Works of William Cowper

—; ; ; ———:;MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 135And if success his steps attend, To prove at last my main intentDiscerns a rival in a friend, Needs no expense of argument, And hates him for encroaching. No cutting and contriving Seeking a real friend, we seemHence authors of iUustrious name, To adopt the chemist's golden dream.(Unless belied by common fame,) With still less hope of thriving. Are sadly prone to quarrel,To deem the wit a friend displays Sometimes the fault is all our own, Some blemish in due time made knownA tax upon their own just praise, And pluck each other's laurel. By trespass or omission Sometimes occasion brings to lightA man renowned for repartee Our friend's defect, long hid from sight,Will seldom scruple to make free And even from suspicion. With friendship's finest feeling, Then judge yourself, and prove yourWill thrust a dagger at your breast. As circumspectly as you can, [manAnd say he wounded you in Jest, And, having made election. By way of balm for healing. Beware no negligence of yours, Such as a friend but ill endures.Who eyer keeps an open ear Enfeeble his affection.For tattlers ^vill be sure to hear The trumpet of contention That secrets are a sacred trust. That friends should be sincere and just,Aspersion is the babbler's trade,To listen is to lend him aid, That constancy befits them. Are observations on the case. And rush into dissension. That savour much of common place,A friendship that in frequent fits And all the world admits them.Of controversial rage emits But 'tis not timber, lead, and stone, The sparks of disputation. An architect requires aloneLike hand in hand insurance plates, To finish a fine buildingMost unavoidably creates The palace were but half complete. The thought of conflagration. If he could possibly forgetSome fickle creatures boast a soul The carving and the gilding.True as a needle to the pole. The man that hails you Tom or Jack, Their humour yet so various And proves by thumps upon your backThey manifest their whole life throughThe needle's deviations too, How he esteems your merit, Their love is so precarious. Is such a friend, that one had need Be very much his friend indeedThe great and small but rarely meetOn terms of amity complete; To pardon or to bear it. Plebeians must surrender. As similarity of mind.And yield so much to noble folk, Or something not to be defined,It is combining fire with smoke, First fixes our attention Obscurity with splendour. So manners decent and polite. The same we practised at first sight,Some are so placid and serene Must save it from declension.(As Irish bogs are always green) They sleep secure from waking Some act upon this prudent plan, \" Say little, and hear all you can.\"And are indeed a bog, that bearsYour imparticipated cares Safe policy, but hateful— So barren sands imbibe the shower, Unmoved and without quaking. But render neither fruit nor flower,Courtier and patriot cannot mis Unpleasant and ungrateful.Their heterogeneous politics The man, I trust, if sh}' to mo, Without an effervesence. Shall find me as reserved as he.Like that of salts with lemon juice.Which does not yet like that produce No subterfuge or pleading Shall win my confidence again; A friendly coalescence. I will by no means entertainKeligion should extinguish strife. A spy on my proceeding.And make a calm of human life —These samples for alas ! at last But friends that chance to differ These are but samples, and a tastaOn points which God has left at large. Of evUs yet uumentiou'dHow fiercely will they meet and charge! No combatants are stiffer.

; !; ;196 COWPER'S POEMS.!May prove the task a task indeed, And if I make despatch and follow which 'tis much if we succeed, However well intention'd. hard. No doubt but I shall find him in thePursue the search, and you will And yard:\"'Good sense and knowledge of mankiud For long ere now it should have been To be at least expedient,And, after summing all the rest, rehearsed,Eeligion ruling in the breast 'Twas in the garden that I found him A principal ingredient. first.The noblest friendship ever shown Even there I found him, there the full-The Saviour's history makes known, grown cat Though some have turn'd and tum'd His head, with velvet paw, did gentlyAnd, whetherbeing erased or blind, [it;Or seeking with a biass\"d mind. pat, [been Have not, it seems, discem'd it. As curious as the kittens erst had To learn what this phenomenon might mean.myFriendship ! if soul forego Fill'd with heroic ardour at the sight, And fearing every moment he wouldThy dear delights while here below. bite.To mortify and grieve me. And rob our household of our only catMay I myself at last appear That was of age to combat with a rat.Unworthy, base, and insincere. With outstretch'd hoe I slew him at theOr may my friend deceive me door, [so MORE. And taught him never to come there THE COLUBEIAD. EPITAPH ON A HxVEE.Close by the threshold of a doornail'd Here hes, whom hound did ne'er pnr-fast [aghast Nor swifter greyhound foUow, [sue. Whose foot ne'er tainted morning devr,Three kittens sat; each kitten look'd Nor ear heard huntsmiJa's haUoo1 passing swift and inattentive by.At the three kittens cast a careless eye. Old Tiney, surliest of his kind.Not much concern'd to know what they Who, nursed with tender care,did there. And to domestic bounds confined.Not deeming kittens worth a poet's care. Was still a wild Jack hare.But presently a loud and furious hiss Though duly from my hand he tookCaused me to stop, and to exclaim, His pittance every night.\" What's this ?\" [view, He did it with a jealous look. And, when he could, would bite.'When lo ! upon the threshold met myWith head erect, and eyes of fiery hue,A viper, long as Count de Grasse'squeue. [he throws. His diet was of wheaten bread. And milk, and oats, and straw;Forth from his head his forked tongue Thistles, or lettuces instead,Darting it full against a kitten's nose, With sand to scour his maw.Who having neverseen in field or house On twigs of hawthorn he regaled.The like, sat still and sUeut as a mouse On pippins' russet peel.Only projecting with attention due. And, when his juicy salads fail'd, Sliced carrot pleased him well.Her whisker'd face, she ask'd him,\" Who are you?\" A Turkey carpet was his lawn. [slow. Whereon he loved to bound.On to the hall went I, with pace not To skip and gambol like a fawn,But swift as lightning, for a long Dutch And swing his rump around.hoe, [the spot,—With which, weU-arm'd. I hasten'd toTo find the viper, but I found him not.And, turning up the leaves and shrubs His frisking was at evening hours, For then he lost his fear.—aroimd, [found. But most before approaching showers,Found only that he was not to be Or when a storm drew near.But still the kittens, sitting as before,Sat watching clo.se the bottom of thedoor. [kill Eight years and five round rolling\" I hope,\" said I, \" the villain I would He thus saw steal away, [moonsHas slipp'd between the door and the Dozing out all his idle noons,door-sill And every night at play.

!! ;; ; !; ; ! ! ; ;; MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 197I kept him for his humour's sake, I have sought thee in splendour and For he would oft bes:uile dress,My heart of thoughts that made it ache, And force me to a smile. In the regions of pleasure and taste; I have sought thee, and seem'd toBut now beneath his walnut shade He finds his long last home, possess.And waits, in snug concealment laid, But have proved thee a vision at last. Till gentler Puss shall come. An humble ambition and hope The voice of true wisdom inspires;He. still more aged, feels the shocks From which no care can save, 'Tis sufficient, if peace be the scope,And, partner once of Tiney's box, And the summit of all our desires. Must soon partake his grave. Pe.ace may be the lot of the mindON THE LOSS OF THE EOYAL That seeks it in meekness and love GEOKGE. But rapture and bless are conQnedToll for the brave To the glorified spirits above. The brave that are no more SONG. All sunk beneath the wave, Air—\" The Lass ofPattie's Mill.\" Fast by their native shore! When all within is peace, How nature seems to smile Eight hundred of the brave, Whose courage well was tried. Delights that never cease The livelong day beguile.Had made the vessel heel, And laid her on her side. From mom to dewy eve,A land-breeze shook the shrouds, With open hand she showers Fresh blessings, to deceive And she was overset;Down went the Eoyal George, And soothe the silent hours. With all her crew complete. It is content of heart Toll for the brave Gives Nature power to please; Brave Kempenfelt is gone The mind that feels no smart His last sea-fight is fought Enlivens all it sees. His work of glory done. Can make a wintry skyIt was not in the battle; Seem bright as smiling May, No tempest gave the shock And evening's closing eyeShe sprang no fatal leak As peep of early day. She ran upon no rock. The vast majestic globe.His sword was in its sheath; So beauteously array'd His fingers held the pen, In Nature's various robe.When Kempenfelt went down With wondrous skill display'd, With twice four hundred men. Is to a mourner's heartWeigh the vessel up. A drearj' wild at best Once dreaded by our foes! It flutters to depart,And mingle with our cup The tear that England owes. And longs to be at rest.Her timbers yet are sound. THE DISTRESSED TEAYELLEES; And she may float again OK, LABOUR IN VAIN.Full charged with England's thunder, I SING of a journey to Clifton, And plough the distant main. We would have perform'd if we could,But Kempenfelt is gone. His victories are o'er; Without cart or barrow to lift onAnd he and his eight hundred Poor Mary and me through the mud. Shall plough the wave no more. Sleo sla slud. Stuck in the mud. Oh it is pretty to wade through a flood ! So away we went, slipping and sliding!—SONG.—ON PEACE. Hop, hop, a la mode de deux frogs,MyAlE \" \" 'Tis near as good walking as riding. fond Sheplterds of late. When ladies are dress'd in theirNo longer I follow a sound Wheels, no doubt, [clogs. No longer a dream I pursue; Go briskly about,O happiness! not to be found. But they clatter and rattle, and makeUnattainable treasure, adieu such a rout

;; —! !! ; ;!IDS COWPEK'S POEMS.\" Well ! now I protest it is charming ' ' I have examined It every nook, [all. ; And what you see here is a sample ofHow finely the weather improves ! Come, wheel round, The dirt we have foundThat cloud, though 'tis rather alarming, Would be an estate at a farthing aHow slowly and stately it moves 1\" pound,\" HE. Now, sister Anne, the guitar you must ' ' Pshaw ! never mind, shall take, 'Tis not in the wind, Set it, and sing it, and make it a song;We are travelling south, and leave it behind.\" SHE. I have varied the verse for variety's\" I am glad we are come for an airing. sake, [long. For folks may be pounded and —And cut it off short because it was penn'd. 'Tis hobbling and lame,Until they grow rusty, not caring Which critics wont blame, To stir half-a-mUe to an end.\" For the sense and the sound, they say, shotild be the same. HE. THE EOSE. \" The longer we stay, The rose had beenwash'd, jnst wash'd The longer we may; [way.\"It's a folly to think about weather or in a shower, Which Mary to Anna convey'd SHE. The plentiful moisture enoumber'd the\" But now I begin to be frighted flower. If I fall, what a way I should roll And weigh'd down its beautiful head.I am glad that the bridge was indicted, Stay ! stop ! I am sunk in a hole !\" The cup was all fiU'd, and the leaves were all wet. HE. And it seem'd, to a fanciful view, \" Nay, never care ! To weep for the buds it had left with 'Tis a common affair; regretYou'll not be the last that will set a On theflourishing bush where itgrew. foot there.\" I hastily seized it, unfit as it was SHE. For a nosegay, so dripping and\"Let me breathe now a little, and drown'd, [alas 1 ponder And swinging it rudely, too rudely, On what it were better to doThat terrible lane I see yonder, I snapp'd it, it fell to the ground. I think we shall never get through.\" And such, I exclaim'd, is the pitiless HE. Some act by the delicate mind, [part \" So think I :— Regardless of wringing and breaking a Already to sorrow resign'd. [heart But, by the by. [try.'' This elegant rose, had I shaken it less,We never shall know, if we never should Might have bloom'd with its owner awhile [address, SHE. And the tear that is wiped with a Uttle\"But should we get there, how shall May be foUow'd perhaps by a smile.we get home? [have pastWhat a terrible deal of bad road we THE VALEDICTION.Slipping and sliding ; and if we should Farewell, false hearts I whose bestcome [last affections fail [suns exhale!amTo a difficult stile, I ruiud at Like shallow brooks which summer O this lane! Forgetful of the man whom once ye Xow it is plain [in vain.\" chose, [woes;That struggling and striving is labour Cold in his cause, and careless of his —'' I bid you both a long and last <ulieu\" Stick fast there while I go and look Cold in my turn, and unconcein'd like you. ['luly proved. First farewell Niger! whom, now'Don't go away, for fear I should fall!\" I disregard as much as I have loved.

; !! !;;;; ; ; : MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 199Your brain well furnish' d, and your We hug the hopes of constancy andtongue well taught [thought, truth, [youth,To press with energy your ardent Such is the folly of our dreamingYour senatorial dignity of face, But soon, alas ! detect the rash mistakeSound sense, intrepid spirit, manly That sanguine inexperience loves tograce, [ascend, make [vest lost.Have raised yon high as talents can And view with tears the expected hai'-Made you a peer, but spoUt you for a Decay'd by time, or wither'd by a frost. Whoever undertakes a friend's greatfriend [acquiredPretend to all that parts have e'er part [heart.Be great, be fear'd, be envied, be Should be renew'd in nature, pure inadmired; Prepared for martyrdom, and strongTo fame as lasting as the earth pretend, to prove [love.But not hereafter to the name of friend I A thousand ways the force of genuineI sent you verse, and, as your lordship He may be call'd to give up health andknows [prose gain, [for pain,Back'd with a modest sheet of humble To exchange content for trouble, easeNot to recall a promise to your mind, To echo sigh for sigh, and groan forFnlflU'd with ease had you been so groan.inclined, And wet his cheeks with sorrows notBat to comply with feelings, and to give his o^vn. [frail,Proof of an old affection still alive. The heart of man, for such a task tooYour sullen silence serves at least to tell When most relied on is most sure tomyYour alter'd heart ; and so, lord, faU [woe. farewell 1 And, summon'd to partake its fellow's Starts from its office, like a broken Next, busy actor on a meaner stage,Amusement-monger of a trifling age. bow. [sure, proveIllustrious histrionic patentee, [thee Votaries of business, and of plea-myTerentius, once friend, farewell to Faithless alike in friendshipandinlove.In thee some virtuous qualities combine. Retired from all the circles of the gay. And all the crowds that bustle life away.To fit thee for a nobler part than thine. To scenes where competition, envy,Who, bom a gentleman, hast Btoop'd too low, strife,To live by buskin, sock, and raree-show. Beget no thunder-clouds to trouble life,Thy schoolfellow, and partner of thy Let me, the charge of some good angel.plays, [twined the bays. And [mankindWhen Nichols swung the birch and One who has known and has escapedAnd having known thee bearded and Polite, yet virtuous, who has brought full grown, away [day:The weekly censor of a laughing town,I thought the volume I presumed to The manners, not the morals of the With him, perhaps with her, (for mensend, [friend, have known [have shown )Graced vdth the name of a long-absent No firmer friendships than the fairMight prove a welcome gift and touch Let me enjoy in some uuthought-ofthine heart, spot,Not hard by nature, in a feeling part. All former friends forgiven and forgot, Down to the close of life's fast-fadingBut thou, it seems, (what cannot gran-deur do, [dainful too scene, [tween.Though but a dream !) are grown dis- Union of hearts, without a flaw be-And strutting in thy school of queens 'Tis grace, 'tis bounty, and it calls forand kings, [things, praise, [our days !Who fret their hour, and are forgotten If God give health, that sunshine ofHast caught the cold distemper of the And if He add, a blessing shared byday, [away. few, [are due:And. like his lordship, cast thy friend Content of heart, more praises stillO Friendship! cordial of the human But if He grant a friend, that boonbreast possess'd [the rest;So little felt, so fervently profess'd! Indeed is treasure, and crowns allThy blossoms deck our unsuspecting And giving one, whose heart is in theyears skies, [wise.The promise of delicious fruit appears Born from above, and made divinely

— ;; ; ;200 COWPEB'S POEMS.AHe gives what bankrupt nature never story of a cook and bull.can, [man, Must have a most uncommon skull.Whose noblest com is light and brittle It chanced them on a winter's day, But warm and bright and calm as May,Gold, purer far than Ophir ever knew, The birds conceiving a designA soul, an image of Himself, and there-fore true. To forestall sweet St Valentine, In many an orchard, copse, and groveTO THE IiniOETAL MEIIOBY OF Assembled on affairs of love, [chatter THE HALIBUT, And with much twitter and much Began to agitate the matter.ON WHICH I DINED THIS DAT, MONDAY, At length a Bullflnch, who could boast APRIL 26, 17S4. More years and wisdom than the most,\"Where hast thou floated, in what seas Entreated, opening wide his beak,pursued [new spawn'd, A moment's liberty to speak; And silence publicly enjoin'd,Thy pastime ? \"When wast thou an egg Deliver'd briefly thus his mind:Lost in the immensity of ocean's waste ?Boar as they might, the overbearing \"Myfriends! becautioushowyetreatwinds The subject upon which we meet;That rock'd the deep, thy cradle, thou I fear we shall have -winter yet,\" [trol, wast safe A Finch, whose tongue knew no con-And in thy minikin and embryo state,Atfach'd to the firm leaf of some salt With golden wing and satin poll, weed. A last year's bird, who ne'er had tried What marriage means, thus pert re-Didst outlive tempests, such as rung plied : [she,and rack'd \"Methtnks the gentleman,\" quothThe joints of many a stout and gallant \" Opposite in the apple tree.bark. [abyss. By his good will would keep us singleAnd whelm'd them in the unexplored Till yonder heaven and earth shallIndebted to no magnet and no chart, mingleNor under guidance of the polar fire, Or (which is likelier to befaU)Thou wast a voyager on many coasts,Grazingat large inmeadows submarine. Till death exterminate us all.Where flat Batavia, just emerging, I marry without more ado My dear Dick Eedcap, what say yon?\"peeps [rocks Dick heard, and tweedling, ogling,—Above the brine, where Caledonia's bridling, [sideling.—Beat back the surge, and where Turning short round, strutting, andHibernia shoots [main. Attested glad, his approbationHer wondrous causeway far into the Of an immediate conjugation.Wherever thou hast fed, thou little Their sentiments so well express'dthought'st, [thee. Influenced mightily the rest;And I not more, that I should feed on All pair'd, and each pair built a nest.Peace, therefore, and good health, and But though the birds were thus inmuch good fish, [oft haste.To him who sent thee ! and success, as The leaves came on not quite so fast, And destiny, that sometimes bearsAs it descends into the billowy gulf, An aspect stern on man's affairs,—To the same drag that caught thee IFare thee well ! Not altogether smiled on theirs.Thy lot thy brethren of the slimy fin The wind, of late breathed gently forth,Would envy, could they know that thou Now shifted east, and east bj' north;wast doom'd [verse. Bare trees and shrubs but iU. you know,To feed a bard, and to be praised in Could shelter them from rain or snow, Stepping into their nests they paddled.PAIBLN^G-TmE ANTICIPATED. Themselves were chill'd,their eggs were A FABLE. addled; Soon every father bird and motherI SHALL not ask Jean Jacques Eousseau Grew quarrelsome, and peck'd eachIf birds confabulate or no other.'Tis clear that they were always able Parted without the least regret.To hold discourse, at least in fiible Except that they had ever met,And even the child who knows no And learn'd in future to be wiserThau to interpret by the letter, [better Thau to neglect a good adviser. ,

— —: ! !; MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 201 MORAL. VEBSESMisses ! the tale that I relate SUPPOSED TO BE WKITTEM BY ALEX. This lesson seems to carry SELKIRK, DURISU HIS SOLITARY ABODE ON THE ISLAND OF JUANChoose not alone a proper mate, FERNANDEZ. But proper time to marry. I Ail monarch of all I survey. HOIAN FEAILTT. My right there is none to dispute,Weak and irresolute is man; From the centre all round to the sea, The purpose of to-day, I am lord of the fowl and the bmte.Woven with pains into his plan, sohtude ! where are the charms To-morrow rends away. That sages have seen in thy face ?The how well bent and smart the spring, Better dwell in the midst of alarm.s. Than reign in this horrible place. Vice seems already slain; 1 am out of humanity's reach,But passion rudely snaps the string, I must finish my journey alone, And it revives again. Never hear the sweet music of speech,Some foe to his upright Intent I start at the sound of my own. Finds out his weaker part, The beasts that roam over the plain,Virtue engages his assent, But pleasure wins his heart. My form with indifference see,'Tis here the folly of the wise They are so unacquainted with man. Their tameness is shocking to me. Through all his art we view.And while his tongue the charge denies .Society, friendship, and love, Divinely bestow'd upon man. His conscience owns it true. Oh, had I the wings of a dove,Bound on a voyage of awful length. How soon would I taste you again! And dangers little known, My sorrows I then might assuageA stranger to superior strength, In the ways of religion and trvtth. Might learn from the wisdom of age. Man vainly trusts his own. And be cheer'd by the sallies of youth.But oars alone can ne'er prevail Religion ! what treasure untoldTo reach the distant coast. Eesides in that heavenly wordThe breath of heaven must swell the More precious than sOver and gold, Or all that this earth can afford.Or all the ton is lost. [sail But the sound of the church-going bell ODE TO PEACE. These valleys and rocks never heard,Come, peace of mind, delightful guest Ne'er sigh'd at the sound of a knell.Eetum and make thy downy nest Or smiled when a Sabbath appear'd. Once more in this sad heart Ye winds that have made me yourKor riches I, nor power pursue,Kor hold forbidden joys in view. Convey to this desolate shore, [sport. Some cordial endearing report. We therefore need not part. Of a land I shall visit no more.W^here wilt thou dwell if not with me, My friends, do they now and then sendFrom avarice and ambition free. A wish or a thought after me? And pleasure's fatal -niles? Oh tell me I yet have a friend,For whom, alas ! dost thou prepare Though a friend I am never to see.The sweets that I was wont to share. How fleet is the glance of the mind I The banquet of thy smiles ? Compared with the speed of its flight,The great, the gay, shall they partake The tempest itself lags behind.The heaven that thou afone canst And the swift- winged arrows cf light. And wilt thou quit the stream [make. When I think of my own native land,That murmurs through the dewy mead.The grove and the sequester'd shed. In a moment I seem to be there But alas ! recollection at hand To be a guest whh them ? Soon hurries me back to despair.For thee I panted, thee I prized,For thee I gladly sacriflced But the sea fowl is gone to her nest. The beast is laid down in his lair. Whate'er I loved before, Even here is a season of rest.And shall I see thee start away,And helpless, hopeless, here thee say, And I to my cabin repair. Farewell ! we meet no more ?

— —! !; —: ; ::202 COWPEE'S POEMS.There's mercy in every place, — —\" Go, feUow! whither ?\" turning And mercy, encouraging thonght short aboutGives even affliction a grace, — —\" Naj- stay at home you're always And reconciles man to his lot. going out.\" [end.'' A COMPAEISOX. —\" 'Tis but a step, sir, just at the street's \" For what?\" \" An' please you, sir, toThe lapse of time and rivers is the see a friend.\" [to startsame, [restless stream. A\" friend!'' Horatio cried, and seem'dBoth speed their journey vrith the \" Yea, marry shalt thou, and with allThe silent pace with which they steal my heart.away, [suade to stay, And fetch my cloak ; for though theNo wealth can bribe, no prayer per- night be raw,Alike irrevocable both when past. I'll see him too— the first I ever saw.\"And a wide ocean swallows both at last. I knew the man, and knew hisThough each resemble each in every nature mild. [child;part, [ing heart And was his plaything often when aA difference strikes at length the mus- But somewhat at that moment pinch'dStreams never flow in vain; where him close,streams abound, [crovra'd Else he was seldom bitter or moroseHow laughs the land with various plenty Perhaps, his confidence just then be-But time that shotild enrich the nobler tray'd, mind. His grief might prompt him with theNeglected, leaves a dreary waste behind. speech he made Perhaps 'twas mere good humour gave AN EPISTLE TO JOSEPH HILL. it birth [mirth.—Dear Joseph flve-and-twenty years The harmless play of pleasantry and Howe'er it was, his language, in my—ago— [so mind, [mankind.Alas, how time escapes! 'tis even Bespoke at least a man that knewWith frequent intercourse, and always But not to moraUse too much, andsweet, [cheat strainAnd always friendlj% we were wont to To prove an evil of which all complain,—A tedious hour and now we never (I hate long arguments verboselymeet! [says, spun;)As some grave gentleman in Terence One story more, dear Hill, and I('Twas therefore much the same in have doneancient days,) [morrow brings Once on a time an emperor, a wise man, No matter where, in China or Japan,Good lack, we know not what to-Strange fluctuation of all human Decreed that whosoever shoirid offendthings! [may part. Against the well-known duties of aTrue. Changes will befall, and friends friend, [wearBut distance only cannot change the Convicted once, should ever after But half a coat, and show his bosomheart: [tion true.And, were I call'd to prove the asser- bare. [doubt,One proof should serve— a reference to The punishment importing this, noyou. [wane of life. That aU was naught within, and allWhence comes it then, that in the found out. [fearThoughnothinghave occurr'd to kindle Oh happy Britain ! we have not tostrife, [won, Such hard and arbitrary measure hereWe find the friends we fancied we had Else, could a law like that which IThough numerous once, reduced to few relate, [state.or none ? [the touch ? Once have the sanction of our triple Some few, that I have known in daysCan gold grow worthless that has stoodNo gold they seem'd, but they were of old, [ing cold; ; Would run most dreadful risk of catch-never such. [cringe,Horatio's servant once, with bow and While you, my friend, whatever windSwinging the parlour door upon its should blow [fro. hinge. Might traverse England safely vo andDreading a negative, and overawed An honest man, close-button'd to theLeast he should trespass, begg'd to go chin, [within.abroad. Broad-cloth without, and a warm heart

— —; ; ;; ; ; ; ; ; MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 203 THE MOR^VLISER COEEECTED. ODE TO APOLLO.A HERMIT, (or if \"chance you hold ON AN INKGLASS ALMOST DRIED INThat title now too trite and old,) THE SUN.A man, once young, who lived retiredAs hermit could have well desired. Patron of all those luckless brains That, to the wrong side leaning,His hours of study closed at last, Indite much metre with much pains,And finish'd his concise repast, And httle or no meaning;Stoppled his cruise, replaced his book Ah, why since oceans, rivers, streams,Within its customary nook.And, staS iu hand, set forth to share That water all the nations.The sober cordial of sweet air. Pay tribute to thy glorious beams, la constant exhalationsLike Isaac, with a mind applied Why, stooping from the noon of day,To serious thought at evening-tide. Too covetous of drink,Autumnal rains had made it chill. Apollo, hast thou stolen awayAnd from the trees, that fringed his hill A poet's drop of ink?Shades slanting at the close of day Upborne into the viewless air,Chill'd more his else deligUtful waj', It floats a vapour now, [rare,Distant a little mile he spied Impell'd through regions dense andA western bank's still sunny side. By all the winds that blowAnd right toward the favour'd place Ordain'd perhaps ere summer flies,Proceeding with his nimblest pace, Combined with millions more,In hope to bask a little yet, To form an iris in the skies.Just reaeh'd it when the sun was set. Though black and foul before. Your hermit, young and jovial sirs!Learns Bomethiug from whate'er oc- Illustrious drop ! and happy thencurs; Beyond the happiest lot,And hence, he said, my mind computes Of all that ever pass'd my pen,The real worth of man's pursuits. So soon to be forgot!His object chosen, wealth or fame, Phcebus, if such be thy design.Or other sublunary game,Imagination to his view To place it in thy bow. Give wit, that what is left may shinoPresents it deck'd with every hue,That can seduce him not to spare With equal grace below.His powers of best exertion there. THE FAITHFUL BIRD.But youth, health, vigour to expend The greenhouse is my summer seatOn so desirable an end. My shrubs displaced from that retreatEre long approachlife's evening shades, Enjoy'd the open airThe glow that fancy gave it fadesAnd, earned too late, it wants the grace Two goldfinches, whose sprightly songThat flrst engaged him in the chase. Had been their mutual solace long, True, answer'd an angelic guide, Lived happy prisoners there.Attendant at the senior's side, They sang as blithe as finches singBut whether all the time it cost. That flutter loose on golden wing,To urge the fruitless chase be lost, And frolic where they listMust be decided by the worth Strangers to liberty, 'tis true.Of that which call'd his ardour forth. But that delight they never knew.Trifles pursued, whate'er the event, And therefore never miss'd. Must cause him shame or discontent But nature works in every breast, With force not easily suppress'd A vicious object stm is worse. And Dick felt some desires. Successful there he wins a curse; That, after many an effort vain. Instructed him at length to gain But he, whom even in life's last stage A pass between his ^vires.I Endeavours laudable engage, Is paid at least iu peace of mind. The open windows seem'd to invite And sense of having well design'd; The freeman to a farewell flight; And if, ere he attain his end, But Tom was still confined His stin precipitate descend, And Dick, although his way was clear. Was much too generous and sincere A brighter prize than that he meant To leave his friend behind. Shall recompense his mere intent. No virtuous wish can bear a date Either too early or too late.

— —! !:: —!204 COWPEE'S POEMS.So settling on his cage, by play. But if inflrmities, that fallAnd chirp, and kiss, he eeem'd to say, In common to the lot of all, You must not live alone;Nor would he quit that chosen stand A blemish or a sense impair'd.Till I, with slow and cautious hand, Are crimes so little to be spared. Beturn'd him to his own. Then farewell all that must create The comfort of the wedded stateOh ye, who never taste the Joys ;Ol friendship, satisfied vnth noise. Fandango, ball, and rout Instead of harmony, 'tis jar. And tumult, and intestine war.Blush when I tell you how a bird The love that cheers life's latest stage,A prison with a friend preferr'd Proof against sickness and old age, Preserved by virtue from declension, To liberty without. Becomes not weary of attention; But Uves, when that exterior grace,MUTUAL FOEBEAEAXCE Which first inspired the flame, decaj'S. 'Tis gentle, delicate, and kind.NECESSARY TO THE HAPPIXESS OF THE To faults compassionate or blind. MARRIED STATE. And will with sympathy endure Those evil^it would gladly cure;The lady thus address'd her spouse But angry , coarse, and harsh expression\" What a mere dungeon is this house Shews love to be a mere profession;By no means large enough ; and was it, Proves that the heart is none of his, Or soon expels him if it is.Yet this dull room, and that dark closet, BOADICEA.Those hangings with their worn-out When the British warrior Queen,graces, Bleeding from the Eoman rods,Ix)ng beards, long noses, and pale faces,Are such an antiquated scene, Sought, vrith an indignant mien. Counsels of her country's gods.They overwhelm me with the spleen.\" Sage beneath the spreading oakSir Humphrey, shooting in the dark. Sat the Druid, hoary chief;Makes answer quite beside the mark: Every burning word he spoke\" No doubt, my dear, I bade him come, Full of rage and full of grief.Engaged myself to be at home, \" Princess if our aged eyesAnd shall expect him at the doorPrecisely when the clock strikes four.\" Weep upon thy matchless wrongs, \" You are so deaf,\" the lady cried, 'Tis because resentment ties All the terrors of our tongues.(And raised her voice, and frown'd 'Eome shall perish—write that wordbeside), In the blood that she has spUt;\" You are so sadly deaf, my dear, Perish, hopeless and abhorr'd.What shall I do to make you hear?\" Deep in ruin as in guilt, \" Dismiss poor Harry l\"' he replies;\" Some people are more nice than wise \" Eome, for empire far renown'd, Tramples on a thousand states;For one slight trespass all this stir ?What if he did ride whip and spur, Soon her pride shall kiss the groimd Hark ! the Gaul is at her gates—'Twas but a mile your favourite horseWill never look one hair the worse.\" \" Other Eomans shall arise. \" Well, I protest 'tis past all bear- Heedless of a soldier's name;ing—'- [ing-\" Sounds, not arms, shaU win the prize. Harmony the path to fame. I am rather hard of hear-—\" ChOd \" Then the progeny that springs ! From the forests of our land,'Yes, truly one must scream and Arm'd with thunder, clad with wings,I tell you, you cant hear at all \"! [bawl Shall a wider world commandThen, with a voice exceeding low, \"Eegions Caesar never knew Thy posterity shall sway;\" No matter if you hear or no.\" Where his eagles never flew.Alasl and is domestic strife. None invincible as they,\"That sorest Ul of human life,A plague so little to be fear'd,As to be wantonly iucurr'd,To gratify a fretful passion,On every trivial provocation?The kindest and the happiest pairWill find occasion to forbear;And something everj- day they liveTo pity and perhaps \"for^ve.

;; —;MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 205Such the banVs prophetic words, But man all feeling and awake, Pregnant with celestial fire, The gloomy scene surveys,Bending as he swept the chords With present ills his heart must ache. Of his sweet but awful lyre. And pant for brighter days.She, with all a monarch's pride. Old Winter, halting o'er the mead, Felt them in her bosom glow: Bids me and Mary mournEush'd to battle, fought, and died; Dying, hurl'd them at the foe. But lovely SpriBg peeps o'er his head. And whispers your return.Euffians, pitiless as proud, Then April with her sister May Heaven awards the vengeance due Shall chase him from the bowers.Empire is on us bestow'd. And weave fresh garlands every day, Shame and rtun wait for you. To crown the smiling hours. TO THE EEV. \"W. CAWTHOENE And if a tear that speaks regret UNWIN. Of happier times appear, Unwin, I should but ill repay The kindness of a friend, A glimpse of joy that we have met Whose worth deserves as warm a lay, Shall shine, and dry the tear. As ever friendship penn'd, THE LILY AND THE KOSE. Thy name omitted in a page, That would reclaim a vicious age. Tub nymph must lose her feu^alo A union form'd as mine with thee, friend Kot rashly, or in sport, If more admired than sheMay be as fervent in degree But where will fierce contention end And faithful in its sort. If flowers can disagree ?And may as rich in comfort prove,As that of true fraternal love. Within the garden's peaceful scene Appear'd two lovely foes.The bud inserted in the rind, The bud of peach or rose, Aspiring to the rank of queen, The Lily and the Eose.Adorns, though differing in its kind, The stock whereon it grows, The Eose soon redden'd into rage. And swelling with disdain,Wirh flower as sweet, or fruit as fair.As if produced by nature there. Appeal'd to many a poefs page To prove her right to reign.Not rich, I render what I may, I seize thy name iu haste. The Lily's height bespoke command,And place it in this first essay. A fair imperial flower. Lest this should prove the last. She seem design'd for Flora's hand. The sceptre of her power.—'Tis where it should be in a plan, This civil bickering and debateThat holds in view the good of man. The goddess chanced to hear.The poefs lyre, to fix his fame, And flew to save, ere yet too late. Should be the poet's heart The pride of the parterre.Affection lights a brighter flame \" Yours is,\" she said, \" the nobler hue. Than ever blazed by art. And yours the statelier mien.No muses on these lines attend, And, till a third surpasses you. Let each be deem'd a queen.\"I sink the poet in the friend. Thus soothed and reconciled, eachTO THE EEVEEEND ME NEWTON. seeks AN INVITATION INTO THE COUNTRY. The fairest British fair. The seat of empire is her cheeks.The swallows in their torpid state Compose their useless wing. They reign imited there.And bees in hives as idly wait THE WINTEE NOSEGAY. The call of early Spring.The keenest frost that binds the stream. What Nature, alas ! has denied The wildest wind that blows. To the delicate growth of our isle.Are neither felt nor fear'd by them, Art has in a measure supplied. Secure of their repose. And winter is deck'd with a smile.

—! ; \": !206 COWPEB'S POEMS.See, Mary, what beauties I bring With curious touch examines me.From the shelter of that sunny shed, If I can feel as well as he;Where the flowers have the charms of And when I bend, retire, and shrink,—the spring, [dead. Says, ' Well 'tis more than one wouldThough abroad they are frozen and think.''Tis a bower of Arcadian sweets, Thus life is spent I oh fle upon't. Where Flora is still in her prime In being touch'd, and crying—' Don't!'A fortress to which she retreats, A poet, in his evening walk, From the cruel assaidts of the clime. O'erheard and check'd this idle talk.\"While earth wears a mantle of snow. These pinks are as fresh and as gay \" And your fine sense,\" he said, \"andAs the fairest and sweetest that blow Whatever evil it endures, [yours, On the beautiful bosom of May. Deserves not, if so soon offended,See how they have safely survived Much to be pitied or commended, Disputes, though short, are far too long, Where both alike are in the wrongThe frowns of a sky so severe Your feelings in their full amount.Such Mary\"s true love that has lived Are all upon your own account.Through many a turbulent year. \" You, in your grotto-work enclosed.The charms of the late-blowing rose, Complain of being thus exposed. Seem'd graced with a livelier hue, Yet nothing feel in that rough coat. Save when the knife is at j'our throat.And the \vinter of sorrow best showsThe truth of a friend such as vou. Wherever driven by wind or tide. Exempt from every ill beside. [ish, THE POET, THE OTSTEH, AND \" And as for you, my Lady Squeam- Who reckon every touch a blemish, SENSITI\^ PLANT. If all the plants that can be foundAn Oyster cast upon the shoreWas heard, though never heard before, Embellishing the scene around. Should droop and wither where theyComplaining in a speech well worded, grow,And worthy thus to be recorded: You would not feel at all, not yoiL'•Ah, hapless wretch! condemn'd to The noblest minds their virtue provedwell Bj' pity, sympathy, and love:myFor ever in native shell, These, these are feelings truly fine,Ordaiu'd to move v/hen others please, And prove their owner half divine.\" [it.Not for mj' own content or ease, His censure reach'd them as he dealt And each by shrinking shew'd he felt it.But toss'd and buffeted about,Now in the water, and now out.'Twere better to be born a stone EPITAPH ON DE JOHNSON.Of ruder shape and feeling none,Than with a tenderness like mine, Here Johnson lies, a sage by all allow'd,And sensibilities so fine! Whom to have bred, may well makeI envy that unfeeling shrub, England proud; [dom taught,Fast rooted against every rub.\" Whose prose was eloquence, by Wis-The plant he meant grew not far off, The graceful vehicle of virtuousAnd felt the sneer with scorn enough, thought;Was hurt, disgusted, mortified,And with asperity replied. Whose verse may claim, grave, mascu- \" When,\" cry the botanists, and stare, line, and strong, [song;\"Did plants call'd Sensitive grow Superior praise to the mere poet's there ?\" Who many a noble gift from heavenNo matter when—a poet's muse isTo make them grow just where she possess'd, [rest. chooses. And faith at last, alone worth all the O man, immortal by a double prize, \" You shapeless nothing in a dish. By fame on earth, by glory in the skiesYou that are but almost a fish, ON THE AUTHOE OP LETTEES ON LITEEATUEE.I scorn j'our coarse insinuation,And have most plentiful occasionTo wish myself the rock I view, The Genius of the Augustan ageOr such another dolt as you. His head among Eome's ruins rear'd.For many a grave and learned clerk, And bursting with heroic rage.And many a gay unletter'd spark, When literary Heron appear'd.

; ; !! : : ; :! : MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 207\"Thou hast,\" he cried, \" like him of old. My fugitive years are all hasting away, Who set the Ephesian dome on Are, And I must ere long lie as lowly as they,By being scandalously bold, With a turf on my breast, and a stone at my head, Attain'd the mark of thy desire. [stead.\"And for traducing Virgil's name Ere another such grove shall arise in itsShalt share his merited reward 'Tis a sight to engage me, if anythingA perpetuity of fame, [horr'd.\" can, [man;That rots, and stinks, and is ab- To muse on the perishing pleasures of THE SHRUBBERY. Though his life be a dream, his enjoy- WRITTEN IN A TIME OF AFFLICTION. ments, I see.Oh happy shades ! to me unblest, Have a being less durable even than he. Friendly to peace, but not to me, TO MISS C , ON HERHow ill the scene that offers rest. BIRTHDAY. And heart that cannot rest, agree How many between east and westThis glassy stream,that spreading pine. Those alders quivering to the breeze, Disgrace their parent earth.Might soothe a soul less hurt than mine, Whose deeds constrain us to detest The day that gave them birth And please, if anything could please. momNot so when Stella's natalBut iix'd unaUernblo care. Foregoes not what she feels within. Revolving months restore,Shews the same sadness everywhere. We can rejoice that she was born. And slights the season and the scene. And wish her born once more!For all that pleased in wood or lawn. While Peace possess'd these silent GRATITUDE. bowers. ADDRESSED TO LADY HESKETH.Her animating smile withdrawn, This cap that so stately appears. Has lost its beauties and its powers. With ribbon-bo-.md tassel on high,The saint or moralist should tread Which seems by the crest that it rears This moss-grown alley, musing slow; Ambitious of brushing the skyThey seek me like the secret shade. This cap to my cousin I owe, She gave it, and gave me beside. But not like me, to nourish woe. Wreathed into an elegant bow.Me fruitful scenes and prospects waste, The ribbon wth which it is tied. Alike admonish not to roam This wheel-footed studying chair.These tell me of enjoyments past. And those of sorrows yet to come. Contrived both for toil and repose, Wide-elbow'd, and wadded with hair, THE POPLAR FIELD. In which I both scribble and dose,The poplars are fell'd; farewell to the Bright-studded to dazzle the eyes.shade, [colonnade And rival in lustre of thatAnd the whispering sound of the cool In which, or astronomy lies,The winds play no longer and sing in Fair Cassiopeia satthe leaves, [receives. These carpets, so soft to the foot, Caledonia's traffic and pride.Nor Ouse on his bosom their image Oh, spare them, ye knights of the boot,Twelve years have elapsed since I first Escaped from the cross-country ridetook a view [where they grew; This table and mirror within. Secure from collision and dust,Of my favourite field, and the bank At which I oft shave cheek and chin,And now in the grass behold they are And periwig nicely adjust:laid, [me a shade This moveable structure of shelves. For its beauty admired and its use.And the tree is my seat that once lent And charged with octavos and twelves.The blackbird has fled to another re- The gayest I had to producetreat, [from the heat, Where, flaming in scarlet and gold,Where the hazels afford him a screen My poems enchanted I view. And hope, in due time, to beholdAnd the scene where his melody My Iliad and Odyssey toocharm'd me before [no more.Resounds with his sweet-flowing ditty

—; :! ; ; : ; ! ;!208 COWPEBS POEMS,This china, that decks the alcove, No present health can health Insure Which here people call a bufiet, For yet an hour to come ?But what the gods call it above, No medicine, though it oft can cure. Has ne'er been revealed to us yet: Can always balk the tomb.These curtains that keep the room warm Or cool, as the season demands. And oh ! that humble as my lot.Those stoves that for pattern and form And scorn'd as is my strain. Seem the labour of Mulciber's hands These truths, though known, too muchAll these are not half that I owe To One, from our earliest youth I may not teach in vain. [forgot,To me ever ready to shew So prays your Clerk with all his heart, And, ere he quits the pen. Benignity, friendship, and truthFor time, the destroyer declared Begs you for once to take his part, And foe of our perishing kind, And answer all -AmenIf even her face he has spared, ON A SIMILAR OCCASION. Much less could he alter her mind. FOB THE YEAK 17S8.Thus compass'd about with the goods Could I, from Heaven inspired, as sure And chattels of leisure and ease, presage [his last.I indulge my poetical moods In many such fancies as these To whom the rising year shall proveAnd fancies I fear they -will seem As I can number in my punctual page, Poet's goods are not often so fine And item down the victims of theThe poets will swear that I dream, past; When I sing of the splendour of How each would trembling wait the mine. mournful sheet [next to die STANZAS. On which the press would stamp himSUBJOINED TO THE YEARLY BILL OF MORTALITY OF THE PARISH OF ALL- And, reading here his sentence, how SAISTS, KORTHAJIPION, AXXO D031LSI replete [turn his eye 1787. With anxious meaning, heavenwardWhile thirteen moons saw smoothly Time then would seem more precious run The Nen's barge-laden wave, than the joys [now;All these, life's rambling journey done. Have found their home, the grave. In which he sports away the treasureWas man (fraU always) made more frail And prayer more seasonable than the Than in foregoing years '? noise [bow.Did famine or did plague prevail, Of dnmkards, or the music-drawing That so much death appears ? Then doubtless many a trifler, on theNo; these were vigorous as their sires. Nor plague nor famine came brink [long shore.This annual tribute Death requires. Of this world's hazardous and head- And never waives his claim. Forced to a pause, would feel it good toLike crowded forest-trees we stand. think, [no more. And some are marked to fall; Told that his setting sun must riseThe axe will smite at God's command. And soon shaU smite us all. Ah self-deceived ! Could I propheticGreen as the bay tree, ever green. say [fall. With its new foliage on. Who next is fated, and who next toThe gay, the thoughtless, have I seen, I pass'd— and they were gone. The rest might then seem privileged toRead, ye that run, the awful truth play [speaks to all. With which I charge my page But, naming none, the Voice nowA worm is in the bud of youth, Observe the dappled foresters, how And at the root of age. hght [glade; They bound and airy o'er the sunny —One falls the rest, wide scatter'd with affright, [shade. Vanish at once into the darkest Had we their wisdom, should we, often wam'd, [last. Still need repeated warnings, and at A thousand awful admonitions scorn'd. nmDie self-accused of life all to waste ?

! !; —;Sad waste! for which no after-thrift ON A SmiLAB OCCASION.atones FOE THE S'EAR 1790.The grave admits no cure for guilt He who sits from day to day Where the prison'd lark is hung, or sin; Heedless of his loudest lay.Dewdrops may deck the turf that Hardly knows that he has sung.hides the bones. [within.But tears of godly grief ne'er flowLearn then, ye livingl by the mouths Where the watchman in his round be taught Nightly lifts his voice on high, Of all those sepulchres, instructors None accustom'd to the sound. Wakes the sooner for his crj'. true, So your verse-man I, and Clerk,That, Boon or late, death also is your Yearly in my song proclaim lot. —Death at hand yourselves his mark- And the next opening grave may yawn for you. And the foe's unerring aim.ON A SDirLAB OCCASION. Duly at my time I come. FOR THE YEAR 1789. Publishing to all aloud, Soon the grave must be your home.\"0 MOST delightful hour by man And j'our only suit a shroud. Experienced here below.The hour that terminates his span. But the monitory strain. Oft repeated in your ears, His folly and his woe ! Seems to sound too much in vain.\" Worlds should not bribe me back to Wins no notice, wakes no fears.Again life's dreary waste, [tread Can a tnith, by all confess'd Of such magnitude and weight.To see again my day o'erspread Grow, by being oft impress'd.With aU the gloomy past. Trivial as a parrot's prate?\" My home henceforth is in the skies, Pleasure's call attention wins, Earth, seas, aud sun, adieu Hear it often as we may; New as ever seem our sins.All heaven unfolded to my eyes, Though committed every day. I have no sight for you.\" Death and judgment, heaven and hell-So spake Aspasio, firm possessed These alone, so often heard. Of faith's supporting rod, No more move us than the bellThen breathed his soul into its rest, When some stranger is interr'd. The bosom of his God. Oh then, ere the turf or tombHe was a man among the few Cover us from every eye. Sincere on virtue's side; Spirit of instruction! come. Make us learn that we must die.And all his strength from Scripture ON A SIMILAR OCCASION. drew. To hourly use applied. FOR THE YEAB 1792.That rule he prized, by that he fcar'd. Thankless for favours from on high, He hated, hoped, and loved Man thinks he fades too soon;Nor ever trown'd, or sad appear'd. Though 'tis his privilege to die. But when his heart had roved. Would he improve the boon.For he was fraU as thou or I, And evil felt within;But when he felt it, heaved a sigh, And loathed the thought of sin.Such lived Aspasio ; and at last But he, not wise enough to scan Call'd up from earth to heaven. His blest concerns aright.The gulf of death triumphant pass'd, Would gladly stretch life's little span By gales of blessing driven. To ages, if he mightHis joys be mine, each reader cries, To ages in a world of pain. To ages, where he goes,When my last hour arrives; Gall'd by afiliction's heavy chain,myThey shall be yours, verse replies. And hopeless of repose.Such only be your lives. _J

! ;; ; : : ;;210 COWPER'S POEilS.Strange fondness of the human heart, If scorn of God's commands, impressed On word and deed, implyEnamour'd of its harm [smart, The better part of man unbless'dStrange world, that costs it so much With Ufe that cannot dieAnd stUI has power to charm.Wlience has the world her magic power? Such want it, and that want, uncured Till man resigns his breath.W'hy deem we Death a foe ? Speaks him a criminal, assuredEccoU from weary life's best hour, Of everlasting death.And covet longer woe ? Sad period to a pleasant course! Yet so will God repay—The cause is Conscience : Conscience Sabbaths profaned without remorse,Her tale of guilt renews [oft And mercy cast away.Her voice is terrible though soft,And dread of death ensues.Then anxious to be longer spared LINES COMPOSED FOR A MEMO- Man mourns his fleeting breath B.IXL OF ASHLEY COWPER,ESQ.All evils then seem light, compared Farewell ! endued with all that could With the approach of Death. engage [and age!'Tis judgment shakes him; there's the That prompts the wish to stay: [fear All hearts to love thee, both in youthHe has incurr'd a long arrear, In prime of life, for sprightliness And must despair to pay. enroll'd [old;—Pay ! follow Christ, and all is paid Among the gay, yet virtuous as the His death your peace ensures In life's last stage, (oh blessings rarelyThink on the grave where He was laid, And calm descend to yours. found !) [crown'd, OX A SnrtLAE OCCASION. Pleasant as youth with all its blossoms FOR THE TEAR 1793. Through every period of this changefulHe lives who lives to God alone, state [tionatel And all are dead besideFor other source than God is none Unchanged thyself— wise, good, affec- Whence life can be supplied. Marble may flatter, and lest this shouldTo live to God is to requite seem [theme, His love as best we may; O'ercharged with praises on so dear aTo make His precepts our delight. His promises our stay. Although thy worth be more than halfBut life, within a narrow ring supprest Of giddy joys comprised, Love shall be satisfied, and voU the restIs falsely named, and no such thing, But rather death disguised. THE POET'S NEW-YEAR'S GIFT. Maria ! I have every good For thee wish'd many a time. Both sad and in a cheerful mood, But never yet in rhyme.Can life in them deserve the name, To wish thee fairer is no need, More prudent, or more sprightly. Who only live to prove Or more ingenious, or more freedFor what poor toys they can disclaim From temper-flaws unsightly. An eniiless life above ?Who, much diseased, yel noihing feel; What favour then not yet possessed Can I for thee require.Much menaced, nothing dread; In wedded love already bless'd.Have wounds which only God can To thy whole heart's desire ?Yet never ask His aid 'i [heal, None here is happy but in partWho deem His house a useless place, Full bliss is bliss divine; Faith, want of common sense; There dwells some wish in every heart, And doubtless one in thine.And ardour in the Christian race, A hypocrite's pretence ?Who trample order ; and the day That wish, on some fair futur ) day. Which fate shaU brightly gild, Which God asserts His own ('Tis blameless, be it what it may,)Dishonour with unhaUow'd play, I wish it all fulfill'd. And worship chance aioae ? 1

! ; ; !; ; ; :;;:MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 211 THE NEGKOS COIIPLAINT. PITY FOB POOR AFRICANS.Forced from home and all its pleasures, I OWN I am shock'd at the purchase of Afric's coast I left forlorn slaves, [them are knavesTo increase a stranger's treasures, A.nd fear those who buy them and sell O'er the raging billows borne. What I hear of their hardships, theirMen from England bought and sold me, tortures, and groans, [stones. Paid my price in paltry gold Is almost enough to draw pity fromBut, thoughslave they have enroU'd me, Minds are never to be sold. I pity them greatly, but I must be mum, For how could we do without sugar andStill in thought as free as ever. rum? What are England's rights, I ask.Me from my delights to sever. Especially sugar, so needful we see What, give up our desserts, our coffee, Me to torture, me to task ? and tea!Fleecy locks and black complexion Cannot forfeit nature's claim; Besides if we do, the French, Dutch,Skins may differ, but affection and Danes [our pains Dwells in white and black the same. Will heartily thank us, no doubt forWhy did all-creating Nature If we do not buy the poor creatures Make the plant for which we toil?Sighs must fan it, tears must water, they will [plied still. Sweat of ours must dress the soil. And tortures and groans wUl be multi-Think, ye masters, iron-hearted. If foreigners likewise would give up Lolling at your jovial boards. the trade. [might be saidThink how many backs have smarted For the sweets your cane affords. Much more in behalf of your wishIs there, as ye sometimes tell us. But while they get riches by purchas- Is there One who reigns on high ? ing blacks, [snacks ?Has He bid you buy and sell us. Speaking from His throne, the sky? Pray tell me why we may not also goAsk Him, if your knotted scourges, Your scruples and arguments bring to Matches, blood-extorting screws, mj' mind [coin'd,Are the means that duty urges A story so pat, you may think it is Agents of His will to use ? On purpose to answer you, out of my—Hark! He answers! wild tornadoes mint; Strewing yonder sea with wrecks,Wasting towns, plantations, meadows, But I can assure yon I saw it in print. Are the voice with which He speaks. A youngster at school, more sedateHe, foreseeing what vexations than the rest. Afric's sons should undergo, Had once his integrity put to the testFix'd their tjrrant's habitations His comrades had plotted an orchard \"Where His whirlwinds answer— No. to rob, [job.By our blood in Afric wasted. Ere our necks received the chain; And ask'd him to go and assist in theBy the miseries that we tasted, He was shocli'd, sir, like you, and Crossing in your barks the main answer'd, \" Oh no ! [you don't go 1By our sufferings, since ye brought us What! rob our good neighbour? Ipray To the man-degrading mart. Besides, the man's poor, his orchard'sAll sustain'd by patience, taught us Only by a broken heart his bread: [must be fed.\"Deem our nation brutes no longer, Then think of his children, for they Till some reason ye shall find \" You speak very fine, and you lookWorthier of regard and stronger Than the colour of our kind. very grave, [haveSlaves of gold, whose sordid dealings But apples we want, and apples we'll Tarnish all your boasted powers. If you will go with us, you shall haveProve that you have human feeUnga Ere you proudly question ours a share, [pear.\" If not, you shall have neither apple nor They spoke, and Tom ponder'd— \" I see they will go; [so! Poor man! what a pity to injure him Poor man! I would save him his fruit if I could. But staying behind will do him no good.

; —— — ;2J2 COWPER'S POEMS.\" If the matter depended alone upon Awaking, how could I but muse At what such a dream should botide ?me, [from the tree; But soon my ear caught the glad newsHis apples might hang till they dropp'd Which served my weak thought forBut since they will take them, I think a guide,I'll go too: [a few.\" ThatBritannia,renown'd o'er the waves For the hatred she ever has shownHe will lose none by me, though I get To the black-sceptred rulers of slaves.His scruples thus silenced, Tom felt Resolves to have none of her own. more at ease,And went with his comrades the apples to seize; SWEET MEAT HAS SOUR SAUCE;He hlam'd and protested, hut join'd inthe plan [the man. OR, THE SLAVE-TRADE IN THE DUMPS.He shared in the plunder, hut pitied A TRADER I am to the African shore, THE MOENING DREAM. myBut since that trading is like to be'TWAS in the glad season of spring, o'er, Asleep at the dawn of the day, I'll sing yon a song that you ne'er heardI dream'd what I cannot but sing, So pleasant it seem'd as I lay. before.I dream'd that, on ocean afloat, Which nobody can deny, deny, Far hence to the westward I sail'd, Which nobody can deny.While the billows high lifted the boat, When I first heard the news it gave me And the fresh blowing breeze never a shock, [knock, fail'd. Much like what they call an electricalIn the steerage a woman I saw; [wore, And no w I am going to sell off my stock, Such at least was the form that she V.'hich nobody, &c.Whose beauty Impress'd me with awe Ne'er taught nie by woman before. 'Tis a curious assortment of dainty re-She sat, and a shield at her side gales, [ship sails, Shed light, like a sun on the waves. To tickle the negroes with when theAnd, smiling divinely, she cried \" I go to make freemen of skives.\" Fine chains for the neck, and a cat withThen raising her voice to a strain Which nobody, &c. [nine tails, The sweetest that ear ever heard. Here's supple-jack plenty, and store ofShe sung of the slave's broken chain Wherever her glory appear'd. ratan, [a man,Some clouds which had over us hung, That will wind itself round the sides of Fled, chased by her melody clear, As close as a hoop round a bucket orAnd methought while she liberty sung, Which nobody, &c. [can. 'Twas liberty only to hear. Here's padlocks and bolts, and screwsThus swiftly dividing the flood. To a slave-culter'd island we came. for the thumbs, [blood comesWhere a demon, her enemy, stood That squeeze them so lovingly till the Oppression his terrible name. They sweeten the temper like comfitsIn his hand as the sign of his sway, Which nobody, &c. [or plimis, A scourge hung with lashes he bore, When a negro his head from his victualsAnd stood looking out for his prey From Africa's sorrowful shore. withdraws, [his paws.But soon as approaching the land And clenches his teeth and thrusts out That goddess-like woman he view'd, Here's a notable engine to open hisThe scourge he let fall from his hand. Which nobody, &c. [jaws, With blood of his sitbjeets imbrued.I saw him both sicken and die, [pired. Thus going to market, we kindly pre- And the moment the monster ex- pareHeard shouts that ascended the sky. A pretty black cargo of African ware. From thousands with rapture in- For what they must meet with when spired. Which nobody, &c. [they get there, 'Twould do your heart good to see 'em below [go. Lie flat on their back all the way as we Like sprats on a gridiron, scores in a Which nobody, &c. [row,

— —\": ; ; MISCELLANEOUS PIECES.But ah I if in vain I have studied an art And well he may, for well he knows Each bumpkin of the clan.So gainful to me, all boasting apart, Instead of paying what he owes.I think it will break my compassionate Will cheat him if he can.Which nobody, &c. [heart, —So in they come each makes his leg,myFor oh ! how it enters soul lilie an And flings his head before, And looks as if he came to beg,awl [call, And not to quit a score.This pity, which some people self-pity \"And how does miss and madam do,Is sure the most heart-pierciug pity of The little boy and all ?Which nobody, &c. [all, \" All tight and well. Andhowdoyou. Good Mr What-d'ye-call ?\"myBo this is song, as I told you before The dinner comes, and down they sit:Come, buy off my stock, for I must no Were e'er such hungry folk?more There's litlle talking, and no wit ;Carry Cmsars and Pompeys to sugar- It is no time to joke.cane shore,Which nobody, etc. EPIGRAM. One wipes his nose upon his sleeve, One spits upon the floor,To purify their wine, some people bleed Yet not to give offence or grieve.A lamb into the barrel, and succeed; Holds up the cloth before.No nostrum, planters say, is half so The punch goes round, and they are good And lumpish still as ever; [dullTo make fine sugar, as a negro's blood. Like barrels with their bellies full.Now lambs and negroes both are harm- They only weigh the heavier. less things. At length the busy time begins.And hence perhaps this wondrous \".Come, neighbours, we must wag\" virtue springs. The money chinks, down drop their'Tis in the blood of innocence alone chins,Good cause why planters never try Each lugging out his bag. their own. THE YEARLY DISTRESS, One talks of mildew and of frost, And one of storms of hail.Come, ponder well, for 'tis no jest, To laugh it would be wrong, And one of pigs tbat he has lost By maggots at the tail.The troubles of a worthy priest, Quoth one, \" A rarer man than you The burthen of my song. In pulpit none shall hear;This priest he merry is and blithe But yet, methinks to tell you true, Three quarters of a year. You sell it plaguy dear.\"But oh ! it cuts him like a scythe Oh why were farmers made so coarse. When tithing-time draws near. Or ciergy made so flne?He then is full of frights and fears. A kick that scarce would move a horse. As one at point to die, May kill a sound divine.And long before the day appears Then let the boobies stay at home He heaves up many a sigh. 'Twould cost him, I daresaj'.For then the farmers come, jog, jog. Less trouble taking twice the sum Along the miry road. Without the clowns that pay.Each heart as heavy as a log. SONNET To make their payments good. ADDRESSED TO UENRY COWPER, ESQ.In sooth the sorrow of such days Is not to be eipress'd, COWPER, whose sOver voice, task'dWhen he that takes and he that pays sometmies hard. Are both alike distress' d. Legends prolix delivers in the ears (Attentive when thou readest) ofNow all unwelcome at his gates England's peers, [reward. The clumsy swains alight,With rueful faces and bald pates ;— Let verse at length yield thee thy just He trembles at the sight.

;; ! : !; ;214 COWPEE'S POEMS.Thou -wast not heard vrith drowsy dis- Charm'd with the sight the world, Iregard [plea Shall hear of this thy deed : [cried,Expending late on all that length of My dog shall mortify the prideThy generous powers, hut silence Of man's superior breed: lionour'd thee, But chief myself I wilt enjoin.Mute as e'er gazed on orator or bard. Awake at duty's call, To shew a love as prompt as thineThou art not voice alone, but hast To Him who gives me all.beside [with music sweet MOTTO FOR A CLOCK.Both heart and head; and couldst Slow comes the hour; its passing speedOf attic phrase and senatorial tone, how greatLOse thy renown'd forefathers, far and —Waiting to seize it vigilantly waitwide [utterance meetThy fame diffuse, praised not forOf others' speech, but magic of t/uj own. ON MRS MONTAGU'S FEATHER HANGINGS.THE DOG AND THE WATEB LU.Y. Thk birds put off their every hue,The noon was shady, and soft airs To dress a room for Montagu, [dyes, Swept Ouse's silent tide. The peacock sends his heavenlyWhen, 'scaped from literary cares, His rainbows and his starry eyes I wander'd on his side. The pheasant, plumes which roundMy spaniel, prettiest of his race, infold And high in pedigree, His mantling neck with downy gold(Two nymphs adorn'd with every grace The cock his arched taU's azure show That spaniel found for me.) And, river-blanched, the swanhis snow. AU tribes beside of Indian name.Now wanton'd lost in flags and reeds. That glossy shine, or vivid flame. Now starting into sight, Where rises and where sets the day, Whate'er they boast of rich and gay.Pursued the swallow o'er the meads With scarce a slower flight. Contribute to the gorgeous plan, Proud to advance it all they can.It was the time when Ouse display'd This plumage neither dashing shower. His lilies newly blown Nor blasts that shake the drippingTheir beauties I intent survey'd. bower. And one I wish'd my own. Shall drench again or discompose,With cane extended far I sought But, Ecreen'd from every storm thatTo steer It close to land It boasts a splendour never new [Ijlows,But still the prize, though nearly caught, Safe with protecting Montagu. To the same patroness resort,Escaped my eager hand.Beau mark'd my unsuccessful pains Secure of favour at her court, Strong Genius, from whose forge ofWith fix'd considerate face, thought [wrought.And puzzling set his puppy brains Forms rise, to quick perfectionTo comprehend the case. Which, though new-born, with vigourBut with a cherup clear and strong, move [Jove; Dispersing all his dream. Like Pallas, springing arm'd fromI thence withdrew and foUow'd long The windings of the stream. Imagination scattering round Wild roses over furrow'd ground, Which Labour of his frown beguile,My ramble ended, I return'd; And tench Philosophy a smile;Beau, trotting far before, Wit flashing on Religion's side.The floating wreath again disccrn'd, Whose fires, to sacred Truth applied, And plimging, left the shore. The gem, though luminous before. Obtrude on human notice more,I saw him with that lily cropi)'d Like sunbeams on the golden heightImpatient swim to meet Of some tall temple playing bright.My quick approach, and soon he Well tutor'd learning, from his books dropp'd Dismiss'd with grave, not haughtyThe treasure at my feet. looks,

! ;; ;: — —; ;MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 215Their order on his shelves exact, A beast forth sallied on the scout.Not more harmonious or compactThan that to ^Thich he keeps confined Long back'd, long tail'd, with whis-The various treasures of his mind;All these to Montagu's repair, ker'd snout.Ambitious of a shelter there.There Genius, Learning, Fancy, Wit, And badger-colour'd hide.Their rulBed plumage calm refit,(For stormy troubles loudest roar He, entering at the study door,Around their flight who highest soar,) Its ample area 'gan explore;And in her eye, and by her aid. And something in the wind Conjectured, snifBng round and round,Shine safe without a fear to fade. She thus maintains divided sway Better than all the books he found, Food chiefly for the mind.With you bright regent of the day;The Plume and Poet both, we know, Just then, by adverse fate impressed,Their lustre to his influence oweAnd she the works of Phcebus aiding, A dream disturb'd poor Bully's restBoth Poet saves and Plume from fading. In sleep he seem'd to viewON THE DEATH OF MRS THUOCK- MOETON'S BULLFINCH. A rat fast clinging to the cage.Ye Nymphs, if e'er your eyes were red And, screaming at the sad presage,With tears o'er hapless favourites shed, Awoke and found it true. Oh, share Maria's grief For. aided both by ear and sent.Her favourite, even In his cage, Eight to his mark the monster went,(What will not hunger's cruel rage ?) Ah, Muse ! forbear to speak Assassined by a thief. Slinute the horrors that ensued His teeth were strong, the cage wasWhere Eenus strays his vines among.The egg was laid from which he sprung; He left poor Bully's beak, [wood, And though by nature mute, Oh, had he made that too his prey !Or only with a whistle bless'd. That beak whence issued many a layWell-taught he all the sounds express'd Of such mellifluous tone. Of flageolet or flute. Might have repaid him well, I wot, For silencing so sweet a throat,The honours of his ebon pollWere brighter than the sleekest mole, Fast stuck within his own. His bosom of the hue Maria weeps,—the Muses mournWith which Aurora decks the skies. So, when by Bacchanalians torn.When piping winds shall soon arise On Thracian Hebrus' side, The tree-enchanter Orpheus fell. To sweep away the dew. His head alone remain'd to tellAbove, below, in all the house, The cruel death he died.Dire foe alike of bird and mouse, AN EPISTLE TO AN AFFLICTED No cat had leave to dwell PEOTESTANT LADY IN FEANCE.And Bully's cage supported stoodOn props of smoothest shaven wood. Madam,— Large-built and latticed well. A STRANGER'S purpose in these lays—Well-latticed, but the grate, alas'. Is to congratulate and not to praise.Not rough with wire of steel or brass, To give the creature the Creator's due For Bully's plumage sake, Were sin in me, and an offence to you.But smooth with wands from Ouse's From man to man, or e'en to woman side, paid, [trade.With which, when neatly peel'd and Praise is the medium of a knavish dried. A coin by craft for foily's use design \"d, The swains their baskets make. Spurious, and only current with theNight veil'd the pole: all seem'd se- Wind. [alone cure: The path of sorrow, and that pathWhen, led by instinct sharp and sure, Leads to the land where sorrow is un- Subsistence to provide, linown [abode, N\"o traveller ever reach'd that blest Who found not thorns and briars in his road. [plain. The world may dance along the flowery Cheer'il as they go by many a sprightly strain

! ; :!' ; ;;216 COWPEKS POEMS.Where Nature has her mossy velvet Reserved to solace many a neighbour-spread, ing squire, [brake and brier,With unshod feet they yet securely That he may follow them throughtread; [friend, Contusion hazarding of neck or spine.Admonish'd, scorn the caution and the Which rural gentlemen call sport di-Bent all on pleasure, heedless of its end. vine, [ceal'd,But He, who knew what human hearts A narrow brook, by rushy banks con-would prove, [love. Runs in a bottom, and divides the fieldHow slow to learn the dictates of his Oaks intersperse it, that had once aThat, hard by nature and of stubborn head, [stead;will, [stU], But now wear crests of oven-wood in-A life of ease would make them harder And where the laud slopes to ito wateryIn pity to the souls his grace design'd bourn [thornTo rescue from the ruins of mankind, Wide yavrxis a gulf beside a raggedCall'd for a cloud to darken all their Bricks line the sides, but shiver'd longyears, [of tears ! ago.And said, \" Go spend them in the vale And horrid brambles intertwine belowO balmy gales of soul-reviving air ! A hollow scooped, I judge, in ancientO salutary streams that murmur there time, [lime.These flowing from the fount of Grace For baking earth, or burning rock toabove, [love. Not yet the hawthorn bore her berriesThose breathed from lips of everlasting red, [is fed,The flinty soil indeed their feet annoys, With which the fieldfare, wintry guest,Chill blasts of trouble nip their spring- Nor Autumn yet had brush'd froming joys, [frown, every spray, [away;An envious world will interpose its With her chill hand the mellow leavesTo mar delights superior to its own, But corn was housed, and beans wereAnd many a pang experienced still in the stack [pack.within, [Sin Now therefore issued forth the spottedEeminds them of their hated inmate, With tailc high-moimted, ears hungBut ills of every shape and every name, low, and throats [notes.Transform'd to blessings, miss their With a whole gamut flU'd of heavenlycruel aim : my[the breast. For which, alas! destiny severe.And every moment's calm that soothes Though ears she gave me two, gave meIs given in earnest of eternal rest. no ear. [march.Ah, be not sad, although thy lot be cast The sun, accomplishing his earlyFar from the flock, and in a boundless His lamp now planted on heaven's top-waste [appear. most arch.No shepherd's tents within thy view When, exercise and air my only aim.But the chief Shepherd even there is And heedle.ss whether to that field Inear. [strain came, [houndThy tender sorrows and thy plaintive Ere yet with ruthless joy the happyFlow in a foreign land, but not in vain Told hill and dale that Reynard's trackThy tears all issue from a source divine, was found [ous clangAnd every drop bespeaks a Saviour Or with the high-raised horn's melodi-thine. All Kilwick and all Dinglederry rang.So once in Gideon's fleece the dews Sheep grazed the field; some withwere found. soft bosom press'd [the rest;And drought on all the drooping herbs The herb as soft, while nibbling stray 'daround. Nor noise was heard but of the hasty brook, [nook. THE NEEDLESS ALARM. Struggling, detain'd in many a petty A TALE. All seem'd so peaceful, that, from themThere is a field, through which I often convey'd, [spread. To me their peace by kind contagionpass, [grass. But when the huntsman, with dis-Thick overspread with mjss and silky tended cheek, [speak,Adjoining close to Kilwick's echoing 'Gan make his instniment of musicwood. And from within the wood that crashWhere oft the hitch-fox hides her hap- was heard, pjurst appear' d.less brood, Though not a hound from whom it I

; ;; ;: ; ; ;; ; : MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 21?The sheep recumbent and the sheep I could be much composed, n(Jr shouldthat grazed, [gazed, appear.All huddling info phalanx, stood and For such a cause, to feel the slightestAdmiring, terrified, the novel strain, fear.Then coursed the field around, and Yourselves have seen, what time the coursed it round again; thunders roll'dBut recollecting.with a sudden thought. All night, me resting quiet in the fold.That flight in circles urged advanced Or heard we that tremendous braythem nought, [brink. alone,They gather'd close around the old pifs I could expound the melancholy tone; Should deem it by our old companionAnd thought again, but knew not what to think. made.The man to solitude accustom'dlong, The ass ; for he, we know, has latelyPerceives in everything that lives, a stray'd,tongue; And, being lost, perhaps, and wander-Not animals alone, but shrubs and trees ing wide, [guide.Have speech for hmi, and understood Might be supposed to clamour for awith ease [dant fall, But ah ! those dreadful yells what soulAfter long drought, when rains abun- can hear, [fear.He hears the herbs and flowers rejoic- That owns a carcass, and not quake foring all [implies, Demons produce them doubtless,Knows what the freshness of their hue brazen-claw'd,How glad they catch the largess of the And fang'd with brass the demons areskies [mind abroadBut with precision nicer still, the I hold it therefore wisest and most fitHe scans of every locomotive kind That, life to save, we leap into the pit.\"Birds of aU feather, beasts of every Him answer'd then his loving matename, [wild or tame and true. [eweThat serve mankind, or shun them But more discreet than he, a Cambrian \"How! leap into the pit our life toThe looks and gestures of tbeir griefsand fears save?Have all articulation in his ears To save our life leap all into the grave ? For can we find it less ? ContemplateHe spells them true by intuition's light,And needs no glossary to set him right. firstThis truth premised was needful as The depth how awful! falling thera we burst:a text, [next.To win due sredence to what follows Or should the brambles interposed our A while they mused ; surveying every fall [small;face, [race In part abate, that happiness wereThou hadst supposed them of superior For with a race like theirs no chance ITheir periwigs of wool and fears com- seebined, [marks of mind, Of peace or ease to creatures clad as we. Meantime, noise kills not. Be itStamp'd on each countenance suchThat sage they seem'd as lawyers o'er Dapple's bray.a doubt, [out; Or be it not, or be it whose it may, And rush those other sounds, that seemWhich, puzzling long.at last they puzzleOr academic tutor.=i, teaching youths, by tongues [lungs,Sure ne'er to want them, mathematio Of demons utter'd from whatevertruths [rest, Sounds are but sounds, and, till the\"When thus a mutton statelier than the cause appear, [here. We have at least commodious standingA ram, the ewes and wethers sad ad-dress'd [I never heard Come fiend, come fury, giant, monster,\"Friends! we have lived too long. blast [at last.\"Sounds such as these, so worthy to be From earth or hell, we can but plungefear'd. [pent While thus she spake, I fainter heardCould I believe that winds for ages the peals,In earth's dark womb have found at ForKeynard, close attended at his heels By panting dog, tired man, and spat-last a vent, [arise.And from their prison-house below ter'd horse.With all these hideous bowlings to the Through mere good fortune, took askies, different course.

;; ;! ! —;; ;218 COWPER'S POEMS.The flock grew calm again, and I, the Deeds of unperishing renown, Our fathers' triumphs and our own. road Thus as the bee, from bank to bower.Following, that led me to my own Assiduous sips at everj' flower. abode. But rests on none till that be foundMuch wonder'd that the silly sheep had Whore most nectareous sweets abound. So I, from theme to theme display'd found In many a page historic stray'd.Such cause of terror in an empty sound.So sweet to huntsman, gentleman, and Siege after siege, fight after flght. hound. Contemplating with small delight, MORAL. (For feats of sanguinary hueBeware of desperate steps. The darkest Not always glitter in my view.)day, [away. Till, settling on the current year,Live till to-moirow, will have pass'd I found the far-sought treasure near. LOVE ABUSED. A theme for poetry divine, A theme to ennoble even mine.What is there in the vale of life In memorable eighty-nme.Half so delightful as a wife, [bine The spring of eighty-nine shall beWhen friendship, love, and peace com- An era cherish'd long by me. Which jo}-ful I will oft record.To stamp the marriage-bond divine ? And thankful at my frugal boardThe stream of pure and genuine love For then the clouds of eightj--eight.Derives its current from above That threaten'd England's tremblingAnd earth a second Eden shows. stateWhere'er the healing water flow.s, With loss of what she least couldBut ah, if from the dikes and drains spare,Of sensual nature's feverish veins.Lust, like a lawless headstrong flood, Her sovereign's tutelary care.Impregnated with ooze and mud, One breath of heaven, that criedDescending fast on every side RestoreOnce mingles with the sacred tide. Chased, never to assemble moreFarewell the soul-enlivening scene And for the richest crown on earth. If valued by its wearer's worth.The banks that wore a smiling green, The symbol of a righteous reignWith rank defilement overspread. Sat fast on George's brows again.Bewail their flowery beauties deadThe stream polluted, dark, and dull. Then peace and joy again possess'dDiffused into a Stygian pool. Our queen's long agitated breastThrough life's last melancholy years, Such joj' and peace as can be known By sufferers like herself alone,Is fed with overflowing tears.Complaints supply the zephyr's part. Who losing, or supposing lost.And sighs that heave a breaking heart. The good on earth they valued most, For that dear sorrow's sake forego ANNUS MEMOEABILIS, 17S9. All hope of happiness below.WRITTEN IN COMMEMORA'nON OF HIS Then suddenly regain the prize. MAJESTY'S HAPPY HECOVEEY. And flash thanksgivings to the skies!I RANSACK'D for a theme of song, O Queen of Albion, queen of isies.'Much ancient chronicle, and long;I read of bright embattled flelds, Since all thy tears were changed toOf trophied helmets, spears, and smiles, shields. The eyes, that never saw thee, shineOf chiefs, whose single arm could boast With joy not unallied to thine,Prowess to dissipate a host; Transports not chargeable with artThrough tomes of fable and of dreamI sought an eligible theme, Illume the land's remotest part,But none I found, or found them sharedAlready by some happier bard. And strangers to the air of courts. Both in their toils and at their sports, To modern times.with truth to guide The happiness of answer'd prayers.My busy search, I next applied That gUds thy features, shew in theirs.Here cities won, and fleets dispersed.Urged loud a claim to be rehearsed, If they who on thy state attend. Awe-struck, before thy presence 'jend, 'Tis but the natural effect Of grandeur that insures respect; But she is something more than queen Who is beloved where never seen.

:MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. OX THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO Unlike the enigmatic line, LONDON, So difficult to spell,THE KIGHT OF THE 17TH OF MARCH, Which shook Belshazzar at his wine, The night his city fell. 17S9. Soon, watery grew her eyes and dim.WHEN',longsequester\"dfromhisthrone, But with a joyful tear. George took his seat again, None else, except in prayer for him,By right of worth, not blood alone, George ever drew from her. Entitled here to reign; It was a scene in every part Like those in fable feign'd.Then loyalty, with all his lamps And seem'd by some magician's art New trimm'd, a gallant show. Created and sustain'd.Chasing the darkness and the damps, But other magic there, she knew. Set London in a glow. Had been exerted none.'Twas hard to tell of streets or squares To raise such wonders in her view. Which form'd the chief display, Save love of George alone.These most resembling cluster'd stars, Those the long milky way. That cordial thought her spirit cheer'd,Bright shone the roofs, the dome, the And through the cumbrous throng. Not else unworthy to be fear'd, spires. Convey'd her calm along. And rockets flew, self-driven,To hang their momentary fires So, ancient poets say, serene Amid the vault of heaven. The sea-maid rides the waves, And fearless of the billowy sceneSo, flre with water to compare, The ocean serves on high Her peaceful bosom laves.Up- spouted by a whale in air, With more than astronomic ej-es To express unwieldy joy. She view'd the sparkUng show;Had all the pageants of the world One Georgian star adorns the skies. She myriads found below. In one procession join'd. Yet let the glories of a nightAnd all the banners been unf url'd Like that, once seen, suffice. That heralds e'er design'd Heaven grant us no such future sight.For no such sight had England's queen Such previous woe the price 1 Forsaken her retreat, THE COCK-FIGHTEH'S GARLAND.Where, George recover'd made a scene Sweet always, doubly sweet. —Muse hide his name of whom I sing.Yet glad she came that night to prove, Lest his surviving house thou bring A witness undescried. For his sake into scorn, [drewHow much the object of her love Nor speak the school from which he Was loved by all beside. The much or little t'nat he knew.Darkness the skies had mantled o'er In aid of her design, Nor place where he was bom.Darkness, O Queen 1 ne'er caU'd before That such a man once was, may seem To veil a deed of thine. Worthy of record, (i: the themeOn borrow'd wheels away she flies, Perchance may credit win,) For proof to man, what Man may prove. Eesolved to be unknown. If grace depart, and demons moveAnd gratify no curious eyes The source of guilt within. That night except her own. This man (for since the howling wildArrived, a night like noon she sees, Disclaims him, Man he must be styled) And hears the milUon hum; Wanted no good below.As all by instinct, Uke the bees. Had known their sovereign come. Gentle he was, if gentle birth [worth.Pleased she beheld aloft portray'd Could make him such; and he had On many a splendid wall. If wealth can worth bestow.Emblems of health and heavenly aid. In social talk and ready jest And George the theme of alL He shone superior at the feast, And qualities of mind,

—; : ; ; ;220 COWPEES POEilS.Ulnatrions in the eyes of those OX THE BENEFIT EECEIVED BY HIS M.\JESTY FEOM SEA BATH-Whose gay society he chose ING IN THE TEAE 17S9. Possess'd of every kind.Methinks I see him powder'd red, Sovereign of an isle renown'd%Vlth bushy locks his well-dress'd head For undisputed sway Wherever o'er yon gulf profotmd Wing'd broad on either side, Her navies wing their way.The mossy rosebud not so sweetHis steeds superb, his carriage neat With inster claims she btulds at length As luxury could provide. Her empire on the sea.Can such be cruel ? Such can be [strengthCmel as hell, and so was he And well may boast the waves herA tyrant entertained Which strength restored to Thee. [delight\"With barbarous sports, whose fell HY3IN,Was to encourage mortal fight FOE THE USE OF THE SUNDAY SCHOOL AT OLSEr.'Twist btrdii to battle train'd. HJEAa, Lord, the song of praise andOne feather'd champion he possess'd,His darling far beyond the rest. prayer. Which never knew disgrace, In heaven Thy dwelling place.Nor e'er had fought, but he made flow From infants made the public care,The life-blood of his fiercest foe, And taught to seek Thy face '. The Csesar of his race.It chanced, at last, when, on a day. Thanks for Thy Word, and for Thy And grant ns, we implore, [Day;He push'd him to a desperate fray, Never to waste in sim\"ul play His courage droop'd, he fled.' Thy holy Sabbaths more.The master storm'd, the prize was lost,And. instant, frantic at the cost. —Thanks that we hear, ^bnt oh I impart He doom'd his favourite dead. To each desires sincere. That we may listen with our heart,He seized him fast, and from the pitFlew to the kitchen, snatch'd the spit, And learn as well as hear. And, \" Bring me cord,\" he cried For if vain thoughts the mind engageThe cord was brought, and, at his Of older far than we.To that dire implement the bird [word What hope that at om- heedless age AUve and struggling, tied. Our minds should e'er be free?The horrid sequel asks a veil, iTueh hope if Thou our spirits takeAnd all the terrors of a tale Under Thy gracious sway, That can be. shall be, stmk. Who canst the wisest wiser make,Led by the sufferers screams aright And babes as wise as they.His shock'd companions view the sight Wisdom and bliss Thy word bestows, And him with fury dnmk. A sun that ne'er declinesAll, suppliant, beg a milder fate And be Thy mercies shower'd on thoseFor the old warrior at the grate • Who placed us where it shines. He, deaf to pity's call.Whirled round him, rapid as a wheel,His culinary club of steel. ON THE EECEIPT OF A HAMPEB. Death menacing on all.But vengeance hung not far remote. (IS THE MAXSEK OF HOMER.)For while he stretch'd his clamorous The straw-stuffd hamper with histhroat. ruthless steel [cords, And heaven and earth defied. jBig with a curse too closely pent 1 He open'd, cutting sheer the insertedThat struggled vainly for a vent. Which bound the lid and lip secure. He totter'd, reel'd, and died, Forth came [of wheat, The rustling package first, bright straw\"Tis not for ns. with rash surmise, Or oats, or barley; nest a bottle green Throat-fuU, clear spirits the co.ntents,To point the judgment of the skiesBut judgments plain as this, distill'dTha.t, sent for man's instruction, bring Drop after drop odorous, by the artA —written label on their wing, Of the fair mother of his friend the'lis hard to read amiss. Eose.

—; — ! MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 221 ON A MISCHIEVOUS BULL, Hence, then, ye titles.hence, not wantedWHICH TUE OWNER OF HIM SOLD AT here! THE AUTHOU'S INSTANCE. Go, garnish merit in a higher sphere!Go '.—thou art all unfit to shara The brows of those, whose more exalted The pleasures of this place lotWith such as its old tenants are, He could congratulate, but envied not. Creatures of gentler race. Light lie the turf, good senior, on thyThe squirrel here his hoard provides, breast! [rest. Aware of -svintry storms; And tranquil as thy mind was, be thyAnd woodpeckers explore the sides Of rugged oaks for worms. Though, living, thou hadst more desert than fame, [name. And not a stone now chronicles thyThe sheep here smooths the knotted TO MBS THBOCKMOETON, With frictions of her fleece ; [thorn ON HER BEAUTIFUL TRANSCRIPT OFAnd here I wander eve and moru, HORACE'S ODE \" AD LIBRUM SUUSI.\" Like her, a friend to peace. Maria, could Horace have guess'd—Ah ! I could pity the exiled What honour awaited his ode From this secure retreat ; To his own little volume address'd.I would not lose it to be styled The honour which you have be- The happiest of the great. stow'd,But thou canst taste no calm delight Thy pleasure is to shew Who have traced it in characters here.Thy magnanimity in fight, So elegant, even, and neat, —Thy prowess, therefore, go! He had laugh'd at the critical sneerI care not whether east or north, Which he seems to have trembled to So I no more may find thee ; meet.The angry muse thus sings thee forth, And sneer if you please, he had said, And claps the gate behind thee. A nymph shall hereafter arise. Who shall give me, when you are all The glory your maUce denies; [dead, myShall dignity give to lay.VEESES TO THE MEMORY OF DB Although but a mere bagatelle; LLOYD, And even a poet shall say,SPOKEN AT THE WESTMINSTER ELEC- Nothing ever was written so well. TION NEXT AFTER HIS DECEASE. ON EECEIPT OF MY MOTHER'SOur good old friend is gone, gone to PICTURE OUT OF NORFOLK,his rest, [feast. THE GIFT OF MY COUSIN, ANN BODHAM.Vfhose social converse was itself aO ye of riper years, who recollect Oh that those lips had language ! LifeHow once ye loved and eyed him with has pass'd [last.respect. With me but roughly since I heard theeBoth in the finnness of his better day. —Those Ups are thine thy own sweetWhile yet he ruled you with a father's smile I see, [me;sway, [to rest, The same that oft in childhood solacedAnd when impair'd by time, and glad Voice only fails, else how distinct theyYet still with looks in mild complacence say, [fears away!\"drest, [here \" Grieve not, my child, chase all thyHe took his annual seat and mingled The meek intelligence of those dear—His sprightly vein with yours. now eyesdrop a tear. [meek. fBlest be the art that can immortalise,In morals blameless, as in manners The art that bafSes Time's tyrannicHe knew no wish that he might blush claim [the same.to speak. To quench it!) here shines on me stillBut, happy in whatever state below. Faithful remembrancer of one so dear,And richer than the rich in being so, welcome guest, thoug'a imexpeciedObtain'd the hearts of all, and such a here [song.meed [indeed. Who bidst me honour with an artlessAt length from one, as made him rich Affectionate, a mother lost so long,

— —; ! ; ;222 COWPEE'S POEMS.I will obey, not willingly alone, Still outlives many a storm, that hasBut gladly, as the precept were her effacedown A[grief. thousand other themes less deeplyAnd, while that face renews mj' filial traced.Fancy shaU weave a charm for my Thy nightly visits to my chamber made.relief, That thou mightst know me safe andShaU steep me in Elysian reverie, warmly laid [home,A momentary dream, that thou art she, Thy morning bounties myere I leftMy mother! when Ilearn'd that thou The biscuit, or confectionary plum ; wast dead, [shed ? The fragrant waters on my cheeks be-Say, wast thou conscious of the tears I stow'd [andglow'd:HoVer'd thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing By thy own hand, till fresh they shoneson, [begun ? All this, and more endearing still than\"Wretch even then, life's journey just all, [no fall.Perhaps thou gavest me, though unfelt, Thy constant flow of love, that knewa kiss; [bliss Ne\"er roughen'd by those cataracts andPerhaps a tear, if souls can weep in breaks, [makes—Ah, that maternal smile ! it answers That humour interposed too oftenYes. [day, All this still legible in memorj''s page.I heard the bell toird on thy burial myAnd still to be so to latest age.I saw the hearse that bore thee slow Adds joy to duty, makes me glad to payaway, [drew Such honours to thee as my numbersAnd, turning from my nursery window, may;A long, long sigh, and wept a last Perhaps a frail memorial, but sincere.—adieu Not scom'd in heaven, though littleBut was it such?—It was. Where noticed here, [restore the hours.thou art gone Could Time, his flight reversed.Adieus and farewells are a sound un- When, playing with thy vesture'sknown, [shore. tissued flowers.May I but meet thee on that peaceful The violet, the pink, and jessamine, myshall passThe parting words lips I prick'd them into paper with a pin,no more I [my concern. (And thou wast happier than myselfThy maidens, grieved themselves at the while, [head, and smile,)Oft gave me promise of thy quick re- Wouldst softly speak, and stroke myturn, [lioved, Could those few pleasant days againWhat ardently I wish'd, I long be- appear, [wish them here ?And, disappointed still, was still de- Might one wish bring them, would I—ceived; I would not trust my heart; the dearBy expectation every day beguiled. deUght [might.Dupe of to-morrow even from a child. Seems so to be desired, perhaps I—Thus many a sad to-morrow came and But no what here we call our lil'e iswent, [spent, such,myTill, all stock of infant sorrows So little to be loved, and thou so much.myI learn'd at last submission to lot, That I should ill requite thee to con-But, though I less deplored thee, ne'er strainforgot. [heard no more. Thy imbounded spirit into bonds again. Where once we dwelt our name is Thou, as a gallant bark from Albion'sChildren not thine have trod my coast [cross'd)nursery floor; [by day, (The storms all weather'd and the oceanAnd where the gardener Eobin, day Shoots into port at some well-haven'dDrew me to school along the public isle, [seasons smile,way, [wrapp'd Where spices breathe, and brighterDehghted with my bauble coach, and There sits quiescent on the floods, thatIn scarlet mantle warm, and velvet shew [below.capp'd, Her beauteous form reflected clear'Tis now become a history little known, While airs impregnated with incenseThat once we cail'd the pastoral house play [gay;our own. [fair, Around her, fanning light her st -eamersShort-lived possession! But the record So thou, with sails how swift! hastThat memory keeps of all thy kindness rcach'd the shore, [lows roar;\"there, [ \" Where tempests never beat nor biJ-

—; ; ! MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 22SAnd thy loveci consort on the danger- AXOTHEE,ous tide [side. FOR A STONE ERECTED ON A SIMILAR OCCASION AT THE SAME PLACE IN THEOf life long since has anchor'd by thy FOLLO'WING YEAR.But me, scarce hoping to attain that Eeader 1 behold a monumentrest, [distress'd, That asks no sigh or tear, Though it perpetuate the eventAlways from port withheld, always Of a great burial here.Ue howhng blasts drive devious, TO MES KING,tempest-toss'd. ON HER KIND PRESENT TO THE AUTHOR,Sails ripp'd, seams opening wide, and A PATCHWOIiK COUNTERPANE OF HER OWN MAKING. AUGUST, 1790. compass lost.And day by day some current's thwart- The bard, if e'er he feel at all. Must sure be quicken'd by a calling force [course. Both on his heart and head,Sets me more distant from a prosperous To pay with tuneful thanks the care And kindness of a lady fairYet, oh, the thought, that thou are safe, Who deigns to deck his bed.and he! [me. A bed like this, in ancient time.That thought is joy , arrive what may to On Ida's barren top sublime,My boast is not that I deduced my birth (As Homer's epic shews,)From loins enthroned, and rulers of the Composed of sweetest vernal flowera, Without the aid of sun or showers,earth; [rise.— For Jove and Juno rose.But higher far my proud pretensions Less beautiful, however gay,The son of parents pass'd into the skies. Is that which in the scorching day—And now, farewell ! Time unrevok'd Eeceives the weary swain, Who, laj'ing his long scythe aside.has run [is done. Sleeps on some bank with daisies pied,His wonted course, yet what I wish'd Till roused to toil again.By contemplation's help, not sought in What labours of tne loom I see ! [mevain, [again; Looms numberless have groan'd forI seem to have lived my childhood o'er Should every maiden come To scramble for the patch that bearsTo have renew'd the joys that once The impress of the robe she wears.were mine, The bell would toll for some.'Without the sin of violating thine And oh, what havoc would ensue! This bright display of every hueAnd while the wings of fancy still are All in a moment fled! free, As if a storm should strip the bowers Of all [heir tendrils, leaves, andAnd I can view this mimic show of thee,Time has but half succeeded in his Each pocketing a shred. [flowers,theft,— [me left. Thanks, then, to every gentle FairThyself removed, thy power to soothe Who will not come to peck me bare INSCBIPTION FOB A STONE As bird of borrow'd feather. And thanks to one above themERECTED AT THE SOWING OF A GROVE The gentle fair of PertenhaU, OP OAKS AT CHILLISGTON, THE SEAT OF T. GIFFARD, ESQ., 1790. Who put the whole together. Other stones the era tell, STANZAS When some feeble mortal fell ON THE LATE INDECENT LIBERTIES I stand here to date the birth TAKEN WITH THE REMAINS OF MIL- Of these hardy sons of Earth. TON. ANNO 1790. —\"Which shall longest brave the sky, Me\" too, perchance, in future days, Storm and frost these oaks or I ? The sculptured stone shall shew, Pass an age or two away, With Paphian myrtle or ^vith bays I must moulder and decay; Parnassian on my brow. But the years that crimible me Shall invigorate the tree, Spread its branch, dilate its size, Lift its summit to the skies. Cherish honour, virtue, truth. So shalt thou prolong thy youth. Wanting these, however fast Man be tix'd, and form'd to last. He is Ufeless even now. Stone at heart, and cannot grow.

;; ;224 COWPER'S POEMS.\" But I, or ere that season come, Avarice, in thee, was the desire of Escaped from every care. wealthShall reach my refuge in the tomb, And sleep securely there.\" By rust unperishable or by stealthSo sang, in Eoman tone and style, And if the genuine worth of gold depend The j'outhful bard, ere long On application to its noblest end.Ordain'd to grace his native isle With her sublimest song. Thine had a value in the scales ofWho then but must conceive disdain, Heaven, [given. Hearing the deed unblest, Surpassing all that mine or mint hadOf wretches who have dared profane And, though God made thee of a nature His dread sepulchral rest ? proneIll fare the hands that heaved the stones Where Milton's ashes lay. To distribution boundless of thy own.That trembled not to grasp his bones And still by motives of religious force And steal his dust away! Impell'd thee more to that heroic course, ill requited bard ! neglect Yet was thy liberality discreet, Thy living worth repaid, Nice in its choice, and of a temper'dAnd bund idolatrous respect As much affronts the dead. heat [stUl, And though in act unwearied, secret As in some solitude the summer rill Eefreshes, where it winds, the faded green. And cheers the drooping flowers, un- heard, unseen. Such was thy charity; no suddenIN MEMOEY OF THE LATE start. J. THOENTON, ESQ. After long sleep.of passion in tlie heart, But steadfast principle, and in its kind.Poets attempt the noblest task they Of close relation to the Eternal Mind,can, Traced easily to its true source above.Praising the Author of all good in man, To Him, whose words bespeak HisAnd, next, commemorating Worthies nature, love. [I makelost, [most. Thy bounties all were Christian, andThe dead in whom that good aboimded This record of thee for the Gospel'sThee, therefore, of commercial fame, sake; [seebut more [shore That the incredulous themselves mayFamed for thy probity from shore to Its use and power exemplified in thee.Thee, Thornton! worthy in some pageto shine, [mine,As honest and more eloquent than THE JUDGMENT OP THE POETS.1 mourn; or, since thrice happy thou Two nymphs, both nearly of an age,must be, [thee. Of numerous charms possess'd,The world, no longer thy abode, not A warm dispute once chanced to wage,Thee to deplore were grief misspent Whose temper was the best.indeed; [meed. The worth of each had been complete. Had both alike been mild:It were to weep that goodness has itsThat there is bliss prepared in yonder But one, although her smile was sweet, Frown'd oftener than she smiled.sky, [die. And in her humour, when she frown'd,And glory for the virtuous, when they Would raise her voice and roar,What pleastire can the miser's fondled And shake with fury to the ground The garland that she wore.hoard. The other was of gentler cast,Or spendthrift's prodigal excess afford, From all such frenzy clear.Sweet as the privilege of healing woe Her frowns were seldom known to last, And never proved severe.By virtue suffer'd combating below ? To poets of renown in songThat privilege was thine ; Heaven gave The nymphs referr'd the cause,thee means [scenes. Who,strange to tell,all judged it wrong,To Ulumine with delight the saddest And gave misplaced applause.Till thy appearance chased the gloom,forlornAs midnight, and despairing of a morn.Thou hadst an industry in doing gooS,Eestless as his who toils and sweats forfood,

— ;; :!They gentle call'd, and kind and soft, The soft receptacle, in which, secure. Thy rudiments should sleep the winterThe flippant and the scold, [oft,And though she changed her mood so through. [can,That failing left untold. So Fancy dreams. D;sprove it, if yeNo judges sure, were e'er so mad, Ye reasoners broad awake, whose busy Or so resolved to err, searchIn short, the charms her sister had They lavish'd all on her. Of argument, cmploy'd too oft amiss. Sifts half the pleasures of short lifeThen thus the god whom fondly they away [loamy clod Their great inspirer call. Thou fellest mature; and, in theWas heard one genial summer's day, SweUing with vegetative force instinct To reprimand them all Didst burst Ihine egg, as theirs the fabled Twins, [pair'd exact;\"Since thus j-e have combined,\" he Now stars ; two lobes, protruding, A leaf succeeded, and another leaf. said, And, all the elements thy puny growth \" My favourite nymph to slight. Fostering propitious, thou becamest aAdorning May, that peevish maid, With June's undoubted right, twig. [Oh, couldst thou speak.\" The minx shall, for your folly's sake, Who lived when thou wast such? Still prove herself a shrew, As in Dodona once thy kindred treesShall make your scribbling fingers ache, And pinch your noses blue.\" Oracular, I would not curious ask The future, best unknown, but at thy mouth TAEDLEY OAK. Inquisitive, the less ambiguous past. By thee I might correct, erroneousSurvivor sole, and hardly such, of all oft.That once lived hcr«, thy brethren, at The clock of history, facts and events Timing more punctual, unrecordedmy birth, [winters past.)(Since which I number threescore facts [arightA shatter'd veteran, hoUow-trunk'd Eecovering, and misstated settingperhaps, [form. Desperate attempt, till trees shall speakAs now, and with escoriate forks de- again! [of the woodsRelics of ages! could a mind, imbued Time made thee what thou wast, kingWith truth from heaven, created thing —And time hath made thee what thouadore, [worship thee. art a cave ling boughsI might with reverence kneel, and For owls to roost in. Once thy spread-It seems idolatry, with some excuse. O'erhung the champaign ; and theWhen our forefather Druids in their numerous flocks [ample copeoaks [yet That grazed it, stood beneath that Uncrowded, yet safe shelter'd from theImagined sanctity. The conscience,Unpurifled by an authentic act storm. [hast outlivedOf amnesty, the meed of blood divine. No flock frequents thee now. ThouLoved not the light, but, gloomy, into Thy popularity, and art become [thinggloom [taste (Unless verse rescue thee awhile) aOf thickest shades. Hire Adam after Forgotten, as the foUage of thy youth. While thus through all the stagesOf fruit prescribed, as to a refuge, fled. Thou wast a bauble once ; a cup and —thou hast push'd [grassball [thievish jay. Of trecship flrst a seedling hid inWhich babes might play with ; and the Then twig; then sapling; and, asSeeking her food, with ease might have century roll'd Slow after century, a giant bulkpurloind [iug down Of girth enormous, with moss-The auburn nut that held thee, swallow-Thy j-et close-folded latitude of boughs cushion'd root [emboss'dAnd all thine embrj-o vastness at a Upheaved above the soil, and sidesgulp. [autumnal rains —With prominent wens globose, till atBut Fate thy growth decreed; the last [to inflictBeneath thy parent 1 ce mellow'd the The rottenness, which Time is chargedsou [doer, On other mighty ones, found also thee.Design'd thy cradle; and a skipping What exhibitions various hath theWith pointed hoof dibbling the glebe, Witness'd of mutability in all [worldprepared That we account most durable below 1

—;225 COWPER'S POEMS.Change is the diet, on which all subsist, The feller's toil, which thou could'stCreated changeable, and change at last ill requite. [rock.Destroys them. Skies uncertain now Yet is thy root sincere, sound as thethe heat [beam A quarry of stout spurs, and knottedTransmitting cloudless, and the solar fangs.Now quenching in a boundless sea of Which, crook'd into a thousand whim-clouds, [and drought, sies, claspCalm and alternate storm, moisture The stubborn soil, and hold thee stUlInvigorate by turns the springs of life erect. [tion yetIn all that live, plant, animal, and man, So stands a kingdom whose founda-And in conclusion mar them. Nature's Fails not, in ^^rtue and in wisdom laid, Though all the superstructure, by thethreads, [coarsest works,Fine passing thought, e'en in their toothDelight in agitation, yet sustain Pulverised of venality, a shell [self!The force that agitates not unim- Stands now, and semblance only of it-pair'd: [the cause Thine arms have left thee. WindsBut, worn by frequent impulse, to have rent them offOf their best tone their dissolution owe. Long since, and rovers of the forest wildThought cannot spend itself, com- With bow and shaft have burnt them.paring still [growth Some have left [white;The great and little of thy lot, thy A splinter'd stump bleach'd to a snowyFrom almost nullity into a state And some memorial none where onceOf matchless grandeur, and declension they gi-ew. [forththence, Yet lie still lingers in thee, and putsSlow, into such magnificent decay, [fly Proof not contemptible of what she can,Time was when, settling on thy leaf, a Even where death predominates. TheCould shake thee to the root— and time spring [forcehas been [age Finds thee not less alive to her sweet Than yonder upstarts of the neighbour-When tempests could not. Atthy firmestThou hadst within thy bole solid con- ing wood, tents So much thy juniors, who their birthThat might have ribb'd the sides and received [thine.plank'd the deck Half a millennium since the date ofOf some flagg'd admiral ; and tortuous But since, although well qualified byarms, [didst present age [voiceThe shipwright's darling treasure, To teach, no spirit dwells in thee, nor May be expected from thee, seated hereTo the four-quarter'd winds, robust and On thy distorted root, with hearersbold, [load!Warp'd into tough knee-timber, many a none, [performBut the axe spared thee. In those Or prompter, save the scene, I willthriftier days [supply Myself the oracle, and will discourseOaks fell not, hewn by thousands, to In my own ear such matters as I may. One man alone, the father of us all,The bottomless demands of contest, Drew not his life from woman ; neverwagedFor senatorial honours. Thus to Time gazed, [he saw.The task was left to whittle thee away With mute unconsciousness of whatWith his sly scythe, whose ever-nib- On all around him; learn'd not by de- bling edge, grees,Noiseless, an atom, and an atom more, Nor owed articulation to his earDisjoining from the rest, has, unob- But, moulded by his Maker into manserved, [and wide, At once, upstood intelligent, survey'dAchieved a labour, which\" had, far All creatures, with precision xmderstoodBy man performed, made all the forest Theirpurport, uses, properties, assign'dring. [self To each his name significant, and, fill'dEmbowell'd now. and of thy ancient With love and wisdom, render back toPossessing nought but the scoop'd rind Heaven [drew.that seems [drink, In praise harmonious the first air he He was excused the penalties ol dullA huge throat calling to the clouds for Minority. No tutor charged his handWhich it would give in rivulets to thyroot, [forbid'st With the thought-tracing quilI,or task'dThou temptest none, but rather much his mind

—; !:; :; ; MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 227With problems. History, not wanted Lodged with convenience in the fork. She watch'd the gardener at his work;yet, Sometimes her ease and solace sought In an old empty watering-pot,Lean'd ou her elbow, watching Time,whose course, [themeEventful, should supply her with a There, wanting nothing, save a fan, To seem some nymph in her sedanEPITAPH ON MRS M. HIGGINS, Apparcll'd in exactest sort, OF WESTON. And ready to be borne to court. But love of change it seems has placeLAfRELS may flourish round the con- Not only in our wiser racequeror's tomb, [to come Cats also feel, as well as we.But happiest they who win the world That passiun's force, and so did she.Believers have a silent field to fight. Her climbing, she began to find. Exposed her too much to the wind,And their exploits are veil'd from And the old utensil of tin Was cold and comfortless withinhuman sight [they dwell,They in some nook, where Uttle knownKneel, pray in faith, and rout the hosts She therefore wish'd instead of those Some place of more serene repose,of hell; [divine. Where neither cold might come, norEternal triumphs crown their toils airAnd all those triumphs, Mary, now are Too rudely wanton with her hair. And sought it in the likeliest modethine.SONNET TO A TOUNG LADY ON Within her master's snug abode. HEB BEETHDAY. A drawer, it chanced, at bottom linedDeem not, sweet rose, that bloomest With linen of the softest kind.'midst many a thorn, [consign'd. With such as merchants introduceThy friend, though to a cloister's shade From India, for the ladies' use,Can e'er forget the charms he left be- A drawer impending o'er the rest.hind, morn Half open in the topmost chest. Of depth enough and none to spare.Or pass unheeded this auspicious Invited her to slumber thereIn happier days to brighter prospects Puss with delight beyond expressionborn, [tuous mind. Survey'd the scene and took posses-Oh tell thy thoughtless sex, the vir- sion.Like thee, content in every state may Eecumbent at her ease ere long. And luU'd by her own humdrum song.find, [scorn; She left the cares of life behind.And look on Folly's pageantry with And slept as she would sleep her last.To steer with nicest art betwixt the When in came, housewifely inclined. The chambermaid, and shut it fast,extreme By no malignity impell'd. But all unconscious whom it held.Of idle mirth, and affectation coy;To blend good sense with elegance and Awakeu'd by the shock, cried Puss,ease [stream \" Was ever cat attended thuslTo bid Affliction's eye no longer The open drawer was left, I see,Is thine ; best gift, the unfailing source Merely to prove a nest for me.of joy, [cease 1The guide to pleasures which can never THE EETIKED CAT. For soon as I was well composed.A poet's cat, sedate and grave Then came the maid and it was closed. How smooth these 'kerchiefs and howAs poet well could wish to have, sweet 1Was much addicted to inquire Oh what a delicate retreat;For nooks to which she might retire. I will resign myself to restAnd where, secure as mouse in chink, Till Sol declining in the west,She might repose, or sit and think. Shall call to supper, when, no doubt,I know not where she caught the Susan will come and let me out.\" The evening came , the sun descended.trick, [her And Puss remain'd still unattended.Nature perhaps herself had oastIn such a mould philosophique, The night roU'd tardily away, Or else she learn'd it of her master. (With her indeed 'twas never day;)Sometimes ascending debonnair, The sprightly morn her course renew'd. The evening gray again ensued,An apple tree, or lofty pear,

:; ;And Puss came into mind no moro TO THE NIGHTINGALE.Thau if entomb'd the day before.With hunger pinch'd, and pinch'd for WHICH THE AUTHOR HEARD SING ON NE'VV-YEAR'S DAY. room,She now presaged approaching doom, Whence is it, that amazed I hear,Nor slept a single wink, or purr'd, From yonder wither'd spray,Conscious of jeopardy incurr'd. This foremost morn of aU the year, That night, by chance, the poet The melody of May ? watching. And why, since thousands would be proudHeard an inexplicable scratchingHis noble heart went pit-a-pat, Of such a favour shewn.And tohimself he said—\" What's that?\"He drew the curtain at his side, Am I selected from the crowd,And forth he peep'd, but nothing spied.Yet, by his ear directed, guess\"d To witness it alone ?Something imprison'd in the chest, Sing'st thou, sweet Philomel, to mo,And, doubtful what, with prudent care For that I also longKesolved it should continue there.At length, a voice which well he knew, Have practised in the groves like thee, Though not like thee in song?A long and melancholy mew, Or sing'st thou rather under forceSaluting his poetic ears. Of some divine command,Consoled him, and dispell'dhis fears: Conimission'd to presage a courseHe left his bed, he trod the floor. Of happier days at hand ?He 'gan in haste the drawers explore,The lowest first, and without stop Thrice welcome then ! for many a longThe rest in order to the top. And joyless year have I,For 'tis a truth well known to most, As thou to-day, put forth my songThat whatsoever thing is lost. Beneath a wiuti-y sky.We seek it, ere it come to light, But thee no wintry skies can harm.In every cranny but the right.Forth skipp'd the cat, not now replete Who only need'st to singAs erst with airy self-conceit,Nor in her own fond apprehension To make even January charm. And every season Spring.A theme for all the world's attention, LINES WRITTEN IN AN ALBUMBut modest, sober, cured of allHer notions hyperbolical, OF MISS PATTY MORE'S, SISTER OFAnd wishing for a place of rest HANNAH MORE.Anj-thing rather than a chest. In vain to live from age to ageThen stepp'd the poet into bed While modern bards endeavour,With this reflection in his head I write my name in Patty's page. MORAL. And gain my point for ever.Beware of too sublime a sense EPITAPH ON A FREE BUT TAMEOf your own worth and consequence. REDBREAST,The man who dreams himself so gi-eat,And his importance of such weight, A FAVOURITE OF MISS SALLY HURDIS.That all around in all that's done,Must move and act for him alone, These are not dewdrops, these areW^ill learn in school of tribulationThe folly of his expectation. tears. ON THE NEGLECT OF HOMER. And tears by Sally shed, For absent Robin, who she fears.Could Homer come himself, distress'd and poor. With too much cause, is dead.And tune his harp at Ehedicina's door. One morn he came not to her handThe rich old yixen would exclaim, (I As he was wont to come, fear,) And, on her finger perch'd, to stand Picking his breakfast crumb.\"Begone! no tramper gets a farthing Alarm'd, she call'd him, and pei-plex'd here.\" She sought him, but in vain That day he came not, nor the nest, Nor ever came again.

;: ; MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 229She therefore raised him here a tomb, Verse oft has dash'd the scythe of Time Though where he fell, or how. aside, [died:None knows, so seoret was his doom, Nor where he moulders now. Immortalising names which else had And oh! could I command the glitter-Had half a score of coxcomhs died ing wealth [chase health, In social Robin's stead.Poor Sally's tears had soon been dried. With which sick kings are glad to pur- Or haply never shed. Yet, if extensive fame, and sure to live. Were in the power of verse Uke mineBut Bob was neither rudely bold, Nor spiritlessly tame to give, [less,Nor was, like theirs, his bosom cold, I would not recommend his arts with But always in a flame. Who, giving Mary health, heals myON A MISTAKE IN THE TRANS- LATION OP HOMER. distress. [though unknown.COWPER had sinn'd with some excuse, myFriend of friend! I love thee. If. bound in rhsnuing tethers. myAnd boldly call thee, being his,He had committed this abuse own. Of changing ewes for wethers. TO WABREN HASTINGS, ESQ.But, male for female is a trope, BY AN OLD SCHnOLFELLOW OF HIS AT A rather bold misnomer, WESTMINSTER.Thar would have startled even Pope, Hastings! I knew thee young, and of a \"When he translated Homer. mind [kind;SONNET TO WILLIAM WILBER- FORCE, ESQ. While young, humane, conversable, and Nor can I well believe thee, gentle then. Now grown a villain, and the worst of men [pressd But rather, some suspect, who have op- And worried thee, as not themselves the best.Thy country, \"Wilberforce, with justdisdain, [pious call'd LINES ADDRESSED TO DR DARWIN,Hears thee bj' cruel men and im- AUTHOR OF \" THE BOTANIC GARDEN.\"Fanatic, for thy zeal to loose the in- Two poets, (poets by reportthrall'd [chain. Not oft so well agree,)From exile, public sale, and slavery's Sweet harmonist of Flora's court !Friend of the poor, the wrong'd, the Conspire to honour thee.fetter-gaU'd, [vain.Fear not lest labour such as thine beThouhastachievedapart; hastgain'd They best can judge a poet's worth,the ear Who oft themselves have knownOf Britain's senate to thy glorious cause, The pangs of a poetic birth By labours of their own.Hope smiles, joy springs, and, though We therefore pleased extol thy song,cold caution pause [near Though various yet complete,And weave delay, the better hour is Rich in embellishment, as strongThat shall remunerate thy toils severe And learned as 'tis sweet.By peace for Afric, fenced with British No envy mingles with our praiselaws. Though, could our hearts repineEnjoy what thou hast won, esteem and —At any poet's happier lays. They would they must at thine.love [blest above.From all the just on earth, and all the TO DB AUSTEN. OF CECIL But we, in mutual bondage knit STREET, LONDON. Of friendship's closest tie,ACSTES ! accept a grateful verse from Can gaze on even Darwin's wit me. With an unjaundiced eye:The poet's treasure, no inglorious fee.Loved by the muses, thy ingenious mind And deem the bard, whoe'er he bo. And howsoever known.Pleasing requital in my verse may fiud; Who would not twine a wreath for thee, Unworthv of his own.

;; ; !!COWPER'S POEMS. CATHARINA. She will have just the life she prefers, With little to hope or to fear. ADDRESSED TO MISS STAPLETON. And ours would be pleasant as hers.— —She came she is gone we have met, Might we view her enjoying it here. And meet perhaps never again THE SECOND PAST.The sun of that moment is set, ON HER MARRIAGE TO GEORGE COUR- And seems to have risen in vain. TENAY, ESQ. Catharina has tied like a dream, Believe it or not as you choose. (So vanishes pleasure, alas !) The doctrine is certainly true,But has left a regret and esteem That the future is known to the muse, That mil not so suddenly pass. And poets are oracles too.The last evening ramble we made, I did but express a desire Catharina, Maria, and I, To see Catharina at home.Our progress was often delay'd By the nightingale warbling nigh. myAt the side of friend George's fire,We paused under many a tree. And lo—she is actually come And much she was charm'd with a Such prophecy some may despise, But the wish of a poet and friend tone. Perhaps is approved in the skies,Less sweet to Maria and me, And therefore attains to its end. Who so lately had witness'd her own. 'Twas a wish that flew ardently forthMy numbers that day she had sung, And gave them a grace so divine. From a bosom efTectually warm'd With the talents, the graces, and worthAs only her musical tongue Could infuse into numbers of mine. Of the person for whom it was form'd.The longer I heard, I esteem'd Maria, would leave us, I knew, To the grief and regret of us all, The work of my fancy the more,And e'en to myself never seem'd But less to our grief, could we view So tuneful a poet before. Catharina the Queen of the Hall. And therefore I wish'd as I did.Though the pleasures of London exceed In number the days of the j'ear, And therefore this union of hands, Not a whisper was heard to forbid.Catharina, did nothing impede. —But all cry, Aman to the banns. Would feel herself happier here;For the close-woven arches of limes Since therefore I seem to incur On the banks of our river, I know, No danger of wishing in vainAre sweeter to her many times When making good wishes for her, Than aught that the city can show. myI will e'en to wishes again;So it is, when the mind is endued With a well-j udging taste from above. With one I have made her a wife.Then, whether embellish'd or rude, And now I will try with another. 'Tis nature alone that we love. Which I cannot suppress for my life,The achievements of art may amuse. May even our wonder excite, How soon I can make her a mother.But groves, hills, and valleys diffuse SONNET, A lasting, a sacred delight.Since then in the rural recess ADDRESSED TO 'WILLIAM HAYLET, ESQ. Catharina alone can rejoice. —Hayley thy tenderness fraternalMay it still be her lot to possess The scene of her sensible choice! shewn [guestTo inhabit a mansion remote [steeds. In our first interview, delightful From the clatter of street-pacing To Mary, and me for her dear sakeAnd by Philomel's annual note To measure the life that she leads. distress'd, [own,With her book, and her voice, and her Such as it is has made my heart thy Ij-re, Though heedless now of new engage- To wing all her moments at home ments grownAnd with scenes that new rapture in- For threescore winters make ; wintry spire, breast. As oft as it suits her to roam; And I had purposed ne'er to go in quest [alone. Of friendship more, except with God

— — —; ; ;; MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 231But thou hast won me ; nor is God Gave the gun its aim, and figure Made in field, yet ne'er pull'd trigger,my foe, Arm'd men have gladly made Him their guide, and him obey'dWho, ere this last afBictiTe scene began. At his signified desire Would advance, present, and fire.Sent thee to mitigate the dreadful Stout he was. and large of limb,blow. [know Scores have fled at sight of him;My brother, by whose sympathy I And to all this fame he roseThy true deserts infallibly to scan, Only following his nose.Not more to admire the Bard than love Neptune was he call'd ; not hethe Man. Who controls the boisterous sea, EPITAPH ON FOP, But of happier command,A BOa BELOKGING TO LADY THEOCK- MOETON. Neptune of the furrow'd land; And, your wonder vain to shorten,THOtJGH once a puppy, and though Fop Pointer to Sir John Throckmorton.by name, [honour claim :Here moulders one whose bones someNo sycophant, although of spaniel race.And though no hound, a martyr to the ON EECEIVING HAYLEY'S chase. PICTUEE.Ye squirrels, rabbits, leverets rejoice! In language warm as coiild be breathedYour haunts no longer echo to his or penndvoice [friend.This record of his fate exulting view, myThy picture speaks the original,He died worn out with vain pursuit of Not by those looks that indicate thyyou. [replies mind, [mankind;—\" Yes,\" the Indignant shade of Fop They only speak thee friend of allAnd worn with vain pursuit, man Expression here more soothing stiU Ialso dies.\" see, That friend of all a partial friend to me.SONNET TO GEO. KOMNEY, ESQ.ON HIS PICTURE OF ME IN CRAYONS. EPITAPH ON MR CHESTER, OFEOMNEY, expert infallibly to trace CHICHELEY. On chart or canvas, not the form Tears flow, and cease not, where thealone [shown good man lies, [skies.And semblance, but however faintly Till all who knew him follow to theThe minds impression too on every Tears therefore fall where Chester'sface; ashes sleep;With strokes that time ought never to Him wife, friends, brothers, children,erase, [though I own servants weep;Thou hast so pencLU'd mine, that —And justly few shall ever him tran-The subject worthless, I have never scend [friend. knewn As husband, parent, brother, master,The artist shining with superior grace.—But this I mark, that symptoms none TO MY COUSIN ANNE BODHAM,of woe ON RECEIVING FROM HER A NETSVORK PURSE MADE BY HERSELF. In thy incomparable work appear.Well— I am satisfied it should be so. My gentle Anne, whom heretofore.Since, on maturer thought, the cause When I was young, and thou no moreis clear; Than plaything for a nurse,For in my looks what sorrow couldst I danced and fondled on my knee, A kitten both in size and glee,thou see [to thee? I thank thee for my purse.When I was Hayley's guest, and sat Gold pays the worth of all things here; AN EPITAPH But not of love ;—that gem's too dearON A POINTER BELONGING TO SIR For richest rogues to win it JOHN THROCKMORTON. I, therefore, as a proof of love.Here lies one who never drew Esteem thy present far aboveBlood himself, yet may slew The best things kept within it.

;;232 COWPEE'S POEMS. TO MES UNWIN. Heaven grant us half the omen,—mayMary! I want a lyre with other strings, we see [on thee 1Such aid from heaven as some have Not drought on others, but much dewfeign'd they drew, [new INSCEIPTION FOE A HEEMITAGE IN THE AUTHOE'S GAEDEN.An eloquence scarce given to mortals, This cabiu, Mary, in my sight appears,And undebased by praise of meaner Built as it has been in our waning years,things, (\"wings, A rest afforded to our weary feet,That, ere through age or woe. I shed my Preliminary to— the last retreat.I may record thy worth with honourdue. In verse as musical as thou art true, ESrSCEIPTION FOE A MOSS-HOUSE IN THE SHEUBBEEY AT WES-And that immortalises whom it sings. TON.But thou hast httle need. There is abook [heavenly light. By seraphs writ with beams of Here, free from riot's hat«d noise,On which the eyes of God not rarelj-look, Be mine, the calmer, purer joysAchronicle of actions just and bright A friend or book bestows; [great,myThere all thy deeds, faithful Mary, Far from the storms that shake the [spare thee mine. myContentment's gale shall fan seat,shine, And sweeten my repose.And since thon own'st that praise, I TO JOHN JOHNSOX, E.SQ., THE FOUE AGES.ON HIS PRESENTING ME WITH AN (A BRIEF FRAGMENT OF AN EXTENSIVE ANTIQCE BUST OF HOMER. PROJECTED POEM.)Ktnsman beloved, and as a son, by me! \" I COULD be well content, allow'd\"When I behold the fruit of thy regard. the use [glean'd The sculptured form of my old fa- Of past experience, and the wisdom From worn-out foDies, now acknow-vourite bard, [thee. ledged such.I reverence feel for him, and love for To recommence life's trial, in the hopeJoy too and grief. Much joy that there Of fewer errors, on a second proof!\"should be, [not to reward Thus while grey evening lull'd theWise men and leam'd, who grudge wind, and calfd [my side,With some applause my bold attempt Fresh odours from the shrubbery atand hard. Taking my lonely winding walk, IWhich others scorn : critics by courtesy. mused, [my heart;The grief is this, that, sunk in Homer's And held accustom'd conference withmine, [fail, When from within it thus a voice re-I lose my precious years now soon to plied : [taught at lengthHandling his gold, which, howsoe'er it \" Couldst thou In truth ? and art thoushine, [Christian scale. This wisdom, and but this, from all theProves dross when balanced in the past ?Be wiser thou; —like our forefather Is not the pardon of thy long arrear. Time wasted, violated laws, abuseDonne, [God alone.Seek heavenly wealth, and work for Of talents, judgment, mercies, better farTO A YOUNG FEIEND, Thau opportunity vouchsafed to errON HTS ARRIVING AT CAMBRIDGE WET With less excuse, and, haply, worse WHEN NO RAIN HAD FALLEN THERE. effect?\" [fro I heard, and acquiesced : then to andIf Gideon's fleece, which drench'd with Oft pacing, as the mariner his deck,dew he found, [around. My graveUy bounds, from self to humanWhile moisture none refresh'd the herbs kind [man ?Might fitly represent the churgh, en- I pass'd, and next consider'd, what isdow'd [alJow'd Knows he his origin? Canhea cendWith heavenly gifts to heathens not By reminiscence to his earliest date?In pledge, perhaps, of favours from on Slept he ia Adam ? And in those fromhigh, [were dry. him [foundThy locks were wet when others' locks Through numerous generations, till he

—; ! ;; ;; ;; ;;At length his destined moment to be A TALE.bom? [womb? In Scotland's realm, where trees areOr was he not, till fashion'd in the Nor even shrubs aboundDeep mysteries both 1 which schoolmen ; [few.must have toU'd [teries still. But where, however bleak the view.To miriddle, and have left them mys- Some better things are fotmdIt is an eyU incident to man. [leaves For husband there and ^ife may boastAnd of the worst, that unexplored he Their union imdeflled.Truths useful and attainable with ease, And false ones are as rare almost As hedgerows in the wildTo search forbidden deeps, wheremystery lies [might.Not to be solved, and useless, if it In Scotland's realm forlorn and bare The history chanced of lateMysteries are food for angels; they The history of a wedded pair,digest [but man. A chaffinch and his mate.With ease, and find them nutrimentWhile yet he dwells below, must stoop The spring drew near, each felt a breast With genial instinct fill'd;to glean [and die. Theypair'd, andwouldhavebuiltanesHis manna from the ground, or starve But found not where to build.ON A PLANT OF VIRaiN'S BOWEE, The heaths uncover'd and the moors Except with snow and sleet.DESIGSED TO COTER A GARDEN-SEAT. Sea-beaten rocks and naked shoresThrive, gentle plant ! and weave a Could yield them no retreat.For Mary and for me, [bower Long time a breeding-place they sought Till both grew vex'd and tiredAnd deck with many a splendid flower, At length a ship arriving broughtThy foliage large and free. The good so long desired.Thou camest from Eartham, and wilt A —ship ? could such a restless thing(If truly I divine). [shade Afford them place of rest ? Or was the merchant charged to briSome future day the illustrious head The homeless birds a nest?Of him who made thee mine. — —Hush ! silent hearers profit mostShould Daphne shew a jealous frown. And Envy seize the bay, This racer of the sea Proved kinder to them than the coast.Ainrraing none so fit to crown Such honour'd brows as they. It served them with a tree.Thy cause with zeal we shall defend, And with convincing powerFor why should not the Virgin's friend Be crown'd with Virgin's Bower?TO WnXIAM HAYLEY, ESQ. But such a tree ; 'twas shaven deal. The tree they call a mast.Dear architect of fine chateaux in air, And had a hollow with a wheelWorthier to stand for ever, if they Through which the tackle pass'd.could, [wood. Within that cavity aloft Their roofless home they flx'd.Than any built of stone, or yet of Form'd with materials neat and soft.For back of royal elephant to bear Bents, wool, and feathers mtx'd.Oh for permission from the skies toshare, [thy good, Four ivory eggs soon pave its floor. With russet specks beji_htMuch to my own, though little to The vessel weighs, forsakes the shoreWith thee (not subject to the jealous And lessens to the sight.Apartnershipof literary ware! [mood!)But I am bankrupt now ; and doom'd The mother-bird is gone to sea, As she had changed her kind.henceforth [lays But goes the male ? Far wiser, heTo drudge, in descant dry, on others' Is doubtless left behind.Bards, I acknowledge, of unequalld —No soon as from ashore he sawworth [praise ? The wing'ed mansion move.But what is commentator's happiest He flew to reach it, by a lawThat he has furnish'd lights for other Of never-failing loveeyes, [then despise.WTiich they who need them use, and

—; ! ;236 COWPEE'S POEMS.Then perching at his consort's side, —You cried— Forbear 1 but in my breast Was bristly borne along. —A mightier cried Proceed!The billows and the blast defied, 'Twas Nature, sir, whose strong behest And cheer'd her with a song. Impell'd me to the deed.The seaman with sincere delight His feather'd shipmates eyes, Yet much as Nature I respect,Scarce less exulting in the sight I ventured once to break Than when he tows a prize. (As you perhaps may recollect) Her precept for your sakeFor seamen much believe in signs, And from a chance so new And when your linnet on a day,Each some approaching good divines. Passing his prison door. And may his hopes be true 1 Had flutterd all his strength away,Hail, hotioured land! a desert where And panting press'd the floor. Not even birds can hide. Well knowing him a sacred thuig.Yet, parent of this loving pair Not destined to my tooth, Whom nothing could divide. I only kiss'd his ruffled wing.And ye who, ralher than resign Your matrimonial plan. And licked the feathers smooth.Were not afraid to plough the brine Let my obedience then excuse In company with man; My disobedience now,For whose lean country much disdain Nor some reproof yourself refuse From your aggrieved bow-wow; We English often shew, If killing birds be such a crime,Yet from a richer nothing gain (Which I can hardly see.) But wantonness and v.-oe What think you. Sir. of killing timeBe it your fortune, year by year. With verse address'd to me ? The same resource to prove, TO THE SPANISH ADMIRAL,And may ye, sometimes landing here, COUNT GRAVINA, Instruct us how to love! OS HIS TEAXSLATING THE ACTHOR'SON A SPANIEL, CALLED BEAU, SOXG ON A EOSE IXTO ITALIAN YEESE. EILLINa A YOUXG BIEB. My Rose, Gravina, blooms anew,A SPASIEL, Beau, that fares like you, And steep'd not now in rain. Well fed. and at his ease. But in Castalian streams by you,Should wiser be than to pursue Will never fade again. Each trifle that he sees. TO MARY.But j-on have killed a tiny bird. The twentieth year is well nigh past Which flew not till to-day, Since our first sky was overcast ;^-Against my orders, whom you heard Ah would that this might be the last! Forbidding yon the prey. My Mary 1Nor did you kill that you might eat, —Thy spirits have a fainter flow,And ease a doggish pain, [heat, I see thee daily weaker grow:For him, though chased ^vith furious 'Twas my distress that brought theeYou left where he was slain. My Mary! pow.Nor was he of the thievish sort, Thy needles, once a shining store, Or one whom blood allures, myFor sake restless heretofore.But innocent was all his sport Now rust disused, and shine no more, Whom you have torn for yours. My MaryMy dogl what remedy remains, For though thou gladly wouldst fulfilSince, teach you aU I can, The same kind office for me still.myI see yon, after all pains. Thy sight now seconds not thy will. My MarySo much resemble man? BEAUS REPLY. But well thou play'dst the housewife'sSia, when I flew to seize the bird part. In spite of your command, And aU thy threads with magic artA louder voice than yours I heard, Have wound themselves about this And harder to -ffithstand. My Mary! [heart;

!!! ; : ; ;; ;: MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 23?Thy indistinct expressions seem So Homer, in the memory storedLike language utter'd in a dream Of many a Grecian belle.Yet me thev charm, whate'er the theme, Was once preserved— a richer hoard, My Mary But never lodged so well.Thy silver locks, once auburn bright, INSCEIPTION FOR THE TOMBmyAre still more lovely in OF MR HAMILTON. sightThan golden beams of orient light,My Mary! Pause here, and think: a monitoryFor could I view nor them nor thee, rhyme [time.What sight worth seeing could I see ? Demands one moment of thy fleetingThe sun would rise in vain for me. Consult life's silent clock, thy bounding My Mary! [to reign ? \" vein Seems it to say— \"Health here has longPartakers of thy sad decline. Hast thou the vigour of thy youth ? anThy hands their little force resign; eye [to sigh ?Yet gently press'd, press gently mine. That beams delight ? a heart untaught My Mary Yet fear. Youth, ofttimes healthfulSuch feebleness of limbs thou provest. and at ease,That now at every step thou movest, Anticipates a day it never sees;Upheld by two; yet still thou lovest, And many a tomb, like Hamilton's, My Mary I aloud [shroud.\" Exclaims, \" Prepare thee for an earlyAnd still to love, though press'd with ON THE ICE ISLANDS SEEN FLOATESTG IN THE GERMANIn wintry age to feel no chill, [Ul, OCEAN.With me is to be lovely slill,My MaryBut ah ! by constant heed I know. What portents, from what distantHow oft the sadness that I show region, ride, [tide?Transforms thy smiles to looks of woe, Unseen till now in ours, the astouish'd My Mary In ages past, old Proteus, with hisAnd should my future lot be cast drovesWith much resemblance of the past. Of sea-calves, sought the moimtainsThy worn-out heart will break at last, and the groves; My Marj-! But now, descending whence of late they stood, [rove the flood Themselves the mountains seem toON BECER'ING HEYNE'S VIEGIL Dire times were they, full charged with FROM ME HATLEY. human woes [those.I SHOULD have deem'd it once an effort And these, scarce less calamitous than vain What view we now ? More wondrousTo sweeten more sweet Maro's match- stUl! Behold! less strain. Like barnish'd brass they shine, orBut from that error now behold me beaten gold ^dour show. free, And all around the pearl's pure splen-Since I received him as a gift from Aud all around the ruljy's fiery glow. thee. Come they from IndUa, where the ANSWER burning earth, [sures birthTO STANZAS ADDRESSED TO LADY HES- KETH, BY MISS CATHARINE FAN- All bounteous, gives her richest trea- SHAWE, IN RETURNING A POEM OF ME COWPER'S, LENT TO HER ON CON- And where the costly gems, that beam DITION SUE SHOULD NEITHER SHEW IT, NOR TAKE A COPY. around [found ? TO be remember'd thus is fame, The brows of mightiest potentates, are And in the first degree No. Never such a countless dazzling And did the few Uke hev the same, store [shore: The press might sleep for me. Had left unseen the Ganges' peopled Rapacious hands, and ever watchful eyes, [seized the prize. Should sooner far have marked and Whence sprang they then? Ejected [ing womb ? have they come From Ves'vius', or from Etna's btu-n-

!; : :: :;Thus shine they Belf-illumed, or but THE CASTAWAY.display [day? Obscueest night involved the sky,The borrow'd splendour of a cloudless The Atlantic billows roar'd.With borrow'd beams they shine. The When such a destined wretch as I,gales that breathe [l^eneath, Wash'd headlong from on board,Now landward, and the current's force Of friends, of hope, of all bereft,Have borne them nearer: and the His floating home for ever left.nearer sight, [aright,Advantaged more, contemplates them No braver chief could Albion boastTheir lofty summits crested high they Than he with whom he went,shew, [bent snow. Nor ever ship left Albion's coast\"With mingled sleet, and long-incum- With warmer wishes sent.The rest is ice. Far hence, where, He loved them both, but both in vain;most severe, [the year. Nor him beheld, nor her agaiu.Bleak winter well-nigh saddens all Not long beneath the whelming brine Expert to swim, he lay;Their infant growth began. He bade Nor soon he felt his strength decline,arise [our eyes. Or courage die away;Their uncouth forms, portentous in But waged with death a lasting strife. Supported by despair of life.Oft as dissolved by transient suns, thesnow [belowLeft the tall cliff to join the floodHe caught, and curdled with a freezing He shouted ; nor his friends had fail'd To check the vessel's course,blast [less waste. But so the furious blast prevail'd.The current, ere it reached the bound- That pitiless perforceBy slow degress uprose the wondrous They left their outcast mate behind,pile. [while, And scudded still before the wind.And long successive ages roll'd theTill, ceaseless in its growth, it claim'dto stand Some succour yet they could affordTall as its rival mountains on the land. And, such as storm allow.Thus stood, and unremovable by skDl The cask, the coop, the floated cord,Or force of man, had stood the structure Delay'd not to bestow 'still, Q)lanted yet But he, they knew, nor ship nor shore,But that, though firmly flx'd, sup- Whate'er they gave, should -v-isit more.By pressure of its own enormous Nor, cruel as it seem'd, could he Their haste himself condemn.weight, [a sound—It left the shelving beach and with Aware that flight, in such a sea, Alone could rescue them;That shook the bellowing waves and Yet bitter felt it still to dierocks around, [wave, Deserted, and his friends so nigh.Self-Iaunch'd, and swiftly, to the brinyAs if instinct with strong desire to lave,Down went the ponderous mass. So He long survives, who lives an hourbards of old [told. In ocean, self-upheldHow Delos swam the Mgean deep have And so long he, with unspent power.But not of ice was Delos. Delos bore His destiny repell'dHerb, fruit, and flower. She, crown'd —And ever as the minutes flew.with laurel, wore, [smile; Entreated help, or cried \"Adieu!\"Even under wintry skies, a summerAnd Delos was Apollo's favourite isle. At length his transient respite past.But, horrid wanderers of the deep, to His comrades, who beforeyou [due. Had heard his voice in every blast.He deems Cimmerian darkness onlj' Could catch the sound no moreYour hated birth he deign'd not to sur- For then, by toil subdued, he drankvey, [away. The stifling wave, and then he sank.But, scornful, tum'd his glorious eyesHence! Seek your home, nor longer No poet wept him ; but the page rashly dare Of narrative sincere.The darts of Phcebus, and a softer air; That tells his name, his worth, h. 3 age.Lest ye regret, too late, your native Is wet with Anson's tear: coast. And tears by bards or heroes shedIn no congenial gulf for ever lost Alike immortalise the dead.

!: MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. 239I therefore purjiose not, or dream, Adsunt, evulsi quando radicitus alti Descanting on his fate. In mare descendunt montea, fluotesqueTo give the melancholy theme pererrant. [mirabile visu? A more enduring date Quid verb hoe monstri est magis etBut misery stUl delights to trace Splendentes video, ceu pulchro ex esreIts semblance in another's case. vel auro [gemmis,No voice divine the storm allay'd, Conflatos, rutilisque accinctos imdiquo No light propitious shone, Bacca cserulea, et flammas imitanteWhen, snatch'd from all effectual aid, pyropo. [tellus \"We perish'd, each alone; Ex oriente adsunt, ubi gazas optimaBut I beneath a rougher sea. Parturit omnigenas, quibus aeva perAnd whelm'd in deeper gulfs than he. omnia sumptuIN SUB3IEESI0XEM NAVIGII GUI, Ingenti flnxere sibi diademata reges ? GEOKGIUS KEGALE NOilEN, INDITUM. Vlx hoc crediderim. Non fallunt taliaPLAXGiiius fortes. Periere fortes, acutos [tora GrangiaPatrium propter periere littusBis quater centum ; subitb sub alto Mercatorum ocnlos : prius et quam ^t- .ffiquore mersi. Liquissent, avidis gratissima preedaNavis, innitens lateri, jacebat. fuissent. [atroxMains ad summas trepidabat undas, Ortos unde putemus ? An illos Yes'viusCum levis, funes qtiatiens, ad imum Protidit, ignivomisve ejecit faucibns Depulit aura. .ffitna ? [purumPlangimns fortes. Nimis,heu,caducamFortibus vitem voluere parcee. Luce micant propria, Phoebive, per aeraNee sinunt ultra tibi nos recentes Nunc stimulantis equos, argentea tela Nectere laurus. retorquent ? [altiaMagne, qui nomen, licet incanorum,Traditum ex multis atavis tulisti! Phoebi luce micant. Ventis et fluctibusAt tuos olim memorabit Kvum Appulsi, et rapidis subter currentibus Omne trimnphos. undis, [videre estNon hyems Ulos furibunda mersit,Non mari in clauso scopuli latentes, Tandem non fallunt ocnlos. Capita altaFissa non rimis abies, nee atrox Multa onerata nive et canis conspersa Abstulit ensis. pruinis.Navitse sed tum nimium jocosiVoce fallebant hilari laborem, Caetera sunt glacies. Procul hinc, nbiEt quiescebat, calamoque dextram im- Bruma ferfe omnes pleverat heros. Contristat menses, portenta hsec hor-VoB, quibus cordi est grave opus pium- rida nobis [summoHumidum ex alto spoUum levate, [que, nia stnii voluit. Quoties de culmtneEt putrescentes sub aquis amicos Eeddite amicisl Clivorum fluerent in littora prona, sol-Hi quidem (sic dis'placuit) fuere: utee [cursu.Sed ratis, nondum putris, ire possitBursns in bellum, Britonnmque nomen Sole, nives, propero tendentes in mare ToUere ad astra. nia gelu fliit. Paulatim attollere sese Mirum ccepit opus; glacieque ab ori- gins rerum [tandem In glaciem aggesta sublimes vertice ! .ffiquavit montes, non crescere nescia mol&s. [stetlsset Sic immensa diu stetit, setemvmique Congeries, hnmimim neque yi neque mobilis arte, Littora ni tandem declivia deseruisset, Pondere victa suo. Dilabitur. Omnia circum [fragore, Antra et saxa gemunt, subito concussaMONTES GLACIALES, IN OCEANO Dimi ruit in pelagum, tanquam studiosa GEEMANICO NATANTES. natandi, [oUm, Ingens tota strues. Sic Delos diciturEn, quae prodigia, ex oris allata remotis, Insula, in.3;g8eo fluitasseerratica ponto.Oras adveniunt pavefacta per eequora Sed non ex glacie Delos; neque torpidanostras [videtur Delum [ilemque.Non equidem priscae seeclum rediisse Bruma uiter rupes genuit nudum ster-Pyrrhse, cum Proteus pecus altos visere Sed vestita herbis erat ilia, omataque nunquammontesEt sylvas, egit. Sed tempera vix leviora Decidua lauro ; et Delum dilexit ApoUo.

!;240 COWPEB'S POEMS.At Tos, errones horrendi, et caligine IN SEDITIONEM HOREENDAM,digni [vestra, OORECPTELIS GALLICIS, UT FERTUR, LONDINI NUPER EXORTAM.Cimmeria, Deus idem odit. NataliaNubibus involvens frontem, non ille Perfida, crudelis, victa et lymphatatueri [caelum 1Sustinuit. Patrium vos ergo requirite furore, [petit.Ite 1 Eedite ! Timete moras ; ni leni- Non armis, laurum Gallia fraudeter austro [sagittas Venalem pretio plebem conducit, etSpirante, et nitidas Phoebo jaculaate urit.HostUi vobis, pereatis gurgite mistil Undique privatas patriciasque domes. Nequicquam conata sua, foedissimaIDEM LATINE EEDDITUM. sperat [manu.Heu inimioitias quoties parit eemula Posse tamen nostra noa superareforma, Grallia, vana struis ! Precibus nunc [potest utere ! Vinces, [sumus.Quam raro pulchrre pulchra placere Nam mites timidis, supplicibusqueSed fines ultr^ solitos discordia tendit, TRANSLATION. Cum flores ipsos bills et ira movent.Ilortus ubi dulces prsebet tacitosque False, cruel, disappointed, stung to recessfls, the heart, [sin's part, Se rapit in partes gens animosa duas, France quits the warrior's for the assas-Ilie sibi regales Amaryllio Candida cul- To dirty hands a dirty bribe conveys, • lUic purpureo vindicat ore Eosa. [tus, Elds the low street and lofty palace blaze.Ira Eosam et meritia qucesita superbia Her sons, too weak to vanquish us alone.tangunt, She hires the worst and basest of our Multaque ferventi vix cohibenda sinfl, own, [us with ease.Dam sibi fautorum ciet nndique nomina Kneel, France! a supphant conquersvatflm, [probat. We always spare a coward on his knees.Jusque sumn, multo carmine fulta,Altior emicat Ula, et celso vertice nutat, MONUMENTAL INSCEIPTION TO Ceu flores inter non habitura parem, WILLIAM NOETHCOT.Fastiditque alios, et nata videtur in usfis Hie sepultus est Imperii, sceptrum, Flora quod ipsa Inter suorum lacrymas gerat. GULIELMUS KORTDCOT, GULIELIII et MARI^ filiusNee Dea non sensit civilis munnura Unlcus, unicd dilectus.rixfe, [opes. Qui floris ritu succisus est semihiantis, Cui curee est pictas pandere rviris Aprilis die septimo,Deliciasque suas uunquam non promp- 1780. ^t. 10.ta tueri, [adest.Drnn licet et locus est, ut tueatur, Care, vale 1 Sed non ssternum, care,Et tibi forma datur procerior omnibus, valetol [dignus, ero.inquit, [color, Namque iterum tecum, sim modbEt tibi, principibus qvd solet esse, Tum nihil amplesus poterit divelleroEt donee vincat qusedam formosior nostros, [ego.ambas, Nee tu marcesces, nee lacrymaborEt tibi reginsB nomen, et esto tibi. TRANSLATION.His ubi sedatus furor est, petit utraque Farewell! \" But not for ever,\" Hopenympliam [parit replies, [the skies IQualem inter Veneres Anglia sola Trace but his steps and meet him inHanc penes imperium est, nihil optant There nothing shall renew our partingamplius, hujus pain.Eegnaut in nitidia, et sine lite, genis. Thou Shalt not wither, nor I weep again. DUNN AND WRIGHT, PRINTERS, GLASGOW.

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