And early drest in neat array
The milk-maid chanting fhrill her lay,
Comes abroad with milking pail;
And the found of distant flail
Gives the ear a rough good-morrow,
And the lark from out his furrow
Soars upright on matin wings,.
And at the gate of heaven fings..
But when the fun with fervid ray
Drives upwards to his noon of day,
And couching oxen lay them down
Beneath the beechen umbrage brown;
Then let me wander in the hall,
Yon fword fome hero's arm might wield,
Red in the ranks of Chalgrave's field,
Where ever-glorious Hampden bled,
And Freedom tears of forrow shed.
Or in the gallery let me walk,
Where living pictures feem to talk,
Where Beauty fmiles ferenely fair,
And Courage frowns with martial air;
Though whiskers quaint the face disguise,
And habits odd to modern eyes.
Behold what kings in Britain reign'd,
Plantagenets with blood diftain'd,
And valiant Tudor's haughty race,
And Stuart's England's worft difgrace.
The Norman firft, with cruel frown,
Proud of his new-ufurped crown,
Begins the lift; and many more,
Stern heroes form'd of roughest ore.
See victor Henry there advance,
Ev'n in his look he conquers France;
And murd❜rer Richard, justly flain
By Richmond's steel on Bosworth plain;
See the tyrant of his wives,
Prodigal of faireft lives,
And laureat Edward nurs'd in arts,
Minerva school'd his kingly parts.
But ah! the melancholy Jane,
A foul too tender for a queen!
She finks beneath imperial fway,
The dear-bought fceptre of a day!
And must fhe mount the scaffold drear?
Hard-hearted Mary, learn to fpare!
Eliza next falutes the eye;
Exalt the fong to Liberty,
The Muse repeats the facred name,
Eliza fills the voice of fame.
From thence a bafer age began,
The royal ore polluted ran,
'Till foreign Naffau's valiant hand
Chac'd holy tyrants from the land:
Downward from hence descend apace
To Brunswic's high, illuftrious race;
And fee the canvafs fpeaks them brave,
An injur'd nation born to fave,
Active in Freedom's righteous cause,
And confcious of a just applause.
But chiefly pleas'd, the curious eye
With nice difcernment loves to try
The labour'd wonders, paffing thought,
Which warm Italian pencils wrought;
Fables of love, and stories old,
By Greek or Latin poets told:
How Jove committed many a rape,
How young Acteon lost his shape;
Or what celestial pen-men writ,
Or what the painter's genuine wit
From Fancy's store-house could devife;
Where Raphael claims the highest prize.
Madona's here decline the head,
With fond maternal pleasure fed,
Or lift their lucid eyes above,
Where more is seen than holy love.
There temples ftand difplay'd within,
And pillars in long order feen,
And roofs rufh forward to the fight,
And lamps affect a living light.
Or landscapes tire the trav'ling eye,
The clouds in azure volumes fly,
The diftant trees diftinguifh'd rife,
And hills look little in the skies.
When day declines, and ev'ning cool
Begins her gentle, filent rule,
Again, as Fancy points the way,
Benignant leader, let me stray :
And wilt thou, Genius, bring along
(So fhall my Muse exalt her fong)
The Lord who rules this ample feene,
His Confort too with gracious mien,
Her little offspring prattling round,
While Echo lisps their infant found.
And let Good-nature, born to please,
Wait on our steps, and graceful Eafe
Nor Mirth be wanting as we walk,
Nor Wit to season fober talk;
Let gay Description too attend,
And Fable told with moral end,
And Satire quick that comes by stealth,
And flowing Laughter, friend to Health.
Meanwhile Attention loves to mark
The deer that crop the fhaven park,
The steep-brow'd hill, or foreft wild,
The floping lawns, and zephyrs mild,
The clouds that blush with ev'ning red,
Or meads with filver fountains fed,
The fragrance of the new-mown hay,
And black-bird chanting on the spray;
The calm farewel of parting light,
And Ev'ning fad❜ning into Night.
Nor wearied yet my roving feet,
Though Night comes on amain, retreat;
But still abroad I walk unseen
Along the star-enlighten'd green;
Superior joys my foul invite,
Lift, lift to heav'n the dazzled fight.
Lo, where the moon, enthron'd on high,
Sits steady emprefs of the sky,
Enticing nations to revere,
And proudly vain of pagan fear;
Or where through clouds she travels fast,
And feems on journey bent in haste,
While thousand hand-maid stars await,
Attendant on their queen of state.
'Tis now that in her high controul,
Ambitious of a foreign rule,
She stirs the Ocean to rebel,
And factious waters fond to fwell
Guides to battle in her car,
'Gainft her fifter Earth to war.
Thus let me muse on things fublime,
Above the flight of modern rhyme,
And call the foul of Newton down,
Where it fits high on ftarry throne,
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