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 \L LIBRARY FACILI 
 <-C0 OCOO 
 
 
 Thompson 
 The Castle of Indolence
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE 
 
 C A S T L E 
 
 O F 
 
 INDOLENCE. 
 
 A N 
 
 Allegorical POEM. 
 
 Written in 
 
 Imitation o/" SPENSER, 
 
 By 
 
 JAMES THOMPSON. 
 
 The Second Edition. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for A, Millar, over-againft Catherine-Jireet^ 
 in the Strand. 
 
 MDCCXLVIII. [Price w. 6^.]
 
 PR 
 Advertisement. 
 
 ITHIS Poem being writ in the Manner of 
 Spenfer, the obfolete Words^ and a Simplicity of 
 DiBion in fome of the Lines^ which borders on 
 the Ludicrous, were necejfary to make the Imita- 
 tion more perfeSi. And the Stile of that admir- 
 able Poet^ as well as the Meafure in which he 
 wrote, are as it were appropriated by Cujiom to 
 all Allegorical Poems writ in our Language-, ju/i 
 as in French the Stile of Ma rot who lived under 
 Francis I. has been ufed in Tales, and familiar 
 Epijiles, by the politejl Writers of the Age of 
 Louis XIV. 
 
 87GG55
 
 [Iv] 
 
 EXPLANATION of the obfolete Words ufed 
 in this POEM. 
 
 A Rchimage 77?^ chiefs or Lad -for led. 
 
 *-^ greatejl of Magicians or Lea a Piece of Land, or 
 
 Enchanters. Meadow. 
 
 Atween betiveen. Libbard Leopard. 
 
 Lig to lie. 
 
 Bale Sorrow^TrouhkyMif- Lofel a loofe idle Fellow. 
 
 fortune, Louting Bowing, Bending. 
 
 Benempt named. 
 
 Blazon Painting, Difplay- Mell mingle. 
 
 tng. 
 
 Moe- 
 Moil- 
 
 -more. 
 -to labour. 
 
 Carol to fing Sengs of Joy. Muchel or Mochel much, 
 
 Certes certainly. 
 
 Eath- 
 
 -eafy. 
 
 Eftfoons immediately, of ten, ^^^^;;;JZ!'Z 
 
 afterwards. 
 
 great. 
 Nathlefs neverthelefs. 
 
 Gear or Geer Furniture, 
 
 Equipage, Drefs. 
 Glaive Sword, (Fr.) 
 
 Needments Neccffaries. 
 
 Nourfling a Nurfe, or what 
 
 is nurfed. 
 Noyance Harm. 
 
 Han have. 
 
 Hirht is named, called. 
 
 Perdie ( Fr. par Dieu) an 
 
 old Oath. 
 Prick'd thro' the Foreft ^ 
 
 rode thro' the Forejl. 
 
 Sear dry, hurnt-up. 
 
 Sheen bright, Jhining. 
 
 from the Saxon Iwpan, to Skker fure,furely. 
 
 graft or plant. Soot Sweet, or fiveetly. 
 
 Sooth true, or truth. 
 
 Keft for ca/i. Stound Misfortune. P^ng. 
 
 ' ' Sweltrv 
 
 Idlefs- 
 Imp- 
 
 -Jdlcnefs. 
 -Child, or Offspring
 
 [V] 
 
 Sweltry -^Sultry f confummg 
 
 with Heat. 
 Swink to labour. 
 
 Tranfmew'd transform'' d. 
 
 Vild vile. 
 
 Unkempt (Lat. incomptus) 
 
 unadorrid. 
 
 Whilom ere-while^ for- 
 merly. 
 
 Wis, for Wift to know^ 
 
 think ^ under ft and. 
 
 Ween to think ^ be of Opi- 
 nion. 
 
 Weet' -to knoiv j to weet, 
 
 to wit. 
 
 Wonne (a Noun) Dwel- 
 ling. 
 
 N. B. The Letter Y is fre- 
 quently placed in the Begin- 
 ning of a Word, by Spenfer, 
 to lengthen it a Syllable. 
 
 Yborn born. 
 
 I blent, or hhnt" blended y 
 
 mingled. 
 
 Yclad clad. 
 
 Ycleped ^called, named. 
 
 Yfere together. 
 
 Ymolten melted. 
 
 Yode (Prefer Tenft of 
 
 Yede) went 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 CAST L E 
 
 OF 
 
 INDOLENCE. 
 
 The Cajile higbt of Indolence, 
 
 And its falfe Luxury \ 
 Where for a little Time, alas! 
 
 We livd right jollily, 
 
 I. 
 
 O Mortal Man, who liveft here by Toil, 
 Do not complain of this thy hard Eftate j 
 That hke an Emmet thou muft ever moil. 
 Is a fad Sentence of an ancient Date : 
 And, certes, there is for it Reafon great ; 
 For, though fometimes it makes thee weep and wail, 
 And curfe thy Stars, and early drudge and late, 
 Withouten That would come an heavier Bale, 
 Loofe Life, unruly Pafllons, and Difeafes pale. 
 
 B JL
 
 1 ^he Castle of Indolekce. 
 
 II. 
 
 In low]y Dale, faft by a River's Side, 
 
 With woody Hill o'er Hill encompafs'd round, 
 
 A moft enchanting Wizard did abide, 
 
 Than whom a Fiend more fell is no-where found. 
 
 It was, I ween, a lovely Spot of Ground s 
 
 And there a Seafon atween June and May, 
 
 Half prankt with Spring, with Summer half imbrown'd, 
 
 A liftlefs Climate made, where. Sooth to fay. 
 
 No living Wight could work, ne cared even for Play, 
 
 III. 
 Was Nought around but Images of Reft : 
 Sleep-foothing Groves, and quiet Lawns between -, 
 And flowery Beds that flumbrous Influence keft. 
 From Poppies breath'd -, and Beds of pleafant Green, 
 Where never yet was creeping Creature feen. 
 Mean time unnumber'd glittering Streamlets play'd. 
 And hurled every- where their Waters fheen ; 
 That, as they bicker'd through the funny Glade, 
 
 Tliougli redlefs ftill themfelves, a lulling Murmur made. 
 
 IV.
 
 T'h Castle of Indolekce. 3 
 
 IV. 
 
 join'd to the Prattle of the purling Rills,' 
 Were heard the lowing Herds along the Vale, 
 And Flocks loud-bleating from the diftant Hills, 
 And vacant Shepherds piping in the Dale ; 
 And now and then fweet Philomel wduld wail. 
 Or Stock-Doves plain amid the Foreft deep, 
 That drowfy ruftled to the fighing Gale } 
 And ftiU a Coil the Grafhopper did keep : 
 Yet all thefe Sounds y blent inclined all to Sleep. 
 
 V. 
 
 Full in the Paflage of the Vale, above, 
 A fable, filent, folemn Foreft ftood j 
 Where nought but Ihadowy Forms were feen to move. 
 As Idlefs fancy *d in her dreaming Mood, 
 And uji the Hills, on either Side, a Wood 
 Of blackening Pines, ay waving to and fro. 
 Sent forth a fleepy Horror through the Blood j 
 And where this Valley winded out, below. 
 The murmuring Main was heard, and fcarcely heard,to flow. 
 
 B 2 VI
 
 4 The Gastle of Indolence* 
 
 VL 
 A pleafing Land of Drowfyfctd it WJWr r r 
 Of Dreams that wave before the half- Ihut Eye i 
 And of gay Gaftlcs in the Cbuds that pafs. 
 For ever fluflMrrg round a Summer-Sky : 
 There eke the foft Delights^ that witching/ 
 Infill a wanton Swcctnefs through the BrealVv 
 And the calm Pleafures always hover*d nigh t 
 But whate*er fmack*d of Noyance, or Unrelt, 
 
 Was far far off expellM from this delicious Ntft* 
 
 VIX, 
 The Landfkip ^uch, inuring perfeft Eaft, ' .." 
 Where Indolence (for fo the Wizard hight) 
 Clofe-hid his Caftle mid embowering Trees, 
 That half (hut out the Beams of Pbcebus bright. 
 And made* a Kind of chccker*d Day and Night. 
 Mean while, unceafmg at the mafly Gate, 
 Beneath a fpacious Palm, the wicked Wight 
 Was plac'd ; and to his Lute, of cruel Fate, 
 
 And Labour har/h, complain'd, lamenting Man's Eftate." 
 4 VIII.
 
 jTfo Castle of Indolence. 5 
 
 VIIL 
 
 Thither continual Pilgrims crouded ftiU, , . . , . 
 From all the Roads of Earth that pafs there by : 
 For, as they chaunc'd to breathe on neighbouring Hill, 
 The Frefhnefs of this Valley fmote their Eye, 
 And drew them ever and anon more nigh. 
 Till duftpring round th'Enchanter falfe.they hung, 
 Ymolten with his Syren Melody ; 
 While o'er th'enfeebling Lute his Hand he flung. 
 And to the trembling Chord thefe tempting Verfes fun^: 
 
 " Behold ! ye Pilgrims of this Earth, behold ! 
 See all but Man with unearned Pleafure gay. 
 See her bright Robes the Butterfly unfold, 
 ^' Broke from her wintry Tomb in Prime of May. 
 " What youthful Bride can equal her Array ? 
 " Who can with Her for eafy Pleafure vie ? 
 " From Mead to Mead with gentle Wing to ft:ray, 
 ** From Flower to Flower on balmy Gales to fly, 
 ' Is all fhe has to do beneath the radiant Sky. 
 
 B 3 X.
 
 6 TbeCAsriais. of Indolence.' 
 
 X. 
 
 ** Behold the merry Minftrels of the Morn,' 
 " The fwarming Songfters of the carelefs Grove, 
 " Ten thoufand Throats! that,from the floweringThom, 
 " Hymn their Good God, and carol fweet of Love, 
 " Such grateful kindly Raptures them emove : 
 *' They neither plough, nor fow ; ne, fit for Flail, 
 " E'er to the Barn the nodding Sheaves they drove; 
 ** Yet theirs each Harveft dancing in the Gale, 
 ^* Whatever crowns the Hill, or fmiles along the Vale. 
 
 XI. 
 " Outcaft of Nature, Man ! the wretched Thrall 
 *' Of bitter-dropping Sweat, of fweltry Pain, 
 " Of Cares that eat away thy Heart with Gall, 
 " And of the Vices, an inhuman Train, 
 *' That all proceed from favage Thirfl of Gain : 
 ** For when hard-hearted Interejl firll began 
 " To poifon Earth, Afir<ea left the Plain ; 
 ** Guile, Violence, and Murder feiz'd on Man ; 
 " And, for foft milky Streams, with Blood the Rivers ran. 
 
 XII.
 
 The Castle of Indolekce. 7 
 
 XII. 
 ^ Come, ye, who ftill the cumbrous Load of Life 
 " Pulh hard up Hill ; but as the farthefl Steep 
 " You truft to gain, and put an End to Strife, 
 . *' Down thunders back the Stone with mighty Sweep, 
 ^ And hurls your Labours to the Valley deep, 
 *' For-ever vain : come, and, withouten Fee, 
 " I in Oblivion will your Sorrows fteep, 
 " Your Cares, your Toils, will fteep you in a Sea 
 " Of full Delight: O come, ye weary Wights, tome!-^ 
 
 XIII. 
 * With mc, you need not rife at early Dawn, - 
 " To pafs the joylefs Day in various Stounds: 
 ' ** Or, louting low, on upftart Fortune fawn, 
 " And fell fair Honour for fome paltry Pounds j 
 *' Or through the City take your dirty Rounds, 
 * To cheat, and dun, and lye, and Vifit pay, 
 *' Now flattering bafe, now giving fecret Wounds ; 
 *' Or proul in Courts of Law for human Prey, 
 '* In venal Senate thieve, or rob on broad High-way, 
 
 B 4 XIV.
 
 i The Castle of Indodence. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 " No Cocks, with me, to ruftic Labour call, 
 *' From Village on to Village founding clear ; 
 " To tardy Syram no Ihrill-voicM Matrons fquaH ; - 
 " No Dogs, no Babes, no Wives, to ftun your Ear ; 
 *' No Hammers thump; no horrid Blackfmith fear, 
 " Nq nojfy Tradefeian your fweet Slumbers ftart, 
 " With Sounds that are a Mifery to hear : 
 ** But all is calm, as would delight the Heart 
 
 IF' Of Syi;arite of old, all Nature, and all Art. 
 
 XV. 
 *' Here nought but Candour reigns, indulgent Eafe, 
 ** Good-natur'd Lounging, Sauntering up and down : 
 *' They who are plcas'd themfelves mull always pleafe ; 
 " On Others' W^ays they never fquint a Frown, 
 *' Nor heed what haps in Hamlet or in Town. 
 " Thus, from the Source of tender Indolence, 
 ** With milky Blood the Heart is overflown, 
 *' Isfooth'd and fweeten'd by the focial Senfc; 
 
 * For Intereft, Envy, Pride, and Strife are baniih'd hence. 
 
 XVI.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. p 
 
 XVL 
 
 * What, what, is Virtue, but Repofe of Mind ? 
 " A pure ethereal Calm ! that knows no Stortp ^ 
 '' Above the Reach of wild Ambition's Wind, 
 " Above thofe PalTions ttat this World deform, 
 *' And torture Man, a proud malignant Worm,! 
 " But here, inftead, foft Gales of Paffion play, 
 -*' And gently ftir the Heart, thereby to form 
 " A quicker Senfe of Joy ; as Breezes ftray 
 
 *' Acrols tb'enliven'd Skies, and make thern ftill more gay. 
 
 XVUF. 
 " The Beft of Men have ever 'lov'd Repofe : 
 " They hate to mingle in tlie filthy Fray j 
 *' Where the Soul ibwrs, and gradual Rancour grows, 
 " Imbitter'd more from peevifti Day to Day. 
 ?' Even Thofe whom Fame has lent her feireft Ray, 
 ** The moft renown *d of worthy Wights of Yore, 
 " From a bafe World at laft have ftolen away : 
 ^' So S c I p I o, to the foft Cum<an Shore 
 
 ?' Retiring, tailed Joy he never knew before. 
 
 XVIIL
 
 JO Tloe Castle of Indolence. 
 
 XVIIL 
 
 " Btit if a little Exercife you chufc, 
 
 " Some Zeft for Eafe, 'tis not forbidden here. 
 
 ' Amid the Groves you may indulge the Mufe, 
 
 ** Or tend the Blooms, and deck the vernal Year ; 
 
 *' Or foftly ftealing, with your watry Gear, 
 
 " Along the Brooks, the crimfon-fpotted Fry 
 
 " You may delude : The whilft, amus*d, you hear 
 
 " Now the hoarfe Stream, and now the Zephyr's Sigh, 
 
 " Attuned to the Birds, and woodland Melody. 
 
 XIX. 
 *' O grievous Folly ! to heap up Eftate, 
 " Lofing the Days you fee beneath the Sun i 
 . ' When, fudden, comes blind unrelenting Fate, 
 ** And gives th*untafted Portion you have won, 
 ^ With ruthlefs Toil, and many a Wretch undone, 
 *' To Thofe who mock you gone to Pluto's Reign, 
 " There with fad Ghofls to pine, and Shadows dun : 
 ** But fure it is of Vanities mofl: vain, 
 
 " To toil for wliat you here untoiling may obtain." 
 
 XX.
 
 . Q^be Castle 0/ Indolekce. m 
 
 XX. 
 
 He ceas*d. But ftill their trembling Ears ret^n-d 
 The deep Vibrations of his witching Song ; 
 That, by a Kind of Magic Power, conftrain'd 
 To enter in, pell-mell, the liftening Throng. 
 Heaps pourM on Heaps, and yet they flip'd along 
 In filent Eafe : as when beneath the Beam 
 Of Summer-Moons, the. diftant Woods among. 
 Or by fome Flood all filver'd with the Gleam, 
 The foft-embodied Fays through airy Portal ftream, 
 
 XXI. 
 By the fnaooth Demon fo it order*d was. 
 And here his baneful Bounty firft began : 
 Though fome there were who would not further pafs. 
 And his alluring Baits fufpe<5led han. 
 The Wife diftruft the too fair-lpoken Man. 
 Yet through the Gate they caft a wifliful Eye ; 
 Not to move on, perdie, is all they Cart ; ; 
 For do their very Beft they cannot fly, ' 
 
 But often each Way look, and often forely figh. 
 
 XXII.
 
 n The Castlz of Indolekce. 
 
 XXII. ' 
 
 When this the watchfuf wicked Wizard faw 
 With fudden Spring he leap'd upon diem ftrait j 
 And Yoon as CouchM by his iinhallowM Paw, 
 They found thcmfelves within the curfed Gate ;. 
 Full hard to be repafs'd, like That of Fate, 
 Not ftronger were of old the Gunt-Crew, 
 Who fought to pull high Jove from regal State ; 
 Thoygh feeble Wretch he feem*d, of fallow Hue : 
 Ccrtes, who bides WGrafp will that Encounter rye. 
 
 xxm. 
 
 For whomfoe'er the Villain takes in Hand, 
 Their Joints unknit, their Sinews melt apace i 
 As 'Jithe they grow as any Willow- Wand, 
 And of their vamlh'd Force remains no Trace : 
 So when a Maiden fair, of modeft Grace, 
 In all te buxom bk)oming May c^ Charms, 
 Is feized in /ome iMd% hot Embrace, 
 She waxeth very wsakly as fhe warms, 
 Then figbii^. yieldi Her up to Love's delicious Harms. 
 
 XXIV.
 
 The Castle of Ikeolekce* ij- 
 
 XXIV. /. 
 Wak'd by the Croud, flow from his Bem:h arolJe 
 A comely fuU-fpred Porter, fwoln with Sleep: 
 His calm, broad, thoughtlefs Afpedt breath*d Repofe ; 
 And. in fweet Torpor he was plunged deep, 
 J^e could himfelf from ceafelcfs Yawning keep i 
 While o'er lus Eyes the drowly Liquor ran 
 Through which his half- wak*d Soul would faintly peep. 
 Then taking his black Staff he call'd his Man, 
 
 And rous'd himfelf as much as roule himfelf he can, 
 
 XXV. 
 The Lad leap'd lightly at his Maflcr's Call. 
 He was, to weet, a little rogui^ Page, 
 Save Sleep and Play who mioded nought at all. 
 Like moft the untaught Striplings of his Age. 
 This Boy he kqn each Band to difengage. 
 Garters and Buckles, Talk for him unfit, 
 But ill-becoming his grave Perfonage, 
 And which his portly Paunch would not permit. 
 
 So this fame limber Page to AH performed It. 
 
 XXVI.
 
 14 Tlje Castle of Indolence 
 
 xxVi. 
 
 Mean time the Mafter-Porter wide difplay'd 
 Great Store of Caps, of Slippers, and of Gowns -, 
 Wherewith he Thofe who enter'd in array'd ; 
 Loofe, as the Breeze that plays along the Downs, 
 And waves the Summer- Woods when Evening frowns. 
 O fair Undrefs, bed Drefs t it checks no Vt\Ti^ 
 But every flowing Limb in Pleafure drowns. 
 And heightens Eafe with Grace, This done, right fairi. 
 
 Sir Porter fat him down, and turn'd to Sleep again. 
 
 XXVII. 
 Thus eafyrfob'd, they to the Fountain fped. 
 That in the Middle of the Court up-threw 
 A Stream, high-fpouting from its liquid Bed, 
 And falling back again in drizzly Dew : 
 There Each deep Draughts, as deep he thirfted, drew. 
 It was a Fountain of Nepenthe rare : 
 Whence, as Dan Homer fings, huge Plcafaunce grew, 
 And fweet Oblivion of vile earthly Care ; 
 
 FairgladfomewakingThoughtSj&joyousDreams more fair. 
 
 XXVIII.
 
 ne Castle of Indolence. 15 
 
 XXVIIL 
 This Rite perform*d. All inly pleas'd and flill, 
 Withouten Trump, was Proclamation made. 
 *' Ye Sons of In d o l e n c e, do what you will ; 
 *' And wander where you lift, through Hall or Glade: 
 ^ Be no Man's Pleafure for another's ftaid ; 
 *' Let Each as likes him beft his Hours employ, 
 " And curs'd be he who minds his Neighbour's Trade I 
 " Here dwells kind Eafe, and unreproving Joy : 
 *' He little merits Blifs who Others can annoy." 
 
 XXIX. 
 
 Strait of thefe endlefs Numbers, fwarming round. 
 As thick as idle Motes in funny Ray, 
 Not one eftfoons in View was to be found. 
 But every Man ftroll'd ofF his own glad Way. 
 Wide o'er this ample Court's blank Area, 
 With all the Lodges that thereto pertain'd. 
 No living Creature could be feen to ftray -, 
 While Solitude, and perfect Silence relgn'd : 
 So that to think you dreamt you almoft was conftrain'd. 
 
 XXX,
 
 i6 ^e Castle of Indolence. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 As when a Shepherd of the * Hebrid.-JfieS^ 
 Plac'd far amid the melancholy Main, 
 ( Whether it be, lone Fancy him begyiles ; 
 Or that aerial Beings fometimes deign 
 To ftand, embodied, to our Senfes plain ) 
 Sees on the naked Hill, or Valley low. 
 The whilft in Ocean Phtebus dips his Wain, 
 A vafl Affembly moving to and fro : 
 Then all at once in Air diflblves the wondrous Show. 
 
 XXXL 
 
 Ye Gods of Quiet, and of Sleep profound ! 
 
 Whofe foft Dominion o'er this Caftje fways, 
 
 And all the widely-filent Places round. 
 
 Forgive me, if my trembling Pen difplays 
 
 What never yet was fung in mortal Lays. 
 
 But how fhall I attempt fuch arduous String? 
 
 I who have fpent my Nights, and nightly Days, 
 
 In this Soul-deadenijig Place, loofe-loitering ? 
 
 Ah ! how Ihall I for This uprear my moulted Wing ? 
 
 XXXIL 
 
 Tbofe IJlands on the wcjicrn Cocjl of Scotland called the Hebrides.
 
 ^he Castle of Indolekce. 17 
 
 XXXII. 
 Come on, my Mufe, nor ftoop to low Defpair, 
 Thou Imp of Jove^ touch'd by celeftial Fire I 
 Thou yet fhalt fing of War, and A6lions fair. 
 Which the bold Sons of Britain will infpire ; 
 Of antient Bards thou yet (halt fweep the Lyre ; 
 Thou yet ilialt tread in Tragic Pall the Stage, 
 Paint Love's enchanting Woes, the Heroe's Ire, 
 The Sage's Calm, the Patriot's noble Rage, 
 Dafhing Corruption down through every v/orthlcfs Age. 
 
 XXXIII. 
 The Doors, that knew no fhri.ll alarming Bell, 
 Ne Curfed Knocker ply'd by Villain's Hand, 
 Self-open' d into Halls, where, who can tell 
 What Elegance and Grandeur wide expand 
 The Pride of 'Turkey and of Perfta Land ? 
 Soft Quilts on Quilts, ^ Carpets Carpets fpreadj 
 And Couches ftretch around in feemly Band ; 
 And endlefs Pillows rife to prop the Head -, 
 So that each fpacious Room was one fuU-fwelling Bed, 
 
 C XXXIV,
 
 1 8 The Castle 0/ Indolence. 
 
 XXXIV, 
 
 And every-wherc huge cover'd Tables flood. 
 With Wines high-fiavour'd and rich Viands crown*^d j 
 , Whatever fprightly Juice, or taftefol Food, 
 On the green Bofoin of this Earth are founds 
 And all old Ocean genders in his Round : 
 Some Hand unfeen Thefe filently difplay'd. 
 Even undcimanded by a Sign or Sound -, 
 You need but wiih, and, inftantly obey*d, 
 Fair-rang'd the Difhes rofe, and thick the Glaffes play'd.. 
 
 XXXV. 
 Here Freedom reigned, without the leaft Alloy ; 
 Nor GoITip's Tale, nor ancient Maiden's Gall, 
 Nor faintly Spleen durft murmur at our Joy, 
 And with envenom' d Tongue our Pleafures pall. 
 For why ? There was but One great Rule for All ; 
 To- wit, That each {houldj^ork his own Defire, 
 And ear, drink, fludy, fleep, as it may fall. 
 Or melt the Time in Love, or wake the Lyre, 
 And carol what, unbid, the Mufes might inipire. 
 
 XXXVI.
 
 The Castle 0/ IndolekCe. 1 9 
 xxxvi. 
 
 The Rooms with coftly Tapeftry were hung^ 
 
 Where was inwoven many a gentle Tale -, 
 
 Such as of old the Rural Poets fung, 
 
 Or of Arcadian or Sicilian Vale : 
 
 Reclining Lovers, in the lonely DalCj 
 
 Pour'd forth at large the fweetly-tortur'd Heaft j 
 
 Or, looking tender Paflion, fwell'd the Gale, 
 
 And taught charm'd Echo to refound their Smart j 
 
 While Flocks* Woods, Streams, around, Repofe and Peace 
 
 [impart. 
 
 xxxvir. 
 
 Thofe pleas*d the moft, where^ by a cunning Hand^ 
 Depeinten was the Patriarchal Age ; 
 What Time Dan Abraham left the Cbaldee Land, 
 And paflur'd on from verdant. Sta^e to Stage, 
 Where Fields and Fountains frefli could beft engage. 
 Toil was not then. ^iiHWiing took they Heedj 
 But with wild Beafts the filvan War to wage. 
 And o*er vaft Plains their Herds and Flocks to feed : 
 Bleft Sons of Nature they ! True Golden Age indeed 1 
 
 C 2 XXXVUL
 
 20 Ths Castle 0/ Indolekce. 
 
 
 
 XXXVIII. 
 Sometimes the Pencil, in cool airy Halls, 
 Bade the gay Bloom of Vernal LandflS!jps rife. 
 Or Autumn's vary*d Shades imbrown the Walls : 
 Now the black Temped ftrikes the aftonifli'd Eyes ; 
 Now down the Steep the flalliing Torrent flies ; 
 The trembhng Sun now plays o'er Ocean blue. 
 And now rude Mountains frown amid the Skies ; 
 Whate'er Z.orr^/;2 light-touch'd with foftening Hue, 
 Or favage Rofa dafli'd, or learned Ponjfin drew. 
 
 XXXIX. 
 Each Sound too here to Languifhmcnt inclin'd, 
 T.uU'd the weakBofom, and induced Eafc. 
 Aereal Mufic in the warbling Wind, 
 At Diftance rifing oft, by fmall Degrees, '' 
 Nearer and nearer came, till o'er the Trees 
 It hung, and brcath'd||^Hpi-di(rolving Airs, 
 i\s did, alas ! with fofc Per(3Bpn,^ilcare : 
 Entangled deep in its inchanting Snares, 
 
 The liftening Heart forgot all Duties and all Cares. 
 
 XL.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 2 1 
 
 XL. 
 
 A certain Mufic, never known befojre, 
 Here footh'd the penfive melancholy Mind ; 
 Full eafily obtain'd. Behoves no more. 
 But fidelong, to the gently-waving Wind_> 
 To lay the well-tun'd Inftrument sreclin'd ; 
 From which, with airy flying Fingers light. 
 Beyond each mortal Touch the moft refin'd. 
 The God of Winds drew Sounds of deep Delight : 
 Whence, with juft Caufe, * The Harp of Molus it hight 
 
 XLL 
 Ah me ! what Hand can touch the Strings fo fine ? 
 W^ho up the lofty Diapafan roll 
 Such fweet, fuch fad, flich folemn .^irs divine, 
 Then let them down again into the Soul ? 
 Now rifing Love they fan'd ; now pleafing Dole 
 They breath'd, in tenderMufings, through the Heart; 
 And now a graver ^j^^^H^ they ftole. 
 As when Seraphic HB^^ Hymn impart : 
 Wild warbling Nature all, above the Reach of Arx! 
 
 * l^hh is not an Imagination of the Author ; thtrc being in fad fuch art 
 liiprrinncnt, calLd JEolwis Harp, 'vjh'ch, ^vhen placed againfi a little 
 Rulhing or Current of Air,- p-o.iuces the EJflcl h:rc dsfc riled.
 
 21 The Castle of Indolence, 
 
 XLH. 
 
 S'jeh the gay Splendor, the luxurious State, 
 Of Cali;phs old, who on the Tygris^ Shore, 
 In mighty Bagdat^ populous and great. 
 Held their bright Court, where was of Ladies ftorc j 
 And Verfe, Love, Mufic ftill the Garland wore : 
 When Sleep v/as coy, * the Bard, in Waiting there, 
 Chear'd the lone Midnight with the Mufe's Lore ; 
 Compofing Mufic bade his Dreams be fair. 
 
 And Mufic lent new Gladnefs to the Morning Air. 
 
 XLIIL 
 Near the Pavilions where we flept, ftill ran 
 Soft'tinkling Streams, and dafhing Waters fell. 
 And fobbing Breezes figh'd, and oft began 
 (So work'd the Wizard) wintry Storms to fwell. 
 As Heaven and Earth they would together mell : 
 At Doors and Windows, threatening, ftem'd to call 
 The Demons of the I'cmJi^^H^ing fell, 
 Yet the Icafl Entrance found ^^^one at all ; 
 
 Whence fweeter grew our Sleep, ftcure in mafTy Hall. 
 
 * 7 he Arabian Caliphs h.-n! Palj nnr.na- the OJi^irs of their C'jurf, 
 K>:bcft: Office it ivus to do 'vj':ut ;'.' /v;-. tr.::.:.jii:d. 
 
 XLIV.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 23 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 And hither Morpheus fent his kindeft Dreams, 
 
 Raifing a World of gayer Tinft and Grace ; 
 
 0*er which were fhadowy cad Elyfian Gleams, 
 
 That play'd, in waving Lights, from Place to Place, 
 
 And fhed a rofeate Smile on Nature's Face, 
 
 Not 'Titian s Pencil e'er could fo array. 
 
 So fleece with Clouds the pure Ethereal Space ; 
 
 Ne could it e'er fuch meking Forms difplay. 
 
 As loofe on flowery Beds all languifningly lay. 
 
 XLV. 
 
 No, fair Illufions ! artful Phantoms, no ! 
 
 My Mufe will not attempt your Fairy-Land : 
 
 She has ho Colours that like you can glow ; 
 
 To catch your vivid Scenes too grofs her Hand. 
 
 But fure it is, was ne'er a fubtler Band 
 
 Than thefe fame guileful Angel-feeming Sprights, 
 
 Who thus in Dreams,^j^kiptuous, foft, and bland, 
 
 J- 
 Pour'd all th' Arabian Heav'ji upon our Nights, 
 
 And blefs'd them oft befides with more refin'd Delights. 
 
 C 4 ' XLVL
 
 9 
 
 24 21?^ Castle of Indolekce. 
 
 XLVI. 
 
 They were in Sooth a moft enchanting Train, 
 
 Even feigning Virtue ; fkilful to unite 
 
 With Evil Good, and ftrew with Pleafure Pain. 
 
 But for thofe Fiends, whom Blood and Broils delight ; 
 
 Who hurl the Wretch, as if to Hell outright, 
 , Down down black Gulplis, where fullen Waters fleep. 
 
 Or hold him clambering all the fearful Night 
 
 On beetling Chffs, or pent in Ruins deep : 
 They, till due Time (hould ferve, were bid far hence to 
 
 [keep. 
 
 xLvir. 
 
 Yc Guardian Spirits, to whom Man is dear. 
 From thefe for.l Demons fhicid the Midnight Gloom ! 
 Angels of Fancy and of Love, be near, 
 7\nd o'er the Wilds of Sleep diffufe a Bloom -, 
 Evoke the facred Shades of Greece and Rome^ 
 And let them Virtue with a Look impart! 
 But chief, a while o lend us fronf the Tomb 
 Thofe long-loft Friends for whom in Love we fmart, 
 And fill with pious Awe and Joy-mixt Woe the Heart ! 
 
 XLVIil.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 25 
 xLvin. 
 
 Or are you fportive Bid the Morn of Youth 
 
 Rife to new Light, and beam afrefli the Days 
 
 Of Innocence, Simplicity, and Truth ; 
 
 To Cares eftrang'd, and Manhood's thorny Ways*: 
 
 What Tranfport ! To retrace our boyifh Plays, 
 
 Our eafy Blifs, when each Thing Joy fupply'd : 
 
 The Woods, the Mountains, and the warbling Maze 
 
 Of the wild Brooks But, fondly wandering wide. 
 
 My Mufe, refume the Tafl<: that yet doth thee abide. 
 
 XLIX. 
 One great Amufement of ourHoulhoId was, 
 In a huge cryftal magic Globe to fpy. 
 Still as you turn*d it, all Things that do pafs 
 Upon this Ant-Hill Earth ; where conftantly 
 Of Idly-bufy Men the reftlefs Fry ' 
 Run buftling to and fro with foolifli Hade, 
 In f^arch of Pleafures vain, that from them fly ; 
 Or which, obtain'd, the Caitiffs dare not tafte : 
 When nothing is enjoy 'd, can there be greater Walle ? 
 
 L.
 
 t6 The Castle of Indolekce. - 
 
 L. 
 
 Of Vanity the Mirror This was call'dV 
 Here you a Muckworm of the Town might fee, 
 At his ^ull Defk, amid his Legers ftalPd, 
 Eat up with carking Care and Penurie , 
 Moft like to Carcafe parch'd on Gallow-Tree. 
 A Penny faved is a Penny got : 
 Firm to this fcoundrel Maxim keepcth he, 
 Ne of its Rigour will he bate a Jot, 
 Till it has quench'd his Fire, and banilhedhis Pot. 
 
 u. 
 
 Strait from the Filth of this low Grub, behold ! 
 Comes fluttering forth a gaudy fpendthrift Heir, 
 All gloify gay, enamel'd all with Gold, 
 The filly Tenant of the Summer- Air. 
 In Folly loft, of Nothing takes he Care -, 
 Pimps, Lawyers, Stewards, Harlots, Flatterers vile, 
 And thieving Tradefmen him among them fhare : 
 His Father's Ghoft from Limbo- Lake, the while. 
 Sees This, v/hich more Damnation does upon him pile. 
 
 LII.
 
 The Castle of Indoleisice. 27 
 
 LII. 
 
 This Globe pourtray'd the Race of learned Men, 
 Still at their Books, and turning o'er the Page, 
 Forwards and backwards : oft they fnatch the Pen, 
 As if infpir'd, and in a Thefpian Rage ; 
 Then write, and.blot, as would your Ruth engage. 
 Why, Authors, all this Scrawl and Scribbling fore ? 
 To lofe the prefent, gain the future Age, 
 Praifed to be when you can hear no more. 
 And much enrich'd with Fame when ufelefs worldly Store, 
 
 LIII. 
 
 Then would a fplendid City rife to View, 
 "With Carts, and Cars, and Coaches roaring all ; 
 Wide-poUr'd abroad, behold the prowling Crew \ 
 See ! how they dafh along from Wall to Wall ; 
 At every Door, hark ! hov/ they thundering call. 
 Good Lord ! what can this eager Rout excite ? 
 Why ? Each on Each to prey, by Guile or Gall ; 
 With Flattery Thefe, with Slander Thofe to blight. 
 
 And make new tirefome Parties for the coming Night. 
 
 L!Y.
 
 iS TI:)e Castle of Indolence. 
 
 LIV. 
 
 The puzzling Sons of Party next appeared. 
 In dark Cabals and nightly Juntos met ; 
 4^nd now they whifper'd clofe, now fhrugging rear*d 
 Th' important Shoulder ; then, as if to get 
 New Light, their twinkUng Eyes were inward fet : 
 No fooner * Lucifer recalls Affairs, 
 Than forth they various ru(h in mighty Fret ; 
 When, lo ! pufh'd up to Power, and crown'd their Cares, 
 In comes another Set, and kicketh them down Stairs. 
 
 LV. 
 But what mod flicw'd the Vanity of Life, 
 Vv as to behold the Nations all on Lire, 
 In cruel Broils engag'd, and deadly Strife ; 
 Mod Chriftian Kings, infiam'd by black Dc fire, 
 With Honourable Ruffians in tiieir Hire, 
 Caufc War to rage, and Blood around to pour ; 
 Of this fad Work when Each begins to tire. 
 They fit them down juft where they were before, 
 Till for new Scenes of Woe Peace fiiall their Force reriorc. 
 
 LVI.
 
 Ths Castle of Indolence. 29 
 
 LVL 
 
 To number up the Thoufands dwelling here, 
 An ufelefs were, and eke an endlefs Tafk : 
 From Kings, and thofe who at the Helm appear. 
 To Gipfies brown, in Summer-Glades who baflv. 
 Yea, many a Man perdie I could unmafl<, 
 Whofe Defk and Table make a Iblemn Show, 
 With Tape-ty'd Trafli, and Suits of Fools that afk 
 For Place or Penfion, laid in decent Row , 
 
 But Theie I paffen by, with namelefs Numbers moe. 
 
 LVIL 
 Of all the gentle Tenants of the Place, 
 There was a Man of fpecial grave Remark : 
 A certain tender Gloom o'erfpred his Face, 
 Penfive not fad, in Thought involv'd not dark. 
 As fcote this Man could fing as Morning-Lark, 
 And teach the nobleft Morals of the Heart : 
 But Thefe his Talents were ybury'd ftark ; 
 Of the line Stores he Nothing would Impart, 
 
 Which or boon Nature gave, or Nature-painting Art. 
 
 LVIII,
 
 jd Tloe Castle of Indolence* 
 
 LVIIL 
 
 To Noontide Shades incontinent he ran^ 
 Where purls the Brook with Sleep-inviting Sound j 
 Or when Dan Sol to (lope his Wheels began. 
 Amid the Broom he balk'd him on the Ground, 
 Where the wild Thyme and Camomil are found : 
 There would he linger, till the latefl; Ray 
 Of Light fat quivering on the Welkin's Bound : 
 Then homeward through the twilight Shadows ftray^ 
 Sauntring and flov/. So had he paffed many aDay^ 
 
 LIX. 
 
 Yet not in thoughtlefs Slumber were they pafl: : 
 VoT oft the heavenly Fire, that lay concealed 
 Emongft the fleeping Embers, mounted faft, 
 And all its native Light anew reveal'd ; 
 Oft as he travers'd the Cerulean Field, 
 And mark*d the Clouds that drove before the Wind, 
 Ten thoufand glorious Syftems would he build, 
 Ten thoufand great Ideas fill'd his Mind ; 
 But with the Clouds they fled, and left no Trace behind. 
 5 LX,
 
 ^he Castle of Indolekce. gf 
 
 With him was fometiraes join'd, in filent Walk 
 
 (Profoundly filent, for they never fpoke) 
 
 One Ihyer flill, who quite detefted Talk : 
 
 Oft, flung by Spleen,, at once away he broke. 
 
 To Groves of Pine, and brown o'erfhadowingOakj 
 
 There, inly thrili'd, he wandered all alone. 
 
 And on himfelf his penfive Fury wroke, 
 
 Ne ever utter'd Word, fave when firft fhonc 
 
 The glittering Star of Eve " Thank Heaven! the Day 
 
 [is doQe.y 
 
 LXI. 
 
 Here lurkM a Wretch, who had not Crept abroad 
 For forty Years, ne Face of Mortal feen ; 
 In Chamber brooding hke a loathly Toad,r 
 And fure his Linen v/as not very clean % 
 Through fecret Loop-hole, that had praftis'd been 
 Near to his Bed, his Dinner vile he took ; 
 Unkempt, and rough, of fqualid Face and Mien, 
 Our Cattle's Shame ! whence, from his filthy Nookj- 
 We drove the Villain out for fitter Lair to look. 
 
 LXIL
 
 p The Cx\sTLE 0/ Indolence. 
 
 LXII. 
 
 One Day there chauncM into thefe Halls to rove 
 A joyous Youth, who toolf you at firft Sight ; 
 Him the wild Wave of Pleafure hither drove, 
 Before the fprightly Tempeft tofling light : 
 Certes, he was a moft engaging Wight, 
 Of focialGlee, and Wit humane though keen. 
 Turning the Night to Day and Day to Night i 
 For him the merry Bells had rung, I ween. 
 If in this Nook of Quiet Bells had ever been. 
 
 LXIII. 
 But not even Pleafure to Excefs is good. 
 What moft elates then fmks the Soul as low ; 
 When Spring-Tide Joy pours in with copious Flood, 
 The higher fcill th' exulting Billows flow, 
 The farther back again they flagging go, 
 And leave us groveling on the dreary Shore : 
 "Taught by this Son of Joy, we found it fo ; 
 Who, v/hilft he ftaid, kept in a gay Uproar 
 Our maddcn'd Caftle all, th' Abode of Sleep no more. 
 
 LXIV
 
 ;The Castle of IndolekCE. 33 
 
 LXIV. 
 As when in Prime of June a burnifli'd Fly, 
 Sprung from the Meads, o'er which he fweeps along, 
 Chear'd by the breathing Bloom:, and vital Sky, 
 Tunes up amid thefe airy Halls his Song, 
 Soothing at firft the gay repofmg Throng : 
 And oft he fips their Bowl ; or, nearly drown'd, 
 He, thence recovering, drives their Beds among. 
 And fcares their tender Sleep, with Trump profound j 
 Then out again he flies, to wing his mazy Round. 
 
 LXV. 
 
 Another Guefl there was, of Senle refin'd, 
 Who felt each Worth, for every Worth he had ; 
 Serene yet warm, humane yet firm his Mind, 
 As little. touch'd as any Man's with Bad : 
 Him through their inmofl Walks the Mufes lad. 
 To him the facred Love of Nature lent. 
 And fometimes would he make our Valley glad j 
 Whenas we found he would not here be pent. 
 To him the better Sort this friendly Meflage fent. 
 
 D LXVI,
 
 j'4 T^^ Castle of Indolence. 
 
 LXVl. 
 
 " Come, dwell with us ! true Son of Virtue, come f 
 ." But if, alas ! we cannot Thee pcrfuade, 
 " To lie content beneath ouf peaceful t)ome) 
 *' Ne ever more to quit our quiet Glade , 
 " Yet when at laft thy Toils, but ill apaid^ 
 " Shall dead thy Fire, and damp its Heavenly Spark, 
 *' Thou wilt be glad to feek the Rural Shade, 
 ** There to indulge the Mufe, and Nature mark : 
 *' Wethen aLodge for Thee will rearin Hagley-Park.'* 
 
 Lxvn. 
 
 Here whilom ligg'd th* E s o p u s of the Age 5 
 But call'd by Fame, in Soul ypricked deep, 
 A noble Pride reftor'd him to the Stage, 
 And rous'd him like a Gyant from his Sleep. 
 Even from his Slumbers we Advantage reap: 
 With double Force th' aftonifh'd Scene he wakes. 
 Yet quits not Nature's Bounds. He knows to keep 
 Each due Decorum : Now the Heart he fliakes. 
 And now with well-urg'd Senfe th'enlighten'd Judgment 
 
 [takes. 
 
 A LXVIIL
 
 ^h Castle of Indolence* 35 
 
 LXVItt. 
 
 A Bard here dwelt, more fat than Bard befecrns % 
 * Who void of Envy^ Guile, and Lull of Gain, 
 On Virtue ftill, and Nature's pleafing Themes, 
 PourM forth his unpremeditated Strain, ' . 
 
 The World forfaking with a calm Difdain: 
 Here laugh'd he carelefs in his eafy Seat, 
 Here quafTd encircled with the joyous Train j 
 Oft moralizing fage ; his Ditty fweet 
 He loathed much to write, ne cared to repeat, 
 
 LXIX. 
 Full oft by Holy Feet our Ground was trod^ 
 Of Clerks good Plenty here you mote efpy. 
 A little, round, fat, oily Man of God, 
 Was one I chiefly mark*d among the Fry: 
 He had a roguilh Twinkle in his Eye, 
 And Ihone all gliftening -with ungodly Dew," 
 If a tight Damfel chaunc'd to trippen by j 
 Which when obfervM, he (hrunk into his Mew^ 
 And ftraight would recoiled his Piety anew. 
 
 D 2 LXX, 
 
 The follonxing Lines of thii Stanxa'u.'m'writb^ aTriendof the Author,
 
 36 The Castle of Indolence. 
 
 LXX. 
 
 Nor be forgot a Tribe, who minded Nought 
 (Old Inmates of the Place) but State- Affairs : 
 They look*d, perdie, as if they deeply thought ; 
 And on their Brow fat every Nation's Cares. 
 The World by them is parcePd out in Shares, 
 When in the Hall of Smoak they Congrefs hold. 
 And the fage Berry fun- burnt Mocha bears 
 Has clear'd their inward Eye : then, fmoak-enroU'd, 
 
 Their Oracles break forth, myfterious as of old. 
 
 LXXI. 
 Here languid Beauty kept her pale- fac'd Court: 
 Bevies of dainty Dames, of high Degree, 
 From every Quarter hither made Refort -, 
 Where, from grofs mortal Care and Bufmefs free. 
 They lay, pour'd out in Eafe and Luxury. 
 Or fhould they a vain Shew of Work alTume, 
 Alas ! and well-a-day ! what can it be ? 
 To knot, to twill, to range the vernal Bloom i 
 
 But far is caft the Diftaff, Spinning- Wheel, and Loom. 
 
 LXXII.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 37 
 
 LXXIL 
 Their only Labour was to kill the Time ; 
 And Labour dire it is, and weary Woe. 
 They lit, they loll, turn o*er fome idle Rhyme j 
 Then, rifing fudden, to the Glafs they go. 
 Or faunter forth, with tottering Step and flow : 
 This foon too rude an Exercife they find ; 
 Strait on the Couch their Limbs again they throw. 
 Where Hours on Hours they fighing lie reclin'd. 
 And court the vapoury God fbft-breathing in the Wind. 
 
 LXXIIL 
 
 Now muft I mark the Villainy we found. 
 But ah ! too late, as Ihall eftfoons be Ihewn. 
 A Place here was, deep, dreary, under Ground j 
 Where ftill our Inmates, when unpleafing grown, - 
 Difeas'd, and loathfome, privily were thrown. 
 Far from the Light of Heaven, they languifh'd there, 
 Unpity*d uttering many a bitter Groan ; 
 For of thefe Wretches taken was no Care : 
 Fierce Fiends, and Hags of Hell, their only Nurfes were* \ 
 
 D 3 LXXIV.
 
 j8 ?1&^ Castle of IhpqlenceJ 
 
 LXXIV. 
 Alas ! the Change ! from Scenes pf Joy and Reft, 
 To this dark Den, where Sicknefs tofsM alway. 
 Here Lethargy., with deadly Sleep oppreft, 
 Stretch*d on his Back a mighty Lubbard lay. 
 Heaving his Sides, and fnored Night and Day ; 
 To ftir him from his Traunce it was not eath. 
 And his half-open*d Eyne he fhut ftrait way : 
 He led, I wot, the fofteft Way to Death, 
 
 'And taught withouten Pain and Strife to yield the Breath. 
 
 LXXV. 
 Of Limbs enormous, but withal unfound, 
 Soft-fwoln and pale, here lay the Hydropfy : 
 Unwieldy Man ! with Belly monftrous round. 
 For ever fed with watery Supply ; 
 For ftill he drank, and yet he flill was dry. 
 And moping here did Hypochmdria fit, 
 Mother of Spleen, in Robes of various Dye, 
 Who vexed was full oft with ugly Fit j 
 
 And fome Her frantic deem'd, & fome Her deem'd a Wit. 
 
 LXXVI.
 
 The Gastle (/Indolence, 39 
 
 LXXVI. 
 
 A Lady proud fhe was, of ancient Blood, 
 Yet oft her Fear her Pride made crouchen low : 
 She felt, or fancy'd in her fluttering Mood, 
 All the Difeafes which the Spittles know. 
 And fought all Phyflc which the Shops beftowi 
 And ftill new Leaches and new Drugs would try. 
 Her Humour ever wavering to and fro j 
 For fometimes Ihe would laugh, and fometimes cry, 
 Then fudden waxed wroth -, and all fhe knew not why. 
 LXXVIL 
 Faft by her Side a liftlefs Maiden pin'd, 
 With aching Head, and fqueamilh Heart-Burnings ; 
 Pale, bloated, cold, fhe feem*d to hate Mankind, 
 Yet lov'd in Secret all forbidden Things. 
 And here the Tertian fhakes his chilling Wings ; 
 The fleeplefs Gout here counts the crowing Cocks, 
 A Wolf now gnaws him, now a Serpent ftings j 
 Whilft Apoplexy cramm'd Intemperance knocks 
 Pown to the Ground at once, as Butcher felleth Ox. 
 
 P 4 Canto II.
 
 J \v> 
 
 ;; > I.
 
 'The Castle of Indolekce. 41 
 
 
 C A N T O 11. 
 
 77)e Knight of Art and Indujlry^ 
 And his Atchievements fair ; " 
 
 T*hat^ by this Caftles Overthrow^ 
 Securdy and crowned were, 
 
 I. 
 
 ESC AP'D the Caftle of the Sire of Sin, 
 Ah! where fhall I fo fweet a Dwelling find? 
 For all around, without, and all within. 
 Nothing fave what delightful was and kind. 
 Of Goodnefs favouring and a tender Mind, 
 E'er rofe to View. But now another Strain, 
 Of doleful Note, alas ! remains behind : 
 I now muft fing of Pleafure turn'd to Pain, 
 And of the falfe Enchanter Indolence complain. 
 
 II.
 
 41 The Castle of Indolence. 
 
 IL 
 
 Is there no Patron to prote(5l the Mufe, 
 And kncz for her Parnajfus* barren Soil ? 
 To every Labour its Reward accrues. 
 And they are fure of Bread who fwink and moil ; 
 But a fell Tribe tb' Aonian Hive defpoil. 
 As ruthlefs Wafps oft rob the painful Bee : 
 Thus while the Laws not guard that nobleft Toil 
 Ne for the Mufes other Meed decree, 
 
 They praifed are alone, and ftarve right merrily. 
 
 III. 
 I care not. Fortune, what you me deny: 
 You cannot rob me of free Nature's Grace j 
 You cannot fhut the Windows of the Sky, 
 
 " Through which Aurora fhews her brightening Face ; 
 You cannot bar my conftant Feet to trace 
 The Woods and Lawns, by living Stream, at Eve ; 
 Let Health my Nerves and finer Fibres brace. 
 And I their Toys to the great Children leave ; 
 Of Fancy, Reafon, Virtue, nought can me bereave. 
 
 IV.
 
 .^be Castle of Indolence. 4J 
 IV. 
 
 Come then, my Mufe, and raife a bolder Song \ 
 * Come, lig np more upon the Bed of Sloth, 
 Dragging the lazy languid Line along. 
 Fond to begin, but ftill to finifh loth. 
 Thy half-writ Scrolls all eaten by the Moth : 
 Arife, and fing that generous Imp of Fame, 
 Who, with the Sons of Softnefs nobly wroth. 
 To fweep away this Human Lumber came. 
 Or in a chofen Few to roufe the flumbering Flame. 
 
 V. 
 In Fairy-Land there liv'd a Knight of old. 
 Of Feature flern, Selvaggio well yclep'd, 
 A rough unpoUfti'd Man, robufl: and bold. 
 But wondrous poor : he neither fow'd nor reap'd, 
 Ne Stores in Summer for cold Winter heap'd ; 
 In Hunting all his Days away he wore ; 
 Now fcorch'd by June, now in November fleep'd. 
 Now pinch*d by biting January fore. 
 He ftill in Woods purfu'd i\it Libbard and the Boar. 
 
 VI.
 
 44 27:^^ Castle of Indolekce. 
 
 VI. 
 
 As he one Morning, long before the Dawn, 
 
 Prick'd through the Foreft to diflodge his Prey, 
 
 Deep in the winding Bofom of a Lawn, 
 
 With Wood wild-fring*d, he marlcM a Taper's Ray, 
 
 That from the beating Rain, and wintry Fray, 
 
 Did to a lonely Cott his Steps decoy -, 
 
 There, up to earn the Needments of the Day, 
 
 He found Dame Poverty^ nor fair nor coy : 
 Her he comprefs*d, and fiU'd Her with a lufly Boy. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Amid the green-wood Shade this Boy was bred, 
 
 And grew at lafl a Knight of muchel Fame, 
 
 Of active Mind and vigorous Luftyhed, 
 
 The Knight of Arts and Industry by Name. 
 
 Earth was his Bed, the Boughs his Roof did frame ; 
 
 He knew no Beverage but the flowing Stream ; 
 
 His tafteful well-earn*d Food the filvan Game, 
 
 Or the brown Fruit with which the Wood-Lands teem : 
 The fame to him glad Summer, or the Winter breme. 
 
 3 VIII.
 
 ^he Castle of IkeoIekgk. 45 
 
 vm. 
 
 So pafs'd his youthly Mornings yoid of Care^ 
 
 Wild as the Colts that through the Commons run : 
 
 For him no tender Parents troubled were. 
 
 He of the Foreft feem'd to be the Son, 
 
 And certes had been utterly undone ; 
 
 But that Minerva Pity of him took. 
 
 With all the Gods that love the Rural Wonne, 
 
 That teach to tame the Soil and rule the Crook ; 
 
 Ne did the facred Nine difdain a gende Look. 
 
 IX. 
 Of fertile Genius him they nurtured well, 
 In every Science, and in every Art, 
 By which Mankind the thoughtlefs Brutes excel, 
 That can or Ufe, or Joy, or Grace impart, 
 Difclofing all the Powers of Head and Heart. 
 Ne were the goodly Exercifes fpar'd. 
 That brace the Nerves, or make the Limbs alert. 
 And mix elaftic Force with Firmnefs hard : 
 
 Was never Knight on Ground mote be with him compar'd. _ 
 
 X.
 
 46 T^he Castle of Indolence* 
 
 Sometimes, with early Morn, he ifiounted gay 
 The Hunter-ftced, exulting o'er the Dale, 
 And drew the rofeat Breath of orient Day % 
 Sometimes, retiring to the fecret Vale, 
 Yclad in Steel, and bright with burnilh'd Mail, 
 He flrain*d the Bow, or tofsM the found in gSpeafj 
 Or darting on the Goal outflrip'd the Gale, 
 Or wheel'd the Chariot in its Mid'Career, 
 
 Or ftrenuous wreftled hard with many a tough Compeer. 
 
 XL 
 At other Times he pry'd through Nature's Store, 
 Whate'er (he in th' Etherial Round contains, 
 Whate'er (he hides beneath her verdant Floor, 
 The vegetable and the mineral Reigns ; 
 Or elfe he fcann'd the Glohe^ thofe fmall Domains, 
 "Where reftlefs Mortals fuch a Turmoil keep. 
 Its Seas, its Floods, its Mountains, and its Plains ; 
 But more' he fcarch'd the Mind, and rous'd from Sleep 
 
 Thofe moral Seeds whence we heroic Actions reap. 
 
 XIL
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 47 
 xn. 
 
 Nor would he fcorn to ftoop from high Purfuits 
 Of heavenly Truth, and pradife what (he taught. 
 Vain is the Tree of Knowlege without Fruits. 
 Sometimes in Hand the Spade or Plough he caught. 
 Forth-calling all with which boon Earth is fraught \ 
 Sometimes he plyM the ftrong mechanic Tool, 
 Or rear*d the Fabric from the fineft Draught ; 
 And oft he put himfelf to Neptune\ School, 
 .Fighting with Winds and Waves on the vext Ocean Pool. 
 
 XIIL 
 To folace then thefe rougher Toils, he try*d 
 To touch the kindling Canvafs into Life ; 
 With Nature his creating Pencil vy'd. 
 With Nature joyous at the mimic Strife : 
 Or, to fuch Shapes as grac*d Py^maIion*s Wife, 
 He hew*d the Marble ; or, with vary*d Fire, 
 He rous*d the Trumpet, and the martial Fife, 
 Or bad the Lute fweet Tendernefs inipire. 
 Or Verfes fram'd that well might wake Apollo* % Lyre.
 
 4? The Castle of Indolenck* 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Accomplifli'd thus he from the Woods iflu'd. 
 Full of great Aims, and bent on bold Emprizc ; 
 The Work, which long he in his Bread had brew'd, 
 Now to perform he ardent did devife j 
 To-wit, a barbarous World to civilize. 
 Earth was till Then a boundlefs Foreft wild j 
 Nought to be feen but favage Wood, and Skies , 
 No Cities nourifft'd Ahs, no Culture fmil'd. 
 
 No Government, no Laws, no gentle Manners mild. 
 
 XV. 
 A rugged Wight, the Word of Brutes, was Man : 
 On his own wretched Kind he, ruthlefs, prey'd j 
 The Strongefl: ftill the Weakeft over-ran , 
 In every Country mighty Robbers fway'd. 
 And Guile and ruffian Force were all their Trade. 
 Life was not Life, but Rapine, Want, and Woe ; 
 Which this brave Knight, in noble Anger, made 
 To fwcar, h? would the rafcal Rout o*erthrow. 
 
 For, by the Powers Divine, it (hoiild no more be (o ! 
 
 XVI.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 49 
 
 XVL 
 
 It would exceed the Purport of my Song> 
 To fay how this heft Sun, from orient Climes, 
 Came beaming Life and Beauty all along, 
 Before him chafing Indolence and Crimes. 
 Still as he pafs'd, the Nations he fublimes. 
 And calls forth Arts and Virtue with his Ray : 
 Then Egypt, Greece and Rome their Golden Times, 
 Succefllve, had ; but now in Ruins grey 
 They lie, to flavifh Sloth and Tyranny a Prey. 
 
 XVIL 
 
 To crown his Toils, Sir Industry then fpred 
 The fwelling Sail, and made for Britain's Coall. 
 A Sylvan Life till then the Natives led. 
 In the brown Shades and green-wood Forefl loft. 
 All carelefs rambling where it lik*d them moft : 
 Their Wealth the Wild-Deer bouncing thro' the Glade 5 
 They lodg'd at large, and liv'd at Nature's Cofl , 
 Save Spear, and Bow, withouten other Aid, 
 Yet not the Roman Steel their naked Breaft difmay'd. 
 
 E XVIII.
 
 50 37?^ Castle of Indolence^ 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 He lik'd the Soil, he likM the clement Skies, 
 He lik*d the verdant Hills and flowery Plains, 
 Be This my great, my chofen Ide (he cries) 
 This, whilft my Labours Liberty fuftains. 
 This Queen of Ocean all Aflault difdains, ., 
 Nor lik'd helefs the Genius of the Land, 
 To Freedom apt and perfevering Pains, 
 Mild to obey, and generous to command, 
 Temper'd by forming Heaven with kindeft firmed Hand. 
 
 XIX. 
 Here, by Degrees, his Mailer- Work arofe. 
 Whatever Arts and Induftry can frame : 
 Whatever finiih*d Agriculture knows. 
 Fair Queen of Arts ! from Heaven itfelf who came. 
 When Eden flourifh'd in unfpotted Fame : 
 And ftill with Her fweet Innocence we find. 
 And tender Peace, and Joys without a Name, 
 That, while they rapture, tranquillize the Mind ; 
 Nature and Art at once,. Delight and Ufc combin'd. 
 
 XX.
 
 The Castle 0/ Indolence. 51 
 
 XX. 
 
 Then Towns he quicken'd by mechanic Arts, 
 And bade the fervent City glow with Toil s 
 Bade focial Commerce raife renowned Marts, 
 Join Land to Land, and marry Soil to Soil, 
 Unite the Poles, and without bloody Spoil 
 Bring home of either Ind the gorgeous Stores i 
 Or, fliould Defpotic Rage the World embroil. 
 Bade Tyrants tremble on remoteft Shores, 
 While o*er th*encu-ciingDeepBRiTANNiA*sThundef roart:} 
 
 XXL 
 
 The drooping Mufes then he weftward call'd, 
 
 Froni the fam*d City * by Propontis Sea, 
 
 What Time the Turk th' enfeebled Grecian thrall*d % 
 
 Thence from their cloifter'd Walks he fet them free ; 
 
 And brought them to another Caflalie : 
 
 Where IJis many a famous Nourfling breeds ', 
 
 Or where old Cam foft-paces o*er the Lea, 
 
 In penfive Mood, and tunes his Doric Reeds, 
 
 The whilft his Flocks at large the lonely Shepherd feeds. 
 
 E 2 XXIL 
 
 * ConJIatitinop/e,
 
 52 The Castle o/Ikdolekce. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 Yet the line Arts were what he finilh'd leaft. t 
 
 For why ? They are the Quinteflence of All, 
 The Growth of labouring Time, and flow increaft; 
 Unlefs, as feldom chances, it Ihould fall. 
 That mighty Patrons the coy Sifters call 
 Up to the Sun-fhine of uncumber'd Eafe, 
 Where no rude Care the mounting Thought may thrall, 
 And where they nothing have to do but pleafe : 
 Ah ! gracious God ! thou know'ft they aflc no other Fees. 
 
 XXIII. 
 But now, alas ! we live too late in Time : 
 Our Patrons now even grudge that litde Claim, 
 Except to fuch as fleek the foothing Rhyme; 
 And yet, forfooth, they wear M^^cenas' Name, 
 Poor Sons of puft-up Vanity, not Fame ! 
 Unbroken Spirits, chcar ! ftill, ftill remains 
 Th* Eternal Patron, Liberty ; whofe Flame, 
 Ayhile flie protefts, infpires the nobleft Strains. 
 The beft, and fweeteft far, are Toil-created Gains. 
 
 XXIV.
 
 Th Castle of Indolence. ^i 
 
 XXIV. 
 
 Whenas the Knight had fram'd, in Britain Land, 
 A match lefs Form of glorious Government -, 
 In which the fovereign Laws alone command. 
 Laws ftablifh'd by the public free Confent, 
 Whofe Majefty is to the Sceptre lent : 
 When this great Plan, with each dependent Art, 
 Was fettled firm, and to his Heart's Content, 
 Then fought he from the toilfome Scene to par!-, 
 And let Life's vacant Eve breathe Quiet through the Hearts 
 
 XXV. 
 
 For This he chofe a Farm in Deva's Vale, 
 Where his long Alleys peep'd upon the Main. 
 In this calm Seat he drew the healthful Gale, 
 Commix'd the Chief, the Patriot, and the Swain, 
 The happy Monarch of his Sylvan Train ! 
 Here, fided by the Guardians of the Fold, 
 He walk'd his Rounds, and chear'd his bleft Domain ; 
 liis Days, the Days of unftain'd Nature, roird. 
 Replete with Peace and Joy, like Patriarch's of old, 
 
 E 3 . XXVI.
 
 54 The Castle of Indolekce. 
 
 XXVI. 
 
 Witnefs, ye lowing Herds, who lent him Milk ; 
 "Witnefs, ye Flocks, whofe woolly Veftments far 
 Exceed foft India's, Cotton, or her Silk , 
 "Witnefs, with Autumn charg*d, the nodding Car, 
 That homeward came beneath fweet Evening's Star, 
 Or of feptember-Moons the Radiance mild. 
 O hide thy Head, abominable War 1 
 Of Crimes and ruffian Idlenefs the Child ! 
 
 From Heaven thisLife yfprung, from Hell thy Glories vild \ 
 
 XXVII. 
 Nor, from his deep Retirement, banilh*d was 
 Th' amufing Cares of Rural Induftry. 
 Still, as with grateful Change the Seafons pafs. 
 New Scenes arife, new Landfkips flrike the Eye, 
 And all th' enliven'd Country beautify : 
 Gay Plains qxtend where Marfhes flept before ; 
 O'er recent Meads th' exulting Streamlets fly ; 
 Dark frowning Heaths grow bright with Ceres* Store, 
 
 And Woods imbrown the Steep, or wave along the Shore. 
 5 XXVIII,
 
 ^he Castle of Indolekce. 55 
 
 XXVIII. 
 As nearer to his Farm you made Approach, 
 He polifh'd Nature with a finer Hand : 
 Yet on her Beauties durft not Art incroach ; 
 'Tis Art's alone thefe Beauties to expand. 
 In graceful Dance imminglcd, o*er the Land, 
 Pan, Pales, Flora, and Pomona playM : 
 Even here, fometimes, the rude wild Common fand 
 An happy Place ; where free, and unafraid. 
 
 Amid the flowering Brakes each coyer Creature ftray'd, 
 
 XXIX. 
 But in prime Vigour what can laft for ay ^ 
 That foul-enfeebling Wizard Indolence, 
 I whilom fung, wrought in his Works decay : 
 Spred far and wide was his curs*d Influence ; 
 Of Public Virtue much he dull'd the Senle, 
 Even much of Private , eat our Spirit out. 
 And fed our rank luxurious Vices : whence 
 The Land was overlaid with many a Lout ; 
 
 Not, as old Fame reports, wife, generous, bold, and flout.' 
 
 E 4 XXX.
 
 56 The Castle of Indolence. 
 
 XXX. 
 
 A Rage of Pleafure madden*d every Bread, 
 Down to the loweft Lees the Ferment ran : 
 To his lieentious Wifh Each mud be bleft. 
 With Joy be fever'd ; fnatch it as he can. 
 Thus Vice the Standard rear'd \ her Arrier-Ban 
 Corruption call'd, and loud fhe gave the Word. 
 '* Mind, mind yourfelves ! Why fhould the vulgar Man, 
 " The Lacquey be more virtuous than his Lord ? 
 
 ' Enjoy this Span of Life ! *tis all the Gods afford.** 
 
 XXXL 
 The Tidings reach*d to Where in quiet Hall, 
 The good old Knight enjoy*d well-earn *d Repofe. 
 " Corne, come, Sir Knight ! thy Children on thee call j 
 " Come, fave us yet, ere Ruin round us clofe ! 
 " The Demon Indolence thy Toils o'erthrows." 
 On this the noble Colour ftain'd his Cheeks, 
 Indignant, glowing through the whitening Snows 
 Of venerable Eld , his Eye fuJl-fpeaks 
 
 His ardent Soul, and from his Couch at once he breaks. 
 
 XXXIL
 
 I'he Castle oj Ikdolence. 57 
 
 XXXII. 
 " I will, (he cry*d) fo help me, Gcxl! deftroy 
 " That Villain Archimage ! " His Page then ftrait 
 He to him cail'd, a fiery- footed Boy, 
 Benempt Difpatch. " My Steed be at the Gate-, 
 " My Bard attend ; quick, bring the Net of Fate/* 
 This Net was twifted by the Sifters Three j 
 Which when once caft o*er harden'd Wretch, too late 
 Repentance comes : Replevy cannot be 
 From the ftrong iron Grafp of vengeful Deftiny, 
 
 XXXIII. 
 He came, the Bard, a little Druid- Wight, 
 Of withered Afped ; but his Eye was keen. 
 With Sweetnefs mix'd. In Ruflet brown bedight. 
 As is his Sifter of the Copfes green. 
 He crept along, unpromifing of Mien. 
 Grofs he who judges fo. His Soul was fair. 
 Bright as the Children of yon Azure ftieen. 
 True Comelinefs, which notiiing can impair. 
 Dwells in the Mind : all elfe is Vanity and Glare. 
 
 XXXIV.
 
 58 The Castle of Indolence. 
 xxxiv. 
 
 Come ! (quoth theKnight) a Voice has reach'd mine Ear, 
 
 The Demon Indolence threats Overthrow 
 
 To All that to Mankind is good and dear : 
 
 Come, Philomelus! let us inftant go, 
 
 O'erturn his Bowers, and lay his Caftle low ! 
 
 Thofe Men, thofe wretched Men ! who will be Slaves, 
 
 Muft drink a bitter wrathful Cup of Woe : 
 
 But fome there be, thy Song, as from their Graves, 
 
 Shall raife. Thrice happy he ! who without Rigour faves, 
 
 XXXV, 
 IfTuing forth, the Knight beftrode his Steed 
 Of ardent Bay, and on whqfe Front a Star 
 Shone blazing bright : Sprung from the generous Breed 
 That whirl of adive Day the rapid Car, 
 He pranc'd abng, difdaining Gate or Bar, 
 Meantime, the Bard on milk-white Palfrey rode 5 
 An honeft fober Bead, that did not mar 
 His Meditations, but full foftly trode : 
 
 And much they moraliz'd as thus yfere they yode. 
 
 XXXVL
 
 The Castle of Ikdolekce. 59 
 XXXVI. ; 
 
 They talk*d of Virtue, and of Human Blifs. 
 
 What elfe fo fit for Man to fettle well ? 
 
 And ftill their long Refearches met in This, 
 
 This Truth of Truths ^ which nothing can refel : 
 
 *' From Virtue's Fount the pureft Joys out- well, 
 
 " Sweet Rills of Thought that chear the confcious Soul ; 
 
 " While Vice pours forth the troubled Streams of Hdl, 
 
 " The which, howe*er difguis'd, at lad with Dole 
 
 <' Will through the tortur*d Breaft their fiery Torrent roll.'* 
 
 XXXVII. 
 At length it dawn'd, that fatal Valley gay. 
 O'er which high wood-crown'd Hills their Summits rear* 
 On the cool Height awhile our Palmers flay, 
 And fpite even of themfclves their Senfes chear ; 
 Then to the Wizard's Wonne their Steps they ftecrj 
 Like a green Ille, it broad beneath them fpred. 
 With Gardens round, and wandering Currents clear. 
 And tufted Groves to Ihade the Meadow-Bed, 
 
 5weet Airs and Son^ j and without Hurry all feem'd glad. 
 
 XXXVIII.
 
 6o The Castle of Indolence. 
 xxxvin. 
 
 " As God fhall judge me, Knighr, we mufl: forgive 
 (The half-enraptur*d Philomel us cry*d) 
 " The frail good Man deluded here to live, 
 " And in tbefe Groves his mufing Fancy hi:^e. 
 " Ah, Nought is pure ! It cannot be deny 'd, 
 *' That Virtue ftill fome Tintlure has of Vice, 
 " And Vice of Virtue. What fJiould then betide, 
 *' But that our Charity be not too nice? 
 "^ Come, let us Thofe we can to real Blifs entice. 
 
 XXXIX. 
 
 " Ay, ficker, (quoth the Knight) all Flefh is frail, 
 " To pleafant Sin and joyous Dalliance bent ; 
 *' But let not brutifh Vice of This avail, 
 " And think to fcape defervcd Punifhmcnt. 
 " Jujiice were cruel weakly to relent ; 
 " Froni Mercy's Self flie got her facrcd Glaive: 
 *' Grace be to thofe who can, and will, repent ; 
 *' But Penance long, and dreary, to the Slave, 
 *-' Who muil in Floods of Fire his grofs foul Spirit lave. 
 
 XL.
 
 ne Castle of Indolekce. 6r 
 
 XL. 
 
 Thus, holding high Difcourfe, they came to Where 
 The curfcd Carle was at his wonted Trade ; 
 Still tempting heedlefs Men into his Snare, 
 In witching Wife, as I before have faid. 
 But when he faw, in goodly Geer array'd. 
 The grave majeftic Knight approaching nigh. 
 And by his Side the Bard fo fage and {laid. 
 His Countenance fell; yet oft his anxious Eye 
 
 Mark'd them, like wily Fox who roofted Cock doth fpy. 
 
 XLL 
 Nathlefs, with feign*d Refpecl, he bade give back 
 The Rabble-Rout, and welcom'd them full kind ; 
 Struck with the noble Twain, they were not (lack 
 His Orders to obey, and fall behind. 
 Then he refum'd his Song ; and, unconHn'd, 
 Pour'd all his Mufic, ran through all his Strings : 
 With magic Dufl: their Eyne he tries to blind. 
 And Virtue's tender Airs o'er Weaknefs flings. 
 
 What Pity bafe his Song who fo divinely fings ! 
 
 XLIL
 
 62 The Castle of Indolence* 
 
 XLIL 
 
 Elate in Thought, he counted them his own, 
 
 They liften'd fo intent with fix'd Delight ; 
 
 But they inftead, as if tranfmew'd to Stone, 
 
 Marverd he could, with fuch fweet Art, unite 
 
 The Lights and Shades of Manners, Wrong and Right. 
 
 Mean time, the filly Croud the Charm devour, 
 
 "Wide-prefllng to the Gate. Swift, on the Knight 
 
 He darted fierce, to drag him to his Bower, 
 
 Who back*ning fliun'd his Touch ; for well he knew its 
 
 [Power. 
 XLin. 
 
 As in throng*d Amphitheatre, of old. 
 
 The wary * Retiarius trap*d his Foe : 
 
 Even fo the Knight, returning on him bold. 
 
 At once involv'd him in the Net of Woty 
 
 Whereof I Mention made not long ago. 
 
 Enrag'd at firft, he fcorn'd fo weak a Jail, 
 
 And leap'd, and flew, and flounced to and fro ; 
 
 But when he found that nothing could avail. 
 
 He fat him felly down, and gnaw'd his bitter Nail. 
 
 XLIV. 
 
 * A Gladiator, mho made ufe of a Net, iKhich he threnxj OHjtr his 
 Adver/ary.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 63 
 xuv. 
 
 Alarm'd, th* inferior Demons of the Place 
 Rais'd rueful Shrieks and hideous Yells around ; 
 Black ruptur'd Clouds dcform*d the Welkin's Face, 
 And from beneath was heard a wailing Sound, 
 As of infernal Sprights in Cavern bound ; 
 A folemn Sadnels every Creature ftrook. 
 And Lightnings flafh*d, and Horror rock'd the Ground: 
 Huge Crouds on Crouds out-pour' djwithblemifh'd Look, 
 As if on Time's laft Verge this Frame of Things had Ihook* 
 
 XLV. 
 
 Soon as the lliort-liv'd Tempefl was yfpent, 
 Steam'd from the Jaws of vext Avernus' Hole,' 
 And hufh'd the Hubbub of the Rabblement, 
 Sir Industry the firft calm Moment ftole. 
 *' There muft, (he cry'd) amid fo vail a Shoal, 
 *' Be Some who are not tainted at the Heart, 
 " Not poifon'd quite by this fame Villain's BowJ : 
 " Come then, my Bard, thy heavenly Fire impart ; 
 ^ Touch Soul with Soul, till forth the latent Spirit Hart, 
 
 XLVL
 
 64 The Castle of Indolence. 
 
 XLVL 
 
 The Bard obey*d -, and taking from his Side, 
 
 Where it in feemly Sort depending hung. 
 
 His Britijh Harp, its fpeaking Strings he try'd. 
 
 The which with fl<ilful Touch he deffly ftrung, 
 
 Till tinkling in clear Symphony they rung. 
 
 Then, as he felt the Mufes come along, 
 
 Light o*er the Chords his raptur'd Hand he flung. 
 
 And play'd a Prelude to his rifing Song : 
 
 The whilft, like Midnight mute, tenThoufands round him 
 
 [throng. 
 XLVn. 
 
 Thus, ardent, burft his Strain. 
 
 " Ye haplefs Race, 
 
 " Dire-labouring here to fmother Reafon's Ray, 
 
 " That lights our Maker's Image in our Face, 
 
 " And gives us wide o'er Earth unqueflion'd Sway ; 
 
 ** What is th' ador'd supreme Perfection, fay? 
 
 *' What, but eternal ntver-refting Soul, 
 
 " Almighty Power, and all- directing Day ; 
 
 *' By whom each Atom ftirs, the Planets roll ; 
 
 " Who fills, furrounds, informs, and agitates the Whole ? 
 
 I XLVIIL
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 6j 
 
 XLVIII. 
 *' Come, to the beaming God your Hearts unfold! 
 ** Draw from its Fountain Life! 'Tis thence, alone^ 
 
 - *' We can excel. Up from unfeeling Mold> 
 *' To Seraphsburning round th' A l m i o h t v'sThronei 
 *' Life rifing ftill on Life, in higher Tone, 
 " Perfeflion forms, and with Perfedion Blifs* 
 " In Univerfal Nature This clear fhewn, 
 " Not needeth Proof ; To prove it were, I wiSj 
 
 * To prove the beauteous World excels the brute Abyfs^ 
 
 XLIX. 
 
 ' " Is not the Field, with lively Culture green^ 
 ** A Sight more joyous than the dead Morafs? 
 " Do not the Skies, with adive Ether clean^ 
 *' And fan'd by fprightly Zephyrs, far furpafs 
 " The foul November-Fogs i and flumbrous Mafsj 
 *' With which fad Nature veils her drooping Face ? 
 " Does not the Mountain-Stream, as clear as Glafs, 
 " Gay-dancing on, the putrid Pool difgrace ? 
 
 *' The fame in all holds true, but chief in Human Race, 
 
 F L,
 
 66 72;^ Castle of Inbolekck. 
 
 L. 
 
 ** It was not by vile Lortering in Eafe^ 
 
 V That Greece obtam*d the brighter Palm of Art> 
 
 *' That foft yet ardent Athens learn'd topleafe, 
 
 " To keen the Wit, and to fublime the Heart, 
 " In all fupreme ! complete in every Part! 
 " It was not thence majeftic Rome arofe, 
 * And o'er the Nations Ihook her conquering Dart ;- 
 " For Sluggard's Brow the Laurel never grows ;' 
 
 " .Renown is not the Child of indolent Repofe. 
 
 LI. 
 
 " Had unambitious Mortals minded Nought, 
 " But in loofe Joy their Time to wear away ; 
 " Had they alone the Lap of Dalliance fought, 
 " PlcasM on her Pillow their dull Heads to lay , 
 " Rude Nature's State had been our State To-day j. 
 *' No Cities e'er their towery Fronts had rais'd, 
 ** No Arts had made us opulent and gay -, 
 '*- With Brother-Brutes the Human Race had graz'd ; 
 " None e'er had foar'd to Fame, None honour'd been, 
 
 [None prais'd. 
 2. LII.
 
 The Castle of Indolence. 67 
 
 LH. 
 *' Great FIomer's Song had never fir*d the Bread 
 " To Thirft of Glory, and heroic Deeds ; 
 " Sweet Mar o's Mufe, funk in inglorious Reft, 
 " Had filent (lept amid the M/atf Reeds: 
 *' The Wits of modern Time had told their Beads, 
 " And monkifh Legends been their only Strains ; 
 " Our Milton's Eden had lain wrapt in Weeds, 
 " Our Shakes? ar ftroird and laugh'd with Warwick. 
 
 [bwain?, 
 
 " Ne had my Mafter Spenser charm*d his M////*s Plains. 
 
 LIH. 
 
 " Dumb too had been the fageHiftoric Mufe, 
 " And perilh'd all the Sons of antient Fame ; 
 Thofe ftarry Lights of Virtue, that diffufe 
 " Through the dark Depth of Time their vivid Flame, 
 " Had all been loft with Such as have no Name. 
 *' Who then had fcorn'd his Eafe for other's Good? 
 " Who then had toil'd rapacious Men to tame? 
 " Who in the Public Breach devoted ftood, 
 " And for his Country's Caufe been prodigal of Blood ? 
 
 F 2 LIV,
 
 8 The Castle of Indolence. 
 
 LIV. 
 " But fliould to Fame your Hearts impervious be, 
 ** If right I read, you Pleafure All require : 
 *' Then hear how beft may be obtain'd this Fee, 
 *' How beft enjoy *d this Nature's wide Defire. 
 *' Toil, and be glad! Let Induftry infpire 
 " Into your quicken'd Limbs her buoyant Breathl 
 " Who does not a6t is dead 5 abforpt intire 
 *' In miry Sloth,no Pride, no Joy he hath : 
 
 " O Leaden-hearted Men, to be in Love with Death I 
 
 LV. 
 " Better the toiling Swain, oh happier far! 
 *' Perhaps the happieft of the Sons of Men! 
 " Who vigorous plies the Plough, the Team, or Car j 
 *' Who houghs the Field, or ditches in the Glen, 
 " Delves in his Garden, or fecures his Pen : 
 *' The Tooth of Avarice poifons not his Peace > 
 " He toffes not in Sloth's abhorred Den ; 
 " From Vanity he has a full Releafe ; 
 
 " And, rich in Nature's Wealth, he thinks not of Increafe. 
 4 LVL
 
 The Castle o/* Indolence. 69 
 
 LVI. 
 ** Good Lord ! how keen are his Senfations all ! 
 " His Bread is fweeter than the Glutton's Gates j 
 " The Wines of Francs upon the Palate pall, 
 " Compared with What his fimple Soul elates, 
 " The native Cup whofe Flavour Third creates j 
 " At one deep Draught of Sleep he takes the Night ; 
 " And for that Heart-felt Joy which Nothing mates, 
 ** Of the pure nuptial Bed the chafte Delight, 
 <* The Lofel is to him a miferable Wight. 
 
 LVII, 
 
 " But what avail the largeft Gifts of Heaven, 
 " When fickening Health and Spirits go amifs ? 
 *' How taftelefs then Whatever can be given ? 
 " Health is the vital Principle of Bills, 
 " And Exercife of Health. In Proof of This, 
 *' Behold the Wretch, who flugs his Life away, 
 " Soon fwallow'd in Difeafe*s fad Abyfs; 
 *' While he whom Toil has brac*d, or manly Play, 
 *^ Has light as Air each Limb, each Thought as clear as 
 
 [Day. 
 
 F 3 LVIII,
 
 70' The Castle of Indolenck. 
 
 LVIII. 
 
 " O who can fpeak the vigorous Joys of Health ! 
 " Unclogg'd the Body, unobfcur'd the Mind : 
 " The Morning rifes gay; with pleafmg Stealth, 
 " The temperate Evening falJs ferene and kind. 
 " In Health the wifer Brutes true Gladnefs find. 
 " See ! how the Younglings frifk along the Meads, 
 " As May comes on, and wakes the balmy Wind j 
 " Rampant ^vith Life, their Joy all Joy exceeds : 
 " Yet what favc high-Ilrung Health this dancing Pleafaunce 
 
 [ breedi f 
 
 LIX. 
 
 '* B'Jt here, inftead, is fofterM every 111, 
 
 *' Which or dillemper'd Minds or Bodies know. 
 
 " Come then, my kindred Spirits ! do not fpill 
 
 " Your Talents here. This Place is but a Shew, 
 
 " Whofe Charms delude you to the Den of Woe ; 
 
 " Ccmc, follow me, I will direa you right, 
 
 " Where Pleafure's Rofes, void cf Serpents, grow, 
 
 " Sincere as fweet , come, follow this good Knight, 
 
 " And you will blefs the Day that brought him to your 
 
 1 vSight. 
 
 LX.
 
 'The Castle of Indolence. 71: 
 
 LX. 
 
 ^' Some he will lead to Courts, and Some to Camps ;' 
 
 *^ To Senates Some, and public fage Debates, 
 
 *' Where, by the folemn Gleam of Midnight-Lamps, 
 
 ** The World is pois'd, and manag'd mighty States; 
 
 " To high Difcovery Some, that new- creates 
 
 " The Face of Earth -, Some to the thriving Mart ; 
 
 " Some to the Rural Reign, and fofter Fates ; 
 
 " To the fweet Mufes Some, who raife the Heart : 
 
 ** All Glory fhall be yours, all Nature, juid all Art! 
 
 LXI. 
 V " There are, I fee, who liften to my Lay, 
 ^* Who wretched figh for Virtue, but defpair. 
 " All may be done, (methinks I hear them fay) 
 " Even Death defpis*d by generous Anions fair ; 
 " All, but for Thofe who to thefe Bowers repair, 
 ^' Their every Power diflblv'd in Luxury, * 
 
 " To quit of torpid Sluggiflinefs the Lair, 
 " And from the powerful Arms of Sloth get free. 
 
 *' 'Tis rifmgfrom the Dead Alas! It cannot be! ' 
 
 F 4 LXII.
 
 72 The Castle of Ikdolekge. 
 
 LXII. 
 ** ^Yould you then learn to difljpate the Band 
 " Of thefe huge threat* ning Difficulties dire, 
 .*' That in the weak Man's Way like Lions fland, 
 *' His Soul appall, and damp his rifing Fire ? 
 " Rcfblve ! refolve 1 and to be Men afpire ! 
 " Exert that nobleft Privilege, alone, 
 *' Here to Mankind indulg'd : controul Defire i 
 *' I^et Godlike Reafon, from her fovereign Throne, 
 
 ' Speak the corpmanding Word 7 will! and it is done, 
 
 LXIII. 
 " Heavens ! can you then thus wafte, in fhameful wife, 
 ** Your few important Days of Trial here ? 
 " Heirs of Eternity ! yborn to rife 
 * Through endlefs States of Being, dill more near 
 *' To Blifs approaching, and Perfecbion clear^ 
 ** Can you renounce a Fortune fo fubiime, 
 * Such glorious Hopes, your backward Steps to (leer, 
 And roll, with vilefl Brutes, through Mud and Slime? 
 
 ' No^ Nol Your Heaven- touch' d Hearts difdain the 
 
 [piteous Crime! " 
 
 LXIV.
 
 fZ^i?^ Castle of Indolence. '^^ 
 
 LXIV. 
 
 ** Enough! enough! they cry 'd" Strait, from the 
 
 [Croud, 
 The better Sort on Wings of Tranfport fly. 
 
 As when amid the lifelefs Summits proud 
 
 Gf Alpine Cliffs, where to the gelid Sky 
 
 Snows pil'd on Snows in wintry Torpor lie. 
 
 The Rays divine of vernal Phishus play \ 
 
 Th* awaken'd Heaps, in Streamlets from on high, 
 
 Rous*d into Adion, lively leap away, 
 
 Gl^d- warbling through the Vales, in their new Being gay. - 
 
 JLXV, 
 Not lefs the Life, the vivid Joy ferene. 
 That lighted up thefe new-created Men, 
 Than That which wings th'exulting Spirit clean. 
 When, juft delivered from this flelhly Den, 
 It foaring feeks its native Skies agen. 
 How light its Eflencel how unclogg'd its Powers! 
 Beyond the Blazon of my mortal Pen : 
 Even fo we glad forfook thefe finful Bowers, 
 
 Even fuch enraptur'd Life, fuck Energy was ours. 
 
 LXVI.
 
 74 ^/-'^ Castle of iNDOLENCEi 
 
 LXVI. 
 
 But far the greater Part, with Rage inflam*d, 
 
 Dire-mutter'd Curfes, and blafphem'd high Jove. 
 " Ye Sons of Hate ! (They bitterly exclaim'd) 
 " Wh:t brought you to this Seat of Peace and Love ? 
 '* While with kind Nature, here amid the Grove, 
 " We pafs'd the harmlels Sabbath of our Time, 
 " What to difturb it could, fell Men, emove 
 ' Your barbarous Hearts? Is HappinefsaCrime? 
 
 * Then do the Fiends of Hell rule in yon Heaven fublime. 
 
 LXVII. 
 " Ye impious Wretches! (quoth the Knight, in Wrath) 
 " Your Happincfs behold ! " Then ftrait a Wand 
 He wav'd, an anti-magic Power that hath. 
 Truth from illufive Falfliood to command. 
 Sudden, the Landfkip finks on every Hand ; 
 The pure quick Streams are marfhy Puddles found , 
 On baleful Heaths the Groves all blacken' d (land ; 
 And, o*er the weedy foul abhorred Ground, 
 
 Snakes, Adders,Toads, each loathly Creature crawls around. 
 
 LXVIII.
 
 Th^ Castle of Indolekce.. 77 
 Lxvni. 
 
 And here and there, on Trees by Lightning fcath'd, . 
 Unhappy Wights who loathed Life yhung ; 
 Or, in frefli Gore and recent Murder bath'd. 
 They weltering lay ; or t\k, infuriate flung 
 Into the gloomy Flood, while Ravens fung 
 The funeral Dirge, they down the Torrent rowl'd : 
 Thefe, by diftemper'd Blood to Madnefs ftung. 
 Had doom*d themfelves; whence oft, when Night 
 
 [controul'd 
 
 The World, returning hither their fad Spirits howl'd. 
 
 LXIX. 
 Meantime a moving Scene was open laid. 
 That Lazar-Houfe, I whilom in my Lay 
 Depeinten have, its Horrors deep-difplay'd. 
 And gave unnumber'd Wretches to the Day, 
 Who tofling there in fqnalid Mifery lay. 
 Soon as of facred Light th' unwonted Smile 
 Pour'd on thefe living Catacombs its Ray, 
 Through the drear Caverns ftretching many a Mile, 
 
 The Sick up-rais*d their Heads, and dropp'd their Woes 
 
 [awhile. 
 
 LXX.
 
 76 T'he Castle of Indolekce, 
 
 ' O Heaven ! (they cry'd) and do we once moFc fee 
 ** Yon blefled Sun, and this green Earth fo fair ? 
 *' Are we from noifome Damps of Peft-Houfe free ? 
 " And drink our Souls the fweet ethereal Air? 
 O Thou ! or Knight, or God \ who holdeft there 
 " That Fiend, oh keep him in eternal Chains! 
 *' But what for us, the Children of Defpair, 
 *' Brought to the Brink of Hell, what Hope remains? 
 < Repentance does itfelf but aggravate our Pains.'' 
 
 LXXL 
 
 The gentle Knight, who faw their rueful Cafe,^ 
 Let fall adown his filver Beard fome Tears. 
 " Certes (quoth he) it is not even in Grace, 
 *' T* undo the Pad, and eke your broken Years: 
 " Nathlefs, to nobler Worlds Repentance rears, 
 *' With humble Hope, her Eye ; to Her is given 
 " A Power the truly contrite Heart that chears ; 
 " She quells the Brand by which the Rocks are riven \ 
 ' She more than nserely foftcns, (he rejoices Heaven. 
 
 LXXIL
 
 ^he Castle of IndoIence. 77 
 
 . LXXII. 
 
 * Then patient bear the Sufferings you have earn'di 
 
 " And by thefe Sufferings purify the Mind; 
 
 * Let Wifdom be by paft Mifcondufl learn'd : 
 
 < Or pious die, with Penitence refign'd ; 
 
 ' And to a Life more happy and refin'd, 
 
 Doubt not, you (hall, new Creatures, yet arife, 
 
 *' Till Then, you may exped in me to find 
 
 *' One who will wipe your Sorrow from your Eyes, 
 
 *' One who will foothc your Pangs, and wing you to the. 
 
 [Skies." 
 
 LXXIII. 
 
 They filent heard, and pour'd their Thanks in Tears* 
 *' For you (refum*d the Knight, with llemer Tone) 
 ' "Whofe hard dry Hearts th* obdurate Demon fears, 
 " That Villain's Gifts will coft you many a Groan ; 
 " In dolorous Manfion long you muft bemoan 
 *' His fatal Charms, and weep your Stains away ; 
 " Till, foft and pure as Infant-Goodnefs grown, 
 " You feel a perfeft Change : then, who can lay, 
 *'WhatGracemay yetfhinc forth in Fleaven's eternal Day ?" 
 
 LXXIVj
 
 78 The Castle of Indolence; 
 
 LXXIV.. 
 This fmd, his powerful Wand he wav'd anew: 
 Inftant, a glorious Angel- Train defcends. 
 The Charities, to-wit, of rofy Hue ; 
 Sweet Love their Looks a gentle Radiance lends, 
 And with feraphic Flame Companion blends. 
 At once, delighted, to their Charge they fly : 
 When lo! a goodly Holpital afcends; 
 Ih which they bade each human Aid be nigh. 
 
 That could the Sick-Bed fmoothe of that unhappy Fry. 
 
 LXXV. 
 It was a worthy edifying Sight, 
 And gives to Human-Kind peculiar Grace, 
 To fee kind Hands attending Day and Nigl't, 
 With tender Miniftry, from Place to Place. 
 Some prop the Head ; fome, from the pallid Face, 
 Wipe off the faint cold Dews weak Nature fheds ; 
 Some reach the healing Draught : the whilft, to chafe 
 The Fear fupreme, around their foften'd Beds, 
 
 Some holy Man by Prayer all opening Heaven dilprcds. 
 
 T -^7- 17 -t rT
 
 T'he Castle of Indolekce. 79 
 
 LXXVI. 
 
 Attended by a glad acclaiming Train 
 Of thofe he refcu*d had from gaping Hell, 
 Then turn'd the Knight ; and, to his Hall again 
 Soft-pacing, fought of Peace the mofiy Cell ; 
 Yet down his Cheeks the Gems of Pity fell. 
 To fee the helplefs Wretches that remained. 
 There left through Delves and Deferts dire to yell; 
 Amaz*d j their Looks with pale Difmay were ftain*d. 
 And fpreading wide their Hands they meek Repentance 
 
 [feign'd. 
 
 LXXVIL 
 
 But ah ' their fcorned Day of Grace was pad r 
 For (Horrible to tell !) a Defert wild 
 Before them ftretch'd, bare, comfortlefs, and vaftj 
 "With Gibbets, Bones, and Carcafes defil'd. 
 There nor trim Field, nor lively Culture fmil'd ; 
 Nor waving Shade was feen, nor Fountain fair ; 
 But Sands abrupt on Sands lay loofely pii'd. 
 Through which they floundering toil'd with painfulCare, 
 Whilft Phxhus fmote them fore, and iir'd the cloudlefs Air. 
 
 LXXVIII.
 
 8o ?Xv Castle of InDoLenCe* 
 
 LXXVIII. 
 Then, varying to a joylefs Land of BogSj 
 The fadden'd Country a grey Wafte appeared j 
 Where Nought but putrid Steams and noifome Fogi 
 For ever hung on drizzly Aufter's Beard , 
 Or elfe the Ground by piercing Calirus iear*d. 
 Was jagg'd with Froft, dr heap'd with glared Snow : 
 Thfough thefe Extremes a ceafelefs Round they fteer'd. 
 By cruel Fiends ftill hurry'd to and fro. 
 
 Gaunt ^^^^^ry, zndiScorn, with many Hell-Hounds moc. 
 
 LXXIX. 
 The Firft was with bafe dunghill Rags yclad. 
 Tainting the Gale, in which they flutter*d light s 
 Of morbid Hue his Features, funk, and fad ; 
 His hollow Eyne fliook forth a fickly Light j 
 ' And a*er his lank Jaw-Bone, in piteous Plight, 
 His black rough Beard was matted rank and vile ; 
 Direful to fee ! an Heart-appalling Sight ! 
 Meantime foul Scurf and Blotches him dehle ! 
 
 And Dogs, where-e'er he went, ftill barked all the While- 
 
 LXXX.
 
 7>5^ Castle o/ Indolence, 8t 
 
 LXXX. 
 
 The other was a fell defpightful Fiend : 
 
 Hell holds none worfe in baleful Bower below ; 
 
 By Pride, and Wit, and Rage, and Rancour, keenMj 
 
 Of Man alike, if good or bad, the Foe : 
 
 With Nofe up-turn'd, he always made a Shew 
 
 As if he fmelt fome naufeous Scent ; his Eye 
 
 Was cold, and keen, like Blafl from boreal Snow } 
 
 And Taunts he caften forth moft bitterly. 
 
 Such were the Twain that off drove this ungodly Fry. 
 
 LXXXI. 
 Even fo through Brentford Town, a Town of Mud, 
 An Herd of brifly Swine is prick'd along ; 
 The filthy Beafts, that never chew the Cud, 
 Still grunt, and fqueak, and fing their troublous Song, 
 And oft they plunge themfelves the Mire among : 
 But ay the ruthlefs Driver goads them on. 
 And ay of barking Dogs the bitter Throng 
 Makes them renew their unmelodious Moan ; 
 
 Ne ever find they Reft from their unrefting Fone. 
 FINIS,
 
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