With each bright Virtue that adorns the mind!
O bid the Muses, thine harmonious train,
Who by thy aid erft humaniz'd mankind,
Infpire, direct, and moralize the strain,
That doth effay to teach thy treasures how to gain!

And THOU, whofe pious and maternal care,
The fubftitute of heavenly Providence,
With tendereft love my orphan life did rear,
And train me up to manly ftrength and sense;
With mildeft awe, and virtuous influence,
Directing my unpractis'd wayward feet

To the smooth walks of Truth and Innocence;
Where Happiness heart-felt, Contentment sweet,
Philofophy divine aye hold their bleft retreat.

THOU, most belov'd, moft honcur'd, moft rever'd!
Accept this verfe, to thy large merit due!
And blame me not, if by each tye endear'd,
Of nature, gratitude, and friendship true,
The whiles this moral thefis I purfue,

And trace the plan of goodly a Nurture o’er,
I bring thy modeft virtues into view;

And proudly boaft that from thy precious flore,

Which erft enrich'd my heart, I drew this facred lore.

a Nurture, Education.

And

And thus, I ween, thus fhall I best

repay The valued gifts, thy careful love bestow'd;

If imitating THEE, well as I may,

I labour to diffuse th' important good "Till this great truth by all be understood; "That all the pious duties which we owe, "Our parents, friends, our country and our God; "The feeds of every virtue here below, "From Difcipline alone, and early Culture grow.

CANTO I.

ARGUMENT.

The Knight, as to b PÆDIA's house

He his young Son conveys,

Is ftaid by CUSTOM; with him fights,

A

And his vain pride difmays.

Gentle KNIGHT there was, whofe noble deeds

O'er Fairy Land by Fame were blazon'd round:

For warlike enterprize, and fage areeds

Emong the chief alike was he renown'd;

b Pædia is a Greek word, fignifying Education.
• Areeds, counfels.

Whence

Whence with the marks of highest honours crown'd
By GLORIANA, in domestick peace,

That port, to which the wife are ever bound,
He anchor'd was, and chang'd the toffing feas
Of bustling bufy life, for calm fequefter'd ease.

II.

There in domeftick virtue rich and great
As erft in publick, 'mid his wide domain,
Long in primæval patriarchal state,

The lord, the judge, the father of the plain,
He dwelt; and with him, in the golden chain
Of wedded faith y-link'd, a matron fage
Aye dwelt; fweet partner of his joy and pain,
Sweet charmer of his youth, friend of his age,
Skill'd to improve his blifs, his forrows to affuage.
III.

From this fair union, not of fordid gain,
But merit fimilar and mutual love,

True fource of lineal virtue, fprung a train

Of youths and virgins; like the beauteous grove,
Which round the temple of Olympick Jove,

d

Begirt with youthful bloom the parent tree,

The facred olive; whence old Elis wove

d Parent true, the facred olive.] This tree grew in the Altis, or facred grove of Olympick Jupiter at Olympia, having, as the Elcans pretended, been originally planted there by Hercules. It was efteemed facred, and from that were taken the Olympick crowns. See Paufanias. Eliac. and the Differtation on the Olympick Games.

Her

Her verdant crowns of peaceful victory,

The e guerdons of bold ftrength, and swift activity.
IV.

So round their noble parents goodly rofe
These generous fcyons; they with watchful care
Still, as the fwelling paffions 'gan disclose
The buds of future virtues, did prepare

With prudent culture the young shoots to rear:
And aye in this endearing pious toil

They by a f Palmer sage instructed were,

Who from deep thought and ftudious search erewhile Had learnt to mend the heart, and till the human foil.

V.

For by cœleftial Wijdom whilom led

Through all th' apartments of th' immortal mind,
He view'd the secret stores, and mark'd the & fted
To judgment, wit, and memory affign'd;

And how fenfation and reflection join'd
To fill with images her darkfome grotte,
Where variously disjointed or combin'd,
As reason, fancy, or opinion wrought,

Their various masks they play'd,and fed her penfive thought.

e Guerdons, rewards.

f Palmer, pilgrim. The perfon here fignified is Mr. Locke, characteriz'd by his works.

Sted, place, ftation.

VI. Alfe

1

h Alfe through the fields of Science had he stray'd
With eager fearch, and fent his piercing eye

Through each learn'd school, each philofophick shade,
Where Truth and Virtue erft were deem'd to lie ;
If haply the fair vagrants he i mote spy,

Or hear the mufick of their charming lore:
But all unable there to fatisfy

His curious foul, he turn'd him to explore

The facred writ of Faith; to learn, believe, adore.
VII.

Thence foe profefs'd of Falfhood and Deceit,

Those fly artificers of tyranny,

kAye holding up before uncertain feet

His faithful light, to Knowledge, Liberty,
Mankind he led, to Civil Policy,
And mild Religion's charitable law ;
That fram'd by Mercy and Benignity
The perfecuting fword forbids to draw,

And free-created fouls with penal terrours awe.

VIII.

1 Ne with these glorious gifts elate and vain
Lock'd he his wifdom up in churlish pride;

But, ftooping from his height, would even deign
The feeble steps of Infancy to guide.

h Alfe, alfo, further.
k Aye, ever.

i Mote, might.

Ne, nor.

Eternal