3477 
 
 Gibson 
 Religion
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 FREDERIC THOMAS BLANCHARD 
 ENDOWMENT FUND
 
 RELIGION 
 
 POETICAL ESSAY. 
 
 B Y 
 
 WILLIAM GIBSON, M. A. 
 
 Of PEMBROKE HALL, CAMBRIDGE. 
 
 Non ego, Phoebe, datas a te mihl mentiar artes j 
 
 Nee nos aeriae voce monemur avis : 
 Nee mihi funt vifae Clio, Cliufque forores 
 
 Vera canam. OVID. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for JOHN WILKIE, in St. Paul's Church-yard; JOHN WOODYER, 
 
 at Cambridge 5 and DANIEL PRIXCE, at Oxford. 
 
 MDCCLXXV. 
 
 [Price Two Shillings,]
 
 The Right Reverend FATHER in GOD, 
 
 P H I L I P 
 
 LORD BISHOP of NORWICH, 
 
 THIS POETICAL ESSAY 
 
 O N 
 
 RELIGION 
 
 IS HUMB^LY INSCRIBED, 
 
 B Y 
 
 MOST OBEDIENT SERVANT, 
 
 W. GIBSON.
 
 RELIGION: 
 
 POETICAL ESSAY. 
 
 I S falfe, 'tis fidion all, the bafelefs dream 
 ' Of Cowardice, by cunning Priefts applied 
 ' To fcare us to their trammels, Whatfoe'er 
 Is talk'd of God. Ye cheated Youths arife 
 
 * Indignant, join to burft the galling chain 
 
 * That clogs Fruition ; give a loofe to Joy ; 
 
 ' And fpeed where Pleafure beckons. Mad with zeal 
 
 i 
 
 ' Let hoary Bigots ftill refift the calls { 
 
 6 Of Hunger, fcrup'lous ilill obferve the bell 
 
 ' Matin and vefper, and be fure to whine 
 
 * To Heav'n which hears them not : nor fafts, nor pray'rs, 
 
 B Nor
 
 2 RELIGION: 
 
 ' Nor four feverities befit the prime 
 
 ' Of Youth, of Vigour rather in the dale 
 
 * Cull ye the pride of 'Spring, a chaplet weave 
 
 c Flow'ry, and crown me with the fragrant wreath. 
 ' Monarch of merriment. Prepare the board, 
 ' The bowl prepare, and bid yon glittering roofs 
 ' Refound to revelry ; nor be away 
 ' The blooming train of Damfels ; hand in hand' 
 ' Lead we the dance awhile, then feek the made 
 
 * To gentler fports propitious. Life is mort. 
 ' The minutes glide precipitate j arreft 
 
 * The prefent, and enjoy j perchance the next: 
 ' Configns us to the grave, that final goal j 
 
 ' Of Man's career, that night without a morn* 
 
 * That fhorelefs fea, to neither Good nor 111 
 
 ' That wafts the fhipwreck'd * Soul there is no God !' 
 
 refoluto Corporis omni , 
 
 Tegmine, & eje&is extra vitalibus auris, 
 
 Diflblvi fenfus Animi fateare neceffc eft. 
 
 LUCRETIUS, lib. 3: 
 c There
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. i 
 
 There is ! there is ! rafh Idiot recall 
 The impious falmood ; yet awhile fufpend 
 Thy arrogant decifion, and go read 
 His written oracles : as Amram's Son, 
 In Oreb, erft approach'd the vocal flame 
 Trembling with veneration, Thou approach, 
 And read what, of Himfelf, Himfelf reveals. 
 
 Still doft Thou doubt ? Nay turn not, from the page 
 Infpir'd, to what Man's feeble pen efTays 
 In proof of his exiftence ; nor, if hence 
 Thou fail'ft to learn, to metaphyfic lore 
 Betake Thee for inftrudion ; fooner aim 
 Thro' the dull medium of the muddied wave 
 To fpy, what e'en its pure untroubled ftate 
 Conceal'd from thy infpeclion, or to find, 
 By the faint twinkling of fome jftar, the gem 
 Which 'fcaped thy fearch amidfl the blaze of noon. 
 
 B 2 Lo!
 
 4 RELIGION: 
 
 Lo ! where Creation fpreads her ample tome 
 To thy perufal : lo ! where mountains rife, 
 And vallies fink, and rivers roll, and feas 
 Dafh on their mores unquiet, whence are thefe ? 
 What time, by whom, and wherefore were they made ? 
 Cold where it lay, and lifelefs on the glebe 
 Who gave the clod its vegetative pow'rs ? 
 The rofe-bud wavering on that pliant fpray 
 Whence are its hues, and odours ? whence derived 
 The Linnet warbling in yon funny glade 
 Her harmonies ? or Sceptic, whence hadft Thoa 
 Thy faculties, thy being ? Say, did Chance 
 Produce this order ? or did Atoms march 
 Spontaneous, by inftindive energy 
 Alone urged on, each to its propereft place,. 
 Till all was due arrangement ? till the Sun 
 Shot from the center his enlivening beams 
 Thro' all our Syflem , till the Planets chofe
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 5 
 
 The Zodiack for their path ; and the pale Moon 
 Began her monthly journeyings 'round the world ? 
 
 Surely Thou can'ft not think it > on the eye 
 Of Reafon, furely, fuch a fcene as this> 
 So various yet confident, fo involved 
 And yet fo regular, with refiftlefs force 
 Muft flafh conviction ;, and tho* language fail'd, 
 Nor * fpeech were heard throughout Creation's bounds, 
 Yet furely might its every part fuffice 
 To tell its fource, and 4eilify a -f- God. 
 
 Loud is this voice of Nature, to be heard 
 E'en in her utmoft borders $ nor is found 
 
 That unform'd fpot where Deity hath left 
 
 i 
 
 * See Pfalm xix. 
 
 f nee vocibus ullis 
 
 Numen eget 
 
 LUCAN, lib. 9. 
 
 c Himfclf
 
 6 RELIGION: 
 
 Himfelf un'vvitnefs'd. Aflc the Arctic tribes, :' 
 
 Oftiack, or Samored, if their limits marie 
 
 The limits of this language, and beyond 
 
 'Tis filence to the Pole; They'll tell thee, no! 
 
 They'll tell thee there, the Ermin, and the Elk, 
 
 The unweildy Whale that ftems the Cronian tide, 
 
 The amphibious Penguin, and -the clamorous Gull 
 
 Loudly proclaim fome plaftic Pow'r divine 
 
 Aflc too the Manner, from Obe'rea's realms 
 
 So late return'd ; or, more remote, from thence 
 
 Where rules Teratu, if the iluggard Sonth 
 
 Rife not to give her proofs Should He deny 
 
 That Men exiiled on thofe new-found {hores, 
 And but allow one fingle fhrub was feen, 
 O'er the rough edge of fome projecting cragg, 
 Loofe fluttering in the ftorm, that fingle (hrub 
 Would be the fign required, and prove a God. 
 
 And
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY, 
 
 And as on Earth no country can be found, 
 No fand fo barren, and no rock fo rude, 
 That tells not of forne more than human hand. 
 Which framed it,, and fuftains ; fo on no * foil 
 Where Man inhabits, but fome trace of faith. 
 In fuch fuperior agency appears. 
 Turn to the North again, to the bleak hills 
 Of Zembla robed in everlafting mow,. 
 To Oby, or Jenifka, frozen ftreams^ 
 Or Lapland's drear domain ; here, even here,, 
 Where never Science mot one guiding ray, 
 The rough-hewn Idol, and unfeemly rite 
 Announce fome credence, in prefiding Pow'r* 
 
 From regions Hyperborean glancing quick 
 View we the manners of Antarctic climes 
 
 * -nullaGens tarn fera, Nemo omnium tarn fit inmanis, cujusmentem 
 
 non imbuerit Deorum opimo Multi de Diis prava fentiunt, Omnes tamen 
 
 efle.vim & naturam divinam arbitrantur. Cic. Tufc. Difp. lib. j, 
 
 Why
 
 * RELIGION: 
 
 Why in Otaheite fo frequent (rands 
 
 The facred Moral, if no God therein 
 
 Is worfhip'd ? Why, what time Tupia ftrove 
 
 To inflruct the ftranger tribes in holy things, 
 
 Heard they with reverence, if they nothing knew 
 
 Of myfterics fimilar ? or why was hung 
 
 The votive bafket, fraught with offerings meet 
 
 For rural Gods, within the garden's pale, 
 
 If fuch, erroneous creed ! were not believed 
 
 To guard the fruits, or fertilize the foil * ? 
 
 With gold imbofs'd, and blazing bright with gems 
 
 Invaluable, pearl, and emerald green, 
 
 And azure turquoife-ftone, in Cufco rofe 
 
 The temple of the Sun ; obfequious here 
 
 A royal Priefthood bow'd before the fhrine 
 
 Of Pacachamac, awful name, invoked 
 
 * See Account of Voyages to the Southern Hemifphere, by Dr. Hawkefworth. 
 
 On
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 9 
 
 On rare occafion only, and appeafed 
 Or made propitious by the blood of lambs- 
 Not fo the Pow'r in Motezuma's realms 
 Rever'd ; thy altars, Vitzipultzi ! groan'd 
 With human facrifice, thy courts were dy'd 
 Deep with the blood of Thoufands j while along 
 The banks of Orellana many a tribe 
 In frantic movement gambol'd round their God, 
 
 Howling for blifs behind the cloudcapt hill. 
 
 . i tttjhb rnci'*! 
 
 Borne by the Mufe to Efperanza's cape 
 Crofs we the wide Atlantic ; to the Moon, 
 (Whether, emerging from her fecret cell, 
 She beams a fcanty crefcent on the brow 
 Of Night, or emulous of her Brother's breadth 
 Shines out full-orb'd,) where the dull * CafTre plies 
 
 * The word Gaffre, it feems, implies total infidelity yet ought it to be 
 noted, that the fame reproachful term is beftow'd by the Mahometans on every 
 other people, whofe religion differs from their own. 
 
 C His
 
 iR RELIGION: 
 
 His unclean fuperftitions : or beyond 
 
 Pafs we the Zanibrean' wave, to where thy rocks, 
 
 Melinda ! 'gainfl the Indian ocean heave 
 
 No feeble barrier, and the Virgin throng 
 
 Strew flow'rets frefll, and tofs the fcented torch 
 
 On high, fweet-dittying, whilft the fpotlefs Hind 
 
 Bleeds to thy pafling Sovereign. Siam next, 
 
 Mifdeem'd * irreverent of o'er-ruling Pow'rs, 
 
 Approach we -, Sjarn, where the clofe-fhorn Prieil 
 
 From cities, fraught with profanation, flies 
 
 To holier woods, and forefts -, mindful there 
 
 To reverence Nature* nor with impious tongue, 
 
 Or touch to injure what She- forms- fo fair. 
 
 Still eaftward hence; tho' -defarts icowl between, 
 
 Parch'd, where the add&r di<es; where burning fands 
 
 By eddying winds pwhirl'd, and borne awhile, 
 
 e Mr. Locke's EITay on the Underftanding, book i. chap. 4. 
 Mod,, Uiv, Hift. book n. chap. 8. 
 
 . ,. 
 
 5 Settling,
 
 A POETICAL ESS AY. 11 
 
 . 
 
 Settling, oft whelm the mrieking Pilgrim down, 
 Proceed we, dauntlefs* till Gathay uprears 
 To Fo, or Kang, (Gods of difguftful mould, 
 Shapelefs,) her temples, and pagodas gay 
 With many a glaring colour, watch'd aloft 
 By grifly dragons, and around thick hung 
 
 With bells mrill tinkling to each breeze that blows. 
 
 
 
 * Thefe cuftoms -whence ? This general confent 
 To venerate Somewhat, and from thence deduce 
 All that of good or ill appears below, 
 Whence is it, fay, if Man where'er he roves, 
 Howe'er untutor'd, and howe'er untamed, '* b 
 
 p. r .. .._J ' 7 "\(\ 
 
 In Nature's volume fpclls not Nature's God ? 
 Truft me, howe'er by Ignorance obfcured, 
 
 
 * Unde etiam nunc eft mortaliinis infitus horror, 
 Qui delubra Deum nova toto fufcitat orbi 
 
 T- r A - , ^ ,- T , 
 
 lerrarum & ferns cegit celebrare dtebus r 
 
 LUCRET. lib. 5. 
 
 C z By
 
 i RELIGION: 
 
 By Fancy warp'd, or weaken'd by Neglect, 
 Hence flow'd the firfl idea, hence arofe 
 The earliefl notices of Agency 
 Excelling mortal, and from hence was framed 
 The various worfhip, under various names 
 To Deity addrefs'd by erring Man. 
 
 And bleft were Man, if whilfl 'tis thus agreed 
 To own, and owning to adore fome PoW'r 
 Difpofing all events, to Him who reigns 
 In Heav'n, (Who, darting thro' the formlefs void 
 Original his hand, pluck'd up this Earth, 
 In all its lovely garniture array'd 
 Of light and made alternate, hollow and hill, 
 Grotto and grove and fountain, and in air 
 Hung it felf- balanced, to the care of Man 
 Trufting its cultivation,) if to Him 
 Mounted one general form of pray'r, and praife, 
 
 5 And
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 
 
 And that moft perfect. But, alas ! long fince, 
 Due confequence of liberty abufed, 
 Was Error born, of mortal Weaknefs born 
 To mortal Pride, whom Myftery in her cave 
 Conceal'd and nurfed, where long She dwelt, and ftill 
 Had dwelt perhaps innoxious, but that Man, 
 Too clofely peering thro* the dubious gloom, 
 Perceived, and ftrait enamour'd of her mien, 
 Her fpecious feeming, and infidious fmile, 
 Thence wooed, and introduced her to his kind. 
 
 Hence far away, where Tigris to his bed 
 Takes in Euphrates, by the rifing Sun 
 Firft lighted, lies a land, in elder times 
 Call'd * Shinar ; here, too early here arofe 
 Thy Manfion, Error ! towering to the ikies : 
 Too early here thy fatal frauds prevail'd 
 
 * See Genefis, chap, xi, verfes 2 and 4, 
 
 'Galnft
 
 RELIGION: 
 
 'Gainft Truth, and Reafon, fmothering in the end 
 
 Each lingering gleam of either. Then were framed 
 
 A thoufand forms, all equally abfurd, 
 
 Of worfhip j then each orb that rolls above 
 
 Had reverence, and a fenfelefs jargon rang 
 
 Of Gods unzoned, and zoned ; material Worlds, 
 
 And Worlds etherial ; principles, and founts. 
 
 And intelledtuals-i-w-Divination then, 
 
 With Magic natural, and theurgic grew 
 
 In ufe, and fpells, and talifmans, and charms *. 
 
 Nor to Chaldaea's confines was reftrain'd 
 The peft; each neighbouring Nation in its turn 
 Own'd the contagion, which or quick, or flow, 
 Infected all, as peccant matter flow'd, . - 
 Or ebb'd along the body. Perfia foon 
 Suck'd in the noxiows humor, which commixt 
 
 * See Stanley's Hiftory of the Chaldaic Philofophy. 
 
 With
 
 '5 
 
 With humors of her own, erelong produced 
 Difeafes different, but effects the fame 
 
 Nor Perlia only ; by Balfara's gulf 
 Unlimited, the dire diforder fpread 
 
 To Araby from many an Altar now, 
 In fragrant volumes, roll'd the rich perfume 
 To many a fancied God, Sun, Moon, and Stars, 
 Beltha, and Hermes, with an endlefs crew 
 Of Daemons, Spirits, Genii : Thammuz now 
 Was yearly wept, and yearly at the mrine 
 Of fell Sammael, was an infant flain. 
 Hence too perchance learn'd Egypt to augment 
 Her lift of Deities, till every Town,- 
 To Catabathmus from the Red-fea coaft, 
 Knelt to its proper Idol, Bull, or Ape, 
 Or Crocodile, or Cat, or lower yet, 
 Below fen&tion, to the unconfcious Leek. 
 '^Vtw&J&wizKUteidS. 
 
 But
 
 16 RELIGION: 
 
 But whether Egypt from the Eaft imbibed 
 Idolatry, or erring firft herfelf, 
 Eaftward difFufed her errors, Greece of both 
 Borrow'd wrong tenets, and on both enlarged ; 
 
 And Italy of Greece Not but of old 
 
 Expell'd from Egypt, to Etrurian vales 
 
 A Shepherd race had come, and fcatter'd there 
 
 Thofe feeds of fuperftition, which in time 
 
 Thriving, o'ermadow'd e'en enlighten'd Rome. 
 
 Who can recount the rites, or reckon up 
 
 The multifarious Deities adored 
 
 In each ? no City, Village, Farm, or Field, 
 
 But claim'd peculiar Gods ; , light Oreads leapt 
 
 On every hill ; in every twilight grove 
 
 Danced Dryads, Hamadryads, Nymphs, or Fauns, 
 
 Pan, or Sylvanus ; while the Naiad train 
 
 Lurk'd midft the murmurings of each trickling ftream. 
 
 Nor this the" worfl each brutal Votarift feign'd 
 
 To
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 17 
 
 To tread the footfteps of fome leading God, 
 Whilft eafy was the tafk for Guilt to find 
 Such fan&ions, where each * Vice was deified. 
 
 Awed by advancing Legions, fiercely led 
 O'er Pontic defarts, and Iberian wilds 
 By Pompey, Odin from his antient reign 
 Retired, nor Tanais, nor the frozen realms 
 Of Ruflia ftaid him ; to his Sons refign'd 
 Such conquefts, onward to the Bothnic coafts 
 He fped, nor halted till the wondering North 
 HaiPd him at once fier Victor, and her God. 
 
 Nor marvel ftill where Ignorance extends 
 
 It's dark'ning made Credulity beneath 
 Shoots flrong, nor can Chimera be conceived 
 
 * By a law of the twelve tables, indeed, the Romans were forbidden t 
 offer adoration to any Vice, yet whoever reads their Hiftorians or their Poets, 
 will plainly perceive how little Virtue was look'd for in thofe Deities, who 
 might legally be worfhipp'd. 
 
 D So
 
 i8 RELIGION: 
 
 So monftrous, or delirious Fancy dream 
 Extravagance fo wild, as (hall not here 
 
 Gain credit hence whatever Odin feign'd 
 
 s 
 Of pow'r to hum the warring winds to peace, 
 
 To roufe the {lumbering thunder, or outftrip 
 The lightning's wing'd career, found eafy faith 
 In Scandinavia, whilft Himfelf obtain'd 
 Honours furpaffing mortal. To her fpoufe 
 Succeeded Frea, and to Frea Thor 
 In reverence, with a rabble rout of names 
 Unmeet for Song, All enemies to peace, 
 Abettors All of arms. Such aufpices 
 Beneath, no wonder that impetuous forth 
 Burft every boifterous paffion, in its flight 
 Scattering confufion, till each region round, 
 
 MI 
 
 Each fartheft cragg, and cavern moft remote, 
 
 Re-echoed to the horrid voice of war. 
 
 * To arms ! to arms ! fome veteran Soldier cried, 
 
 7 * Ye
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 19 
 
 ' Ye gallant Youths to arms ! Why ftand Ye here 
 
 ' Loit'ring, inactive ? heard Ye not the din 
 
 ' Of onfet, when with buckler buckler clafh'd, 
 
 * And lance with lance ? Away, in yonder field, 
 ' Unfeen, from rank to rank the fatal * Three 
 
 ' Fly to felect the Warriors to be flain 
 
 ' Hence hafte Ye, left the irrevocable choice 
 ' Be paft ere Ye arrive, and clofed the way 
 ' Which leads to Odin's banquet, -j- Gudur hear ! 
 ' Werandi thou, and Sculde ! if this arm 
 
 * E'er dealt deftruclion o'er the embattled plain, 
 ' If e'er this weapon, while it hew'd its way 
 
 * Thro' cluft'ring Foes, performed your firm decrees, 
 ' Quick hurrying many a Champion to his tomb, 
 
 * As the Parcae of the Greeks fo the Valkyriur of the Gothic mythology 
 confifted of three female Divinities, whofe office it was in the heat of battle to 
 appoint the Heroes to be flain, and conduct: them when flain to the hall of 
 Odin, where they were allowed to drink ale and mead out of the fkulls of 
 flaughter'd enemies. 
 
 f So were the Valkyriur named. 
 
 D 2 Now
 
 20 RELIGION: 
 
 ' Now hear me ! not for lengthen'd life I kneel, 
 ' Inglorious boon, nor offspring, wealth, or pow'r,, 
 
 * Or victory, but death, in battle death 
 
 ' High on this helm affix your envied mark 
 
 * Confpicuous O ! from * Hela's dreaded hall., 
 ' Where Anguifh ever howls, and at the board 
 
 ' Prefides gaunt Famine, whilft around Delay, 
 
 ' And freezing Expe&ation flovvly tend 
 
 ' The Guefts, condudt me to thofe bleft abodes, 
 
 * Where Heroes walk with Gods, and gaily quaff 
 
 ' Deep draughts of lufcious mead from hoflile fkulls/ 
 
 Stern vow ! nor was this favage fternnefs fhewn 
 
 In vows alone from infancy inured 
 
 To carnage, oft, full oft their temples flow'd 
 
 * Hela, the Goddefs of Death, is reprefented in the Teutonic Creed, as. 
 dwelling amidft fuch fociety j with whom All were deftined to abide, after 
 death, whofe exit was not violent, and unnaturaL 
 
 7 With
 
 A P O E T I C A L E S S A Y. 21 
 
 With blood -, full oft were * Upfal's altars throng'd 
 With human Victims, eager who provoked 
 The impending blow, and as they bled betray'd 
 A firmnefs worthy of a worthier caufe.* 
 
 From Scandinavia o'er the Baltic furge 
 Seek we the Celtic Nations, Nations funk 
 In error, and in midnight gloom involved 
 Of fuperflition. Robed in fnowy veils, 
 Freely their long beards floating on each wind 
 Of Heav'n, in woods the wary Druids veiPd - 
 Their rites barbaric^: there in magic rings 
 
 * At Upfal in Sweden was fituate one of the moft famous Temples in 
 Scandinavia, where folemn facrifices were made, every ninth month to Odin,' 
 Frea and Thor. Every ninth year, however, more bloody rites took place, - 
 when nine perfons, elected from amongft their captives in time of war, and 
 in time of peace from amongft their flaves, were offered to thofe Idols. The 
 wretches on whom this lot fell, honoured and carefs'd by All, .and elate with 
 expectation of immediate tranflation to the hall of Odin, frequently cc .gra- 
 tulated themfelves on their untimely fate. See Mallet's Introduction to the* 
 
 Hiftory of Denmark, 
 
 They.
 
 22 
 
 RELIGION; 
 
 They vvheel'd ; there watch'd the wexing Moon, and hid 
 The holy MifTelto : there 'twas they wove 
 
 The unutterable fpell, and cruel there 
 
 In many a trembling, ftruggling captive plunged 
 
 The knife of facrifice, heeding the while 
 
 The crimfon efflux, and as faft or flow 
 
 It follow'd, auguring of events to come. 
 
 Alas ! that Britain in her breaft humane 
 
 Should hide fo fell a brood, yet here of old 
 
 Held they their prime refort To Mona's ifle, 
 
 By filvery Meinai from Carnarvon's coaft 
 
 Cut off; o'erfliadow'd by the prominent craggs 
 
 Of Penmenmaur, with thy cloud-piercing heights 
 
 Snowdon ! and deep beneath the umbrageous twine 
 
 Of oaken boughs imbower'd, from diftant Gaul 
 
 They came, long wont amongfl her hallo w'd haunts 
 
 To feek Inftrudion, nor to feek in vain 
 
 From Latian fields at length, adventurous, here 
 
 A fbanger
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 23 
 
 A ftranger Race arriv'd, with hoftile rage 
 
 To fpoil the pomp of Mona, to lay opo 
 
 Her dim recefTes, and throw down her fhades 
 
 Coeval with the cliffs from which they hung. 
 
 Soon thro' each hoar wood gleam'd the uplifted axe 
 
 Terrific, foon each forrowing Echo groan'd 
 
 Refponfive to its fall : with ponderous rufli 
 
 Down-darning irrefiftible thro' all 
 
 Of growth inferior, headlong from his height 
 
 Tumbled each giant Oak, and tumbling bore 
 
 Rent arms, uprooted trunks, and riven rocks, 
 
 One thundering mafs of ruin, to the vale 
 
 Below. Scared at the intrufive glare of Day 
 
 Fled every Druid far, and left the Land 
 
 To * Priefts as falfe, and Gods as grofs, a prey. 
 
 * To the Celtic Idolatries in Britain, fucceeded the Roman, and 
 Teutonic. 
 
 Mortal !
 
 24 RELIGION: 
 
 Mortal ! what time, and ah ! too oft the time 
 Occurs to All, what time thy bofom heaves 
 With Pride; and mounting like a vaporim mift, 
 Conceit, delufive, fwells each trivial moot 
 Of Knowledge to a tree of ftatelieft fize, 
 Turn to thefe difmal periods $ turn and view 
 Man on a dark, and perilous fea afloat 
 Of Error, borne by every veering breath 
 Of Fancy to and fro, nor by the light 
 Of Reafon able to explore the ports 
 Of Truth ; and humbled by the view confefs 
 How dim within, how feeble, and how falfe 
 Glimmers this light fo vaunted ; feebler yet, 
 And falfer than that fraudful meen, by night, 
 To treacherous bog, or beetling brow, that lures 
 The wilder'd Traveller, then all at once 
 Dies, and in darknefs leaves him to defpair. 
 
 And
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 25 
 
 And yet not All, to monftrous creeds, alike, 
 To fenfelefs cuftoms, or to rites obfcene, 
 Aflented ; nor when, reeking with the gore 
 Of neareft Relatives, Murder ftalk'd forth, 
 And ftyled Herfelf Religion, to the Fiend 
 
 Bow'd All, alike infatuate ftill arofe 
 
 In every age, in every clime, howe'er 
 Ungenial to their rife, the fager Few, 
 Whofe penetrative glance fcorn'd the fcant bounds 
 Of vulgar fight, and thro* the obftrudtive gloom 
 Piercing fpied Impofition on the throne 
 Of Ignorance feated j yet not All, alas ! 
 Who fpied had Courage, Will, or Wifdom thence 
 To drag her ; fome a powerful Priefthood awed 
 To filence ; fome by Intereft's Siren voice 
 Were foothed ; whilft others, at a lofs to find 
 "New paths more pure, purfued in peace the old. 
 
 E Not
 
 26 R E L I G I O JST : 
 
 Not fo in Greece. Free to the extremeft ftretch 
 Of freedom, Greece difdain'd to fetter Thought, 
 
 Or curb Inquiry; liberal here as air 
 Opinion flow'd, and Reafon rofe to heights 
 
 Stupendous, heights by groveling crouds below 
 
 With aching eyes fcarce fcann'd, yet far far mort 
 
 Of that aerial altitude whence beams 
 
 Truth like a ftar from Heav'n. On venturous v/ing 
 
 Sailing, if upwards to the radiant 
 
 Abode She floped her way, (like Him of old 
 
 On waxen pennons feigned to foar a flight 
 
 Forbidden) plumb * down to the gulf beneath 
 
 Precipitous She fell, each pow'r difiblved, 
 
 And every iinew ilacken'd -, there to beat, 
 
 And beat with unavailing ftroke the waves 
 
 Of Doubt, flill labouring to emerge in vain. 
 
 plumb down he drops 
 
 Ten thoufand fathom deep . 
 
 MILTON, Par. Loft, book 2.
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 
 
 Whence was that gleam ? that lucid Form array'd 
 In modeft garb fuccinc~t, whofe eye recurs 
 To the dim manfions of Antiquity, 
 What is She ? tell me, yet forbear, the Mufe 
 Acknowledges her Sifter, Hiftory : 
 She lifts her arm aloft, aloft She waves 
 A fcroll, and fee ! difTevering clouds reveal 
 The groves of Academe, lift ! lift ! more foft 
 Than dew-drops fprinkled by the hand of Even 
 Light o'er the violet-bed, and honey-fweet 
 A Voice 'tis Plato's ! gently breathe ye gales ! 
 Stir not a leaf ! and" you ye waters wind 
 Your way unmurmuring ! 
 
 * Mark, ye Athenians ! mark 
 
 * The track of Virtue, follow where She leads, 
 
 * And ftep by ftep rife gradual to your God. * 
 
 * According to Plato, the foul refining in a courfe of Virtue, and mounting 
 thro' a perpetually afcending chain of Being, return'd finally to its fountain, 
 
 God. 
 
 E 2 To
 
 s8 RELIGION: 
 
 * To that ineffable, eternal Spirit 
 
 ' Thro' heav'n, earth, air, and ocean, fun, and moon, 
 ' And every ftar diffufed j Whofe plaflic hand 
 ' Form'd, by the fole exemplar in himfelf, 
 
 * This circling fphere -, his * Providence the while 
 ' So blending each component element, 
 
 c Throughout, that all is harmony ; Who placed 
 
 * In flood, in fire, above and underground, 
 
 4 In every rolling orb its ruling God, 
 
 ' Genius, or Daemon, which on mortal Man 
 
 * Shed vifions, omens, oracles, and dreams* 
 
 * Portents, and prodigies.' - Fond Sage, no more 1: 
 Tho', as Ben-lomond o'er the Grampian cliffs 
 Shoots his {harp cone fuperior, or the top 
 
 Of Athos, towering up aloft, outclimbs 
 Thy native hills of Greece, Thou far beneath 
 
 * This term (0 v^cj-om) fo commonly in ufe with Plato and fo often, at- 
 tributed to his invention, feems rather to owe its origin to that moral dramatift 
 Euripides.. 
 
 Leav'ft
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 29 
 
 
 
 Leav'ft every bold competitor, e'en Thou 
 
 Sink'ft low compared with Truth, as they with Heav'n. 
 
 The Stagirite ! 'tis he advancing next 
 In adl to fpeak : from metaphyfic phrafe 
 Crabbed and harm releafed, thus let the Mufe 
 Tranflate his meanings ' Dotards to believe 
 
 * -That paflion operates in heav'n ; there dwells 
 
 * The one, impaffible* eternal Mind ; ; 
 ' Unmoved; Itfelf of pleafure to Itfelf 
 
 * A fource exhauftlefs, infinite ; for the World 
 
 * (That coeternal effluence of Itfelf 
 
 * By Fate effufed, not Freedom,) unconcern'dV 
 
 Chief of the Stoic Tribe, of look auftere* 
 And fickly habit, feafting on a fig, 
 Lo ! Zeno comes, and as he comes exclaims, 
 
 Mortals!
 
 *o RELIGION: 
 
 * Mortals ! forbear beyond the World to feek 
 f The Deity -, whate'er ye fee, where'er 
 
 ' Ye move 'tis God ; the World is He, and He 
 
 ' T he World enough ! Ah ! clofe the impious ftrain, 
 
 * Nor blafphemoufly blend the ethereal Mind 
 
 * With matter, finite, corruptible, vile ! 
 
 * Falfely he faid, (fo Epicurus fpeaks 
 
 * Emerging from the gloom,) who faid the World 
 
 * Ipfius vero mundi, qui omnia complexu fuo exercet, & continet, natura 
 non artificiofa folum fed plane artifex ab eodem Zenone dicitur, confultrix, 
 & provida utilitatum, opportunitatumq; omnium. Atque ut ceterae naturas 
 fuis feminibus quaeq; gignuntur, augefcunt, continentur : fie natura mundi 
 omnes motus habet voluntaries, conatufq; & appetitiones, quas of pets Graeci 
 vocant, & His confentaneas a&iones fie adhibet ut nofmetipfi, qui animis 
 movemur, & fenfibus. Talis igitur mens mundi cum fit, ob eamq; caufam, 
 vel prudentia, vel providentia appellari re&e poflit, (Graece enim <sr??voi& 
 dicitur) haec potiflimum providet, & in his maxume eft occupata, primum ut 
 mundus quam aptiffimus fit ad permanendum & et. QIC. de Nat. Deorum, 
 lib. 2. feft. 22. 
 
 * Was
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 31 
 
 c Was framed by Deity. * To fcowling hills, 
 
 * Rude rocks, vafl fens, and intervening feas 
 
 * Wide-fevering more from more ; to ravening hearts 
 ' And funs that burn, and chilling blafls that blow 
 
 * Deadly to mortal Man, would Deity 
 
 ' Have given his finifh'd work ? Cries not aloud 
 e This anarchy, that Chance, or the rude Jar 
 ' Of Atoms, cafual journeying thro' the abyfs 
 ' Offpace, produced this Earth ? To -f- toils like that 
 
 * Of framing Worlds, or watching them when framed, 
 ' Wake not the Gods, in amaranthine bow'rs, 
 
 ' On rofeate beds, in happieft eafe they lie, 
 
 * From tumult far, and trouble ; where nor J fhow'rs, 
 
 * Nor hoary fnows, nor ruffling winds arc known 
 ' To violate the calm, but fkies ferene 
 
 ' DifFufe empurpling radiance o'er all 
 
 * Whither nor hate, nor anger, nor delight, 
 
 * See LUCRETIUS, lib. 5. f Idem, lib. i. J Idem, lib. 3. 
 
 5 Nor
 
 52 RELIGION: 
 
 * Nor care, of mortal or immortal growth, 
 
 * Approaches ; whither neither pray'r nor plaint 
 
 * Afcends ; nor whence with heedful eye is feen 
 The flrife of flruggling Virtue, or her fall.* 
 
 Away ! away 1 vain Babblers to your fhades 
 Recede ! and with you to the dim profound 
 Bear back your fables built on nothing firm ; 
 Your vague conjectures, and ideal dreams 
 Bear back, and fatal doctrines to the growth 
 Of Virtue fatal, friendly but to Vice. 
 
 Thus were Mankind for many an age enflaved 
 By falfe Religions; ineffectual thus 
 For many an age was every throe to burft 
 Their bondageWhen, with meeknefs in his eye, 
 Love in his heart, and healing on his tongue, 
 Came the Deliverer $ from heav'n he came, 
 
 5 Not
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 
 
 33 
 
 Not bright in dazzling luftre, but as Man 
 
 Clad to meet Man bleft be the virgin womb 
 
 Which bare him, bleft the breaft from whence he drew 
 
 His infant beverage, and the city bleft 
 
 Which boafts itfelf his birth-place. Not in terms 
 
 Abftrufe, or pompous ', not in maxims quaint, 
 
 Nor dogmas ftiff, nor hollow fyllogifm, 
 
 The pedant garb of proud Philofophy, 
 
 Lefs arguing perfection, than defeft, 
 
 Wrapp'd he his fimple meanings ; as his life 
 
 So was his doctrine artlefs, nor in grove 
 
 Nor porch, -nor garden only to a Few 
 
 Whifper'd, but utter'd in the general ear, 
 
 A bleffing general as the light of heav'n ; 
 
 Nor lefs refplendent ; yet not All who faw 
 
 His light received it ; Thofe, perverfenefs ilrange ! 
 
 Refufed its ray ; of organs too impure 
 
 To love it, Thefe preferr'd the kindred gloom 
 
 F Of
 
 34 RELIGION: 
 
 Of antient error ; while with mutual arts, 
 
 And joint complottings, both inceflant toil'd 
 
 To cloud thofe fplendors, each fo ill approved 
 
 Yet vainly toil'd, as who mould flrive to quench 
 
 The fires of ^Etna, or at noon force down 
 
 The Sun, and whelm him in the watery main. 
 
 * Hear me, ye Jews ! Ye feed of Abraham, hear ! 
 ' (He faid) Your God, whofe throne yon heav'ns are, 
 
 * And earth whofe footftool ; He of whom proceeds 
 ' Whatever is, omnipotent, o'er all 
 
 * Extends parental care ; nor doth a bird 
 
 * That winnows with loofe wing the fluid air, 
 
 ' Nor doth a flow'r on defart wild that blooms 
 ' Unfhelter'd, no nor e'en a fingle hair 
 
 * Fall unpermitted of Him then to Him 
 
 * Addrefs your fupplication-s ; yet not think 
 ' By wordy pray'r, or unfubflantial mow 
 
 ' Of
 
 A P O E T I C A L E S S A Y. 
 
 ' Of reverence, nor by alms profufely ftrewn 
 
 * Amidft applauding Multitudes, or faft, 
 ' Or penance, or ablution to extort 
 
 * His bleffing not the oftentatious heart 
 
 ' Delights Him, but the lowly; and His love, 
 ' By mutual love fmcere alone obtain'd, 
 ' Is kept alone by boundlefs love to Man. 
 
 Now 'twas that Rome, at once in arms and arts 
 Supreme, unrival'd ruled the vaffal world ; 
 Now 'twas that tributary monarchs held 
 Their crowns of her, and countries moft remote 
 Crouch'd to her delegates ; fo Heav'n allow'd, 
 And for wife purpofes, elfe had perchance 
 Her bounds been narrow ftill, her fubj eels few, 
 And mean her habitations, (fuch as erft 
 Scarce fenced her antient founders from the cold) 
 
 F 2 ifc*
 
 36 R E L I G I O N: 
 
 Elfe had perchance the fcatter'd Nations flill 
 Roam'd fierce and free, unconquer'd and untamed. 
 
 If to fecu-re her conquefts Rome impofed 
 Her Praetors, and Proconfuls, thefe, (albeit 
 Rapacious oft, and cruel,) oft difperfed 
 The feeds of Science. If from barbarous realms 
 She raifed her levies, thefe difbanded bone 
 Refinement, Arts, and Literature, and Laws 
 Back to their favage kindred ;. whilft Herfelf 
 Wifely tranfplanted from each vanquifh'd land: 
 
 Whatever might profit, or refine her reign 
 
 Thus was the world to clofer union drawn 
 
 By bondage j province thus with province grew 
 
 Akin, connected ach with regal Rome. 
 
 This general amity, *twixt diftant realms 
 This eafy intercourfe, from clime to clime 
 
 1. To
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. v 
 
 n 
 
 To fpeed the produces of peculiar foils 
 
 Could ought have fairn.more friendly ? or to fpread. 
 
 Peculiar doctrines ? hence. in Paleftine. 
 
 Eirfl preach'd, the gofpel to far.fever'd fhores , 
 
 In time attain'd, yet not, alas ! without i 
 
 Much toil, much bloodihed many a teacher brayed: 
 
 Opposing elements, many a martyr died . 
 
 To propagate 'mong/t men, and prove their faith. 
 
 Pure at the fkfr, juft iffuing from its fource- 
 Chriftianity flow'd on.^ yet as the ftream> 
 Partakes at length the nature of the foil 
 O'er which it lapfes, now falubrious, . 
 Now harmful, fo lefs pure at length became 
 This heav'n-defcended current, in its courfe 
 Thro' the dark windings of the human heart, 
 By human paflions clouded and defiled. 
 
 Hence
 
 3 8 RELIGION: 
 
 Hence herefies, contentions hot, and wars 
 
 On mifconceptions founded ; hence the flight 
 
 Of Zealots from the focial haunts of men 
 
 To lonelieft folitudes, with all the pains, 
 
 The felf-enjoin'd, and felf-innicted pains 
 
 Of wild Enthufiafts. Hence may we trace 
 
 The ambitious aims of Rome in modern times, 
 
 Her imaged faints, and confecrated mrines, 
 
 And droning brotherhoods, with thofe tides of blood 
 
 By ruthlefs Bigots drawn from Britim veins 
 
 Hence Lufitanian tortures, whips, and wheels, 
 
 And fires inquifitorial ; and hence 
 
 Galas ! unhappy Sire ! thy cruel fall. 
 
 Miftaken Man ! Hill wandering from the way 
 Of Truth, tho* thither by a hand from heav'n 
 Directed ; happier, happier had it been 
 Perchance for you, ne'er to have known the right 
 
 Than
 
 A POETICAL ESSAY. 39 
 
 Than knowing not purfue it ; fingle then 
 Had been the crime of error, if to err 
 Be criminal, nor with aggravation fwol'n 
 Of obftinate tranfgreffion. Worfe your ftate, 
 Worfe, tho' lefs pitiable, than of Thofe 
 In darknefs born, in darknefs doom'd to grope 
 Their way, unlighted by the radiant lamp 
 Held out long fince to you, left as Ye are 
 Excufelefs in your aberrations. 
 
 Awake ! awake ! henceforward dream no more 
 Of pow'r, 'of fecret efficacy lodged 
 In rites, or ceremonials, to unbar 
 
 The gates of Heav'n henceforward dream no more 
 
 That outward acts, with which the heart within 
 Accords not ; that the fuperficial ftir 
 Of lips, that manacles, or ftripes, or wounds 
 Inflicted on this corporal rind, have force 
 
 3 To
 
 40 R fe L I G I O N, 6cc. 
 
 To pluck down heavenly favour 'tis the heart, 
 The heart devoid of vanity, and fraud, 
 And fraught with tendereft feeling for each child 
 Of Sorrow, univerfal in its love 
 As is God's goodnefs, that alone delights 
 Our God 'all elfe is ineffectual form, 
 Unmeaning pageant, and unreal glare, 
 Not found Religion ; gorgeous to the eye 
 Haply, and tempting like the Fruitage famed 
 To fkirt the Afphaltic pool, but like it falfe, 
 Unnutritive, unprofitable, vain. 
 
 N I S.
 
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