THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY. 
 
 IN TWO PARTS. 
 
 WITH SOME OTHER 
 
 POEMS. 
 
 H 
 
 << <<-< -{"^IH^'*' 
 
 PRINTED BY MANNING AND LORING, 
 
 FOR DAVID WEST, No. 36, MARLBOROUGH-STREET. 
 
 1795- 
 

THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Dolce fentier, , 
 
 Colle, che mi piacefti, _ 
 
 Ov' ancor per ufanza Amor mi mena ; 
 Ben riconofco in voi 1'ufate forme, 
 Non, Mb, in me. 
 
 PETRARCH. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 The Pleafures of Memory. Part I. 9 
 
 Part II 41 
 
 Notes -------------------------. 73 
 
 Ode to Superftition 93 
 
 Notes ....................... 105 
 
 The Sailor, an Elegy -------.-----.- 113 
 
 Verfes on a Tear 116 
 
 Sketch of the Alps at Day-break 119 
 
 AWifh 121 
 
 An Italian Song 123 
 
could my Mind, unfolded in my page, 
 Enlighten climes and mould a future age ! 
 There as it glow'd, with nobleft frenzy fraught, 
 Difpenfe the treafures of exalted thought ; 
 To Virtue wake the pulfes of the heart, 
 And bid the tear of Emulation flart ! 
 Oh could it ftill, thro' each fucceeding year, 
 My life, my manners, and my name endear ; 
 And, when the poet deeps in fllent duft, 
 Still hold communion with the wife and juft ! 
 Yet mould this Verfe, my leifure's beft refource, 
 When thro' the world it fteals its fecret courfe, 
 
Revive but once a generous wifli fupprefl, 
 
 Chafe but a figh, or charm a care to reft ; 
 
 In one good deed a fleeting hour employ, 
 
 Or flufli one faded cheek with honeft joy ; 
 
 Bkft were my lines, tho' limited their fphere, 
 
 Tho' fhort their date, as his who trac'd them here. 
 
 S. R. 
 
ANALYSIS 
 
 OP THE 
 
 FIRST PART. 
 
 JL HE Poem begins with the defcription of an 
 obfcure village, and of the pleafing melancholy 
 which it excites on being revifited after a long ab- 
 fence. This mixed fenfation is an effect of the 
 Memory. From an effect we naturally afcend to 
 the caufe ; and the fubject propofed is then un- 
 folded with an inveftigation of the nature and 
 leading principles of this faculty. 
 
VI ANALYSIS OF 
 
 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 per- 
 ceptions of pleafure 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 objecls, 
 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 pleaf- 
 ure to them, as well as to ourfelves, are confid- 
 ered in the firft part. The latter is the moft 
 perfect degree of memory, and forms the fubjecT: 
 of the fcccnd. 
 
THE FIRST PART. V1J 
 
 When ideas have any relation whatever, they 
 are attractive of each other in the mind ; and the 
 perception 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 
 contrafled with it. Hence arifes our attachment 
 to inanimate objects ; hence alfo, in fome degree, 
 the love of our country, and the emotion with 
 which we contemplate the celebrated fcenes of 
 antiquity. Hence a picture directs our thoughts 
 to the original : and, as cold and darknefs fugged: 
 forcibly the ideas of heat and light, he, who feels 
 the infirmities of age, dwells moil on whatever 
 reminds him of the vigour and vivacity of his 
 youth. 
 
Vlii ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST PART. 
 
 The aflbciating principle, as here employed, is 
 no lefs conducive to virtue than to happinefs ; 
 and, as fuch, it frequently difcovers itfelf in the 
 moft tumultuous fcenes of life. It addrefTes 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 
 {inking in the domefUc tribes. 
 
THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 1 WILIGHTs foft dews (leal o'er the village-green, 
 With magic tints to harmonize the fcene. 
 Still'd is the hum that thro' the hamlet broke, 
 When round the ruins of their ancient oak 
 The peafants ilock'd to hear the minftrel play, 5 
 And games and carols clcs'd the bufy day. 
 
IO THE PLEASURES 
 
 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 penlive fweets this filent {pot endear ! 
 
 Mark yon old Manfion, frowning thro' the trees, 
 Whofe hollow turret wooes the whittling breeze. 
 That cafement, arch'd with ivy's browned made, 15 
 Firft to thefe eyes the light of heav'n convey'd. 
 The mouldering gateway ftrews the grafs-grown court, 
 Once the calm fcene of many a fimple {port ; 
 When nature pleas'd, for life itfclf was new, 
 And the heart promis'd what the fancy drew. 20 
 
OF MEMORY. 1 1 
 
 See, thro* the fraclur'd pediment reveal'd, 
 Where mofs inlays the rudely-fculptur'd fhield, 
 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 frate, 
 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 focial glee. 
 The heart's light laughter crown'd the circling jeft j 
 And all was funfhine in each little bread. 
 
12 THE PLEASURES 
 
 ft 
 
 5 Twas here we chas'd the flipper by its found 5 35 
 And turn'd the blindfold hero round and round. 
 ? Twas here, at eve, we form'd our fairy ring ; 
 And Fancy fluttered on her wildeft v/ing. 
 Giants and gcni! chained 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 tower ; 
 O'er infant innocence to hang and weep, 45 
 
 Murder'd by ruffian hands, when fmiiing in its fleep. 
 
 Ye Houfehold Deities ! whofe guardian eye 
 Mark'd each pure thought, ere regiiler'd on high ; 
 Still, ftill ye walk the confecrated ground, 
 And breathe the foul of Inspiration round. 5 a 
 
OF MEMORY. 13 
 
 
 
 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 pictur'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 maffive beam, with curious carvings wrought, 
 Whence the caged linnet footh'd my penfive thought $ 
 Thofe mufkets cas'd with venerable ruft ; 65 
 
 Thofe once-lov'd forms, ftill breathing thro' their duft, 
 B 
 
14 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Still from the frame, in mould gigantic caft, 
 Starting to life all whifper of the pad ! 
 
 As thro' the garden's defert paths I rove, 
 What fond illufions fwarm in every grove ! Jo 
 
 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 weaned wing, 
 Laden with fweets, the choked of the fpring ! 
 How oft infcrib'd, with Friendfhip's votive rhyme, 75 
 The bark now filver'd by the touch of Time ; 
 Soar'd in the fwing, half pleas'd and half afraid, 
 Thro' filter elms that wav'd their fummer-made ; 
 Or ftrew'd with crumbs yon root-inwoven feat, 
 To lure the red-bread from iiis lone retreat ! So 
 
OF MEMORY. 15 
 
 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, bed friend that Heav'n afligns below, 85 
 To foothe and fweeten all the cares we know ; 
 Whofe glad fuggefKons flill 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 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 gtf 
 
 Glance on the darken'd mirror of the mind. 
 
 B2 
 
l6 THE PLEASURES 
 
 The School's lone porch, with reverend mo/Fes grey, 
 Juft tells the penfive pilgrim where it lay. 
 Mute is the bell that rung at peep of dawn, 
 Quickening my truant-feet acrofs the lawn ; I oo 
 
 Unheard the fhout that rent the noontide air, 
 When the flow dial gave a paufe to care. 
 Up fprings, at every flep, to claim a tear, 
 Some little friendfhip form'd and cherifh'd here ! 
 And not the lighted leaf, but trembling teems 105 
 
 With golden vifions, and romantic dreams ! 
 
 % 
 
 Down by j^on hazel copfe, at evening, blaz'd 
 The Gipfy's faggot there we flood and gaz'd ; 
 Gaz'd on her fun-burnt face with /ilent awe, 
 Her tatter'd mantle, and her hood .of ftraw 5 no 
 Her moving lips, her caldron brimming o'er ; 
 The drowfy brood that on her back fhe bore ; 
 
OF MEMORY, 1 7 
 
 Imps, in the barn with moufing owlet bred, 
 From rifled rood at nightly revel fed ; 
 Whofedarkeyesflafh'dthro'locksof blackeftmade, 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. 
 As o'er my palm the filver piece me drew, 
 And trac'd the line of life with fearching view, 120 
 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 bread ! 
 This truth once known To blefs is to be bleft ! 
 We led the bending beggar on his way ; 1 25 
 
 (Bare were his feet, his trefles lilver-grey) 
 Sooth'd the keen pangs his aged fpirit felt, 
 And on his tale with mute attention dwelt. 
 
l8 THE PLEASURES 
 
 As in his fcrip we dropt our little {lore, 
 
 And wept to think that little was no more, 130 
 
 He breath'd his prayer, " Long may fuch goodnefs 
 
 live !" 
 'Twas all he gave, 'twas all he had to give. 
 
 But hark ! thro' thofe old firs, with fullen fwell 
 The church-clock ftrikes ! ye tender fcenes, farewell ! 
 It calls me hence, beneath their made, to trace 135 
 The few fond lines that Time may foon efface. 
 
 On yon grey {lone, that fronts the chancel-door, 
 Worn fmooth by bufy feet now feen no more, 
 Each eve we mot the marble thro' the ring, 
 When the heart danc'd, and life was in its ipring; 140 
 Alas ! unconfcious of the kindred earth, 
 That faintly echoed to the voice of mirth. 
 
OF MEMORY. Ip 
 
 The glow-worm loves her emerald light to fhed, 
 Where now the fexton refts his hoary head. 
 Oft, as he turn'd the greenfward with his fpade, 145 
 He leclur'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. 
 
 Hum, ye fond flutterings, hum ! while here alone 
 I fearch the records of each mouldering (lone. 150 
 Guides of my life ! Inftrudlors of my youth ! 
 Who firft unveil'd the hallow'd form of Truth ; 
 Whofe ev'ry word enlighten'd and endear'd ; 
 In age belov'd, in poverty rever'd ; 
 In Friendfhip's filent regifter ye live, 155 
 
 Nor afk the vain memorial Art can give. 
 
2O THE PLEASURES 
 
 But when the fons of peace and pleafure fleepy 
 When only Sorrow wakes, and wakes to weep, 
 What {pells intrance my vifionary mind, 
 With fighs fo fweet, with raptures fo refin'd ? 1 60 
 
 Ethereal Power ! whofe fmile, at noon of night, 
 Recalls the far-fled fpirit of delight ; 
 Inftils that mufing, melancholy mood, 
 Which charms the wife, and elevates the good ; 
 Blefl ME M OR Y, hail ! Oh, grant the grateful Mufe, 1 65 
 Her pencil dipt in Nature's living hues, 
 To pafs the clouds that round thy empire roll, 
 And trace its airy precincts in the foul. 
 
 LulPd in the countlefs chambers of the brain, 
 Our thoughts are link'd by many a hidden chain. 1 70 
 
OF MEMORY. 21 
 
 
 
 Awake but one, and lo, what myriads rife ! 
 
 Each (lamps its image as the other flies ! 
 
 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 PROSPEROUS myfterious fpell 
 
 Conven'd the fubject-fpirits to his cell ; 
 
 Each, at thy call, advances or retires, 
 
 As judgment dictates, or the fcene infpires. 1 80 
 
 Each thrills the feat of fenfe, that facred fource, 
 
 Whence the fine nerves direct their mazy courfe, 
 
 And thro* the frame invifibly convey 
 
 The fubtle, quick vibrations as they play. 
 
22 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Survey the globe, each ruder realm explore ; 1 85 
 From Reafon's fainteft ray to NEWTON foar. 
 What different fpheres to human blifs affign'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 
 
 The adventurous boy, that afks his little mare, 
 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, 195 
 The fmoke's blue wreaths afcending with the breeze, 
 The village-common fpotted white with fheep, 
 The churchyard yews round which his fathers fleep ; 
 
OF MEMORY. 2J 
 
 All roufe Reflection's fadly-pleafing train, 
 
 And oft he looks and weeps, and looks again. 200 
 
 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 furnmer-beauty fled : 
 Long o'er the wave a wiftful look he caft, 205 
 
 Long watch'd the dreaming 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, * 
 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 ; 
 
24 THE PLEASURES 
 
 1 
 
 But now the morn with orient hues pourtray'd 
 Each caftled cliff, and brown monaftic fhade : 
 All touched the talifman's refiftlefs fpring, 215 
 
 And lo, what bufy tribes were inftant on the wing ! 
 
 As kindred objects kindred thoughts excite, 3 
 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 wim to live, and dare to die. 
 For this FOSCARI, whofe relentlefs fate 4 
 Venice mould blufh 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 \ 
 
. 
 
 OF MEMORY. 25 
 
 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 clalHc 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. $ 
 5 Twas ever thus. As now at VIRGIL'S tomb, 6 
 We blefs the made, and bid the verdure bloom : 
 So TULLY paus'd, amid the wrecks of Time, 7 
 On the rude (lone to trace the truth fublime ; 240 
 When at his feet, in honoured duft difclos'd, 
 The immortal Sage of Syracufe repos'd. 
 And as his youth in fweet delufion hung, 
 Where once a PLATO taught, a PINDAR fung ; 
 
26 THE PLEASURES 
 
 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 fubjed 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 the made ! 
 Say why the penfive widow loves to weep, 8 
 When on her knee (he rocks her babe to fleep : 
 Tremblingly ftill, (he lifts his veil to trace 255 
 
 The father's features in his infant face. 
 The hoary grandfire fmiles the hour away, 
 Won by the charm of Innocence at play ; 
 He bends to catch each artlefs burfi: of joy, 
 Forgets his age, and ads again the boy. 260 
 
OF MEMORY. 2? 
 
 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 bread ; 
 Still mall this active principle prefide, 265 
 
 And wake the tear to Pity's felf denied. 
 
 The intrepid Swifs, that guards a foreign more, 
 Condemn'd to climb his mountain-cliffs no more, 
 If chance he hears the fong fo fweetly wild 9 
 | Wljich on thofe cliffs his infant hours beguil'd, 270 
 Melts at the long-loft fcenes that round him rife, 
 And finks a martyr to repentant fighs. 
 
 Afk not if courts or camps diflblvc the charm : 
 .Say why VESPASIAN lov'd his Sabine farm ; I0 
 
2'8 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Why great NAVARRE, when France and freedom 
 bled, II 275 
 
 Sought the lone linjits of a foreft-fhed. 
 When DIOCLETIAN'S felf-corre<5ted mind IZ 
 The imperial fafces of a world refign'd, 
 Say why we trace the labours of his fpade, 
 In calm Salona's philofophic made. 280 
 
 Say, when ambitious CHARLES renounc'da throne, l l 
 To mufe with monks unlettered and unknown, 
 What from his foul the parting tribute drew ? 
 What claimed the forrows of a laft adieu ? 
 The ftill retreats that footh'd his tranquil breaft, 285 
 Ere grandeur dazzled, and its cares opprefs'd. 
 
 Undamp'd by time, the generous Inftinft glows 
 Far as Angola's fands, as Zembla's fnows ; \ 
 
OF MEMORY. 29 
 
 Glows in the tyger's den, the ferpent's neft, 
 
 On every form of varied life impreft. 290 
 
 The focial tribes its choiceft influence hail : 
 
 And, when the drum beats brifkly in the gale, 
 
 The war-worn courfer charges at the found, 
 
 And with young vigour wheels the pafture round. 
 
 Oft has the aged tenant of the vale 295 
 
 Lean'd on his flafF to lengthen out the tale ; 
 Oft have his lips the grateful tribute breath'd, 
 From fire to fon with pious zeal bequeath' d. 
 When o'er the blafted heath the day declin'd, 
 And on the fcath'd oak warr'd the winter wind ; 300 
 When not a diftant taper's twinkling ray 
 Gleam'd o'er the furze to light him on his way ; 
 C 
 
O THE PLEASURES 
 
 When not a fheep-bell footh'd his listening ear, 
 And the big rain-drops told the tempeft near ; 
 Then did his horfe the homeward track defcry, J 4 305 
 The track that fhunn'd his fad, inquiring eye ; 
 And win each wavering purpofe to relent, 
 With warmth fo mild, fo gently violent, 
 That his charm' d hand the carelefs rein refign'd, 
 And doubts and terrors vanifh'd from his mind. 310 
 
 Recall the traveller, whofe alter'd form 
 Has borne the buffet of the mountain-ftorm ; 
 And who will firfl his fond impatience meet ? 
 His faithful dog 's already at his feet ! 
 Yes, tho' the porter fpurn him from his door, 3 1 5 
 Tho* all, that knew him, know his face no more, 
 His faithful dog (hall tell his joy to each, 
 With that mute eloquence which pafTcs fpeech. 
 
OF MEMORY. 3! 
 
 And fee, the matter but returns to die ! 
 
 Yet \vho (hall bid the watchful fervant fly ? 320 
 
 The blafts of heav'n, the drenching dews of earth, 
 
 The wanton infults of unfeeling mirth ; 
 
 Thefe, when to guard Misfortune's facred grave, 
 
 Will firm Fidelity exult to brave. 
 
 Led by what chart, tranfports the timid dove 325 
 The wreaths of conqueft, or the vows of love ? 
 Say, thro' the clouds what compafs points her flight ? 
 Monarchs have gaz'd, and nations blefs'd the fight. 
 Pile rocks on rocks, bid woods and mountains rife, 
 Eclipfe her native fliades, her native fides ; 330 
 ? Tis vain ! thro* Ether's pathlefs wilds flie goes, 
 And lights at lafl where all her cares repofe. 
 
 C2 
 
I 
 
 32 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Sweet bird ! thy truth (hall Harlem's walls atteft, *s 
 And unborn ages "confecrate thy neft. 
 When with the filent energy of grief, 335 
 
 With looks that aik'd, yet dar'd not hope relief, 
 Want, with her babes, round generous Valour clung, 
 To wring the flow furrender from his tongue, 
 'Twas thine to animate her clofing eye ; 
 Alas ! 'twas thine perchance the firft to die, 340 
 Crufh'd by her meagre hand, when welcomed from 
 the fky. j 
 
 Hark ! the bee winds her fmall but mellow horn, l6 
 Blythe to falute the funny fmile of morn. 
 O'er thymy downs {he bends her bufy courfe, 
 And many a ftream allures her to its fource. 345 
 'Tis noon, 'tis night. That eye fo finely wrought, 
 J3eyond the fearch of fenfe, the foar of thought, 
 
OF MEMORY. 33 
 
 Now vainly afks the fcenes fhe left behind ; 
 
 Its orb fo full, its vifion fo confin'd ! 
 
 Who guides the patient pilgrim to her cell ? 350 
 
 Who bids her foul with confcious triumph fwell ? 
 
 With confcious truth retrace the mazy clue 
 
 Of varied fcents, that charm'd her as fhe flew ? 
 
 Hail, MEMORY, hail ! thy univerfal reign 
 
 Guards the leaft link of Being's glorious chain. 355 
 
 THE END OF THE FIRST PART, 
 
THE 
 
 PLEASURES 
 
 O F 
 
 MEMORY. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Degli anni e de 1'obblio netnica, 
 
 Delle cofe cuftode, e difpenfiera. 
 
 TASSO. 
 
ANALYSIS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SECOND PART. 
 
 JL HE Memory has hitherto a&ed only in fubfer-. 
 vience to the fenfes, and fo far man is not emi- 
 nently diftinguiftied from other animals : but, with 
 rerpect to man, me has a higher province ; 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 philofo- 
 
38 ANALYSIS OF 
 
 phy. She colours all the profpecls of life : for 
 * we can only anticipate the future, by conclud- 
 ing what is poffible from what is paft.' On her 
 agency depends every efTufion of the Fancy, 
 whofe boldeft effort can only" compound or tranf- 
 pofe, augment or diminifh the materials which 
 fhe has collected and retained. 
 
 When the firft emotions of defpair have fubfid- 
 cd, and forrow has foftened into melancholy, fhe 
 amufes with a retrofpect of innocent pleafures, 
 and infpires that noble confidence which refults 
 from the confcioufnefs of having acted well. 
 When fleep has fufpended the organs of fenfe 
 from their office, fhe not only fupplies the mind 
 with images, but affifts in their combination. 
 
THE SECOND PART. 
 
 And even in madnefs itfelf, when the foul is re- 
 figned over to the tyranny of a diftempered imagi- 
 nation, me revives pad perceptions, and awakens 
 that train of thought which was formerly moft fa- 
 miliar. 
 
 Nor are we pleafed only with a review of the 
 brighter paflages of life ; events, the moft diftrefT- 
 ing in their immediate conferences, are often 
 cheriflied in remembrance with a degree of enthu- 
 fiafm. 
 
 But the world and its occupations give a mechan- 
 ical impulfe to the paffions, which is not very fa- 
 vourable to the indulgence of this feeling. It is in 
 a calm and well regulated mind that the Memory 
 
4O ANALYSIS OF THE SECOND PART. 
 
 is mofl perfect ; and folitude is her beft fphere of 
 action. With this fentiment is introduced a Tale, 
 illuftrative of her influence in folitude, ficknefs, and 
 forrow. And the fubject having now been confid- 
 ered, 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 
 
 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 fliades, far fremer flowers. 
 
 Ages and climes remote to Thee impart 5 
 
 What charms in Genius, and refines in Art ; 
 
42 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Thee, in whofe hand the keys of Science dwell, 
 The penfive portrefs of her holy cell ; 
 Whofe conftant vigils chafe the chilling damp 
 Oblivion fceals upon her veftal-lamp. 10 
 
 The friends 6$ Reafon, and the guides of Youth, 
 Whofe language breath' d the eloquence of Truth ; 
 Whofe life, beyond perceptive wifdbm, taught 
 The great in conduct, and the pure in th ought ; 
 Thefe frill exift, by Thee to Fame confign'd, 15 
 Still fpeak and ac% the models of mankind. 
 
 From Thee fweet Hope her airy colouring draws ; 
 And Fancy's flights are fubject to thy laws. 
 From Thee that boforn-fpring of rapture flows, 
 Which only Virtue, tranquil Virtue, knows. 20 
 
 I 
 
OF MEMORY. 
 
 43 
 
 When Joy's bright fun has fhed his evening-ray, 
 And Hope's delufive meteors ceafe to play $ 
 When clouds on clouds the fmiiing profpect clofe, 
 Still thro' the gloom thy {tar ferenely glows : 
 Like yon fair orb, me 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 flern control 
 Chas'd the gay vifions of her opening foul : 
 And ere, with iron tongue, the vefper-bcll, 
 Burfts thro' the cyprefs-walk, the convent-cell, 
 Oft will her warm and wayward heart revive, 35 
 To love and joy dill tremblingly alive ; 
 
44 THE PLEASURES 
 
 The whifper'd vow, the chafte carefs prolong, 
 
 Weave the light dance, and fwell the choral fong ; 
 
 With rapt ar drink the 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 confeft. 
 Not till the rufhing winds forget to rave, 45 
 
 Is heav'n's fweet fmile reflected on the wave. 
 
 Prom Guinea's coaft purfue the lefTening fail, 
 And catch the founds that fadden every gale. 
 Tell, if thou canft, the fum of forrows there ; 
 Mark the fixt gaze, the wild and frenzied glare, 50 
 The racks of thought, and freezings of defpair ! j 
 
OF MEMORY. 45 
 
 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 foothe his finking foul, 
 When the rude fcourge prefumes its bafe control ; 
 And o'er Futurity's blank page difFufe 6e 
 
 The full reflexion of their vivid hues. 
 'Tis but to die, and then, to weep no more, 
 Then will he wake on Congo's diftant more ; 
 Beneath his plantain's ancient fhade, renew 
 The fimple tranfports that with freedom flew $ 65 
 D 
 
46 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Catch the cool breeze that mufky Evening blows, 
 
 And quaff the palm's rich neclar 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 friendmip truth. 
 
 Ah ! why mould Virtue dread the frowns of Fate ? 
 Her's 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-Ihine bleft, 
 The home of Happinefs, an honeft bread. 
 
 But mod we mark the wonders of her reign, 
 When Sleep has lock'd the fenfes in her chain, 
 
OF MEMORY. 47 
 
 When fober Judgment has his throne refign'd, 8c 
 She fmiles away the chaos of the mind ; 
 And, as warm Fancy's bright Elyfium glows, 
 From Her each image fprings, each colour flows. 
 She is the facred gueft ! the 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 blythe fon of Savoy, roving round 
 With humble wares and pipe of merry found, 
 From his green vale and fhelter'd cabin hies, 9 
 
 And fcales the Alps to vifit foreign fides ; 
 Tho' far below the forked lightnings play, 
 And at his feet the thunder dies away, 
 
48 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Oft, in the faddle rudely rock'd to deep, 
 
 While his mule browfes 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 (he chafe the horrors of his cell I 
 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, whofe arrefting hand fublimely wrought 
 Each bold conception in the iphere of thought ; 
 Who from the quarried mafs, like PHIDIAS, drew 
 Forms ever fair, creations ever new ! 
 
OF MEMORY. 49 
 
 But, as he fondly fnatch'd the wreath of Fame, 1 10 
 The fpeclre 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 Toothings of his art ! n 
 From the rude (tone what bright ideas (tart! 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 deipair ? 
 
 Awake, arife ! with grateful fervour fraught, 1 20 
 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, profan'd by no unhallow'd gueft, 
 Culls from the crowd the pureft and the beft ; 125 
 
JO THE PLEASURES 
 
 May range, at will, bright Fancy's golden clime, 
 
 Or, mufing, mount where Science fits fublime, 
 
 Or wake the fpirit of departed Time. 
 
 Who acls thus wifely, mark the moral mufe, 
 
 A blooming Eden in his life reviews ! 130 
 
 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 Hart, and gazes but to figh ! 
 
 The weary wafte, that lengthened as he ran, 135 
 
 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 aclion in her native fphere,, 140 
 
OF MEMORY. 5! 
 
 Oft will me rife with fearching glance purfue 
 
 Some long-lov'd image vanifh'd from her view ; 
 
 Dart thro' the deep recefTes of the pad, 
 
 O'er dufky forms in chains of flumber caft ; 
 
 With giant-grafp fling back the folds of night, 145 
 
 And fnatch the faithlefs fugitive to light. 
 
 So thro' the grove the impatient mother flies, 
 Each funlefs glade, each fecret pathway tries ; 
 Till the light leaves the truant-boy difclofe, 
 Long on the wood-mofs ftretch'd in fweet repofe. 150 
 
 Nor yet to pleafing objects are connVd 
 The filent feafts of the reflective mind. 
 Danger and death a dread delight infpire ; 
 And the bald veteran glows with wonted fire, 
 
52 THE PLEASURES 
 
 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 fliatter'd hero, whence his fmile ? 
 Go, view the fplendid domes of Greenwich, go ; 
 And own what raptures from Reflection flow. 160 
 
 Hail, nobleft ftruclures 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, 1 65 
 
 The battle's havoc, and the tempers rage ; 
 Long have ye known Reflection's genial ray 
 Gild the calm clofe of Valour's various day. 
 
OF MEMORY. Jj 
 
 Time's fombrous touches foon correct the piece, 
 Mellow each tint, and bid each difcord ceafe : 170 
 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 IS 
 Each mountain-fcene, magnificently rude ; 
 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 ftone which pious PEMBROKE rear'd; 
 Which dill records, beyond the pencil's power, 
 The filent forrows of a parting hour ; I So 
 
 Still to the mufing pilgrim points the place, 
 Her fainted fpirit moil delights to trace ? 
 
54. THE PLEASURES 
 
 Thus, with the manly glow of honed pride, ! 9 
 O'er his dead fon old ORMOND nobly figh'd. 
 Thus, thro' the gloom of S HEN STONE'S fairy grove, 185 
 MARIA'S urn dill breathes the voice of love. 
 
 As the ftern grandeur of a Gothic tower 
 Awes not fo deeply in its morning-hour, 
 As when the (hades of Time ferenely fall 
 On every broken arch and ivied wall ; j 90 
 
 The tender images we love to trace, 
 Steal from each year ' a melancholy grace !' 
 And as th 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 (hanger greets each native of his ifle ; 
 So fcenes of life, when prefent and confeft, 
 Stamp but their bolder features on the bread ; 
 
OF MEMORY. 5J 
 
 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 thefe pure joys the world can never know ; 
 In gentler climes their lilver currents flow. 
 Oft at the filent, fhadowy clofe of day, 205 
 
 When the hufh'd grove has fung its parting lay ; 
 When penfive Twilight, in her dulky car, 
 Slowly afcends to meet the evening-ftar ; 
 Above, below, aerial murmurs fv/eH, 
 From hanging wood, brown heath, and buftiy dell ! 2 1 
 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 control, 
 
 
56 THE PLEASURES 
 
 In the Hill fhades of calm Seclulion rife, 215 
 
 And breathe their fweet, feraphic harmonies ! 
 , 
 
 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 explored 
 Thofe nobler fcenes SALVATOR'S foul ador'd ; 
 The rocky pafs half hung with fliaggy wood, 
 And the cleft oak flung boldly o'er the flood. 
 
 High on exulting wing the heath-cock rcfe, 20 225 
 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 j 
 
OF MEMORY. 57 
 
 And thro' the rifted cliifs, that fcal'd the fky, 
 Derwent's clear mirror charm'd his dazzled eye. 2I 230 
 Each oiier ifle, inverted on the wave, 
 Thro* morn's grey miil its melting colours gave ; 
 And, o'er the cygnet's haunt, the mantling grove 
 Its emerald arch with wild luxuriance wove. 
 
 Light as the breeze that brufh'd the orient dew, 235 
 From rock to rock the young adventurer flew ; 
 And day's laft funmine flept along the fhore, 
 When lo, a path the fmile of welcome wore. 
 Imbowering fhrubs with verdure veii'd the Iky, 
 And on the muik-rofe fhed a deeper dye 5 240 
 
 Save when a mild and momentary gleam 
 Glanc'd from the white foam of fome fhelter'd ftrearru 
 
58 THE PLEASURES 
 
 O'er the ftill lake the bell of evening toll'd, 
 And on the moor the fhepherd penn'd his fold ; 
 And on the green hill's fide the meteor play'd ; 245 
 When, hark ! a voice fung fweetly thro' the {hade. 
 It ceas'd yet ftill in FLORIO'S fancy fung, 
 Still on each note his captive fpirit hung ; 
 Till o'er the mead a cool, fequefter'd grot 
 From its rich roof a fparry luftre fhot. 250 
 
 A cryftal water crofs'd the pebbled floor, 
 And on the front thefe fimple lines it bore : 
 
 Hence away, nor dare intrude ! 
 
 In this fecret, fhadowy cell 
 
 Mufmg MEMORY loves to dwell, 255 
 
 With her fifter Solitude. 
 Far from the bufy world fne flies, 
 To tafte that peace the world denies, 
 
OF MEMORY. 59 
 
 Intranc'd fhe fits ; from youth to age. 
 Reviewing Life's eventful page ; 260 
 
 And noting, ere they fade away, 
 The little lines of yefterday. 
 
 FLORIO had gain'd a rude and rocky feat, 
 When lo, the Genius of this frill retreat ! 
 Fair was her form but who can hope to trace 265 
 The penfive foftnefs of her angel-face ? 
 Can VIRGIL'S verfe, can RAPHAEL'S touch impart 
 Thofe finer features of the feeling heart, 
 Thofe tenderer tints that fhun the carelefs eye, 
 Arid in the world's contagious circle die ? 270 
 
 She left the cave, nor mark'd the ftranger there j 
 Her paftoral beauty, and her artlefs air, 
 
6O THE PLEASURES 
 
 Had breath'd a foft enchantment o'er his foul ! 
 
 In every nerve he felt her bleft control ! 
 
 What pure and white -wing'd agents of the fky, 275 
 
 Who rule the fprings of facred Sympathy, 
 
 Inform congenial fpirits when they meet ? 
 
 Sweet is their office, as their nature fweet ! 
 
 FLORIO, with fearful joy, purfued the maid, 
 Till thro 5 a villa's moonlight-chequer'd made, 280 
 Where the bat circled, and the rooks repos'd, 
 (Their wars fufpended, and their counfels closM) 
 An antique manfion burtt in awful date, 
 A rich vine cluttering round its Gothic gate. 
 Nor paus'd he here. The matter of the fcene 285 
 Mark'd his light ttep imprint the dewy green ; 
 And, flow-advancing, haiPd him as his gueft, 
 Won by the honeft warmth his looks exprefs'd. 
 
OF MEMORY. 6l 
 
 He wore the ruftic manners of a 'Squire ; 
 Age had not quench' d one fpark of manly fire ; 290 
 But giant Gout had .bound him in her chain, 
 And his heart panted for the chafe in vain. 
 
 Yet here Remembrance, fweetly-foothing power ! 
 Wing'd with delight Confinement's lingering hour. 
 The fox's brufh ftill emulous to wear, 295 
 
 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. 
 
 Long by the paddock's humble pale confin'd, 
 His aged hunters cours'd the viewlefs wind ; 300 
 And each, with glowing energy pourtray'd, 
 The far-fam'd triumphs of the field difplay'd ; 
 E 
 
62 THE PLEASURES 
 
 Ufurp'd the canvas of the crowded hall, 
 
 And chas'd a line of heroes from the wall 
 
 There flept the horn each jocund echo knew, 305 
 
 And many a fmile and many a ftory drew ! 
 
 High o'er the hearth his foreft-trophies hung, 
 
 And their fantaftic branches wildly flung. 
 
 How would he dwell on each vaft antler there ! 
 
 This dafh'd the wave, that fann'd the mountain-air. 310 
 
 Each, as it frown'd, unwritten records bore, 
 
 Of gallant feats and feftivals of yore. 
 
 But why the tale prolong ? His only child, 
 His darling JULIA on the ftranger frm'l'd. 
 Her little arts a fretful fire to pleafe, 315 
 
 Her gentle gaiety, and native eafe, 
 Had won his foul but ah ! few days had pafs'd* 
 Ere his fond vifions prov'd too fvveet to laft. 
 
OF MEMORY. 63 
 
 When evening ting'd the lake's ethereal blue, 
 And her deep fhades irregularly threw ; 320 
 
 Their fhifting fail dropt gently from the cove, 
 Down by St. Herbert's confecrated grove ; 2Z 
 Whence erft the chanted hymn, the taper'd rite, 
 Amus'd the fifher's folitary night ; 
 And ftill the mitred window, richly wreath'd, 325 
 A facred calm thro' the brown foliage breath'd. 
 
 The wild deer, flatting thro' the filent glade, 
 With fearful gaze, their various courfe furvey'd. 
 High hung in air the hoary goat reclin'd, 
 His dreaming beard the fport of every wind ; 330 
 And, as the coot her jet-wing lov'd to lave, 
 Rock'd on the bofom of the fleeplefs wave 5 
 2 
 
64 T HE PLEASURES 
 
 The eagle rufh'd from Skiddaw's purple creft, 
 A cloud frill brooding o'er her giant-neft. 
 
 And now the moon had dimm'd, with dewy ray, 335 
 The few fine flumes of departing day ; 
 O'er the wide water's deep ferene me hung, 
 And her broad lights on every mountain flung ; 
 When lo ! a fudden blaft the vefTel blew, *3 
 And to the furge confin'd its little crew. 340 
 
 All, all efcap'd but ere the lover bore 
 His faint and faded JULIA to the more, 
 Her fenfe had fled ! Exhaufted by the florin, 
 A fatal trance hung o'er her pallid form ; 
 Her clofing eye a trembling luftre fir'd ; 345 
 
 'Twas life's laft (park it flutter'd and expir'd ! 
 
OF MEMORY. 65 
 
 The father flrew'd his white hairs in the wind, 
 Call'd on his child nor linger' d long behind : 
 And FLORIO liv'd to fee the willow wave, 
 With many an evening- whifper, o'er their grave. 350 
 Yes, FLORIO liv'd and, (till of each poffeft, 
 The father cherifh'd, and the maid carefs'd ! 
 
 Forever would the fond enthufiaft rove, 
 With JULIA'S fpirit thro' the fhadowy grove ; 
 Gaze with delight on every fcene fhe plann'd, 355 
 Kifs every nW'ret planted by her hand. 
 Ah ! ftill he trac'd her fleps along the glade, 
 When hazy hues and glimmering lights betray'd 
 Half-viewlefs forms ; flill liften'd as the breeze 
 T Ieav'd its deep fobs among the aged trees ; 360 
 
66 THE PLEASURES 
 
 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 ; 
 
 She gave its fpars to flioot a trembling ray. 
 
 The fpring, that bubbled from its inmoft cell, 365 
 
 Murmur'd of JULIA'S virtues as it fell ; 
 
 And o'er the dripping mofs, the fretted {lone, 
 
 In FLORIO'S ear breath'd language not its own. 
 
 Her charm around the enchantrefs MEMORY threw, 
 
 A charm that foothes the mind, and fweetens too 1370 
 
 But is Her magic only felt below ? 
 Say, thro' what brighter realms (he bids it flow ; 
 To what pure beings, in a nobler fphere, *4 
 She yields delight but faintly imag'd here : 
 
OF MEMORY. 67 
 
 All that till now their rapt refearches knew, 375 
 Not call'd in flow fuccefllon to review $ 
 But, as a landfcape meets the eye of day, 
 At once prefented to their glad furvey ! 
 
 Each fcene of blifs reveaPd, fince chaos fled, 
 And dawning light its dazzling glories fpread ; 380 
 Each chain of wonders that fublimely glow'd, 
 Since firft Creation's choral anthem flow'd ; 
 Each ready flight, at Mercy's fmile divine, 
 To diftant worlds that undifcover'd fliine ; 
 Full on her tablet flings its living rays, 385 
 
 And all, combin'd, with bleft effulgence blaze. 
 
 There thy bright train, immortal Friendfhip, foar ; 
 No more to part, to mingle tears no more ! 
 
68 THE PLEASURES 
 
 And, as the foftening hand of Time endears 
 
 The joys and forrows of our infant-years, 390 
 
 So there the foul, releas'd from human ftrife, 
 
 Smiles at the little cares and ills of life ; 
 
 Its lights and fhades, its funfhine and its mowers ; 
 
 As at a dream that charm'd her vacant hours ! 
 
 Oft may the fpirits of the dead defcend, 395 
 
 i 
 To watch the filent flumbers of a friend ; 
 
 To hover round his evening-walk unfeen, 
 And hold fweet converfe on the duiky green ; 
 To hail the fpot where firft their friendfhip grew, 
 And heav'n and nature open'd to their view ! 400 
 Oft, when he trims his cheerful hearth, and fees 
 A fmiling circle emulous to pleafe ; 
 
OF MEMORY. 69 
 
 There may thefe gentle guefts delight to dwell, 
 And blefs the fcene they lov'd in life fo well ! 
 
 Oh thou ! with whom my heart was wont to 
 mare 405 
 
 From Reafon's dawn each pleafure and each care ; 
 With whom, alas ! I fondly hop'd to know 
 The humble walks of happinefs below ; 
 If thy bled nature now unites above 
 An angel's pity with a brother's love, 410 
 
 Still o'er my life preferve thy mild control, 
 Correct my views, and elevate my foul; 
 Grant me thy peace and purity of mind, 
 Devout yet cheerful, active yet refign'd ; 
 Grant me, like thee, whofe heart knew no difguife, 415 
 Whofe blamelefs wiflies never aim'd to rife, 
 
7O THE PLEASURES 
 
 To meet the changes Time and Chance prefent, 
 
 With modeft dignity and calm content. 
 
 When thy laft breath, ere Nature funk to reft, 
 
 Thy meek fubmiflion to thy God exprefs'd; 420 
 
 When thy laft look, ere thought and feeling fled, 
 
 A mingled gleam of hope and triumph flied ; 
 
 What to thy foul its glad afTurance gave, 
 
 Its hope in death, its triumph o'er the grave ? 
 
 The fweet Remembrance of unblemifh'd youth, 425 
 
 The inspiring voice of Innocence and Truth ! 
 
 Hail, MEMORY, hail! in thy exhauftlefs mine 
 From age to age unnumber'd treafures mine ! 
 Thought and her fhadowy brood thy call obey, 
 And Place and Time are fubject to thy fway ! 430 
 Thy pleafures moft we feel, when moft alone ; 
 The only pleafures we can call our own. 
 
OF MEMORY. 7! 
 
 Lighter than air, Hope's fumraer-vifions die, 
 If but a fleeting cloud obfcure the fky ; 
 If but a beam of fober Reafon play, 435 
 
 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 ? 
 Thefe, when the trembling fpirit wings her flight. 
 Pour round her path a dream of living light ; 440 
 And gild thofe pure and perfect realms of reft, 
 Where Virtue triumphs, and her fons are bleft ! 
 
 THE END. 
 
NOTES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 FIRST PART. 
 
 NOTE i. Verfe 201. 
 So, when the daring fons of fcience^ &c. 
 
 _EiE wept ; but the effort that he made to con- 
 ceal his tears, concurred, with them, to do him 
 honour : he went to the mad-head, waving to the 
 canoes as long as they continued in fight. 
 
 HAWKESWORTH'S Voyages, ii. 181. 
 Another very affecting inftance of local attach- 
 ment is related of his fellow-countryman Potaveri, 
 who came to Europe with M. de Bougainville. 
 See LES JARDINS, par M. PAbbe dc Lille, chant ii. 
 
74 NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 
 
 NOTE 2. Verfe 209. 
 So Scotia's Sweetly &c. 
 
 Elle fe leve fur fon lift, fe met a contempler 
 la France encor, tant qu'elle pent. 
 
 BRANTOME, torn. ii. p. 119. 
 
 NOTE 3. Verfe 217. 
 
 As kindred oljefts kindred thoughts excite- 
 To an accidental aflbciation may be afcribed 
 fome of the nobled 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. GIB- 
 BON'S Hift. xii. 432. Memoirs of Gray, feel. iv. 
 let. 25. 
 
NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 7J 
 
 NOTE 4. Verfe 223. 
 
 For this FOSCARI, &c. 
 
 This young man was fufpected 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 ac- 
 quittal. He was banimed 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 interceffion of 
 any foreign prince, in a fit of defpair he addrefTed 
 a letter to the Duke of Milan, and entrufted it to 
 a wretch whofe perfidy, he knew, would occafion 
 
76 NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 
 
 his being remanded a prifoner to Venice. See 
 Dr. MOORE'S View of Society in Italy, vol. i. 
 let. 14. 
 
 NOTE 5. Verfe 236. 
 
 And watch and weep in ELO ISA'S cell. 
 
 The Paraclete, founded by Abelard, in Champagne. 
 
 NOTE 6. Verfe 236. 
 
 "Tivas ever thus. As now at VIRGIL'S tomb 
 Vows and pilgrimages are not peculiar to the re- 
 ligious enthufiaft. Sjlius Italicus performed annual 
 ceremonies on the mountain of Pofilippo ; and it 
 was there that Boccaccio, quafi da un divino ejlro 
 wfpiratO) refolved to dedicate his life to jhe mufes. 
 
NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 77 
 
 NOTE 7. Verfe 239. 
 
 So TULLY pauid amid the wrecks of Time. 
 
 When Cicero was quaeftor in Sicily, he difcover- 
 
 cd the tomb of Archimedes by its mathematical 
 
 infcriptian. Tufc. Quaeft. 5. 3, 
 
 NOTE 8. Verfe 253. 
 
 Say tv by the fertfive widow loves to weep. 
 
 The influence of the afibciating principle is finely 
 
 exemplified in the faithful Penelope, when (he fheds 
 
 tears over the bow of UlyfTes. Od. xxi. 55. 
 
 NOTE 9. Verfe 269. 
 If chance he hears the fong fo fwcetly wild 
 The celebrated Ranz des Vaches ; cet air fi cheri 
 F 
 
78 NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 
 
 des SuifTcs 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 Pentendoi- 
 ent, tant il excitoit en eux P ardent deiir de revoir 
 leur pays. ROUSSEAU, Diclionnaire de Mufique* 
 
 NOTE 10. Verfe 274. 
 Say why VESPASIAN lov'd his Sabinefarm. 
 This emperor, according to Suetonius, con- 
 ftantly pa/Ted the fummer in a fmall villa near 
 Reate, where he was born, and to which he would 
 . never add any embellishment 5 ne quid fcilicet oculo- 
 rum confuetudim deperiret* 
 
 SUET, in Vit. Veip. cap. iL 
 A ilmilar inftance occurs in the life of the vener- 
 able Pertinax, as related by J. Capitolinus. Pof- 
 
NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 79 
 
 teaquam 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 
 characterise of a benevolent mind ; and a long ac- 
 quaintance with the world cannot always extin- 
 guifh it. 
 
 To a friend, fays John Duke of Buckingham, I 
 will expofe my weaknefs : I am oftener milling a 
 pretty gallery in the old houfe I pulled down, 
 than pleafed with a faloon which I built in its 
 (lead, though a thoufand times better in all re- 
 fpects. See his Letter to the D. of Sh. 
 
 This is the language of the heart ; and will re- 
 mind the reader of that good-humoured remark in 
 one of Pope's letters I fhould hardly care to hare 
 F* 
 
80 NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 
 
 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 fubjeft, with equal fancy and feeling, in the 
 ftory of Alibee, Perfan. See Recueil de Fables, 
 compofees pour P Education d'un Prince. 
 
 NOTE ii. Verfe 275. 
 
 Why great NAVARRE, &c. 
 That amiable and accomplifhed 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 revifiting which he promi 
 ed himfelf great pleafure. 
 
 Memoires de SULLY, torn. ii. p. 3^10 
 
NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 8l 
 
 NOTE 12. Verfe 277. 
 When DIOCLETIAN V felf-correfted mind 
 > Diocletian retired into his native province, and 
 there amufed himfelf with building, planting, and 
 gardening. His anfwer to Maximian is defervedly 
 celebrated. He was folicited by that reftlefs old 
 man to re-aflame the reins of government, and the 
 Imperial purple. He rejected the temptation with 
 a fmile of pity, calmly obferving, that if he 
 could mew Maximian the cabbages which he had 
 planted with his own hands at Salona, he mould 
 no longer be urged to relinquifh the enjoyment of 
 happinefs for the purfuit of power. 
 
 GIBBON, ii. 175. 
 
82 NOTES ON THE FIRST PART, 
 
 NOTE 13. Verfe 281. 
 
 -Say 9 when ambitious CHARLES renounced a throne 
 When the emperor Charles V. had executed his 
 memorable refolution, and had fet out for the mo- 
 naftery 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 vif- 
 iting the place of his nativity, and viewing the 
 fcenes and obje&s familiar to him in his early 
 youth. ROBERTSON'S Hift. iv. 256. 
 
 NOTE 14. Verfe 305. 
 
 The n did his horfe the homeward track defcry. 
 The memory of the horfe forms the ground- 
 
NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 83 
 
 work of a pleafing little 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 fervla gia di fua mano. 
 
 ORLANDO FURIOSO, canto i. 75, 
 
 NOTE 15. Verfe 333. 
 
 Sweet bird! thy truth Jhall HARLEM'S walls at/ eft. 
 
 During the fiege of Harlem, when that city was 
 
 reduced to the lad extremity, and on the point of 
 
84 NOTES ON THE FIRST PART. 
 
 opening its gates to a bafe and barbarous enemy, a 
 defign was formed to relieve it; and the intelli- 
 gence was conveyed to the citizens by a letter which 
 was tied under the wing of a pigeon. 
 
 THUANUS, lib. Iv. c. 5. 
 
 The fame meffenger was employed at the fiege 
 of Mutina, as we are informed by the elder Pliny. 
 
 Hid Nat. x. 37. 
 
 NOTE 1 6. Verfe 342. 
 
 Hark ! the foe, &c. 
 
 This little animal, from the extreme convexity 
 of her eye, cannot fee many inches before her* 
 
NOTES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 SECOND PART. 
 
 NOTE 17. Verfe 114. 
 Ttt fall how fweet the foothings of his art ! 
 
 JL HE aftronomer chalking his figures on the 
 wall, in Hogarth's view of Bedlam, is an admira- 
 ble exemplification of this idea. 
 
 See the RAKE'S PROGRESS, plate 8. 
 
 NOTE 1 8. Verfe 173. 
 
 Hafl thou thro 1 den's wild-wood vales purfued, &c. 
 On the road-fide, between Penrith and Appelby 3 
 ftands a fmall pillar with this infcriptlon : 
 
86 NOTES ON THE SECOND PART. 
 
 " This pillar was creeled in the year 1656, by 
 Ann Countefs Dowager of Pembroke, &c. for a 
 memorial of her lafl parting, in this place, with 
 her good and pious mother, Margaret, Countefs 
 Dowager of Cumberland, on the 2d of April, 
 1616 : in memory whereof me hath left an annuity 
 of 4!. to be difiributed to the poor of the parifh 
 of Brougham, every 2d day of April forever, up- 
 on the ftone-table placed hard by. Laus Deo !" 
 
 The Eden is the principal river of Cumberland, 
 and has its fource in the wildeil part of Weftmore- 
 land. 
 
 NOTE 19. Verfe 183. 
 *TkuS) with the manly glow of honejl pride y 
 O'er his dead fon old ORMOND nobly figti d^ c. 
 
NOTES ON THE SECOND PART. 87 
 
 Ormond bore the lofs with patience and dignity : 
 though he ever retained a pleafmg, however melan- 
 choly, 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 Dol- 
 man's urn at the Leafowes. 
 
 Heu, quanto minus eft cum reliquis verfari, 
 quam tui meminuTe ! 
 
 NOTE 20. Verfe 225. 
 High on exulting wing the heath-cock rofe. 
 This bird, according to Mr. Pennant, is remark- 
 able for his exultation during the fpring ; when he 
 calls the hen to his haunts with a loud and fhrill 
 
8B NOTES ON THE SECOND PART. 
 
 voice, and is fo inattentive to his fafety as to be 
 eaiily fhofc. Brit. Zoology, 266* 
 
 NOTE 21. Verfe 230. 
 Derwenfs clear mirror. 
 The Lake of Kefwick in Cumberland, 
 
 NOTE 22. Verfe 322. 
 Down by St. Herbert's confecrated grove* 
 A fmall wooded ifland once dignified with a re- 
 ligious houfe. 
 
 NOTE 23. Verfe 339. 
 When lo ! a fudden blqft the veffel blew. 
 In a lake, furrounded with mountains, the agi- 
 tations are often violent and momentary. The 
 
NOTES ON THE SECOKD PART. 89 
 
 winds blow in gufls and eddies ; and the water no 
 fooner fwells, than it fubfides. 
 
 See BOURN'S Hift. of Weftmoreland. 
 
 NOTE 24. Verfe 373. 
 To what pure beings. In a nobler fphere, 
 She yields delight but faintly imag'd here. 
 The feveral degrees of angels may probably 
 have larger views, and fome of them be endowed 
 with capacities able to retain together, and con- 
 ftantly fet before them, as in one picture, all their 
 pad knowledge at once. LOCKE on Human Un- 
 4erftanding, book ii. chap, x. 9. 
 
ODE 
 
 T O 
 
 SUPERSTITION. 
 
ODE 
 
 T O 
 
 SUPERSTITION. 
 I. i. 
 
 JllENCE, to the realms of Night, dire Demon, 
 
 hence ! 
 
 Thy chain of adamant can bind 
 That little world, the human mind, 
 . And fink its nobleft powers to impotence. 
 Wake the lion's loudeft roar, 
 Clot his fhaggy mane with gore* 
 G 
 
94 ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 
 
 With flaming fury bid his eye-balls fhine ; 
 
 Meek is his favage, fullen foul to thine ! 
 
 Thy touch, thy deadening touch, has fteel'd the 
 
 breaft, ' 
 
 Where, thro' her rainbow-mower, foft Pity fmiPd ; 
 Has clos'd the heart each godlike virtue bled, 
 To all the filent pleadings of his child. 
 At thy command he plants the dagger deep, 
 At thy command exults, tho* Nature bids him weep ! 
 
 I. 2. 
 
 When, with a frown that froze the peopled earth, - 
 Thou dartedft thy huge head from high, 
 Night wav'd her banners o'er the fky, 
 
 And, brooding, gave her fhapelefs lhadows birth. 
 
ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 9 
 
 Rocking on the billowy air, 
 Ha ! what withering phantoms glare ! 
 As blows the blaft with many a fudden fwell, 
 At each dead paule, what fhrill-ton'd voices yell ! 
 The faceted fpe^tre, rifing from the tomb, 
 Points at the murderer's flab, and fhudders by ; 
 In every grove is felt a heavier gloom, 
 That veils its genius from the vulgar eye ; 
 The fpirit of the water rides the ftorm, 
 And, thro' its mift, reveals the terrors of his form. 
 
 I- 3- 
 
 O'er folid feas, where Winter reigns, 
 And holds each mountain-wave in chains. 
 The fur-clad favage, ere he guides his deer 3 
 By gliftering moon-light thro* the fnow, 
 
 G2 
 
96 ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 
 
 Breathes foftly in her wondering ear 
 Each potent fpell thou bad'ft him know. 
 By thee infpir'd, on India's fands, 4 
 Full in the fun the Bramin (lands ; 
 And, while the panting tigrefs hies 
 To quench her fever in the flream, 
 His fpirit laughs in agonies, * 
 Smit by the fcorchings of the noontide beam. 
 Mark who mounts the facred pyre, 
 Blooming in her bridal veft : 
 She hurls the torch ! me fans the fire ! 
 
 To die is to be bled : 6 
 She clafps her lord to part no more, 
 And, fighing, finks ! but finks to foar. 
 O'erfhadowing Scotia's defert coaft, 
 The Sifters fail in dufky ftate, 7 
 
To rc< Pay g6 
 
 /////// /// r/fif./fti. . 
 
ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 97 
 
 And, wrapt in clouds, in tempefts toft, 
 
 Weave the airy web of fate ; 
 While the lone fhepherd, near the fhiplefs main, 8 
 Sees o'er her hills advance the long-drawn funeral train. 
 
 II. i. 
 
 Thou Ipak'ft, and lo ! a new creation glow'd. 
 Each unhewn mafs of living (tone 
 Was clad in horrors not its own, 
 
 And at its bafe the trembling nations bow'd. 
 Giant Error, darkly grand, 
 Grafp'd the globe with iron hand. 
 
 Circled with feats of blifs, the Lord of Light 
 
 Saw proftrate worlds adore his golden height. 
 
 The ftatue, waking with immortal powers, 9 
 Springs from its parent earth, and makes the fpheres ; 
 
98 ODE TO SUPERSTITION, 
 
 The indignant pyramid fublimely towers. 
 And braves the efforts of a hoft of years. 
 Sweet Mufic breathes her foul into the wind ; 
 And bright-eyM Painting (lamps the image of the mind* 
 
 II. 2. 
 
 Round their rude ark old Egypt's forcerers rife ! 
 A timbrelPd anthem fwells the gale, 
 
 ^^ And bids the God of Thunders hail ; ' 
 
 .* *** . 
 
 With Ipwings loud the captive God replies. 
 
 Clouds of incenfe court thy fmile, 
 
 Scaly monarch of the Nile ! 1 l 
 But ah ! what myriads claim the bended knee ? Ia 
 Go, count the bufy drops that fwell the fea. 
 Proud land ! what eye can trace thy myftic lore, 
 Lock'd up in chara&ers as dark as night? J 3 
 
ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 99 
 
 What eye thofe long, long labyrinths dare explore, '4 
 To which the parted foul oft wings her flight ; 
 Again to vifit her cold cell of clay, 
 Gharm'd with perennial fweets, and fmiling at decay ? 
 
 II. 3- 
 
 On yon hoar fummit, mildly bright *s 
 With purple ether's liquid light, 
 
 High o'er the world, the white-rob'd Magi gaze 
 
 4 * 
 
 On dazzling burfts of heav'nly ike ; 
 Start at each blue, portentous blaze, 
 Each flame that flits with adverfe fpire. 
 But fay, what founds my ear invade l & 
 From Delphi's venerable fhade ? 
 The temple rocks, the laurel waves ! 
 " The God ! the God !" the Sybil cries. 
 
IOO ODE TO SUPERSTITION, 
 
 Her figure fwells ! fhe foams, me raves 1 
 Her figure fwells to more than mortal fize 1 
 Streams of rapture roll along, 
 Silver notes afcend the ikies : 
 Wake, Echo, wake and catch the fong s 
 
 Oh catch it, ere it dies. 
 The Sybil fpeaks, the dream is o'er, 
 The holy harpings charm no more. 
 In vain fhe checks the God's control ; 
 His madding fpirit fills her frame, 
 And moulds the features of her foul, 
 
 Breathing a prophetic flame. 
 The cavern frowns ! its hundred mouths unclofe ! 
 And, in the thunder's voice, the fate of empire flows. 
 
ODE TO SUPERSTITION. IOI 
 
 III. I. 
 
 Mon a, thy Druid-rites awake the dead I 
 
 Rites thy brown oaks would never dare 
 
 Ev'n whifper to the idle air ; 
 Rites that have chain'd old Ocean on his bed* 
 
 Shiver'd by thy piercing glance, 
 
 Pointlefs falls the hero's lance. 
 Thy magic bids the imperial eagle fly, I7 
 And mars the laureate wreath of victory. 
 Hark, the bard's foul infpires the vocal firing ! 
 At every paufe dread Silence hovers o'er : 
 While murky Night fails round on raven-wing, 
 Deepening the tempeft's howl, the torrent's roar ; 
 Chas'd by the morn from Snowdon's awful brow, 
 Where late fhe fat and fcowl'd on the black wave below. 
 
IO2 ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 
 
 ttn^BMK 
 
 III: 2. 
 
 Lo, fteel-clad War his gorgeous ftandard rears 1 
 
 The red-crofs fquadrons madly rage, l8 
 
 And mow thro' infancy and age ; 
 Then kifs the facred duft and melt in tears. 
 
 Veiling from the eye of day, 
 
 Penance dreams her life away ; 
 In cloifter'd folltude me fits and fighs, 
 While, from each fhrine, frill, fmall refponfes rife. 
 Hear, with what heart-felt beat, the midnight bell 
 Swings its flow fummons thro' the hollow pile ! 
 The weak, wan votarift leaves her twilight cell, 
 To walk, with taper dim, the winding ifle ; 
 With choral chantings vainly to afpire, 
 Beyond this nether Jphere, on Rapture's wing of fire* 
 

ODE TO SUPERSTITION, IO$ 
 
 III. 3. 
 
 Lord of each pang the nerves can feel, 
 Hence, with the rack and reeking wheel. 
 
 Faith lifts the foul above this little ball ! 
 While gleams of glory open round, 
 And circling choirs of angels call, 
 Canft thou, with all thy terrors crown'd, 
 Hope to obfcure that latent fpark, 
 DefKn'd to {hine when funs are dark ? 
 Thy triumphs ceafe ! thro' every land, 
 Hark ! Truth proclaims, thy triumph ceafe : 
 Her heav'nly form, with glowing hand, 
 
 Benignly points to piety and peace. 
 Flufli'd with youth, her looks impart 
 Each fine feeling as it flows ; 
 
IO4 OI>E TO SUPERSTITION. 
 
 Her voice the echo of her heart, 
 
 Pure as the mountain -fnovvs : 
 Celeftial tranfports round her play, 
 And foftly, fweetly die away. 
 She (miles ! and where is now the cloud 
 That blacken'd o'er thy baleful reign ? 
 Grim Darknefs furls his leaden fhroud, 
 
 Shrinking from her glance in vain. 
 Her touch unlocks the day-ipring from above, 
 And lo ! it vifits man with beams of light and love. 
 
 THE END. 
 
NOTES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 
 
 NOTE i. Page 94. 
 
 Thy touch, thy deadening touchy &c. 
 
 An allufion to the facrifice of Iphigenla. 
 
 NOTE 2. Page 94. 
 
 When, with a frown that froze the peopled earth, 
 Thou dartedjl thy huge head from high 
 Humana ante oculos foede cum vita jaceret 
 In terris opprefTa gravi fub religione, 
 Quae caput a coeli regionibus oftendebat, 
 Horribili fuper afpedu morta libus inftans, &c. 
 
 LUCRETIUS, 1. i. v. 63. 
 
IO6 NOTES ON THE 
 
 NOTE 3. Page 95. 
 
 The fur-clad favage, ere he guides his deer 
 When we were ready to fet out, our heft mutter- 
 ed fome words in the ears of our cattle. 
 
 See a Voyage to the North of Europe in 1653. 
 
 NOTE 4. Page 96. 
 By thee mfpir'd on India's fands> Sec. 
 The Bramins voluntarily expofe their bodies to 
 the intenfe heat of the fun. 
 
 NOTE 5. Page 96. 
 His fplrit laughs in agonies. 
 Ridens moriar. The conclufion of an old Runic 
 ode, preferved by Olaus Wormius. 
 
ODE TO SUPERSTITION. 107 
 
 NOTE 6. Page 96. 
 To die is to le blejl. 
 
 In the Bedas, or facred writings of the Hindoos, 
 is this pafTage : " She, wftb dies with her hufband, 
 fhall live forever with hin^ in heaven." 
 
 NOTE 7. Page 96. 
 The Sifters fail in dujky Jlate. 
 The Fates of the Northern Mythology. See 
 MALLET'S Antiquities. 
 
 NOTE 8. Page 97. 
 
 While the lone Jhepherd) near thejhiplefs main 
 An allufion to the Second Sight, 
 
IOS NOTES ON THE 
 
 NOTE 9. Page 97. 
 
 The Jlatue<> waking with immortal powers 
 See that fine defcription of the fudden animation 
 of the Palladium in the fecond book of the jEneid. 
 
 NOTE 10. Page 98. 
 
 And bids the God of Thunders hail. 
 
 The bull, Apis. 
 
 NOTE 11. Page 98. 
 
 Scaly monarch of the Nile ! 
 
 The Crocodile. 
 
ODE TO SUPERSTITION. ICp 
 
 NOTE 12. Page 98. 
 
 But ah / what myriads claim the bended knee ? 
 
 So numerous were the Deities of Egypt, that, 
 according to an ancient proverb, it was in that 
 country lefs difficult to find a god than a man. 
 
 NOTE 13. Page 98. 
 
 Locked up in characters as dark as night. 
 
 The Hieroglyphics. 
 
 NOTE 14. Page 99. 
 Thofe long, long labyrinths 
 The Catacombs, in which the bodies of the ear- 
 liefl generations yet remain without corruption, by 
 virtue of the gums that embalmed them. 
 H 
 
IIO MOTES ON THI 
 
 NOTE 15. Page 99. 
 
 On yon hoar fummit, mildly bright 
 
 " The Perfians," fays Herodotus, " reject the 
 
 ufe of temples, altars, and ftatues. The tops of 
 
 the highefl mountains are the places chofen for 
 
 facrifices." The elements, and more particularly 
 
 Fire, were the objects of their religious reverence. 
 
 NOTE 1 6. Page 99. 
 But fay , what founds my ear invade 
 An imitation of fome wonderful lines in the fixth 
 book of the ./Eneid. 
 
 NOTE 17. Page 101. 
 
 Thy magic lids the imperial eagle jly. 
 
 See Tacitus, 1. xiv. c. 29. 
 
ODE TO SUPERSTITION. Ill 
 
 NOTE 1 8. Page 102. 
 The red-crofs fquadrons madly rage. 
 This remarkable event happened at the fiege and 
 fack of Jerufalem, in the lafl year of the eleventh 
 century, when the triumphant croifes, after every 
 enemy was fubdued and flaughtered, immediately 
 turned themfelves, with the fentiments of humilia- 
 tion and contrition, towards the holy fepulchre. 
 They threw afide their arms, (till flreaming with 
 blood : they advanced with reclined bodies, and 
 naked feet and head, to that facred monument : 
 they fung anthems to their Saviour who had pur- 
 chafed their falvation by his death and agony : and 
 their devotion, enlivened by the prefence of the 
 place where he had furTered, fo overcame their fury, 
 
 H2 
 
112 NOTES, &C. 
 
 that they diflblved in tears, and bore the appearance 
 of every foft and tender fentiment. 
 
 HUME I. 221. 
 
THE SAILOR, 
 
 AN ELEGY. 
 
 JL HE Sailor fighs, as finks his native fhore, 
 As all its leflening turrets bluely fade ; 
 He climbs the maft to feaft his eye once more, 
 
 And bufy Fancy fondly lends. her aid. 
 
 . I 
 
 :nds hei 
 
 V ' 
 
 Ah ! now, each dear, domeftic fcene he knew, 
 Recall' d and cherifh'd in a foreign clime, 
 Charms with the magic of a moonlight-view, 
 Its colours mellow'd, not impaired, by time. 
 
114 THE SAILOR. 
 
 True as the needle, homeward points his heart, 
 Thro' all the horrors of the ftormy main ; 
 This, the laft wifh with which its warmth could part, 
 To meet the fmile of her he loves again. 
 
 When Morn firft faintly draws her filver line, 
 Or Eve's gray cloud defcends to drink the wave ; 
 When fea and fky in midnight darknefs join, 
 Still, (till he views the parting look (he gave. 
 
 . 
 
 Her gentle fpirit, lightly hovering o'er, 
 Attends his little bark from pole to pole ; 
 And, when the beating billows round him roar, 
 Whifpers fweet hope to foothe his troubled foul. 
 
THE SAILO*. 115 
 
 Carv'd is her name in many a fpicy grove, 
 In many a plantain-foreft, waving wide ; 
 Where dufky youths in painted plumage rove, 
 And giant-palms o'er-arch the yellow tide. 
 
 But lo, at lafl he comes with crowded fail ! 
 Lo, o'er the clirT what eager figures bend ! 
 And hark, what mingled murmurs fwell the gale ! 
 In each he hears the welcome of a friend. 
 
 'Tis me, 'tis me herfelf ! me waves her hand ! 
 Soon is the anchor caft, the canvas furl'd ; 
 Soon thro' the whitening furge he iprings to land, 
 And claips the maid he fingled from the world. 
 
VERSES 
 
 N A 
 
 TEAR. 
 
 (J H ! that the Chemift's magic art 
 Could cryftallize this facred treafure ! 
 Long fliould it glitter near my heart, 
 A fecret fource of penftve pleafure. 
 
 The little brilliant, ere it fell, 
 Its luftre caught from CHLOE'S eye; 
 Then, trembling, left its coral cell 
 The fpring of Senfibility I 
 
TERSES ON A TEAR. 117 
 
 Sweet drop of pure and pearly light ! 
 In thee the rays of Virtue fhine ; 
 More calmly clear, more mildly bright, 
 Than any gem that gilds the mine. 
 
 Benign reftorer of the foul 
 Who ever fly'rt to bring relief, 
 When firft me feels the rude control 
 Of Love or Pity, Joy or Grief. 
 
 The fage's and the poet's theme, 
 In every clime, in every age ; 
 Thou charm'ft in Fancy's idle dream, 
 In Reafon's philofophic page. 
 
VERSES ON A TEAR. 
 
 That very law* which moulds a tear, 
 And bids it trickle from its fource, 
 That law preferves the earth a fphere, 
 And guides the planets in their courfe. 
 
 * The law of Gravitation. 
 
A 
 
 SKETCH 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ALPS AT DAY-BREAK, 
 
 JL HE fun-beams ftreak the azure fides, 
 And line with light the mountain's brow : 
 With hounds and horns the hunters rife, 
 And chafe the roebuck thro' the fnow. 
 
 From rock to rock, with giant-bound, 
 High on their iron poles they pafs ; 
 Mute, left the air, convuls'd by found, 
 Rend from above a frozen mafs.* 
 
 * There are paffes in the Alps, where the guides tell you to 
 move on with fpeed, and fay nothing, left the agitation of the 
 *ix ihould loofen the fuows above. 
 
 CRAY, feft. v. let, 4. 
 
I2O A SKETCH OF THE ALPS. 
 
 The goats wind flow their wonted way, 
 Up craggy fteeps and ridges rude ; 
 Mark'd by the wild wolf for his prey, 
 From defert cave or hanging wood. 
 
 And while the torrent thunders loud, 
 And as the echoing cliffs reply, 
 The huts peep o'er the morning-cloud, 
 Perch'd, like an eagle's neft, on high. - 
 
WISH. 
 
 MlNE be a cot befide the hill ; 
 A bee-hive's hum fhall foothe my ear ; 
 A willowy brook, that turns a mill, 
 
 With many a fall, fhall linger near. 
 
 
 
 The fwallow, oft, beneath my thatch, 
 Shall twitter from her clay-built neft ; 
 Oft fhall the pilgrim lift the latch, 
 And fhare my meal, a welcome gueft. 
 
122 A WISH. 
 
 Around my ivied porch {hall fpring 
 Each fragrant flower that drinks the dew ; 
 And Lucy, at her wheel, fhall fing, 
 In rufTet gown and apron blue. 
 
 The village-church, among the trees, 
 Where firft our marriage-vows were giv'n, 
 With merry peals fhall fwell the breeze, 
 And point with taper fpire to heav'n. 
 
A N 
 
 ITALIAN SONG. 
 
 JL^EAR is my little native vale, 
 
 The ring-dove builds and warbles there 5 
 
 Clofe by my cot flie tells her tale 
 
 To every pafling villager. 
 
 The fquirrel leaps from tree to tree, 
 
 And fhells his nuts at liberty. 
 
 In orange-groves and myrtle-bowers, 
 That breathe a gale of fragrance round, 
 I charm the fairy-footed hours 
 With my lov'd lute's romantic found ; 
 
124 AN ITALIAN SONG. 
 
 Or crowns of living laurel weave, 
 For thofe that win the race at eve. 
 
 The fhepherd's horn at break of day, 
 The ballet danc'd in twilight glade, 
 The canzonet and roundelay 
 Sung in the filent green-wood fhade 5 
 Thefe fimple joys, that never fail, 
 Shall bind me to my native vale. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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