85

Shoot gradual from her bofom: and beyond,
Like diftant clouds blue-floating on the verge
Of evening skies, break forth the dawning hills.
A thoufand landfcapes! barren fome and bare,
Rock pil'd on rock, amazing, up to heaven,
Of horrid grandeur: fome with sounding ash,
Or oak broad-fhadowing, or the fpiry growth
Of waving pine high-plum'd, and all beheld
More lovely in the fun's adorning beam;
Who now, fair-rifing o'er yon eastern cliff,
The vernal verdure tinctures gay with gold.
Mean while Aurelius, wak'd from sweet repose,
Repofe that Temperance fheds in timely dews.
On all who live to her, his mournful guest
Came forth to hail, as hospitable rites
And Virtue's rule enjoin: but first to him,
Spring of all charity, who gave the heart
With kindly fenfe to glow, his matin-fong,"
Superior duty, thus the fage addrest:

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Fountain of light! from whom yon orient fun First drew his fplendor; Source of life and love! Whofe fmile now wakes o'er earth's rekindling face The boundless blush of fpring; O, Firft and Beft! Thy effence, though from human fight and fearch, Though from the climb of all created thought, Ineffably remov'd; yet man himself, Thy lowest child of reason, man may: read Unbounded power, intelligence fupreme, The Maker's hand, on all his works impreft, In characters coeval with the fun,

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And

And with the fun to laft; from world to world,
From age to age, in every clime, difclos'd,
Sole revelation through all time the fame.
Hail, univerfal Goodnefs! with full ftream

For ever flowing from beneath the throne

Through earth, air, fea, to all things that have life:
From all that live on earth, in air and sea,
The great community of Nature's fons,
To thee, firft Father, ceafelefs praife afcend!
And in the reverent hymn my grateful voice
Be duly heard, among thy works not least,
Nor loweft; with intelligence inform'd,

To know thee, and adore; with free-will crown'd,
Where Virtue leads, to follow and be bleft.
O, whether by thy prime decree ordain'd
To days of future life; or whether now
The mortal hour is inftant, ftill vouchsafe,
Parent and friend, to guide me blameless on
Through this dark scene of error and of ill,
Thy truth to light me, and thy peace to chear.
All elfe, of me unafk'd, thy will fupreme
With-hold or grant: and let that will be done.

This from the foul in filence breath'd fincere,
The hill's fteep fide with firm elastic step

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He lightly fcal'd: fuch health the frugal board, 135
The morn's fresh breath that exercife refpires
In mountain-walks, and confcience free from blame,
Our life's best cordial, can through age prolong.
There, loft in thought, and self-abandon'd, lay
The man unknown; nor heard approach his hoft, 140

Nor

Nor rais'd his drooping head. Aurelius mov'd
By foft compaffion, which the favage scene,
Shut up and barr'd amid furrounding feas
From human commerce, quicken'd into fenfe
Of sharper sorrow, thus apart began.

O fight, that from the eye of wealth or pride,
Ev'n in their hour of vaineft thought, might draw
A feeling tear! Whom yesterday beheld
By love and fortune crown'd, of all possest

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That Fancy, tranc'd in fairest vision, dreams;
Now lost to all, each hope that softens life,

150

Each blifs that chears; there, on the damp earth spread, Beneath a heaven unknown, behold him now!

And let the gay, the fortunate, the great,

The proud, be taught, what now the wretched feel, 155
The happy have to fear. O man forlorn,

Too plain I read thy heart, by fondness drawn
To this fad fcene, to fights that but inflame
Its tender anguish—

Hear me, heaven! exclaim'd 160

The frantic mourner, could that anguish rise
To madness and to mortal agony,

I yet would blefs my fate; by one kind pang,
From what I feel, the keener pangs of thought
For ever freed. To me the fun is loft:
To me the future flight of days and years
Is darkness, is despair-But who complains
Forgets that he can die. O, fainted maid!
For fuch in heaven thou art, if from thy feat
Of holy reft, beyond thefe changeful skies,

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If

If names on earth moft facred once and dear,

A lover and a friend, if yet

thefe names

Can wake thy pity, dart one guiding ray

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To light me where, in cave or creek, are thrown
Thy lifeless limbs that I-O grief fupreme!
O fate remorfelefs! was thy lover fav`d
For fuch a task?-that I thofe dear remains,
With maiden-rites adorn'd, at laft may lodge
Beneath the hallow'd vault; and, weeping there
O'er thy cold urn, await the hour to clofe
These eyes in peace, and mix this duft with thine!
Such, and fo dire, reply'd the cordial friend
In pity's look and language, fuch, alas!
Were late my thoughts. Whate'er the human heart
Can most afflict, grief, agony, despair,

This bofom ravag'd. Hearken then, good youth;

Have all been mine, and with alternate war

My story mark, and from another's fate,
Pre-eminently wretched, learn thy own,
Sad as it feems, to balance and to bear.

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In me, a man behold, whose morn ferene, Whofe noon of better life, with honour spent, In virtuous purpose, or in honeft act,

Drew fair diftinction on my public name,

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From thofe among mankind, the nobler few,
Whofe praise is fame: but there, in that true fource
Whence happiness with pureft ftream defcends,
In home found peace and love, fupremely bleft!
Union of hearts, confent of wedded wills,
By friendship knit, by mutual faith secur'd,

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Our

Our hopes and fears, our earth and heaven the fame!
At last, Amyntor, in my failing age,

Fallen from fuch height, and with the felon-herd,
Robbers and outlaws, number'd-thought that still
Stings deep the heart, and clothes the cheek with fhame!
Then doom'd to feel what guilt alone should fear,
"The hand of public vengeance; arm'd by rage,
Not juftice; rais'd to injure, not redress;
To rob, not guard; to ruin, not defend :
And all, O fovereign Reafon! all deriv'd
From Power that claims thy warrant to do wrong!
A right divine to violate unblam'd

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Each law, each rule, that, by himself observ'd,
The God prescribes whofe fan&tion kings pretend!
O Charles! O monarch! in long exile train'd, 215
Whole hopeless years, th' oppreffor's hand to know
How hateful and how hard; thyself reliev'd,
Now hear thy people, groaning under wrongs
Of equal load, adjure thee by thofe days
Of want and woe, of danger and despair,
As heaven has thine, to pity their distress!

Yet, from the plain good meaning of my heart,
Be far th' unhallow'd licence of abuse;

Be far the bitterness of faintly zeal,

That impious hid behind the patriot's name
Masks hate and malice to the legal throne,
In justice founded, circumferib'd by laws,
The prince to guard-but guard the people too:
Chief, one prime good to guard inviolate,
Soul of all worth, and fum of human blifs,

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