Who with their votaries in one ruin fhar'd,
Crush'd, and o'erwhelm'd. Others in frantic mood
Run howling through the streets, their hideous yells
Rend the dark welkin; Horror stalks around,
Wild-staring, and, his fad concomitant,.
Despair, of abject look: at every gate
The thronging populace with hafty ftrides-
Prefs furious, and, too eager of escape,
Obftruct the easy way; the rocking town
Supplants their footsteps; to, and fro, they reel
Aftonished, as o'er-charg'd with wine; when lo!.
The ground aduft her riven mouth disparts,
Horrible chaẩm; profound! with swift descent
Old Ariconium finks, and all her tribes,
Heroes, and fenators, down to the realms
Of endless night. Meanwhile, the loosen'd winds
Infuriate, molten rocks and flaming globes
Hurl'd high above the clouds; till all their force
Confum'd, her ravenous jaws th' earth fatiate clos'd
Thus this fair city fell, of which the name
Survives alone; nor is there found a mark,
Whereby the curious paffenger may learn
Her ample site, fave coins, and mouldering urns,.
And huge unwieldy bones, lafting remains
Of that gigantic race; which, as he breaks
The clotted glebe, the plowman haply finds,
Appall'd. Upon that treacherous tract of land,
She whilome ftood; now Ceres, in her prime,.
Smiles fertile, and with ruddiest freight bedeck'd,,
The apple-tree, by our fore-fathers blood
Improv'd, that now recalls the devious Muse,
Urging her deftin'd labours to pursue.
The prudent will obferve, what paffions reign
In various plants (for not to man alone,
But all the wide creation, Nature gave
Love, and averfion): everlafting hate
The Vine to Ivy bears, nor lefs abhors
The Colewort's ranknefs; but with amorous twine
Clafps the tall Elm: the Pæftan Rose unfolds
Her bud more lovely, near the fetid Leek,
(Creft of ftout Britons), and inhances thence
The price of her celeftial fcent: the Gourd,
And thirsty Cucumber, when they perceive
Th' approaching Olive, with refentment fly
Her fatty fibres, and with tendrils creep
Diverse, detefting contact; whilst the Fig
Contemns not Rue, nor Sage's humble leaf,
Clofe-neighbouring: th' Herefordian plant
Carefles freely the contiguous Peach,
Hazel, and weight-refifting Palm, and likes
T' approach the Quince, and the Elder's pithy ftem;
Uneafy, feated by funereal Yeugh,
Or Walnut, (whofe malignant touch impairs
All generous fruits), or near the bitter dews
Of Cherries. Therefore weigh the habits well
Of plants, how they affociate beft, nor let
Ill neighbourhood corrupt thy hopeful graffs.
Would't thou thy vats with gen'rous juice should
Refpect thy orchats; think not, that the trees
Spontaneous will produce an wholsome draught.
Let art correct thy breed: from parent bough
A Cyon meetly fever: after, force
A way into the crabstock's close-wrought grain
By wedges, and within the living wound
Enclofe the fofter twig; nor over-nice
Refufe with thy own hands around to spread
The binding clay: ere-long their differing veins
Unite, and kindly nourishment convey
To the new pupil; now he fhoots his arms
With quickest growth; now fhake the teeming trunk,
Down rain th' impurpled balls, ambrosial fruit.
Whether the Wilding's fibres are contriv'd
To draw th' earth's pureft spirit, and refift
It's feculence, which in more porous stocks
Of Cyder-plants finds paffage free, or elfe
The native verjuice of the Crab, deriv'd
Through th' infix'd graff, a grateful mixture forms
Of tart and sweet'; whatever be the cause,
This doubtful progeny by nicest tastes
Expected best acceptance finds, and pays
Largeft revenues to the orchat-lord.
Some think the Quince and Apple would combine In happy union; others fitter deem
The Sloe-ftem bearing Sylvan Plumbs auftere.
Who knows but both may thrive? howe'er, what lofs
To try the powers of both, and fearch how far
Two different natures may concur to mix
In close embraces, and ftrange offspring bear?
Thou 'It find that plants will frequent changes try,
Undamag'd,
Undamag'd, and their marriageable arms
Conjoin with others. So Silurian plants
Admit the Peach's odoriferous globe,
And Pears of fundry forms; at different times
Adopted Plumbs will alien branches grace;
And men have gather'd from the Hawthorn's branch:
Large Medlars, imitating regal crowns..
Nor is it hard to beautify each month
With files of particolor'd fruits, that please
The tongue, and view, at once. So Maro's Mufe,
Thrice facred Mufe! commodious precepts gives.
Inftructive to the swains, not wholly bent.
On what is gainful: fometimes fhe diverts
From folid counfels, fhews the force of love
In favage beafts; how virgin face divine
Attracts the hapless youth through ftorms and waves,
Alone, in deep of night: Then the describes
The Scythian winter, nor difdains to fing
How under ground the rude Riphæan race.
Mimick brisk Cyder with the brakes product wild;
Sloes pounded, Hips, and Servis' harshett juice..
Let fage experience teach thee all the arts
Of grafting and in-eyeing; when to lop
The flowing branches; what trees anfwer beft
From root, or kernel: fhe will beft the hours
Of harvest, and feed-time declare; by her
The different qualities of things were found,
And fecret motions; how with heavy bulk
Volatile Hermes, fluid and unmoist,
Mounts on the wings of air; to her we owe
The Indian weed *, unknown to ancient times,
Nature's choice gift, whose acrimonious fume
Extracts fuperfluous juices, and refines
The blood distemper'd from its noxious falts;
Friend to the fpirits, which with vapors bland
It gently mitigates, companion fit
Of pleafantry, and wine; nor to the bards
Unfriendly, when they to the vocal shell
Warble melodious their well-labor'd fongs.
She found the polish'd glafs, whofe fmall convex
Enlarges to ten millions of degrees
The mite, invifible elfe, of Nature's hand
Leaft animal; and fhews, what laws of life
The cheese-inhabitants observe, and how
Fabrick their manfions in the harden'd milk,
Wonderful artists! but the hidden ways
Of Nature would't thou know? how first she frames
All things in miniature? thy fpecular orb
Apply to well-diffected kernels; lo!
Strange forms arise, in each a little plant
Unfolds its boughs: obferve the slender threads
Of firft beginning trees, their roots, their leaves,
In narrow feeds defcrib'd; thou'lt wondering fay,
An inmate orchat every apple boasts.
Thus all things by experience are display'd,
And most improv'd. Then fedulously think
To meliorate thy ftock; no way, or rule,
Be unaffay'd; prevent the morning star
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