Flames on the ruins in the
Towering aloft, upon the glittering plain,
Like broken rocks, a vast circumference ;
Rent palaces, crush'd columns, rifled moles,
Fanes roll'd on fanes, and tombs on buried tombs.
Deep lies in duft the Theban obelisk
Immenfe along the wafte; minuter art,
Gliconian forms, or Phidian, fubtly fair,
O'erwhelming; as th' immenfe Leviathan
The finny brood, when near Ierne's fhore
Out-stretch'd, unwieldy, his island length appears
Above the foamy flood. Globofe and huge,
Grey-mouldering temples fwell, and wide o'ercast
The folitary landscape, hills and woods,
And boundlefs wilds; while the vine-mantled brows
The pendent goats unveil, regardless they
Of hourly peril, though the clifted domes
Tremble to every wind. The pilgrim oft
At dead of night, 'mid his oraifon hears
Aghaft the voice of time, difparting towers,
Tumbling all precipitate down-dafh'd,
Rattling around, loud thundering to the Moon;
While murmurs footh each aweful interval
Of aver-falling waters; fhrouded Nile
Eridanus, and Tiber with his twins,
And palmy Euphrates; they with dropping locks,
Hang o'er their urns, and mournfully among
The plaintive-echoing rains pour their streams.
* Fountains at Rome adorned with the ftatues of thofe rivers.
Yet here, adventurous in the facred fearch
Of ancient arts, the delicate of mind,
Curious and modeft, from all climes refort,
Grateful fociety! with thefe I raise
The toilfome ftep up the proud Palatin,
Through fpiry cyprefs groves, and towering pine,
Waving aloft o'er the big ruins brows,
On numerous arches rear'd: and frequent stopp'd,
The funk ground ftartles me with dreadful chafm,
Breathing forth darkness from the vast profound
Of ifles and halls, within the mountain's womb.
Nor these the nether works; all these beneath,
And all beneath the vales and hills around,
Extend the cavern'd fewers, maffy, firm,
As the Sibylline grot befide the dead
Lake of Avernus; fuch the fewers huge,
Whither the great Tarquinian genius dooms
Each wave impure; and proud with added rains,
Hark how the mighty billows lafh their vaults,
And thunder; how they heave their rocks in vain!
Though now inceffant time has roll'd around
A thousand winters o'er the changeful world,
And yet a thousand fince, th' indignant floods
Roar loud in their firm bounds, and dash and fwell,
In vain; convey'd to Tiber's lowest wave.
Hence over airy plains, by cryftal founts,
That weave their glittering waves with tuneful lapfe,
Among the fleeky pebbles, agate clear,
Cerulean ophite, and the flowery vein
Of orient jafper, pleas'd I move along,
And vafes bofs'd, and huge infcriptive stones,
And intermingling vines; and figur'd nymphs,
Flora's and Chloe's of delicious mould,
Chearing the darkness; and deep empty tombs,
And dells, and mouldering shrines, with old decay
Ruftic and green and wide-embowering fhades,
Shot from the crooked clefts of nodding towers.
A folemn wildernefs! with error fweet,
I wind the lingering step, where-e'er the path
Mazy conducts me, which the vulgar foot
O'er fculptures maim'd has made; Anubis, Sphinx,
Idols of antique guife, and horned Pan,
Terrific, monftrous fhapes! prepofterous Gods,
Of Fear and Ignorance, by the sculptor's hand
Hewn into form, and worship'd; as ev'n now
Blindly they worship at their breathless mouths *
In varied appellations: men to these
(From deep to depth in darkening error fall'n)
At length afcrib'd th' Inapplicable Name.
How doth it please and fill the memory
With deeds of brave renown, while on each hand
Hiftoric urns and breathing ftatues rife,
And speaking bufts! Sweet Scipio, Marius ftern,
Pompey fuperb, the fpirit-ftirring form
Of Cæfar raptur'd with the charm of rule
And boundless fame; impatient for exploits,
His eager eyes upcast, he foars in thought
* Several statues of the Pagan gods have been converted into images of faints.
Above all height: and his own Brutus fee,
Defponding Brutus, dubious of the right,
In evil days, of faith, of public weal,
Solicitous and fad. Thy next regard
Be Tully's graceful attitude; unprais'd,
His out-ftretch'd arm he waves, in act to speak
Before the filent mafters of the world,
And eloquence arrays him. There behold
Prepar'd for combat in the front of war
The pious brothers; jealous Alba stands
In fearful expectation of the strife,
And youthful Rome intent: the kindred foes
Fall on each other's neck in filent tears;
In forrowful benevolence embrace→→→
Howe'er they foon unfheath the flashing sword,
Their country calls to arms; now all in vain
The mother clafps the knee, and ev'n the fair
Now weeps in vain; their country calls to arms.
Such virtue Clelia, Cocles, Manlius, rouz'd;
Such were the Fabii, Decii; so inspir'd,
The Scipio's battled, and the Gracchi spoke :
So rofe the Roman ftate. Me now, of these
Deep-mufing, high ambitious thoughts inflama
Greatly to serve my country, distant land,
And build me virtuous fame; nor fhall the duft
Of these fall'n piles with fhew of fad decay
Avert the good refolve, mean argument,
The fate alone of matter.-Now the brow
We gain enraptur'd; beauteously diftinct*
The numerous porticos and domes upfwell,
With obelisks and columns interpos'd,
And pine, and fir, and oak: fo fair a fcene
Sees not the dervise from the spiral tomb
Of ancient Chammos, while his eye beholds
Proud Memphis' reliques o'er th' Ægyptian plain :
Nor hoary hermit from Hymettus' brow,
Though graceful Athens, in the vale beneath.
Along the windings of the Mufe's stream,
Lucid Ilyffus weeps her filent schools,
And groves, unvifited by bard or fage.
Amid the towery ruins, huge, fupreme,
Th' enormous amphitheatre behold,
Mountainous pile! o'er whofe capacious womb
Pours the broad firmament its varied light;
While from the central floor the feats afcend
Round above round, flow-widening to the verge,
A circuit vaft and high; nor less had held
Imperial Rome, and her attendant realms,
When drunk with rule fhe will'd the fierce delight,
And op'd the gloomy caverns, whence out-rush'd
Before th' innumerable fhouting crowd
The fiery, madded, tyrants of the wilds,
Lions and tigers, wolves and elephants,
And desperate men, more fell. Abhorr'd intent!
By frequent converfe with familiär death,
From the Palatin hill one fees moft of the remark
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