THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD 
 ENDOWMENT FUND
 
 THE 
 
 PLEASUR ES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY, 
 
 A POEM, 
 IN TWO PARTS. 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 AN ODE TO SUPERSTITION, WITH SOME OTHER POEMS. 
 
 Ampliat aetatis fpatium fibi vir bonus : hoc eft 
 
 Vivere bis, vita pofle priore irui. MART. 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED BY J. DAVIS. 
 
 SOLD BT T. CADELL, IN THE STRAND. 
 M DCC XCII.
 
 PR. 
 
 
 P7V 
 
 THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Dolce fentier, 
 
 Colic, che mi piaccfti,- 
 Ov' ancor per ufanza Amor mi mena ; 
 Ben riconofco in voi 1'ufate forme, 
 Non, laffb, in me. 
 
 PETRARCH. 
 
 870481
 
 A N A L -Y S I 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FIRST PART. 
 
 1HE Poem begins with the defcription of an obfcure village, and of 
 the pleafing melancholy which it excites on being revifited after a long 
 abfence. This mixed fenfation is an effect of the Memory. From an 
 effect we naturally afcend to the caufe ; and the fubject propofed is then 
 unfolded with an inveftigatron of the nature and leading principles of 
 this faculty. 
 
 It is evident that there is a continued fucceflion of ideas in the mind, 
 and that they introduce each other with a certain degree of regularity. 
 Their complexion depends greatly on the different perceptions of plea- 
 fure and pain which we receive through the medium of fenfe ; and, in 
 return, they have a confiderable influence on the animal economy. 
 
 They are fometimes excited by fenfible objects, and fometimes by an 
 internal operation of the mind. Of the former fpecies is moft probably 
 the memory of brutes , and its many fources of pleafure to them, as 
 well as to ourfelves, are confidered in the firft part. The latter is the 
 moft perfect degree of memory, and forms the fubject of the fecond. 
 
 2 When
 
 When ideas have any relation whatever, they are attractive of each 
 other in the mind ; and the conception of any object naturally leads to 
 the idea of another which was connected with it either in time or place, 
 or which can be compared or contrafted with it. Hence arifes our at- 
 tachment to inanimate objects ; hence alfo, in fome degree, the love 
 of our country, and the emotion with which we contemplate the cele- 
 brated fcenes of antiquity. Hence a picture directs our thoughts to the 
 original : and, as cold and darknefs fuggeft forcibly the ideas of heat 
 and light ; he, who feels the infirmities of age, dwells moft on whatever 
 reminds him of the vigour and vivacity of his youth. 
 
 The afibciating principle, as here employed, is no lefs conducive to 
 yirtue than to happinefs ; and, as fuch, it frequently difcovers itfelf in 
 the moft tumultuous fcenes of life. It addrefles our finer feelings, and 
 gives exercife to every mild and generous propenfity. 
 
 Not confined to man, it extends through all animated nature ; and 
 its effects are peculiarly ftriking in the domeftic tribes.
 
 THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY, 
 
 PART I. 
 
 TwiLIGHTs foft dews fteal o'er the village-green, 
 
 With magic tints to harmonize the fcene. 
 
 Hufh'd is the hum that thro' the hamlet broke, 
 
 When round the ruins of their ancient oak 
 
 The peafants flock'd to hear the minftrel play, 5 
 
 And games and carols clos'd the bufy day, 
 
 B Her
 
 Her wheel at reft, the matron charms no more 
 
 With treafur'd tales of legendary lore. 
 
 All, all are fled ; nor mirth nor mufic flows, 
 
 To chafe the dreams of innocent repofe. 10 
 
 All, all are fled ; yet ftill I linger here ! 
 
 What penfive fweets this filent fpot endear ? 
 
 Mark yon old Manfion, frowning thro' the trees, 
 Whofe hollow turret wooes the whittling breeze. 
 That cafement, arch'd with ivy's browneft {hade, 15 
 
 Firft to thefe eyes the light of heav'n convey'ft. 
 The mouldering gateway ftrews the grafs-grown court, 
 Once the calm fcene of many a fimple fport ; 
 When nature pleas'd, for life itfelf was new, 
 And the heart promis'd what the fancy drew. 20 
 
 See,
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
 See, thro' the fra&ur'd pediment reveaPd, 
 Where mofs inlays the rudely-fculptur'd ftiield, 
 The martin's old, hereditary neft, 
 Long may the ruin fpare its hallow'd gueft ! 
 
 As jars the hinge, what fallen echoes call ! 25 
 
 Oh hafte, unfold the hofpitable hall ! 
 That hall, where once, in antiquated ftate, 
 The chair of juftice held the grave debate. 
 
 Now ftain'd with dews, with cobwebs darkly hung, 
 Oft has its roof with peals of rapture rung ; 30 
 
 When round yon ample board, in due degree, 
 We fweeten'd every meal with facial glee. 
 The heart's light kughter crown'd the circling jeft ; 
 And all was funfhine in each little bread. 
 
 B 2 'Twas
 
 ( 4 ) 
 
 'Twas here we chas'd the flipper by its found ; 35 
 
 And turn'd the blindfold hero round and round. 
 'Twas here, at eve, we form'd our fairy ring ; 
 And Fancy flutter' d on her wildeft wing. 
 Giants and genii chain'd the wondering ear ; 
 And orphan-woes drew Nature's ready tear. 40 
 
 Oft with the babes we wander' d in the wood, 
 Or view'd the foreft-feats of Robin Hood : 
 Oft, fancy-led, at midnight's fearful hour, 
 With ftartling ftep we fcal'd the lonely tow'r ; 
 O'er infant innocence to hang and weep, 45 
 
 Murder' d by ruffian hands, when fmiling in its fleep. 
 
 Ye Houfehold Deities ! whofe guardian eye l 
 Mark'd each pure thought, ere regifter'd on high ; 
 
 Still
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 Still, ftill ye walk the confecrated ground, 
 
 And breathe the foul of Infpiration round. 50 
 
 As o'er the dufky furniture I bend, 
 Each chair awakes the feelings of a friend. 
 The ftoried arras, fource of fond delight, 
 With old achievement charms the wilder'd fight ; 
 And ftill, with Heraldry's rich hues impreft, 55 
 
 On the dim window glows the pi&ur'd creft. 
 The fcreen unfolds its many-colour'd chart. 
 The clock ftill points its moral to the heart. 
 That faithful monitor 'twas heav'n to hear ! 
 When foft it fpoke a promis'd pleafure near : 60 
 
 And has its fober hand, its fimple chime, 
 Forgot to trace the feather'd feet of Time ? 
 
 That
 
 ( 6 ) 
 
 That maffive beam, with eurious carvings wrought, 
 
 Whence the caged linnet fodh'd my penfive thought ; 
 
 Thofe mufkets cas'd with venerable ruft ; 65 
 
 Thofe once-lov'd forms, ftill breathing thro' their duft, 
 
 Still from the frame, in mould gigantic caft, 
 
 Starting to life all whifper of the paft ! 
 
 As thro' the garden's defert paths I rove, 
 
 What fond illuflons fwarm in every grove ! 70 
 
 How oft, when purple evening ting'd the weft, 
 We watch'd the emmet to her grainy neft ; 
 Welcom'd the wild-bee home on wearied wing, 
 Laden with fweets, the choiceft of the fpring ! 
 How oft infcrib'd, with Friendftiip's votive rhyme, 75 
 
 The bark now filver'd by the touch of Time ; 
 
 2 Soar'd
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
 Soar'd in the fwing, half pleas*d and half afraid, 
 
 Thro' fifter elms that wav'd their fummer fliade ; 
 
 Or flrew'd with crumbs yon root-inwoven feat, 
 
 To lure the redbreaft from his lone retreat ! 80 
 
 Childhood's lov'd group revifits every fcene, 
 The tangled wood-walk and the tufted green ! 
 Indulgent MEMORY wakes, and, lo ! they live ! 
 Cloth'd with far fofter hues than Light can give. 
 Thou laft beft friend that Heav'n afligns below, 85 
 
 To footh and fweeten all the cares we know ; 
 Whofe glad fuggeftions ftill each vain alarm, 
 When nature fades, and life forgets to charm ; 
 Thee would the Mufe invoke ! to thee belong 
 The fage's precept, and the poet's fong. 90 
 
 What
 
 ( 8 ) 
 What foften'd views thy magic glafs reveals, 
 
 When o'er the landfcape Time's meek twilight fteals ! 
 
 As when in ocean finks the orb of day, 
 
 Long on the wave reflected luftres play ; 
 
 Thy temper'd gleams of happinefs refign'd 95 
 
 Glance on the darken'd mirror of the mind. 
 
 The School's lone porch, with reverend moffes gray, 
 Juft tells the penfive pilgrim where it lay. 
 Mute is the bell that rung at peep of dawn, 
 Quick'ning my truant-feet acrofs the lawn ; loo 
 
 Unheard the fhout that rent the noontide air, 
 When the flow dial gave a paufe to care. 
 Up fprings, at every ftep, to claim a tear, 
 Some little friendfhip form'd and cherifli'd here ! 
 
 And
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
 And not the lighteft leaf, but trembling teems 105 
 
 With golden vifions, and romantic dreams ! 
 
 Down by yon hazel copfe, at evening, blaz'd 
 The Gipfy's faggot there we flood and gaz'd ; 
 Gaz'd on her fun-burnt face with filent awe, 
 Her tatter' d mantle, and her hood of ftraw ; 119 
 
 Her moving lips, her caldron brimming o'er ; 
 The drowfy brood that on her back fhe bore ; 
 Imps, in the barn, with moufmg owlet bred, 
 From rifled rooft at nightly revel fed ; 
 
 Whofe dark eyes flafh'd thro' locks of blackeft fhade, 1 15 
 
 When in the breeze the diftant watch-dog bay'd : 
 And heroes fled the Sybil's mutter'd call, 
 Whofe elfin prowefs fcal'd the orchard-wall. 
 
 C As
 
 As o'er my palm the iilver piece fhe drew, 
 
 And traced the line of life with fearching view, I2a 
 
 How throbb'd my fluttering pulfe with hopes and fears, 
 
 To learn the colour of my future years ! 
 
 Ah, then, what honeft triumph flufh'd my breaft t 
 This truth once known To blefs is to be bleft ! 
 We led the bending beggar on his way ; 125 
 
 (Bare were his feet, his trefles filver-gray) 
 Sooth'd the keen pangs his aged fpirit felt> 
 And on his tale with mute attention dwelt. 
 As in his fcrip we dropp'd our little ftore, 
 
 And wept aloud to think it was no more ; 130 
 
 He breath'd his prayer, " Long may fuch goodnefs live !" 
 'Twas all he gave, 'twas all he had to give. 
 
 Hark,
 
 But hark ! thro' thofe old firs, with fallen fwell, 
 The church-clock ftrikes ! ye tender fcenes, farewell ! 
 It calls me hence, beneath their fhade, to trace 135 
 
 The few fond lines that Time may foon efface. 
 
 On yon gray ft one, that fronts the chancel-door, 
 Worn fmooth by bufy feet now feen no more ; 
 Each eve we fhot the marble thro' the ring, 
 When the heart danc'd, and life was in its fpring ; 140 
 
 Alas ! unconfcious of the kindred earth, 
 That faintly echoed to the voice of mirth. 
 
 The glow-worm loves her emerald light to fhed, 
 Where now the fexton refts his hoary head. 
 
 C 2 Oft
 
 Oft, as he turn'd the greenfward with his fpade, 145 
 
 He lectur'd every youth that round him play'd ; 
 And, calmly pointing where his fathers lay, 
 Rous'd him to rival each, the hero of his day. 
 
 Hufh, ye fond flutterings, hufh ! while here alone 
 I fearch the records of each mouldering ftone. 150 
 
 Guides of my life ! Inftrudtors of my youth ! 
 Who firft uriveil'd the hallow'd form of Truth j 
 Whofe every word enlightened and endear'd ; 
 In age belov'd, in poverty rever'd ; 
 
 In Friendfhip's filent regifter ye live, 155 
 
 Nor a{k the vain memorial Art can give. 
 
 But when the fons of peace and pleafure fleep, 
 When only Sorrow wakes, and wakes to weep ; 
 
 What
 
 ( '3 ) 
 
 What fpells entrance my vifionary mind, 
 
 With fighs fo fweet, with raptures fo refin'd ? 160 
 
 Etherial Power ! whofe fmile, at noon of night, 
 Recals the far-fled fpirit of delight, 
 Inftils that mufing melancholy mood, 
 Which charms the wife, and elevates the good ; 
 Bleft MEMORY, hail ! Oh, grant my grateful verfe 165 
 
 To fing thy triumphs, and thy gifts rehearfe ; 
 Pierce the dark clouds that round thy empire roll, 
 And trace its airy precincts in the foul. 
 
 LulTd in the countlefs chambers of the brain, 
 Our thoughts are link'd by many a hidden chain. 1 70 
 
 Awake but one, and lo, what myriads rife ! 
 Each ftamps its image as the other flies ! 
 
 Each,
 
 14 ) 
 
 Each, as the varied avenues of fenfe 
 
 Delight or forrow to the foul difpenfe, 
 
 Brightens or fades ; yet all, with magic art, 1 75 
 
 Control the latent fibres of the heart. 
 
 As ftudious Profpero's myfterious fpell 
 
 Conven'd the fubjed-fpirits to his cell ; 
 
 Each, at thy call, advances or retires, 
 
 As judgment dictates, or the fcene infpires. 180 
 
 Each thrills the feat of fenfe, that facred fource, 
 
 Whence the fine nerves direct their A mazy courfe, 
 
 And thro' the frame invifibly convey 
 
 The fubtle, quick vibrations as they play. 
 
 Survey the globe, each ruder realm explore ; 
 From Reafon's fainteft ray to Newton foar. 
 
 2 What
 
 ( '5 ) 
 
 What different fpheres to human blifs aflign'd ! 
 
 What flow gradations in the fcale of mind ! 
 
 Yet mark in each thefe myftic wonders wrought ; 
 
 Oh mark the fleeplefs energies of thought ! 1 90 
 
 TV adventurous boy, that afks his little fhare, 
 And hies from home, with many a goflip's prayer, 
 Turns on the neighbouring hill, once more to fee 
 The dear abode of peace and privacy ; 
 
 And as he turns, the thatch among the trees, 1 95 
 
 The fmoke's blue wreaths afcending with the breeze, 
 The village-common fpotted white with flieep, 
 The churchyard yews round which his fathers fleep ; 
 All roufe Reflection's fadly pleafmg train, 
 And oft he looks and weeps, and looks again* 
 
 So,
 
 So, when the daring fons of Science drew * 
 The mild TUPIA'S firm yet fond adieu 
 To all his foul beft lov'd, fuch tears he fhed, 
 While each foft fcene of fummer beauty fled : 
 Long o'er the wave a wiftful look he caft, 205 
 
 Long watch' d the ftreaming fignal from the maft ; 
 Till twilight's dewy tints deceiv'd his eye, 
 And fairy forefts fring'd the evening fky. 
 
 So Scotia's Queen, as flowly dawn'd the day, 5 
 Rofe on her couch, and gaz'd her foul away. 210 
 
 Her eyes had blefs'd the beacon's glimmering height, 
 That faintly tipt the feathery furge with light ; 
 But now the morn with orient hues pourtray'd 
 Each caftled cliff, and brown monaftic fhade : 
 
 All
 
 All touch'd the talifman's refiftlefs fpring, 215 
 
 And lo, what bufy tribes were inftant on the wing ! 
 
 As kindred objects kindred thoughts excite % 
 Thefe, with magnetic virtue, foon unite. 
 And hence this fpot gives back the joys of youth, 
 Warm as the life, and with the mirror's truth. 220 
 
 Hence home-felt pleafure prompts the Patriot's figh ; 
 This makes him wifh to live, and u dare to die." 
 For this FOSCARI, whofe relentlefs fate 5 
 Venice fhould blufli to hear the Mufe relate, 
 When exile wore his blooming years away, 225 
 
 To forrow's long foliloquies a prey, 
 When reafon, juftice, vainly urg'd his caufe ; 
 For this he rous'd her fanguinary laws ; 
 
 D Glad
 
 Glad to return, tho' Hope could grant no more, 
 
 And chains and torture hail'd him to the more. 230 
 
 And hence the charm hiftoric fcenes impart : 
 Hence Tiber awes, and Avon melts the heart. 
 Aerial forms, in Tempe's claffic vale, 
 Glance thro' the gloom, and whifper in the gale ; 
 In wild Vauclufe with love and LAURA dwell, 235 
 
 And watch and weep in ELOISA'S cell 6 . 
 'Twas ever thus. As now at VIRGIL'S tomb % 
 We blefs the fhade, and bid the verdure bloom : 
 So TULLY paus'd, amid the wrecks of Time 8 , 
 On the rude ftone to trace the truth fublime ; 240 
 
 When at his feet, in honoured duft difclos'd, 
 Th* immortal Sage of Syracufe repos'd. 
 
 And
 
 ( '9 ) 
 
 And as his youth in fweet delufion hung, 
 
 Where once a PLATO taught, a PINDAR fung; 
 
 Who now but meets him mufing, when he roves 245 
 
 His ruin'd Tufculan's romantic groves ? 
 
 In Rome's great forum, who but hears him roll 
 
 His moral thunders o'er the fubject-foul ? 
 
 And hence that calm delight the portrait gives : 
 We gaze on every feature till it lives ! 250 
 
 Still the fond lover views the abfent maid ; 
 And the loft friend ftill lingers in his {hade ! 
 Say why the penfive widow loves to weep % 
 When on her knee me rocks her babe to fleep : 
 Tremblingly ftill, me lifts his veil to trace 255 
 
 The father's features in his infant face. 
 
 D 2 The
 
 The hoary grandfire fmiles the hour away, 
 
 Won by the charm of Innocence at play ; 
 
 He bends to catch each artlefs burft of joy, 
 
 Forgets his age, and a&s again the boy. 260 
 
 What tho' the iron fchool of War erafe 
 Each milder virtue, and each fofter grace ; 
 What tho' the fiend's torpedo-touch arreft 
 Each gentler, finer impulfe of the breaft ; 
 
 Still mail this active principle prefide, 265 
 
 And wake the tear to Pity's felf denied. 
 
 The intrepid Swifs, that guards a foreign more, 
 Condemned to climb his mountain-cliffs no more, 
 If chance he hear that fong fo fweetly wild x , 
 His heart would fpring to hear it, when a child ; 270 
 
 That
 
 That fong, as fimple as the joys he knew, 
 When in the fhepherd-dance he blithely flew ; 
 Melts at the long-loft fcenes that round him rife, 
 And finks a martyr to repentant fighs. 
 
 Afk not if courts or camps diflblve the charm ; 275 
 
 Say why VESPASIAN lov'd his Sabine farm ' ' ; 
 Why great NAVARRE, when France and freedom bled '*, 
 Sought the lone limits of a foreft-fhed. 
 When DIOCLETIAN'S felf-corrected mind IJ 
 TV imperial fafces of a world refign'd, 280 
 
 Say why we trace the labours of his fpade, 
 In calm Salona's philofophic made. 
 Say, when ambitious CHARLES renounced a throne '*, 
 To mufe with monks unlettered and unknown, 
 
 What
 
 What from his foul the parting tribute drew ? 285 
 
 What claim'd the forrows of a laft adieu ? 
 The ftill retreats that footh'd his tranquil breaft, 
 Ere grandeur dazzled, and its cares opprefs'd. 
 
 Undamp'd by time the generous Inftinct glows, 
 Far as Angola's fands, as Zembla's fnows ; 290 
 
 Glows in the tiger's den, the ferpent's neft, 
 On every form of varied life impreft. 
 The focial tribes its choiceft influence hail : 
 And when the drum beats brifldy in the gale, 
 The war-worn courfer charges at the found, 295 
 
 And with young vigour wheels the pafture round. 
 
 Oft has the aged tenant of the vale 
 Lean'd on his ftaff to lengthen out the tale ; 
 
 Oft
 
 Oft have his lips the grateful tribute breath'd, 
 
 From fire to fon with pious zeal bequeath'd. 300 
 
 When o'er the blafted heath the day declin'd, 
 
 And on the fcath'd oak warr'd the winter wind ; 
 
 When not a diftant taper's twinkling ray 
 
 Gleam'd o'er the furze to light him on his way ; 
 
 When not a fheep-bell footh'd his liftening ear, 305 
 
 And the big rain-drops told the tempeft near ; 
 
 Then did his horfe the homeward track defcry ' 5 , 
 
 The track that fhunn'd his fad enquiring eye ; 
 
 And win each wavering purpofe to relent, 
 
 With warmth fo mild, fo gently violent, 3 1 o 
 
 That his charm'd hand the carelefs rein refign'd, 
 
 And doubts and terrors vanifh'd from his mind. 
 
 Recal the traveller, whofe alter'd form 
 Has borne the buffet of the mountain-ftorm ; 
 
 And
 
 And who will firft his fond impatience meet ? 315 
 
 His faithful dog's already at his feet ! 
 
 Yes, tho' the porter fpurn him from his door, 
 
 Tho' all, that knew him, know his face no more, 
 
 His faithful dog fhall tell his joy to each, 
 
 With that mute eloquence which paflfes fpeech. 320 
 
 And fee, the mafter but returns to die ! 
 
 Yet who fhall bid the watchful fervant fly ? 
 
 The blafts of heav'n, the drenching dews of earth, 
 
 The wanton infults of unfeeling mirth ; 
 
 Thefe, when to guard Misfortune's facred grave, 325 
 
 Will firm Fidelity exult to brave. 
 
 Led by what chart, tranfports the timid dove 
 The wreaths of conqueft, or the vows of love ? 
 Say, thro' the clouds what compafs points her flight ? 
 Monarchs have gaz'd, and nations bleft the fight. 330
 
 Pile rocks on rocks, bid woods and mountains rife, 
 Eclipfe her native fhades, her native fkies; 
 'Tis vain ! thro* Ether's pathlefs wilds me goes* 
 And lights at laft where all her cares repofe. 
 
 Sweet bird ! thy truth fhall Harlem's walls atteft I6 , 335 
 
 And unborn ages confecrate thy neft. 
 When with the filent energy of grief, 
 With looks that afk'd, yet dar'd not hope relief, 
 Want, with her babes, round generous Valour clung, 
 To wring the flow furrender from his tongue, 340 
 
 'Twas thine to animate her clofmg eye ; 
 Alas ! 'twas thine perchance the firft to die, 
 Crufh'd by her meagre hand, when welcom'd from the iky. 
 
 Hark! the bee winds her fmall but mellow horn I? , 
 Blithe to falute the funny fmile of morn. 345 
 
 E O'er
 
 O'er thymy downs flic bends her bufy courfe, 
 
 And many a ftream allures her to its fource. 
 
 'Tis noon, 'tis night. That eye fo finely wrought, 
 
 Beyond the fearch of fenfe, the foar of thought, 
 
 Now vainly afks the fcenes fhe left behind ; 350 
 
 Its orb fo full, its vifion fo confin'd ! 
 
 Who guides the patient pilgrim to her cell ? 
 
 Who bids her foul with confcious triumph fwell ? 
 
 With confcious truth, retrace the mazy clue 
 
 Of varied fcents, that charm'd her as me flew ? 355 
 
 Hail MEMORY, hail ! thy univerfal reign 
 
 Guards the leaft link of Being's glorious chain. 
 
 THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK.
 
 THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Degli anni e de Pobblio nemica, 
 
 Delle cofe cuftode, e difpenfiera. 
 
 TASSO.
 
 ANALYSIS 
 
 SECOND PART. 
 
 1 HE Memory has hitherto ated only in fubfervience to the fenfes ; 
 and fo far man is not eminently diftinguifhed from other animals : 
 but, with refpect to man, (he has a higher province j and is often 
 bufily employed, when excited by no external caufe whatever. She 
 preferves, for his ufe, the treafures of art and fcience, hiftory and phi- 
 lofophy. She colours all the profpe&s of life : for ' we can only anti- 
 cipate the future, by concluding what is poflible from what is paft.' 
 
 On her agency depends every effufion of the Fancy, whofe boldeft 
 effort can only compound or tranfpofe, augment or diminifh the 
 materials (he has collected and retained. 
 
 When the firft emotions of defpair have fubfided, and forrow has 
 foftened into melancholy, (he amufes with a retrofpecl: of innocent 
 pleafures, and infpires that noble confidence which refults from the 
 eonfcioufnefs of having a&ed well. 
 
 When
 
 ( 3 ) 
 
 When fleep has fufpended the organs of fenfe from their office, fhe 
 not only fupplies the mind with images, but affifts in their combina- 
 tion. And even in madnefs itfelf, when the foul is refigned over to 
 the tyranny of a diftempered imagination, fhe revives paft percep- 
 tions, and awakens that train of thought which was formerly moft 
 familiar. 
 
 Nor are we pleafed only with a review of the brighter paflages 
 of life ; events, the moft diftrefling in their immediate confequences, 
 are often cherifhed in remembrance with a degree of enthufiafrn. 
 
 But the world and its occupations give a mechanical impulfe to 
 the paffions, which is not very favourable to the indulgence of this 
 feeling. It is in a calm and well-regulated mind that the Memory i$ 
 moft perfecl j and folitude is her beft fphere of action. 
 
 With this fentiment is introduced a Tale, illuftrative of her influ- 
 ence in folitude, ficknefs, and forrow. And the fubjeft having now 
 been confidered, fo far as it relates to man and the animal world, 
 the Poem concludes with a conjecture, that fuperior beings are 
 bleft with a nobler exercife of this faculty. 
 
 THE
 
 THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 OWEET MEMORY, wafted by thy gentle gale, 
 Oft up the tide of Time I turn my fail, 
 To view the fairy-haunts of long-loft hours, 
 Bleft with far greener {hades, far frefher flowers. 
 
 Ages and climes remote to Thee impart 5 
 
 What charms in Genius, and refines in Art ; 
 
 Thee,
 
 ( 3* ) 
 
 Thee, in whofe hand the keys of Science dwell, 
 The penfive portrefs of her holy cell ; 
 Whofe conftant vigils chafe the chilling damp 
 Oblivion fteals upon her veftal-lamp. 10 
 
 The friends of Reafon, and the guides of Youth, 
 Whofe language breath'd the eloquence of Truth ; 
 Whofe life, beyond preceptive wifdom, taught 
 The great in conduct, and the pure in thought ; 
 Thefe ftill exift, by Thee to Fame confign'd, 15 
 
 Still fpeak and act, the models of mankind. 
 
 From Thee fweet Hope her airy colouring draws; 
 And Fancy's flights are fubjecT: to thy laws. 
 From Thee that bofom-fpring of rapture flows, 
 Which only Virtue, tranquil Virtue, knows. 20 
 
 2 When
 
 ( 33 ) 
 
 When Joy's bright fun has died his evening-ray r 
 And Hope's delufive meteors ceafe to play ; 
 When clouds on clouds the fmiling profpecl clofe, 
 Still thro' the ftorm thy ftar ferenely glows : 
 Like yon fair orb, (he gilds the brow of night 25 
 
 With the mild magic of reflected light. 
 
 The beauteous maid, that bids the world adieu, 
 Oft of that world will fnatch a fond review ; 
 Oft at the fhrine neglect her beads, to trace 
 Some focial fcene, fome dear familiar face ; 30 
 
 Forgot, when firft a father's ftern controul 
 Chas'd the gay vifions of her opening foul : 
 And ere, with iron tongue, the vefper-bell 
 Burfts thro' the cyprefs-walk, the convent-cell, 
 
 F Oft
 
 ( 34 ) 
 
 Oft will her warm and wayward heart revive, 35 
 
 To love and joy ftill tremblingly alive ; 
 The whifper'd vow, the chafte carefs prolong, 
 Weave the light dance, and fwell the choral fong ; 
 With rapt ear drink th' enchanting ferenade ; 
 And, as it melts along the moonlight glade, 40 
 
 To each foft note return as foft a figh, 
 And blefs the youth that bids her {lumbers fly. 
 
 But not till Time has calm'd the ruffled breaft, 
 Are thefe fond dreams of happinefs confdft. 
 Not till the rufhing winds forget to rave, 45 
 
 Is heav'n's fweet fmile reflected on the wave. 
 
 From Guinea's coaft purfue the leflening fail, 
 And catch the founds that fadden every gale. 
 
 2 Tell,
 
 ( 3S ) 
 
 Tell, if thou canft, the fum of forrows there ; 
 
 Mark the fixt gaze, the wild and frenzied glare, jo 
 
 The racks of thought, and freezings of defpair ! 
 
 But paufe not then beyond the weftern wave, 
 
 Go, view the captive barter'd as a flave ! 
 
 Crufh'd till his high heroic fpirit bleeds, 
 
 And from his nervelefs frame indignantly recedes. 55 
 
 Yet here, ev'n here, with pleafures long refign'd, 
 Lo ! MEMORY burfts the twilight of the mind: 
 Her dear delufions footh his finking foul, 
 When the rude fcourge prefumes its bafe controul ; 
 And o'er Futurity's blank page diffufe 60 
 
 The full reflection of their vivid hues. 
 'Tis but to die, and then, to weep no more, 
 Then will he wake on Congo's diftant more ; 
 
 F 2 Beneath
 
 ( 3<5 ) 
 Beneath his plantain's ancient fhade, renew 
 
 The fimple tranfports that with freedom flew ; 65 
 
 Catch the cool breeze that muiky Evening blows, 
 
 And quaff the palm's rich ne&ar as it glows ; 
 
 The oral tale of elder time rehearfe, 
 
 And chant the rude traditionary verfe ; 
 
 With thofe, the lov'd companions of his youth, 70 
 
 When life was luxury, and friendfhip truth. 
 
 Ah ! why fhould Virtue dread the frowns of Fate ? 
 Hers what no wealth can win, no power create ! 
 A little world of clear and cloudlefs day, 
 
 Nor wreck'd by ftorms, nor moulder'd by decay ; 75 
 
 A world, with MEMORY'S ceafelefs fun-fhine bleft, 
 The home of Happinefs, an honeft breaft. 
 
 But
 
 ( 37 ) 
 
 But moft we mark the wonders of her reign, 
 When Sleep has lock'd the fenfes in her chain. 
 When fober Judgment has her throne refign'd, 80 
 
 She fmiles away the chaos of the mind ; 
 And as warm Fancy's bright Elyfmm glows, 
 From Her each image fprings, each colour flows. 
 She is the facred gueft ! th' immortal friend ! 
 Oft feen o'er fleeping Innocence to bend, 85 
 
 In that dead hour of night to Silence giv'n, 
 Whifpering feraphic vifions of her heav'n. 
 
 When the blithe fon of Savoy, roving round 
 With humble wares and pipe of merry found, 
 From his green vale and fhelter'd cabin hies, 90 
 
 And fcales the Alps to vifit foreign ikies ; 
 
 Tho'
 
 ( 38 ) 
 
 Tho' far below the forked lightnings play, 
 And at his feet the thunder dies away ; 
 Oft, in the faddle rudely rock'd to fleep, 
 
 While his mule browzes on the dizzy fteep, 95 
 
 With MEMORY'S aid, he fits at home, and fees 
 His children fport beneath their native trees, 
 And bends, to hear their cherub-voices call, 
 O'er the loud fury of the torrent's fall. 
 
 But can her fmile with gloomy Madnefs dwell ? 100 
 
 Say, can fhe chafe the horrors of his cell ? 
 Each fiery flight on Frenzy's wing reftrain, 
 And mould the coinage of the fever'd brain ? 
 Pafs but that grate, which fcarce a gleam fupplies, 
 There in the duft the wreck of Genius lies ! 105 
 
 He
 
 ( 39 ) 
 
 He whofe arrefting hand fublimely wrought 
 
 Each bold conception in the fphere of thought ; 
 
 Who from the quarried mafs, like PHIDIAS, drew 
 
 Forms ever fair, creations ever new ! 
 
 But, as he fondly match'd the wreath of Fame, no 
 
 The fpectre Poverty unnerv'd his frame. 
 
 Cold was her grafp, a withering fcowl me wore ; 
 
 And Hope's foft energies were felt no more. 
 
 Yet ftill how fweet the foothings of his art ' 8 ! 
 
 From the cold ftone what bright ideas ftart ! 115 
 
 Ev'n now he claims the amaranthine wreath, 
 
 With fcenes that glow, with images that breathe ! 
 
 And whence thefe fcenes, thefe images, declare. 
 
 Whence but from Her who triumphs o'er defpair ? 
 
 Awake,
 
 ( 40 ) 
 
 Awake, arife ! with grateful fervour fraught, 120 
 
 Go, fpring the mine of elevated thought. 
 He who, thro' Nature's various walk, furveys 
 The good and fair her faultlefs line pourtrays ; 
 Whofe mind, prophan'd by no unhallow'd gueft, 
 Culls from the crowd the pureft and the beft ; 125 
 
 May range, at will, bright Fancy's golden clime, 
 Or, mufmg, mount where Science fits fublime, 
 Or wake the fpirit of departed Time. 
 Who acts thus wifely, mark the moral mufe, 
 A blooming Eden in his life reviews ! 1 30 
 
 So richly cultur'd every native grace, 
 Its fcanty limits he forgets to trace : 
 But the fond fool, when evening fhades the fky, 
 Turns but to ftart, and gazes but to figh ! 
 
 The
 
 The weary wafte, that lengthened as he ran, 1 35 
 
 Fades to a blank, and dwindles to a fpan ! 
 
 Ah who can tell the triumphs of the mind, 
 By truth illumin'd, and by tafte refin'd ? 
 When Age has quench'd the eye and clos'd the ear, 
 Still nerv'd for action in her native fphere, 140 
 
 Oft will me rife with fearching glance purfue 
 Some long-lov'd image vanifh'd from her view ; 
 Dart thro' the deep recefles of the paft, 
 O'er dufky forms in chains of flumber caft ; 
 With giant-grafp fling back the folds of night, 145 
 
 And friatch the faithlefs fugitive to light. 
 
 So thro' the grove th' impatient mother flies, 
 Each funlefs glade, each fecret pathway tries ; 
 
 G Till
 
 ( 4' ) 
 
 Till the light leaves the truant-boy difclofe, 
 Long on the wood-mofs ftretch'd in fweet repofe. 150 
 
 Nor yet to pleafmg objects are confin'd 
 The filent feafts of the reflective mind. 
 Danger and death a dread delight infpire ; 
 And the bald veteran glows with wonted fire, 
 When, richly bronz'd by many a fummer fun, 155 
 
 He counts his fears, and tells what deeds were done. 
 
 Go, with old Thames, view Chelfea's glorious pile; 
 And afk the fhatter'd hero, whence his fmile ? 
 Go, view the fplendid domes of Greenwich, go ; 
 And own what raptures from Reflection flow. 160 
 
 Hail,
 
 ( 43 ) 
 Hail, nobleft ftructures imag'd in the wave ! 
 
 A nation's grateful tribute to the brave. 
 
 Hail, bleft retreats from war and fhipwreck, hail ! 
 
 That oft arreft the wondering ftranger's fail. 
 
 Long have ye heard the narratives of age, 165 
 
 The battle's havoc, and the tempeft's rage ; 
 
 Long have ye known Reflection's genial ray 
 
 Gild the calm clofe of Valour's various day. 
 
 Time's fombrous touches foon corred the piece, 
 Mellow each tint, and bid each difcord ceafe : 1 70 
 
 A fofter tone of light pervades the whole, 
 And breathes a penfive languor o'er the foul. 
 
 Haft thou thro' Eden's wild-wood vales purfued ' 9 
 Each mountain-fcene, magnificently rude ; 
 
 G 2 To
 
 ( 44 ) 
 
 To mark the fweet fimplicity of life, 175 
 
 Far from the din of Folly's idle ftrife : 
 
 Nor, with Attention's lifted eye, rever'd 
 
 That modeft ft one which pious PEMBROKE rear'd ; 
 
 Which ftill records, beyond the pencil's power, 
 
 The (ilent forrows of a parting hour ; 1 80 
 
 Still to the paufmg pilgrim points the place, 
 
 Her fainted fpirit moil delights to trace ? 
 
 Thus, with the manly glow of honeft pride * % 
 O'er his dead fon old ORMOND nobly figh'd. 
 Thus, thro' the gloom of SHENSTONE'S fairy grove, 185 
 
 MARIA'S urn ftill breathes the voice of love. 
 
 As the ftern grandeur of a Gothic tower 
 Awes not fo deeply in its morning hour, 
 
 2 As
 
 ( 45 ) 
 
 As when the {hades of Time ferenely fall 
 
 On every broken arch and ivied wall ; 190 
 
 The tender images we love to trace, 
 Steal from each year ' a melancholy grace !' 
 And as the fparks of focial love expand, 
 As the heart opens in a foreign land ; 
 
 And with a brother's warmth, a brother's fmile, 195 
 
 The ftranger greets each native of his ifle ; 
 So fcenes of life, when prefent and confeft, 
 Stamp but their bolder features on the breaft ; 
 Yet not an image, when remotely view'd, 
 However trivial, and however rude, 200 
 
 But wins the heart, and wakes the focial figh, 
 With every claim of clofe affinity ! 
 
 But
 
 ( 46 ) 
 
 But thefe pure joys the world can never know ; 
 In gentler climes their filver currents flow. 205 
 
 Oft at the filent fhadowy clofe of day, 
 When the hufh'd grove has fung its parting lay ; 
 When penfive Twilight, in her dufky car, 
 Slowly afcends to meet the evening-ftar ; 
 
 Above, below, aerial murmurs fwell 2I , 210 
 
 From hanging wood, brown heath, and bufhy dell ! 
 A thoufand namelefs rills, that fhun the light, 
 Stealing foft mufic on the ear of night. 
 So oft the finer movements of the foul, 
 
 That fhun the fphere of Pleafure's gay controul, 215 
 
 In the ftill fhades of calm Seclufion rife, 
 And breathe their fweet feraphic harmonies ! 
 
 Once,
 
 ( 47 ) 
 Once, and domeftic annals tell the time, 
 
 (Preferv'd in Cumbria's rude romantic clime) 
 
 When Nature fmil'd, and o'er the landfcape threw 
 
 Her richeft fragrance, and her brighteft hue, 220 
 
 A blithe and blooming Forefter explor'd 
 
 Thofe nobler fcenes SALVATOR'S foul ador'd ; 
 
 The rocky pafs half hung with fhaggy wood, 
 
 And the cleft oak flung boldly o'er the flood ; 
 
 Eager to bid the mountain-echoes wake, 225 
 
 And moot the wild-fowl of the filver lake. 
 
 High on exulting wing the heath-cock rofe, 
 And blew his fhrill blaft o'er perennial fnows ; 
 When the rapt youth, recoiling from the roar, 
 Gaz'd on the tumbling tide of dread Lodoar ; 2 30 
 
 And
 
 And thro' the rifted cliffs, that fcal'd the iky, 
 
 Derwent's clear mirror charm'd his dazzled eye a *. 
 
 Each ofier ifle, inverted on the wave, 
 
 Thro' morn's gray mift its melting colours gave ; 
 
 And, o'er the cygnet's haunt, the mantling grove 235 
 
 Its emerald arch with wild luxuriance wove. 
 
 Light as the breeze that brufh'd the orient dew, 
 From rock to rock the young adventurer flew ; 
 And day's laft fimfhine flept along the fhore, 
 When, lo ! an ambufli'd path the fmile of welcome wore* 240 
 Imbowering fhrubs with verdure veil'd the fky, 
 And on the mufk-rofe ftied a deeper dye ; 
 Save when a mild and momentary gleam 
 Glanc'd from the white foam of fome flicker' d ftream. 
 
 O'er
 
 ( 49 ) 
 O'er the ftill lake the bell of evening toll'd, 145 
 
 And on the moor the fhepherd penn'd his fold ; 
 
 And on the green hill's fide the meteor play'd, 
 
 When, hark ! a voice fung fweetly thro' the made. 
 
 It ceas'd yet ftill in FLORIO'S fancy fung, 
 
 Still on each note his captive fpirit hung ; 250 
 
 Till o'er the mead a cool fequefter'd grot 
 
 From its rich roof a fparry luftre mot. 
 
 A cryftal water crofs'd the pebbled floor, 
 
 And on the front thefe fimple lines it bore : 
 
 Hence away, nor dare intrude ! 255 
 
 In this fecret fhadowy cell 
 Mufmg MEMORY loves to dwell, 
 With her fifter Solitude. 
 
 H Far
 
 ( 50 ) 
 
 Far from the bufy world fhe flies, 
 
 To tafte that peace the world denies. 260 
 
 Entranced fhe fits ; from youth to age, 
 
 Reviewing Life's eventful page ; 
 
 And noting, ere they fade away, 
 
 The little lines of yefterday. 
 
 -> 
 
 FLORID had gain'd a rude and rocky feat, 265 
 
 When lo, the Genius of this ftill retreat ! 
 Fair was her form but who can hope to trace 
 The penfive foftnefs of her angel-face ? 
 Can VIRGIL'S verfe, can RAPHAEL'S touch impart 
 Thofe finer features of the feeling heart, 270 
 
 Thofe tend'rer tints that fhun the carelefs eye, 
 And in the world's contagious circle die ? 
 
 She
 
 She left the cave, nor mark'd the ftranger there ; 
 Her paftoral beauty, and her artlefs air, 
 
 Had breath'd a foft enchantment o'er his foul ! 275 
 
 In every nerve he felt her bleft controul ! 
 What pure and white-wing'd agents of the fky, 
 Who rule the fprings of facred fympathy, 
 Inform congenial fpirits when they meet ? 
 Sweet is their office, as their nature fweet ! 280 
 
 FLORIO, with fearful joy, purfued the maid, 
 Till thro' a vifta's moonlight-checquer'd fhade, 
 Where the bat circled, and the rooks repos'd, 
 (Their wars fufpended, and their counfels clos'd) 
 An antique manfion burft in awful ftate, 285 
 
 A rich vine cluftering round its Gothic gate. 
 
 H 2 Nor
 
 ( 5* ) 
 
 Nor paus'd he here. The matter of the fcene 
 
 Mark'd his light ftep imprint the dewy green ; 
 
 And, flow-advancing, hail'd him as his gueft, 
 
 Won by the honeft warmth his looks exprefs'd. 290 
 
 He wore the ruftic manners of a 'Squire ; 
 
 Age had not quench'd one fpark of manly fire ; 
 
 But giant Gout had bound him in her chain, 
 
 And his heart panted for the chafe in vain. 
 
 Yet here Remembrance, fweetly-foothing power ! 295 
 
 Wing'd with delight Confinement's lingering hour. 
 The fox's brufh ftill emulous to wear, 
 He fcour'd the county in his elbow-chair ; 
 And, with view-halloo, rous'd the dreaming hound, 
 That rung, by ftarts, his deep-ton'd mufic round. 300 
 
 Long
 
 ( 53 ) 
 
 Long by the paddock's humble pale confm'd, 
 
 His aged hunters cours'd the viewlefs wind : 
 
 And each, with glowing energy pourtray'd, 
 
 The far-fam'd triumphs of the field difplay'd ; 
 
 Ufurp'd the canvas of the crowded hall, 305 
 
 And chas'd a line of heroes from the wall. 
 
 There flept the horn each jocund echo knew, 
 
 And many a fmile, and many a ftory drew ! 
 
 High o'er the hearth his foreft-trophies hung, 
 
 And their fantaftic branches wildly flung. 310 
 
 How would he dwell on each vaft antler there ! 
 
 This dafli'd the wave, that fann'd the mountain-air. 
 
 Each, as it frown'd, unwritten records bore, 
 
 Of gallant feats and feftivals of yore. 
 
 But
 
 ( 54 ) 
 But why the tale prolong ? His only child, 315 
 
 His darling JULIA on the ftranger fmil'd. 
 
 Her little arts a fretful fire to pleafe, 
 
 Her gentle gaiety, and native eafe, 
 
 Had won his foul but ah ! few days had pafs'd, 
 
 Ere his fond vifions prov'd too fweet to laft. 320 
 
 When evening ting'd the lake's etherial blue, 
 And her deep {hades irregularly threw ; 
 Their fhifting fail dropp'd gently from the cove, 
 Down by St. Herbert's confecrated grove 43 ; 
 Whence erft the chanted hymn, the taper' d rite, 325 
 
 Amus'd the fifher's folitary night ; 
 And ftill the mitred window, richly wreath'd, 
 A facred calm thro' the brown foliage breath'd. 
 
 The
 
 ( ss ) 
 
 The wild deer, ftarting thro' the filent glade, 
 With fearful gaze, their various courfe furvey'd. 330 
 
 High hung in air the hoary goat reclin'd, 
 His ftreaming beard the fport of every wind ; 
 And, as the coot her jet-wing lov'd to lave, 
 Rock'd on the bofom of the fleeplefs wave ; 
 The eagle rufh'd from Skiddaw's purple creft, 335 
 
 A cloud ftill brooding o'er her giant-neft. 
 
 And now the moon had dimm'd, with dewy ray, 
 The few fine flufhes of departing day ; 
 O'er the wide water's deep ferene me hung, 
 And her broad lights on every mountain flung ; 340 
 
 When lo ! a fudden blaft the veflel blew 14 , 
 And to the furge confign'd its little crew. 
 
 2 All,
 
 ( 56 ) 
 
 All, all efcap'd but ere the lover bore 
 His faint and faded JULIA to the fhore, 
 
 Her fenfe had fled ! Exhaufted by the ftorm, 345 
 
 A fatal trance hung o'er her pallid form ; 
 Her clofmg eye a trembling luftre fir'd ; 
 'Twas life's laft fpark it fluttered and expir'd ! 
 
 The father ftrew'd his white hairs in the wind, 
 Call'd on his child nor linger'd long behind : 350 
 
 And FLORIO liv'd to fee the willow wave, 
 With many an evening whifper, o'er their grave. 
 Yes, FLORIO liv'd and flill of each pofleft, 
 The father cherifh'd, and the maid carefs'd ! 
 
 For ever would the fond enthufiaft rove, 355 
 
 With JULIA'S fpirit, thro' the fhadowy grove; 
 
 Gaze
 
 ( 57 ) 
 Gaze with delight on every fcene fhe plann'd, 
 
 Kifs every flowret planted by her hand. 
 
 Ah ! ftill he traced her fteps along the glade, 
 
 When hazy hues and glimmering lights betray'd 360 
 
 Half-vie wlefs forms ; ftill liften'd as the breeze 
 
 Heav'd its deep fobs among the aged trees ; 
 
 And at each paufe her melting accents caught, 
 
 In fweet delirium of romantic thought ! 
 
 Dear was the grot that fhunn'd the blaze of day ; 365 
 
 She gave its fpars to moot a trembling ray. 
 
 The fpring, that bubbled from its inmoft cell, 
 
 Murmur' d of JULIA'S virtues as it fell ; 
 
 And o'er the dripping mofs, the fretted ftone, 
 
 In FLORIO'S ear breath'd language not its "own. 370 
 
 Her charm around th' enchantrefs MEMORY threw, 
 
 A charm that fooths the mind, and fweetens too ! 
 
 I But
 
 But is Her magic only felt below ? 
 Say, thro* what brighter realms me bids it flow ; 
 To what pure beings, in a nobler fphere is , 375 
 
 She yields delight but faintly imag'd here : 
 All that till now their rapt refearches knew, 
 Not call'd in flow fucceflion to review ; 
 But, as a landfcape meets the eye of day, 
 At once prefented to their glad furvey ! 380 
 
 Each fcene of blifs reveal'd, fmce chaos fled, 
 And dawning light its dazzling glories fpread ; 
 Each chain of wonders that fublimely glow'd, 
 Since firft Creation's choral anthem flow'd ; 
 Each ready flight, at Mercy's fmile divine, 385 
 
 To diftant worlds that undifcover'd mine, 
 
 Full
 
 ( 59 ) 
 
 Full on her tablet flings its living rays, 
 
 And all combin'd with bleft effulgence blaze. 
 
 There thy bright train, immortal Friendfhip, foar; 
 No more to part, to mingle tears no more ! 390 
 
 And, as the foftening hand of Time endears 
 The joys and forrows of our infant-years, 
 So there the foul, released from human ftrife, 
 Smiles at the little cares and ills of life ; 
 
 Its lights and fhades, its funfhine and its fhowers ; 395 
 
 As at a dream that charm'd her vacant hours ! 
 
 Oft may the fpirits of the dead defcend, 
 To watch the filent (lumbers of a friend ; 
 To hover round his evening-walk unfeen, 
 
 And hold fweet converfe on the dufky green ; 400 
 
 I 2 To
 
 To hail the fpot where firft their friendfhip grew, 
 
 And heav'n and nature open'd to their view ! 
 
 Oft, when he trims his cheerful hearth, and fees 
 
 A fmiling circle emulous to pleafe ; 
 
 There may thefe gentle guefts delight to dwell, 405 
 
 And blefs the fcene they lov'd in life fo well ! 
 
 Oh thou ! with whom my heart was wont to mare 
 From Reafon's dawn each pleafure and each care ; 
 With whom, alas ! I fondly hoped to know 
 The humble walks of happinefs below; 410 
 
 If thy bleft nature now unites above 
 An angel's pity with a brother's love, 
 Still o'er my life preferve thy mild controul, 
 Correct my views, and elevate my foul ; 
 
 Grant me thy peace and purity of mind, 415 
 
 Devout yet cheerful, active yet refign'd ; 
 
 Grant
 
 Grant me, like thee, whofe heart knew no difguife, 
 
 Whofe blamelefs wifhes never aim'd to rife, 
 
 To meet the changes Time and Chance prefent, 
 
 With modeft dignity and calm content. 420 
 
 When thy laft breath, ere Nature funk to reft, 
 
 Thy meek fubmiffion to thy God exprefs'd ; 
 
 When thy laft look, ere thought and feeling fled, 
 
 A mingled gleam of hope and triumph fhed ; 
 
 What to thy foul its glad aflurance gave, 425 
 
 Its hope in death, its triumph o'er the grave ? 
 
 The fweet Remembrance of unblemifh'd youth, 
 
 Th' infpiring voice of Innocence and Truth ! 
 
 Hail, MEMORY, hail ! in thy exhauftlefs mine, 
 From age to age unnumber'd treafures mine ! 230 
 
 Thought and her fhadowy brood thy call obey, 
 And Place and Time are fubjed to thy fway ! 
 
 Thy
 
 ( 62 ) 
 
 Thy pleafures moft we feel, when moft alone ; 
 
 The only pleafures we can call our own. 
 
 Lighter than air, Hope's fummer-vifions die, 435 
 
 If but a fleeting cloud obfcure the fky ; 
 
 If but a beam of fober Reafon play, 
 
 Lo, Fancy's fairy froft-work melts away ! 
 
 But can the wiles of Art, the grafp of Power, 
 
 Snatch the rich relics of a well-fpent hour ? 440 
 
 Thefe, when the trembling fpirit wings her flight, 
 
 Pour round her path a ftream of living light ; 
 
 And gild thofe pure and perfecl: realms of reft, 
 
 Where Virtue triumphs, and her fons are bleft ! 
 
 THE END.
 
 NOTES. 
 
 FIRST PART. 
 
 NOTE I. Verfe 47. 
 Te Houfehold Deities, &c. 
 
 THESE were imagined to be the departed fouls of virtuous men, 
 who, as a reward of the good deeds they had performed in the pre- 
 fent life, were appointed after death to the pleafmg office of fuperin- 
 tending the concerns of their refpeftive defcendanrs. 
 
 MELMOTH'S Rem. on Cato, p. 287. 
 
 NOTE II. Verfe 201. 
 So t when the daring fans offclence^ jV. 
 
 He wept ; but the effort that he made to conceal his tears, concurred, 
 with them, to do him honour : he went to the maft-head, &c. 
 
 HAWKESWORTH'S Voyages, ii. 181. 
 
 Another very affecting inftance of local attachment is related of 
 his fellow-countryman Potaveri, who came to Europe with M. de 
 Bougainville. See LES JARDINS, chant, ii. 
 
 NOTE in. Verfe 209. 
 So Scotia's >ueen, &c. 
 
 Elle fe leve fur fon lift, & fe mit a contempler la France encor, tant 
 qu'elle peut. BRANTOME, torn. ii. p. 1 19. 
 
 2 NOTE
 
 64 
 
 NOTE IV. Verfe 217. 
 As kindred objecJs kindred thoughts excite t 
 Thefe^ with magnetic virtue ,foon unite. 
 
 To an accidental aflbciation may be afcribed fome of the nobleft 
 efforts of human genius. The Hiftorian of the Decline and Fall of the 
 Roman Empire firfl conceived his defign among the ruins of the Capitol ; 
 and to the tones of a Welfh harp are we indebted for the Bard of 
 Gray. GIBBON'S Hift. xii. 432. Memoirs of Gray, feel:, iv. let. 25. 
 
 NOTE V. Verfe 223. 
 For this FOSCAXI, &c. 
 
 This young man was fufpe&ed of murder, and at Venice fufpicion 
 is good evidence. Neither the intereft of the Doge his father, nor the 
 intrepidity of confcious innocence which he exhibited in the dungeon 
 and on the rack, could procure his acquittal. He was banifhed to the 
 ifland of Candia for life. 
 
 But here his refolution failed him. At fuch a diftance from home 
 he could not live ; and as it was a criminal offence to folicit the inter- 
 ceffion of any foreign prince, in a fit of defpair he addreffed a letter 
 to the Duke of Milan, and intrufted it to a wretch whofe perfidy, he 
 knew, would occafion his being remanded a prifoner to Venice. 
 
 See Dr. MOORE'S View of Society in Italy, vol. i. let. 14. 
 
 NOTE VI. Verfe 236. 
 
 And watch and weep in ELOlsAs cell. 
 
 The Paraclete, founded by Abelard, in Champagne. 
 
 NOTE
 
 65 
 
 NOTE VH. Verfe 237. 
 
 'Twos ever thus. As now at VlRGIL's tomb 
 Vows and pilgrimages are not peculiar to the religious enthufiaft. 
 Silius Italicus performed annual ceremonies on the mountain of Pofi- 
 lippo ; and it was there that Boccaccio, quaft da un divino eftro infpirato, 
 refolved to dedicate his life to the mufes. 
 
 NOTE VIII. Verfe 239. 
 So TvLLYpaus'd amid the wrecks of Time. 
 
 When Cicero was quxftor in Sicily, he difcovered the tomb of Archi- 
 medes by its mathematical infcription. Tufc. Quaeft. 5. 3. 
 
 NOTE IX. Verfe 253. 
 Say why the penjive widow loves to iveep 
 
 The influence of the aflbciating principle is finely exemplified in 
 the faithful Penelope, when (he fheds tears over the bow of Ulyfles. 
 
 Od.xxi. 55. 
 NOTE X. Verfe 269. 
 
 . If chance he hear that fong fo fiveetly wild 
 
 The celebrated Ranz des Vaches ; cet air fi cheri des Suifles qu'il fut 
 defendu fous peine de mort de le jouer dans leurs troupes, parce qu'il 
 faifoit fondre en larmes, deferter ou mourir ceux qui Pentendoient, 
 tant il excitoit en eux 1'ardent defir de revoir leur pays. 
 
 ROUSSEAU, Di&ionnaire de Mufique. 
 
 K NOTE
 
 ( 66 ) 
 
 NOTE XI. Verfe 276. 
 Say ivky VESPASIAN /ov'd his Sabinefarm. 
 
 This emperor, according to Suetonius, conftantly pafTed the fumfner 
 in a fmall villa near Reate, where he was born, and to which he would 
 never add any embelliftiment ; ne quid fcilicet oculorum confuetudini de- 
 periret. SUET, in Vit. Vefp. cap. ii. 
 
 A fimilar inftance occurs in the life of the venerable Pertinax, as 
 related by J. Capitolinus. Pofteaquam in Liguriam venit, multis agris 
 coemptis, tabernam paternam, manente forma priore, infinitis aedificiis 
 circundedit, Hift. Auguft. 54. 
 
 An attachment of this nature is generally the characteriftic of a be- 
 nevolent mind ; and a long acquaintance with the world cannot always 
 extinguiih it. 
 
 To a friend, fays John Duke of Buckingham, I will expofe my weak- 
 nefs : I am oftener miffing a pretty gallery in the old houfe I pulled 
 down, than pleafed with a faloon which I built in its ftead, though a 
 thoufand times better in all refpecls. See his Letter to the D. of Sh. 
 
 This is the language of the heart -, and will remind the reader of 
 that good-humoured remark in one of Pope's letters I fliould hardly 
 care to have an old poft pulled up, that I remembered ever fince I 
 was a child. POPE'S Works, viii. 151. 
 
 The elegant author of Telemachus has illuftrated this fubjecT:, with 
 equal fancy and feeling, in the ftory of Alibee, Perfan. See Recueil 
 de Fables, compofees pour PEducation d'un Prince. 
 
 NOTE
 
 NOTE XII. Verfe 277. 
 Why great NAVARRE* &C. 
 
 That amiable and accompliftied monarch, Henry the Fourth of 
 France, made an excurfion from his camp, during the long fiege of Laon, 
 to dine at a houfe in the foreft of Folambray ; where he had often been 
 regaled, when a boy, with fruit, milk, and new cheefe ; and in revi- 
 fiting which he promifed himfelf great pleafure. 
 
 Memoires de SULLY, torn. ii. p. 381. 
 
 NOTE XIII. Verfe 279. 
 When DIOCLETIAN'S felf-correfted mind 
 
 Diocletian retired into his native province, and there amufed himfelf 
 with building, planting, and gardening. GIBBON, ii. 175. 
 
 NOTE XIV. Verfe 283. 
 
 Say when ambitious CHARLES renounced a throne 
 When the emperor Charles V. had executed his memorable refolu- 
 tion, and had fet out for the monaftery of St. Juftus, he flopped a few 
 days at Ghent, fays his hiftorian, to indulge that tender and pleafant 
 melancholy, which arifes in the mind of every man in the decline of life, 
 on vifiting the place of his nativity, and viewing the fcenes and objects 
 familiar to him in his early youth. ROBERTSON'S Hift. iv. 256. 
 
 NOTE XV. Verfe 307. 
 Then did his horfe, &c. 
 
 The memory of the horfe forms the ground-work of a little pleating 
 K 2 romance
 
 ( 68 ) 
 
 romance of the twelfth century, entitled " The Gray Palfrey." See the 
 Tales of the Trouveurs, as collected by M. Le Grand.' 
 
 Ariofto likewife introduces it in a paflage full of truth and nature. 
 When Bayardo meets Angelica in the foreft, 
 Va manfueto a la Donzella, 
 
 Ch' in Albracca il fervia gia di fua mano. 
 
 ORLANDO FURIOSO, canto i. 75. 
 
 NOTE XVI. Verfe 335. 
 
 Sweet bird ! thy truth Jhall HARLEM'S walls attejl. 
 
 During the fiege of Harlem, when that city was reduced to the 
 
 laft extremity, and on the point of opening its gates to a bafe and 
 
 barbarous enemy, a defign was formed to relieve it ; and the intelligence 
 
 was conveyed to the citizens by a letter which was tied under the wing 
 
 of a pigeon. THUANUS, lib. Iv. c. 5. 
 
 The fame meflenger was employed at the fiege of Mutina, as we are 
 
 informed by the elder Pliny. Hift. Nat. x. 37. 
 
 NOTE XVII. Verfe 344. 
 
 Hark ! the bee, &c. 
 
 This little animal, from the extreme convexity of her eye, cannot fee 
 many inches before her. 
 
 NOTES
 
 NOTES 
 
 SECOND PART. 
 
 NOTE XVIII. Verfen 4 . 
 Yetjlill hoiv fnueet the foothi tigs of his art! 
 
 The aftronomer chalking his figures on the wall, in Hogarth's view 
 of Bedlam, is an admirable exemplification of this idea. 
 
 See the RAKE'S PROGRESS, plate 8. 
 
 NOTE XIX. Verfei 73 . 
 Haft thou thro' Eden's luild-iuood vales purfued, s*r. 
 
 On the road-fide, between Penrith and Appelby, (lands a fmall 
 pillar with this infcription : 
 
 " This pillar was erected in the year 1656, by Ann Countefs Dowager 
 of Pembroke, &c. for a memorial of her lad parting, in this place, 
 with her good and pious mother, Margaret, Countefs Dowager of 
 Cumberland, on the 2d of April, 1616: in memory whereof (he hath 
 left an annuity of 4!. to be diftributed to the poor of the parim of 
 Brougham, every 2d day of April for ever, upon the ftone-table placed 
 hard by. Laus Deo !" 
 
 The Eden is the principal river of Cumberland, and has its fource in 
 the wildeft part of Weftmoreland. 
 
 NOTE
 
 ( 7 ) 
 
 NOTE XX. Verfe 183. 
 Thus t with the manly glow of honeft pride 9 
 O'er his dead fan old ORMOND nobly Jtgtfd, &c. 
 Ormond bore the lofs with patience and dignity : though he ever 
 retained a pleafing, however melancholy, fenfe of the fignal merit of 
 Oflbry. " I would not exchange my dead fon," faid he, " for any living 
 fon in Chriftendom." HUME, vi. 340. 
 
 The fame fentiment is infcribed on Mifs Dolman's urn at the Lea- 
 fowes. 
 
 Heu, quanto minus eft cum reliquis verfari, quam tui meminifie ! 
 
 NOTE XXI. Verfe 210. 
 Above y below aerial murmurs f well* 
 
 At a diftance were heard the murmurs of many waterfalls, not audi- 
 ble in the day-time. GRAY, iv. 174. 
 
 NOTE XXII. Verfe 232. 
 
 Derwenfs clear mirror. 
 The Lake of Kefwick in Cumberland. 
 
 NOTE XXIII. Verfe 324. 
 
 Down by St. Herbert's confec rated grove. 
 
 A fmall wooded ifland once dignified with a religious houfe. 
 
 NOTE XXIV. Verfe 341. 
 When lo ! afudden blajl the ve/el blew. 
 
 In a lake, furrounded with mountains, the agitations are often vio- 
 lent and momentary. The winds blow in gufts and eddies ; and the 
 water no fooner fwells, than it fubfides. 
 
 See BOURN'S Hid. of Weftmoreland. 
 o NOTE
 
 ( 71 ) 
 
 NOTE XXV. Verfe 375. 
 70 ivhat pure beings ^ in a nobler fphere t 
 She yields delight but faintly imaged here. 
 
 The feveral degrees of angels may probably have larger views, and 
 fome of them be endowed with capacities able to retain together, and 
 conftantly fet before them, as in one picture, all their pad knowledge 
 at once. LOCKE on Human Underftanding, book ii. chap. x. 9. 
 
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