypt, Greece, love of truth, [candour too.and Home, [favour'd, we Their thirst for knowledge, and theirDrew from the stream below. More And thus it is. The pastor, eitherDrink, when we choose it, at the vain [taughtfountain-head. [defiled By nature, or by flattery made so.To them it flow'd much mingled and To gaze at his own splendour, and toWith hurtful error, prejudice, and exaltdreams Absurdly, not his office, but himself;Illusive of philosophy, so-call'd. Or uneuiighteu'd, and too proud toBut falsely. Sages after sages strove learn, [teach.In vain to filter off a crystal draught Or vicious, and not therefore apt toPure from the lees, which often more Perverting often by the stress of lewdenhanced And loose example, whom he shouldThe thirst than slaked it, and not instruct.seldom bred Exposes and holds up to broad dis-Intoxication and delirium wild. grace

!38 COWPEB'S POEMS.WhoThe noblest function, and discredits waits to dress us, arbitrates theirmuch [seen. date, [eye;The brightest truths that man has ever Surveys his fair reversion with keenFor ghostly counsel, if it either fall Finds one ill made, another obsolete,Below the exigence, or be not back'd This fits not nicely, that is ill con-With show of love, at least with hope- ceived, [demns.ful proof And making prize of all that he con-Of some sincerity on the giver's part; With our expenditure defrays his own.Or be dishonourd in the exterior form Variety's the very spice of life. [runWeAnd mode of its conveyance, by such That gives it all its flavour. havetricks Through eveiy change that fancy atAs move derision, or by foppish airs the loomAnd histrionic mummerj', that let down Exhausted, has had genius to supply,The pulpit to the level of the stage, And studious of mutation still, discardADrops from the lips a disregarded real elegance, a little used,thing. [not taught, For monstrous novelty and strangeThe weak perhaps are moved, but are disguise. [joysWeArVhile prejudice in men of stronger sacrifice to dress, till householdminds [they see. And comforts cease. Dress drains ourTakes deeper root, conflrm'd by what cellar dry, [our fires.A relaxation of religion's hold And keeps our larder lean; puts outUpon the roving and uctutor'd heart And introduces hunger, frost, and woe,Soon follows, and the curb of consci- Where peace and hospitality mightence snapp'd. reign. [how to live,—The laity run wild. But do they now ? What man that lives, and that knowsNote their extravagance, and be con- Would fafi to exhibit at the publicvinced, [trive shows [there,Ab nations, ignorant of God, cou- A form as splendid as the proudestA wooden one. so we, no longer taught Though appetite raise outcries at theBy monitors that mother Church sup- cost ? [enough, A[ask,plies, man of the town dines late, but soonXow make our own. Posterity will With reasonable forecast and despatch,(If e'er posterity see verse of mine). To insure a side-box station at half-Some fifty or a hundred lustrums price, [dress.hence, You think, perhaps, so delicate his\"What was a monitor In George's days? His daily fare as delicate. AlasMy very gentle reader, yet unborn. He picks clean teeth, and, busy as heOf whom I needs must augxir better seems, [yet.things, [of a world With an old tavern quill, is hungrySince Heaven would sure grow weary The I'out is folly's circle, which sheProductive only of a race like ourp, draws [spell,A monitor is wood. Plankshaveu thin. With magic wand. So potent is theWe wear it at our backs. There closely That none, decoy'd into that fatal ring.braced Unless by Heaven's pecuhar grace,And neatly fitted, it compresses hard escape. [wise;The prominent and most unsightly There we grow early grey, but neverbones, [prove its use There form connections, but acquire noAnd binds the shoulders flat. V,^e friend;Sovereign and most effectual to secure SoUcit pleasare hopeless of success;A form not now gymnastic as of yore. Waste youth in occupations only fitFrom rickets and distortion, else, our For second childhood, and devote oldlot. age [excuse.But thus admonish'd we can walk erect. To sports which only childhood couldOne proof at least of manhood; while There they are happiest who dissemblethe friend [charge. best [politeSticks close, a Mentor worthy of his Their weariness ; and they the mostWhoOur habits costlier thaii Liieullus wore. squander time and treasure withAnd by caprice as multiplied as his. a smile, [that asksJust please us while the fashion is at Though at their own destructioa. Shefull, [sycophant Her dear five himdred friends, con-But change with evei^y moon. The temns them all.

;; THE TASK. 89And hates their coming. They, what Profusion deluging a state with lusts can they less ? Of grossest nature and of worse effects.Make just reprisals, and with cringe Prepares it for its ruin : hardens, blinds.and shrug, [of her. And warps the consciences of publicAnd bow obsequious, hide their hate men [the foolsAll catch the frenzy, downward from Till they can laugh at virtue; mockher Grace, [morning skies. That trust them ; and, in the end, dis-Whose flambeaux flash against the close a fact [herselfAnd gild our chamber ceilings as they That would have shock'd credulity Unmaskd, vouchsafing this their solepass.To her who, frugal only that her thrift excuse; [they?May feed excesses she can ill ailord.Is hackney'd home unlackey'd ; who in Since all alike are selfish— why not This does Profusion, and th' accursedhaste [door, cause [cause.Alighting, turns the key in her own Of such deep mischief, has itself aAnd at the watchman's lantern bor- In colleges and halls, In ancientrowing light, days,Finds a cold bed her only comfort left. When learning, virtue, piety, and truthWives beggar husbands, husbands Were precious, and inculcated with starve their wives, care, [His headOn Fortune's velvet altar offering up There dwelt a sage calVd Liiscipline.—Their last poor pittance Fortune most Not yet by time completely silver'dsevere o'er, [ish youth,Of goddesses yet known, and costlier far Bespoke him past the bounds of freak-Than all that held their routs in But strong for service still, and uuim-Juno's heaven. [world. pair'd. [smileSo fare we in this prison-house the His eye was meek and gentle, and aAnd 'lis a fearful spectacle to see Play'd on his lips, and in his speechKg many maniacs dancing in their was heardchains. [them fast Paternal sweetness, dignity, and love.They gaze upon the links that hold The occupation dearest to his heart Was to encourage goodness. HaWith eyes of anguish, execrate their lot,Then shake them in despair, and dance would stroke [worth again. The head of modest and ingenuous That blush'd at his own praise; andNow basket up the family of plaguesThat waste our vitals. Peculation, sale press the youth [Learning grewOf honour, perjury, corruption, frauds Close to his side that pleased him.By forgery, by subterfuge of law. Beneath his care, a thriving vigorousBy tricks and lies as numerous and as plant; [sions heldkeen The mind was well-inform'd, the pas-As the necessities their authors feel Subordinate, and diligence was choice.Then cast them closely bundled, every If e'er it chanced, as sometimes chancebrat [sire. it must.At the right door. Profusion is the That one among so many overleap'dProfusion unrestrain'd, with all that's The limits of control, his gentle eyebase Grew stem, and darted a severe re-In character, has litter'd all the land. buke; [voiceAnd bred within the memory of no few, His frown was full of terror, and hisA priesthood such as Baal's was of old, Shook the delinquent with such fits ofA people such as never was till now. awe—It is a hungry vice : it eats up all As left him not. till penitence had wonThat gives society its beauty, strength, Lost favour back again, and closed theConvenience, and security, and use : breach.Makes men mere vermin, worthy to be But Discipline, a faithful servant long. trapp'd Declined at length into the vale ofAnd gibbeted as fast as catchpole claws years [eyeCan seize the slippery prey : unties the A palsy struck his arm, his sparklingknot Was quenched in rheums of age, hisOf union, and converts the sacred band voice unstning Grew tremulous, and moved derisionThat holds mankind together, to a•courge. more

;: —40 COWPEE'S POEMS.Than reverence, in perverse rebel- Through want of care, or her whoselious youth. winking eye [brood?So colleges and halls neglected much And slumbering oscitancy mars theTheir good old friend, and Discipline The nurse no doubt. Kegardless ofat leogth [and died. her charge, [learnO'erlook'd and unemploy'd, fell sick She needs herself correction; needs toThen study languish'd, emulation slept, That it is dangerous sporting with theAnd virtue fled. The schools became world, [trust.a scene [stilts. With things so sacred as a nation'sOf solemn farce, where ignorance in The nurture of her youth, her dearestHis cap well lined with logic not his pledge. [onceown, [scholar's part, All are not such. I had a brother\"With parrot-tongue perform'd the Peace to the memory of a man ofProceeding soon a graduated dunce. worth,AThen compromise had place, and scru- man of letters, and of manners too;tiny [in truck. Of manners sweet as virtue alwaysBecame stone-blind, precedence went wears, [smiles.And he was competent whose purse When gay good-nature dresses her inwas so. He graced a college, in which orderA dissolution of all bonds ensued. yet [and weptThe curbs invented for the mulish Was sacred; and was honour'd, loved.mouth (and bolts By more than one, themselves conspi-Of headstrong youth were broken ; bars cuous there. [mix'dGrew rusty by disuse, and massy gates Some minds are temper'd happily, andForgot their office, opening with a With such ingredients of good sensetouch [masquerade and taste [thirstTill gowns at length are found mere Of what is excellent in man, theyThe tassell'd cap and the spruce band With such a zeal to be what they aji-a jest. [of these prove, [them moreA mockery of the world. What need That no restraints can circumscribeFor gamesters, jockeys, brothellers Than they themselves by choice, forimpure, [oftener seen wisdom's sake. [seeSpendthrifts and booted sportsmen. Nor can example hurt them ; what they\"With belted waist and pointers at Of vice in others but enhancing moretheir heels, [was learn'd. The charms of virtue iu their justThan in the boimds of duty? What esteem.If aught was learn'd in childhood, is If such escape contagion, and emergeforgot, [blue. Pure, from so foul a pool, to shineAnd such expense as pinches parents abroad, [themselves,And mortities the liberal hand of love. And give the world their ta ents andIs squauderd in pursuit of idle sports Small thanks to those whose negli-And vicious pleasures ; buys the boy a gence or sloth [snare,name. Exposed their inexperience to theThat sits a stigma on his father's house. And left them to an undirected choice.And cleaves through life inseparably See then : the quiver broken andclose [games decay'd, [ing thereTo him that wears it. What can af ter- In which are kept our arrows. Eust-Of riper joys, and commerce with the In wild disorder, and unfit for use,world, [him soon. What wonder, if discharged into theThe lewd vain world that must receive world, [dom flight.Add to such erudition thus acquired. They shame their shooters with a ran-Where science and where virtue are Their points obtuse, and feathersprofess'd? drunk with wine. [cessful war.They may confirm his habits, rivet fast Well may the Church wage unsuc-His follj-, but to spoil him is a task With such artillery arm'd. Vice parriesThat bids defiance to the united powers wide [straw,Of fashion, dissipation, taverns, stews. The undreaded volley with a sword ofNow. blame we most the nurslings or And stands an impudent and fearless the nurse? mark.The chiUlreu crook'd, and twisted, and Have we not track'd the felon home,deform'd and found

—: ; THE TASK. 41His birthplace and his dam? The Stand up tmoonscious, and refute thecountry mourns, [infest charge. [his arm.Mourns, because every plague that can So when the Jewish leader stretch'd And waved his rod divine, a racoSociety, and that saps and worms thebase obscene, [came forth,Of the edifice that Policy has raised, Spawn'd in the muddy beds of Nile,Swanns in all quarters ; meets the eye, Polluting Egypt. Gardens, fields, andthe ear, [turn. plainsAnd suffocates the breath at every \"Were cover'd with the pest. TheProfusion breeds them; and the cause streets were fill'd;itself [found The croaking nuisance Itu-k'd in everyOf that calamitous mischief has been nook, [scaped,Found too where most offensive, in Nor palace;*, nor even chambersthe skirts [anaign'd And the land stank, so numerous wasOf the robed pedagogue. Else, let the the fry. —BOOK m. THE GAKDEN. ARGUMENT.— —Self-recollection and reproof Address to domestic happiness Some account—of myself The vanity of many of their pursuits who are reputed wise—myJustification of censures Divine illumination necessary to the most—expert philosopher The question, What is truth? answered by other ques-— —tions Domestic happiness addressed again Few lovers of the country— —My tame hare Occupations of a retired gentleman in his garden Pruning— — —Framing Greenhouse Sowing of flower-seeds— The country preferable—to the town even in the winter Eeasous why it is deserted at that season—Ruinous effects of gaming, and of expensive improvement Book con-cludes with an apostrophe to the metropolis.As one who, long in thickets and in Most part an empty ineffectual sound, What chance that I, to fame so littlebrakes [now thatEntangled, winds now this way and known, [much,His devious course uncertain, seeking Xor conversant with men or manners home; Should speak to purpose, or with betterOr having long in miry ways been foil'dAnd sore discomfited, from slough to hope [far Crack the satiric thong ? 'Twere wiserslough For me, enamour'd of sequester'dPlunging, and half-despairingof escape. scenes, [reposeIf chance at length he finds a green- And charm'd with rural beauty, tosward smooth Where chance may throw me, beneathAnd faithful to the foot, his spirits rise, elm or vine, [the plains.He chirrups brisk his ear-erecting steed, My languid limbs when summer searsAnd winds his way with pleasure and Or when rough winter rages, on the soft And shelter'd Sofa, while the nitrouswith ease; [call'dSo I, designing other themes, and air [ful hearthTo adorn the Sofa with eulogium due, Feeds a blue flame, and makes a cheer-To tell its slumbers and to paint its There, undisturb'd by Folly, and ap-dreams, [seat prised, [her.Have rambled wide. In country, c!ty. How great the danger of distuibingOf academic fame, (howe'er deserved.) To muse in silence, or at least confineLong held and scarcely disengaged at Remarks that gall so many, to the fewlast. [road My partners in retreat. Disgust con-But now with pleasant pace a cleanlier ceal'd [the faultI mean to tread. I feel myself at large, Is ofttimes proof of wisdom, whenCourageous, and refresh'd for future Is obstinate, and cure beyond our reach. toil. Domestic happiness, thou only blissIf toil awaits me, or if dangers new. Of Paradise that has survived the fall! Since pulpits fail, and sounding Though few now ttste thee unimpair'dboards reflect and pure,

43 COWPER'S POEMS.Or tasting, long enjoy thee, too infirm And pocketed a prize by fraud ob-Or too incatious to preserve thy sweets tain'd, [He that soldUnmii'd with drops of bitter, which \"Was marked and shunn'd as odious.neglect His country, or was slack when sheOr temper sheds into thy crystal cup. requiredThou art the nurse of virtue. In thine His every nerve in action and at stretch,arms Paid with the blood that he had baselyShe smiles, appearing, as in truth she is, spared [yes, now,Heaven-born, and destined to the skies The price of his default. But now,again. [is adored, We are become so candid and so fair.Thou art not known where pleasure So liberal in construction, and so richThat reeling goddess with the zoneless In Christian charity (good-naturedwaist [the arm agel) [sex,And wandering eyes, still leaning on That they are safe, sinners of eitherOf Novelty, her fickle frail support; Transgress what laws they may. WellFor thou art meek and constant, hat- dress'd, well bred.ing change, [love Well equipaged, is ticket good enoughAnd finding in the calm of truth-tried To pass us readily through every door.Joj's that her stormy raptures never Hj'pocrisy, detest her as we may,yield. [we made (And no man's hatred ever wrong'dForsaking thee, what shipwreck have her yet,) [admitsOf honour, dignity, and fair renown. May claim this merit still— that sheTill prostitution elbows us aside The worth of what she mimics withIn all our crowded streets, and senates such care.seem And thus gives virtue indirect applause;Convened for purposes of empire less, But she has bm'n'd her mask, notThau to release the adulteress from needed here, [her shiftsher bond. [angry verse ! Where vice has such allowance, that And specious semblances have lostThe adulteress ! what a theme forAVhat provocation to the indignant their use [herdheart [dain I was a stricken deer that left the Long since ; with many an arrow deepThat feels for injured love! but 1 dis-The nauseous task to paint her as she infix'd [%vithdrewis, [shame. My panting side was charged, when ICruel, abandon'd, glorying in her To seek a tranquil death in distantNo. Let her pass, and charioted along shades. [himselfIn guilty splendour, shake the public There was I found by one who hadways [them white : Been hurt by the archers. In his side ;The frequency of crimes has washd he bore, [scars.And verse of mine shall never brand And in his hands and feet, the cruelthe wretch, [smirch'd. With gentle force soliciting the darts,Whom matrons nuw of character uu- He drew them forth, and heal'd andAud chaste themselves, are not bade me live. [moteashamed to own. fold time, Since then, with few associates, in re-Virtue and vice had boundaries in And silent woods I wander, far fromNot to be pass'd; and she that had those [scene;renounced [self My former partners of the peopledHer sex's honour, was renounced her- With few associates, and not wishingBy all that prized it ; not for prudery's more.sake, Here much I ruminate, as much I may, With other views of men and mannersBut dignity's, resentful of the wrong. now'Twas hard perhaps on here and therea waif, Than once, and others of a life to come.Desirous to return, and not received; I see that all are wanderers, gone astrayBut was a wholesome rigour in the Each in his own delusions; they aremain, [serve wit'a care lost [woo'dAnd taught th' unblemish'd to pre- In chaco of fancied happiness, stillThat purity, whose loss was loss of aU. And never won. Dream after dreamMen too were nice in honour in those ensues,days, [that sharp'd, And still they dream that they shallAnd judged offenders well. Then he still succeed.

! —— THE TASK. 43And Btill are disappointed. Eings the That having wielded the elements, and•vrorld [mankind. built [way,AWith the vain stir. I sum up half thousand systems, each in his ownAnd add two-thirds of tho remaining They should go out in fume and behalf, [feara forgot ? [are theyAnd find the total of their hopes and Ah! what is life thus spent? and whatDreams, empty dreams. The milUon But frantic who thus spend it ? all forflit as gay smoke.As if created only like the fly, Eternity for bubbles proves at lastAThat spreads his motley wings in the senseless bargain. When I see sucheye of noon, [more. games [swearsTo sport their season, and be seen no Play'd by the creatures of a Power whoThe rest are sober dreamers, grave That He will judge the earth, and calland wise, [and rare. the fool [vain;And pregnant with discoveries new To a sharp reckoning that has lived inSome write a narrative of wars, and And when I weigh this seeming vrisdomfeats [rant well,Of heroes little known, and call the And prove it in the infallible resultA history: describe the man, of whom —So hollow and so false, I feel my heartHis own coevals took but little note. Dissolve in pitj-, and account theAnd paint his person, character, and leam'd, [ceived.views, [mother's womb. If this be learning, most of all de-As they had known him from his Great crimes alarm the couscience.'butThey disantangle from the puzzled it sleeps [amused.skein [up, While thoughtful man is plausiblyIn which obscurity has wrapp'd them Defend me therefore, common sense,The thi'eads of politic and shrewd say I,design [charge From reveries so airy, from the toilThat ran through all his purposes, and Of dropping buckets into emply wells,His mind with meaniDga that he never And growing old in drawing nothinghad, [and bore up [profound,Or having, kept conceal'd. Some drill 'Twere well, says one sage erudite.The solid earth, and from the strata Terribly arch'd and aquiline his nose,there And overbuilt with most impendingExtract a register, by which we leam brows [to liveThat He who made it, and reveal'd its 'Twere well, could you permit the worlddate As the world pleases. What's theTo Moses, was mistaken in its age. world to you ? [drew milk.Some more acute, and naore industrious Much. I was bom of woman, andstill, As sweet as charity, from himianContrive creation; travel nature up breasts.To the sharp peak of her sublimest I think, articulate, I laugh and weep,height, [some are flx'd. And exercise all functions of a man.And tell us whence the stars; why How then should I and any man thatAnd planetary some; what gave them lives [my vein.first [their light. Be strangers to each other? PierceEolation, from what fountain flow'd Take of the crimson stream meander-Great contest follows, and much learned ing there, [glass,dust [ing truth, And catechise it well. Apply yourInvolves the combatants, each claim- Search it, and prove now if it be notAnd truth disclaiming both : and thus bloodthey spend [lamp Congenial with thine own : and if it be. What edge of subtlety canst thou sup-The little wick of life's poor shallowIn playing tricks with nature, giving pose [art.laws [own. Keen enough, wise and skilful as thouTo distant worlds, and trifling in their To cut the Unk of brotherhood, byla 't not a pity now, that tickUng which [kiad?rheums One common Maker bound me to theShould ever tease the lungs and blear amTrue ; I no proficient, I confess,the sight In arts like yours. I cannot call theOf oracles like these? Great pity too, Bwift J

;; ;44 COWPEE'S POEMS.And perilous lightnings from the angry Milton, whose genius had angelic wings,clouds [beneath And fed on mauna. And such thine,And bid them hide themselves inearth in whom [cause.I cannot analyse the air. nor catch Our British Themis gloried with justThe parallax of yonder luminous point Immortal Hale ! for deep discernmentThat seems half quenoh'd in the im- praised, [famed—mense abyss. [I rest And sound integrity not more, thanSuch powers I boast not neither can For sanctitj' of manners undefiled.A silent witness of the headlong rage All flesh is grass, and all its gloryOr heedless folly by which thousands fades [winddie, fmino Like the fair flower dishevell'd in theBone of my bone, and kindred souls to Eiches have wings, and grandeur is aGod never meant that man should dream [tomb.scale the heavens [works. The man we celebrate must find aBy strides of human wisdom. In His And we that worship him, ignobleThough wondrous, He commands us in graves. [curseHis \"Word [shines. Nothing is proof against the generalTo seek Him rather where His mercy Of vanity, that seizes all below.The mind indeed, enlighten'd from The only amaranthine flower on earthabove, [cause Is virtue; the onlj' lasting treasure,Views Him in all ; ascribes to the grand truth. [question putThe grand effect ; acknowledges with But what is truth? 'Twas Pilate'sjoy [His style. To Truth itself, that deign'd him noHis manner, and with rapture tastes reply. [His lightBut never yet did philosophic tube, — —And wherefore? will not God impartThat brings the planets home into the To them that ask it ? Freely 'tis Hiseye joy.Of observation, and discovers, else His glory, and His nature to impart.Not visible, His family of worlds. But to the proud, uncandid, insincere,Discover Him that rules them ; such a Or negligent inquirer, not a spark.veil [the birth, What's that which brings contemptHangs over mortal eyes, blind from upon a book, [style be neat.And dark in things divine. Full often And him who writes it, though thetoo [learn The method clear, and argument exact?Our wayward intellect, the more we That makes a minister in holy thingsOf nature, overlooks her Author more, The joy of many, and the dread ofFrom instrumental causes proud to more, [reproach ?draw [take. His name a theme for praise and forConclusions retrograde, and mad mis- That while it gives us worth in God'sBut if His Word once teach us, shoot account.a ray [and reveal Depreciates and undoes us in our own? What pearl is it that rich men cannotThrough all the heart's dai-k chambers,Truths undiscernd but by that holy buy. That learning is too proud to gather up. light. But which the poor and the despised ofTheu all is plain. Philosophy baptizedIn the pure fountain of eternal love all [sought? Seek and obtain, and often find un-Has eyes indeed ; and viewing all she Tell me, and I wUl tell thee, what is sees. truth.As meant to indicate a God to man, O friendly to the best pursuits of man.Gives Him his praise, and forfeits not Friendly to thought, to virtue, and toher own. [daysLearning has borne such fruit in other peace.On all her branches : piety has found Domestic life in rural pleasure pass'd IFriends in the friends of science, and Few know thy value, and few taste thytrue prayer [taliau dews. sweets, [affectHas flow'd from lips wet with Cas- Though many boast they favours, andSuch ^. as thy wisdom, Newton, child- To understand and choose thee forlike sage? their own.Sagacious reader of the works of God, But foolish man foregoes his properAnd in His Word sagacious. Such too bliss,thine, Even as his first progenitor, and quits,