THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES V> / A N EPISTLE T O A FRIEND, WITH OTHER POEMS. BY THE AUTHOR OF "THE PLEASURES OF MEMORY: LONDON: PRINTED BY R. NOBLE, FOR T. CADELL, JUNIOR, AND W. DAVIES, STRAND. 1798. PR A N EPISTLE T O FRIEND. Villula, et pauper agelle, Me tibi, et hos una mecum, quos Temper amavi.. Commendo. 751542 PREFACE. JLVERY reader turns with pleafure to thofe paflages of Horace, and Pope, and Boileau, which defcribe how they lived and where they dwelt ; and which, being interfperfed among their fatirical writings, derive a fecret and irrefiftible grace from the contrail, and are admirable examples of what in Painting is termed repofe. We have admittance to Horace at all hours. We enjoy the company and converfation at his table ; and his (uppers, like Plato's, * non folum in prasfentia, fed etiam poftero die jucundas funt.' But, when we look round as we fit there, we find ourfelves in a Sabine farm, and not in a Roman villa. His windows have every charm of profpecT: ; but his furniture might have defcended from Cincinnatus ; and gems, and piftures, and old marbles are mentioned by him more than once with a feeming indifference. His Englifh Imitator thought and felt, perhaps, more correftly on the fubjecl ; and embellifhed his garden and grotto with great induftry VI PREFACE. induftry and fuccefs. But to thefe alone he folicits our notice. On the ornaments of his houfe he is filent ; and appears to have referved all the minuter touches of his pencil for the library, the chapel, and the banquetting-room of Timon. Nor could the Diable boi- teux have laid them open with more ability. Le favoir de notre fiecle, fays Rouffeau, tend beaucoup plus a detruire qu'a edifier. On cenfure d'un ton de maitre ; pour propofer, il en faut prendre un autre. It is the defign of this Epiftle to illuftrate the virtue of True Tafte ; and to mew how little fhe requires to fecure, not only the comforts, but even the elegancies of life. True Tafte is an excellent Economift. She confines her choice to few objefts, and delights in producing great effedfs by fmall means : while Falfe Tafte is for ever fighing after the new and the rare; and reminds us, in her works, of the Scholar of Apelles, who, not being able to paint his Helen beautiful, determined to make her fine. ARGUMENT. An Invitation, v. i. The approach to a Villa defcribed, v. 5. Its fituation, v. 1 7. Its few apartments, v. 57. furnifhed with cafts from the Antique, and engravings from the Italian Matters, v. 63. The dining-room, v. 83. The library, v. 105. A cold bath, v. 117. An ice-houfe, v. 127. A winter-walk, v. 173. A fummer-walk, v. 185. The invitation renewed, v. 205. Conclufion, v. 213. A N EPISTLE TO A FRIEND W HEN, with a Reaumur's (kill, thy curious mind Has clafs'd the infecl-tribes of human-kind, Each with its bufy hum, or gilded wing, Its fubtle web-work, or its venom'd fting ; Let me, to claim a few unvalued hours, 5 Point the green lane that leads thro' fern and flowers ; The fhelter'd gate that opens to my field, And the white front thro' mingling elms reveaFd. b In lO AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. In vain, alas, a village-friend invites To fimple comforts, and domeftic rites, 10 When the gay months of Carnival refume Their annual round of glitter and perfume ; When Bond-ftreet hails thee to its fplendid mart, Its hives of fweets, and cabinets of art ; And, lo, majeftic as thy manly fong, 15 Flows the full tide of human life along. Still muft my partial pencil love to dwell On the home-profpe&s of my hermit cell ; The mofTy pales that fkirt the orchard-green, Here hid by fhrub-wood, there by glimpfes feen ; 20 And AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 11 And the brown pathway, that, with carelefs flow, Sinks, and is loft among the trees below. Still muft it trace (the flattering tints forgive) Each fleeting charm that bids the landfcape live. Oft o'er the mead, at pleafing diftance, pafs * 25 Browfing the hedge by fits the pannier'd afs ; The idling fhepherd-boy, with rude delight, Whiftling his dog to mark the pebble's flight ; And in her kerchief blue the cottage-maid, With brimming pitcher from the fhadowy glade. 30 Far to the fouth a mountain-vale retires, Rich in its groves, and glens, and village-fpires ; Its upland lawns, and cliffs with foliage hung, Its wizard-ftream, nor namelefs nor unfung: b 2 And 12 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. And, thro' the various year, the various day % 35 What fcenes of glory burft, and melt away ! When April-verdure fprings in Grofvenor-fquare, And the furr'd Beauty comes to winter there, She bids old Nature marr the plan no more, Yet flill the feafons circle as before. 40 Ah, ftill as foon the young Aurora plays, Tho' moons and flambeaux trail their broaden 1 blaze ; As foon the fky-lark pours his matin fong, Tho' Evening lingers at the mafk fo long. There let her ftrike with momentary ray, 45 As tapers fhine their little lives away ; There AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 13 There let her praftife from herfelf to fteal, And look the happinefs fhe does not feel ; The ready fmile and bidden blufh employ At Faro-routs that dazzle to deftroy ; 50 Fan with affe&ed eafe the effenc'd air, And lifp of fafhions with unmeaning dare. Be thine to meditate an humbler flight, When morning fills the fields with rofy light ; Be thine to blend, nor thine a vulgar aim, 55 Repofe with dignity, with Quiet fame. Here no (late-chambers in long line unfold, Bright with broad mirrors, rough with fretted gold ; Yet modefl ornament, with ufe combin'd, Attracts the eye to exercife the mind. 60 Small 14 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. Small change of fcene, fmall fpace his home requires 3 , Who leads a life of fatisfied defires. What tho' no marble breathes, no canvas glows, From every point a ray of genius flows ! 4 Be mine to blefs the more mechanic fkill, 65 That ftamps, renews, and multiplies at will ; And cheaply circulates, thro' diftant climes, The faireft relics of the pureft times. Here from the mould to confcious being ftart Thofe finer forms, the miracles of art ; 70 Here chofen gems, impreft on fulphur, fhine, That flept for ages in a fecond mine ; And here the faithful graver dares to trace A Michael's grandeur, and a Raphael's grace! Thy AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 15 Thy gallery, Florence, gilds my humble walls, 75 And my low roof the Vatican recalls ! Soon as the morning-dream my pillow flies, To waking fenfe what brighter vifions rife ! O mark ! again the courfers of the Sun, s At Guido's call, their round of glory run! 80 Again the rofy Hours refume their flight, Obfcur'd and loft in floods of golden light ! But could thine erring friend fo long forget (Sweet fource of penfive joy and fond regret) That here its warmeft hues the pencil flings, 85 Lo ! here the loft reftores, the abfent brings ; And l6 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. And frill the Few bed lov'd and moft rever'd 6 Rife round the board their focial fmile endear'd ? 7 Nor boaft, O Choify, feat of foft delight, 8 The fecret charm of thy voluptuous night. 90 Vain is the blaze of wealth, the pomp of power ! Lo, here, attendant on the fhadowy hour, Thy clofet-fupper, ferv'd by hands unfeen, Sheds, like an evening-ftar, its ray ferene, 9 To hail our coming. Not a ftep prophane 95 Dares, with rude found, the cheerful rite reftrain ; And, while the frugal banquet glows reveal'd, Pure and unbought*, the natives of my field ; * dapes inemptas. Hor. AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 1J While blufhing fruits thro' fcatter'd leaves invite, Still clad in bloom, and veil'd in azure light; 100 With wine, as rich in years as Horace lings, With water, clear as his own fountain flings, The fhifting fide-board plays its humbler part, Beyond the triumphs of a Loriot's art. Selected fhelves fhall claim thy fludious hours ; 105 There fhall thy ranging mind be fed on flowers ! * There, while the fhaded lamp's mild luflre ftreams, Read ancient books, or woo infpiring dreams; ,# * apis Matinas More modoque Grata carpentis thy ma Hor. c And l8 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. And, when a fage's bull arrefts thee there, * ' Paufe, and his features with his thoughts compare. no Ah, moft that Art my grateful rapture calls, Which breathes a foul into the filent walls ; * Which gathers round the Wife of every Tongue, * 8 All on whofe words departed nations hung; Still prompt to charm with many a converfe fweet ; 115 Guides in the world, companions in retreat ! Tho' my thatch'd bath no rich mofaic knows, A limpid fpring with unfelt current flows. Emblem of Life ! which, ftill as we furvey, Seems motionlefs, yet ever glides away ! 120 * Poftea verb quam Tyrannio mihi libros difpofuit, mens addita videtur meis aedibus. Cic. The AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. lO, The fhadowy walls record, with Attic art, The flrength and beauty that its waves impart. Here Thetis, bending, with a mother's fears Dips her dear boy, whofe pride reflrains his tears. There Venus, riling, (hrinks with fweet furprize, 125 As her fair felf reflected feems to rife ! But hence away ! yon rocky cave beware ! A fullen captive broods in lilence there. ' 3 There, tho' the dog-ftar flame, condemn'd to dwell, In the dark centre of its inmoft cell, 130 Wild Winter minifters his dread controul, To cool, and cryftallize the neftar'd bowl ! His faded form an awful grace retains ; Stern tho' fubdued, majeftic tho' in chains ! c 2 Far 20 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. Far from the joylefs glare, the maddening ftrife, 135 And all ' the dull impertinence of life,' Thefe eyelids open to the riling ray, 14 And clofe, when Nature bids, at clofe of day. Here, at the dawn, the kindling landfcape glows ; There noon-day levees call from faint repofe. 1 40 Here the flufh'd wave flings back the parting light ; There glimmering lamps anticipate the night. When from his claflic dreams the ftudent deals, * Amid the buzz of crouds, the whirl of wheels, * Ingenium, fibi quod vacuas defumpfit Athenas, Et fludiis annos feptem dedit, infenuitque Libris et curis, ftatua taciturnius exit Plerumque Hor. To AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 21 To mufe unnotic'd, while around him prefs 145 The meteor-forms of equipage and drefs ; Alone, in wonder loft, he feems to ftand A very ftranger in his native land ! Like thofe bleft Youths (forgive the fabling page) ' Whofe blamelefs lives deceiv'd a twilight age, * 150 Spent in fweet (lumbers ; till the miner's fpade Unclos'd the cavern, and the morning play 'd. Ah, what their ftrange furprize, their wild delight ! New arts of life, new manners meet their fight ! In a new world they wake, as from the dead ; 1 55 Yet doubt the trance diflblv'd, the vifion fled ! * fallentis femita vitae. Hor. O come, 22 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. O come, and, rich in intellectual wealth, Blend thought with exercife, with knowledge health ; Long, in this fhelter'd fcene of letter'd talk, With fober ftep repeat the penfive walk; 160 Nor fcorn, when graver triflings fail to pleafe, The cheap amufements of a mind at eafe ; Here every care in fweet oblivion caft, And many an idle hour not idly pafs'd. No tuneful echoes, ambulh'd at my gate, 1 65 Catch the bleft accents of the wife and great. * s Vain of its various page, no Album breathes The figh that Friendfhip, or the Mufe bequeathes. Yet fome good Genii o'er my hearth prefide, Oft the far friend, with fee ret fpell, to guide ; AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 23 And there I trace, when the grey evening lours, A filent chronicle of happier hours ! When Chriftmas revels in a world of fnow, And bids her berries blufh, her carols flow ; His fpangling fhow'r when Froft the wizard flings, 175 Or, borne in ether blue on viewlefs wings, O'er the white pane his filvery foliage weaves, And gems with icicles the fheltering eaves ; Thy muffled friend his neclarine-wall purfues, What time the fun the yellow crocus wooes, 180 Screen'd from the arrowy North ; and duly hies * To meet the morning-rumour as it flies ; # Fallacem circum, vefpertinumque pererro Saspe forum. Hor. To 24 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. To range the murmuring market-place, and view The motley groups that faithful Teniers drew. When Spring burfts forth in bloffoms thro' the vale, 185 And her wild mufic triumphs on the gale, Oft with my book I mufe from ftile to ftile ; * Oft in my porch the liftlefs noon beguile, Framing loofe numbers, till declining day Thro' the green trellis fhoots a crimfon ray ; 190 Till the Weft- wind leads on the twilight hours, And makes the fragrant bells of clofing flowers. Thus, in this calm recefs, fo richly fraught With mental light, and luxury of thought ; * Tantot, un livre en main, errant dans les preries Boileau. Thus AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 25 Thus, while the world but claims its proper part, 195 Oft in the head, but never in the heart, My life fleals on; (O could it blend with thine!) Carelefs my courfe, yet not without defign. So thro' the vales of Loire the bee-hives glide, ,7 The light raft dropping with the filent tide ; 200 So, till the laughing fcenes are loft in night, The bufy people wing their various flight, Culling unnumber'd fweets from namelefs flowers, That fcent the vineyard in its purple hours. Rife, ere the watch-relieving clarions play, 205 Caught thro' St. James's groves at blufh of day ; Ere its full voice the choral anthem flings Thro' trophied tombs of heroes and of kings. d Hafte 26 AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. Hafte to the tranquil fhade of learned eafe, * Tho' fkilPd alike to dazzle and to pleafe ; 210 Tho' each gay fcene be fearch'd with anxious eye, Nor thy fhut door be pafs'd without a figh. If, when this roof fhall know thy friend no more, Some, form'd like thee, mould once, like thee, explore ; Invoke the lares of his lov'd retreat, 215 And his lone walks imprint with pilgrim-feet ; Then be it faid, (as, vain of better days, Some grey domeflic prompts the partial praife;) " Unknown he liv'd, unenvied, not unbleft; Reafon his guide, and Happinefs his gueft. 220 * Innocuas arao delicias dottamque quietem. In AN EPISTLE TO A FRIEND. 2.J In the clear mirror of his moral page, We trace the manners of a purer age. His foul, with third of genuine glory fraught, Scorn'd the falfe luftre of licentious thought. One fair afylum from the world he knew, 225 One chofen feat, that charms with various view ! Who boafts of more (believe the ferious drain) Sighs for a home, and fighs, alas ! in vain. Thro' each he roves, the tenant of a day, And, with the fwallow, wings the year away !" 18 230 THE END. D 2 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Note I. Verfe 25. Oft o'er the mead, at pleafing dijiance, pafs V^OSMO of Medicis preferred his Apennine villa, becaufe all that he commanded from its windows was exclufively his own. How unworthy of his chara&er; and how unlike the wife Athenian, who, when he had a farm to fell, directed the cryer to proclaim, as its beft recommendation, that it had a good neighbourhood! Plut. in Vit. Themift. Note II. Verfe 35. And, thro' the various year, the various day- Horace commends the houfe, longos quae profpicit agros. And I think he is right. Diftant views, if there is a good foreground, are generally the mod pleafing ; as they contain the greateft variety, both in themielves, and in their accidental variations. Mr. Gilpin on the High-Lands of Scotland, i. 159. Note 30 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Note III. Verfe 61. Small change of fane, fmall /pace his home requires Many a great man. in palling through the apartments of his palace, has made the melancholy reflection of the venerable Cofmo : Quefta e troppo gran cafa a fi poca famiglia. Mac n. I ft. Fior. lib. vii. I confefs, fays Cowley, I love littlenefs almoft in all things. A little convenient eftate, a little chearful houfe, a little company, and a very little feaft. Effay vi. So alfo fays the Conqueror of Silefia ! Petit bien, qui ne doit rien, Petite maifon, petite table, &c. When Socrates was afked why he had built for himfelf fo fmall a houfe, " Small as it is," he replied, " I wifh I could fill it with " friends." Ph^drus, 1. iii. 9. Thefe indeed are all that a wife man would defire to affemble ; " for a " croud is not company, and faces are but a gallery of pictures, and talk " but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love." Bacon's Effays, xxvii. Note IV. Verfe 64. From every point a ray of genius flows ! By this means, when the heavens are filled with clouds, when the earth fwims in rain, and all nature wears a lowering countenance, I withdraw NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 31 withdraw myfelf from thefe uncomfortable fcenes into the vifionary worlds of art; where I meet with fhining landlkips, gilded triumphs, beautiful faces, and all thofe other objects that fill the mind with gay ideas, &c. Addison. It is remarkable that Antony, in his adverfity, pafied fome time in a fmall but fplendid retreat, which he called his Timonium, and from which probably originated the idea of the Parifian Boudoir, that favorite apartment, ou I'onfc retire pour etrejeul, mais ou Von ne boude point. Strabo, 1. vii. Plut. in Vit. Anton. Note V. Verfe 79. mark ! again the courfers of the Sun, At Guido's call, &c. Alluding to his celebrated frefco in the Rofpigliofi Palace at Rome. It has been engraved by Morghen. Note VI. Verfe 87. And Jlill the Few bejl lov'd and mofi rever'd- The dining-room is dedicated to Conviviality ; or, as Cicero fomewhere exprefles it, Communitati vitae atque viftus. There we wifh moft for the fociety of our friends ; and, perhaps, in their abfence, moft require their portraits. The moral advantages of this furniture may be illuftrated by the pretty (lory of an Athenian courtezan, " who, in the midft of a riotous banquet with 32 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. with her lovers, accidentally caft her eye on the portrait of a philofopher, that hung oppofite to her feat : the happy character of temperance and virtue ftruck her with fo lively an image of her own unworthinefs, that fhe inflantly quitted the room ; and, retiring home, became ever after an example of temperance, as fhe had been before of debauchery." Webb's Inquiry into the Beauties of Painting, p. 33: Note VII. Verfe 88. Rift round the board, &c. A long table, and a fquare table, fays Bacon, feem things of form, but are things of fubftance; for at a long table a few at the upper end, in effect., fway all the bufinefs. Effay xx. Perhaps Arthur was right, when he inftituted the order of the round table. In the town-houfe of Aix-la-Chapelle is flill to be feen the round table, which may almofl literally be faid to have given peace to Europe in 1748. Nor is it only at a congrels of plenipotentiaries that place gives precedence. Note VIII. Verfe 89. Nor boajl, Choify,feat ojfoft delight At the petits foupes of Choify were firft introduced thofe admirable pieces of mechanifm, afterwards carried to perfection by Loriot, the Con- fidente and the Servante ; a table and a fide-board, which defcended, and rofe again covered with viands and wines. And thus the mod luxurious Court NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 33* Court in Europe, after all its boafted refinements, was glad to return at laft, by this lingular contrivance, to the quiet and privacy of humble life. Vie privee de Louis XV. torn. ii. p.* 43. Note IX. Verfe 94.' Sheds, like an evening-Jlar, its ray ferene. At a Roman fupper ftatues were fometimes employed to hold the lamps. Aurea funt juvenum fimulacra per aedeis, Lampadas igniferas manibus retinentia dextris. Lucr. ii. 24. A fafhion as old as Homer ! Odyfl". vii. 100. On the proper degree and diftribution of light we may confult a great mailer of effeft. II lume grande, ed alto, e non troppo potente, fara. quello, che rendera le particole de' corpi molto grate. Tratt. della Pit- tura di Lionardo da Vinci, c. xli. Hence every artift requires a broad and high light. Michael Angelo ufed to work with a candle fixed in his hat. Condivi, Vita di Michelagn. Hence alfo, in a banquet-fcene, the moft pifturefque of all poets has thrown his light from the cieling. ^.neid. i. 730. And hence the " ftarry lamps" of Milton, that from the arched roof Pendent by fubtle magic, yielded light As from a ficy. Paradife Loft. i. 726. e Note 34 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Note X. Verfe 108. Read ancient books, or woo infpiring dreams. The reader will here remember that paflage of Horace, Nunc veterum libris, nunc fomno, &c. which was infcribed by Lord Chefterfield on the frieze of his library. Note XI. Verfe 109. And, when a /age's bujl arrejis thee there Siquidem non folum ex auro argentove, aut certe ex aere in biblio- thecis dicantur illi, quorum immortales animae in iifdem locis ibi loquun- tur : quinimo etiam quae non funt, finguntur, pariuntque defideria non traditi vultus, ficut in Homero evenit. Quo majus (ut equidem arbi- tror) nullum eft felicitatis fpecimen, quam femper omnes fcire cupere, qualis fuerit aliquis. Plin. Nat. Hift. xxxv. 2. Cicero fpeaks with great affe&ion of a little feat under Ariftotle in the library of Atticus. Literis fuftentor & recreor; maloque in ilia tua fedecula, quam habes fub imagine Ariftotelis, federe, quam in iftorum fella curuli ! Ep. ad Att. iv. 10. Nor fhould we forget that Dryden ufed to draw infpiration from the " majeftic face" of Shakfpeare ; and that a print of Newton was the only ornament of the clofet of Buffon. Ep. to Kneller. Voyage a Mont- bart par Hcrault de Sechelles. In NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 35 In the chamber of a man of genius we write all down : Such and fuch pi&ures ; there the window ; the arms, figures, Why, fuch, and fuch; Cymbeline. Note XII. Verfe 113. Which gathers round the Wife of every Tongue. Quis tantis non gaudeat & glorietur hofpitibus, exclaims Petrarch. Spe&are, etfi nihil aliud, certe juvat. Homerus apud me mutus, immo vero ego apud ilium furdus fum. Gaudeo tamen vel afpeftu folo, et faepe ilium amplexus ac fufpirans dico : O magne vir, Sec. Epift. Var. Lib. Note XIII. Verfe 128. A fallen captive broods in filence there. This thought is moft beautifully dilated in an Infcription for an Ice- houfe, by a Lady of great celebrity in the Literary World. Nor has it efcaped Waller in his verfes on St. James's Park. v. 53. e 2 Note 36 NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Note XIV. Verfe 137. Theft eyelids open to the rifing ray. Your bed-chamber, and alfo your library, fays Vitruvius, fhould have an eaftern afpeft ; ufus enim matutinum poflulat lumen. Not fo the picture-gallery ; which requires a north-light, uti colores in ope, propter conflantiam luminis, immutata permaneant qualitate. L. vi. c. 6. This difpofition accords with his plan of a Grecian houfe. L. vi. c. 9. Note XV. Verfe 149. Like thofe blejl Youths (forgive the fabling page J See the Legend of the Seven Sleepers, as tranflated from the Syriac by the care of Gregory of Tours. Gibbon's Hift. c. 33. Note XVI. Verfe 166. Catch the blejl accents of the wife and great. Mr. Pope delights in enumerating his illuflrious guefts. Nor is this an exclufive privilege of the Poet. The Medici Palace at Florence exhibits a long and impofing catalogue. ' Semper hi parietes columnasque eruditis vocibus refonuerunt.' Another is alfo prcferved at Chanteloup, the feat of the Duke of Choifeul. Note NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 37 Note XVII; Verfe 199. So thro* the vales of Loire the bee-hives glide: An allufion to the floating bee-houfe, or barge laden with bee-hives, which Goldfmith fays he faw in fome parts of France and Piedmont. Hift. of the Earth, viii. 87. Note XVIII. Verfe 230. And, with the /wallow, wings the year away ! It was the boaft of Lucullus that he changed his climate with the birds of paflage. Plut. in Vit. Lucull. How often mufl he have felt the truth here inculcated, that the mailer of many houfes has no home ! T O A R I E N D ON HIS MARRIAGE. KJ N thee, bleft youth, a father's hand confers The maid thy earlieft, fondeft wifhes knew. Each foft enchantment of the foul is hers ; Thine be the joys to firm attachment due. As on fhe moves with hefitating grace, She wins aflurance from his foothing voice ; And, with a look the pencil could not trace, Smiles thro' her blufhes, and confirms the choice. Spare 40 TO A FRIEND ON HIS MARRIAGE. Spare the fine tremors of her feeling frame ! To thee fhe turns forgive a virgin's fears ! To thee fhe turns with fureft, tendereft claim ; Weaknefs that charms, reluctance that endears ! At each refponfe the facred rite requires, From her full bofom burfts the unbidden figh. A ftrange myfterious awe the fcene infpires ; And on her lips the trembling accents die. O'er her fair face what wild emotions play \ What lights and (hades in fweet confufion blend ! Soon fhall they fly, glad harbingers of day, And fettled funfhine on her foul defcend ! Ah TO, A FRIEND ON HIS MARRIAGE. 41 Ah foon, thine own confeft, ecftatic thought ! That hand fhall ftrew each flinty path with flowers ; And thofe blue eyes, with mildeft luftre fraught, Gild the calm current of domeftic hours ! A FAREWELL. FAREWELL. U N C E more, enchanting girl, adieu ! I muft be gone, while yet I may. Oft fhall I weep to think of you ; But here I will not, cannot flay. The fweet expreflion of that face, For ever drifting, yet the fame, Ah no, I dare not turn to trace. It melts my foul, it fires my frame ! Yet A FAREWELL. 44 Yet give me, give me, ere I go, One little lock of thofe fo bleft, That lend your cheek a warmer glow, And on your white neck love to reft. Say, when to kindle foft delight, That hand has chanc'd with mine to meet, How could its thrilling touch excite A figh fo fhort, and yet fo fweet ? O fay but no, it mull not be. Adieu, enchanting girl, adieu ! Yet ftill, rriethinks, you frown on me ; Or never could I fly from you. f 2 to TO THE NAT. W H E N by the greenwood fide, at fummer eve, Poetic vifions charm my clofing eye ; And fairy-fcenes, that Fancy loves to weave, Shift to wild notes of fweetefl Minftrelfy ; 5 Tis thine to range in bufy queft of prey, Thy feathery antlers quivering with delight, Brum from my lids the hues of heav'n away, And all is Solitude, and all is Night ! Ah now thy barbed (haft, relentlefs fly, Unfheaths it's terrors in the fultry air ! No TO THE GNAT. 47 No guardian fylph, in golden panoply, Lifts the broad fhield, and points the fparkling fpear. Now near and nearer rufh thy whirring wings, Thy dragon-fcales ftill wet with human gore : Hark, thy fhrill horn its fearful larum flings ! I wake in horror, and ' dare deep no more !' FINIS. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. Form L9-100m-9,'52(A3105; THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGLLLS EL lo~-^^- S23h An epistle to a &&h friend. PR 523U E6U University Southen Libran