Of favage men? So parts the dying turtle
With fobbing accents, with fuch fad regret
Leaves his kind feather'd mate: The widow bird
Wanders in lonefome fhades, forgets her food,
Forgets her life; or falls a speedier prey
To talon'd faulcons, and the crooked beak
Of hawks athirst for blood-

The SECOND PART:

THUS

The BRIGHT VISION.

Or

HUS far the Mufe, in unaccustom'd mood,
And ftrains unpleafing to a lover's ear,

Indulg'd a gloom of thought; and thus fhe fang
Partial; for Melancholy's hateful form
Stood by in fable robe: The penfive Muse
Survey'd the darkfome fcenes of life, and fought
Some bright relieving glimpfe, fome cordial ray
In the fair world of love: But while fhe gaz'd
Delightful on the ftate of twin-born fouls
United, blefs'd, the cruel fhade apply'd
A dark long tube, and a false tinctur'd glass
Deceitful; blending love and life at once
In darkness, chaos, and the common mafs
Of mifery: Now Urania feels the cheat,
And breaks the hated optic in disdain.

Swift vanishes the fullen form, and lo

The fcene fhines bright with blifs: Behold the place Where mifchiefs never fly, cares never come

}

W

With wrinkled brow, nor anguish, nor disease,
or malice forky-tongued. On this dear spot,
itio, my love would fix and plant thy ftation
act thy part of life, ferene and bleft
th the fair confort fitted to thy heart.

re 'tis a vifion of that happy grove re the first authors of our mournful race in fweet partnership! one hour they liv'd, hang'd the tafted blifs (imprudent pair!) n, and hame, and this wafte wilderness Cars, and nine hundred years of pain. Tithing Mufe new-dreffes the fair garden A this defart-world, with budding blifs, Anver-greens, and balms, and flowery beauties Wiut one dangerous tree: There heavenly dews Nigy defcending fhall iinpearl the grafs Anerdant herbage; drops of fragrancy Sit mbling on the fpires: The fpicy vapours Ri with the dawn, and through the air diffus'd Sae your waking fenfes with perfume:

We vital fruits with their ambrofial juice
Rew life's purple flood and fountain, pure
Fm vicions taint; and with your innocence
mortalize the ftru&ture of your clay.

n this new paradife the cloudlefs fkies
hall fmile perpetual, while the lamp of day
With flames unfully'd, (as the fabled torch
Of Hymen) meafures out your golden Hours
Along his azure road. The nuptial moon

In milder rays ferene, fhould nightly rife
Full orb'd (if heaven and nature will indulge
So fair an emblem) big with filver joys,
And ftill forget her wane. The feather'd choir,
Warbling their Maker's praise on early wing,
Or perch'd on evening-bough, fhall join your worship,
Join your sweet vespers, and the morning fong.

O facred fymphony! Hark, through the grove
I hear the found divine! I'm all attention,
All ear, all extafy; unknown delight!
And the fair Mufe proclaims the heaven below.

Not the feraphic minds of high degree
Difdain converfe with men: Again returning
I fee th' ethereal hoft on downward wing.
Lo, at the eastern gate young cherubs stand
Guardians, commiffion'd to convey their joys
To earthly lovers. Go, ye happy pair,

Go taste their banquet, learn the nobler pleasures
Supernal, and from brutal dregs refin'd.
Raphael fhall teach thee, friend, exalted thoughts
And intellectual blifs. 'Twas Raphael taught
The patriarch of our progeny th' affairs

:

Of heaven (So Milton fings, enlightned bard!
Nor mifs'd his eyes, when in fublimest strain

The angel's great narration he repeats

To Albion's fons high favour'd.) Thou shalt learn
Celestial leffons from his awful tongue;

And with foft grace and interwoven loves

7

(Grateful

(Grateful digreffion) all his words rehearse
To thy Chariffa's ear, and charm her foul.
Thus with divine difcourfe, in fhady bowers
Of Eden, our first father entertain'd
Eve his fole auditrefs; and deep dispute
With conjugal careffes on her lip

Solv'd eafy, and abstrusfest thoughts reveal'd.

Now the day wears apace, now Mitio comes
From his bright tutor, and finds out his mate.
Behold the dear affociates feated low

On humble turf, with rofe and myrtle ftrow'd;
But high their conference! how self-suffic'd
Lives their eternal Maker, girt around

With glories: arm'd with thunders; and his throne
Mortal accefs forbids, projecting far

Splendors unfufferable and radiant death.

With reverence and abasement deep they fall
Before his Sovereign Majefty, to pay
Due worship: Then his mercy on their fouls
Smiles with a gentler ray, but fovereign still;
And leads their meditation and difcourfe
Long ages backward, and across the feas
To Bethlehem of Judah: There the fon,
The filial godhead, character exprefs
Of brightness inexpreffible, laid by

His beamy robes, and made defcent to earth:
Sprung from the fons of Adam he became
A fecond father, ftudious to regain

Loft paradife for men, and purchafe heaven.

The lovers with indearment mutual thus Promiscuous talk'd, and questions intricate His manly judgment ftill refolv'd, and still Held her attention fix'd: fhe musing fat On the sweet mention of incarnate love, Till rapture wak'd her voice to fofteft ftrains. "She fang the Infant God; (myfterious theme!) "How vile his birth-place, and his cradle vile! "The ox and afs his mean companions; there "In habit vile the shepherds flock around, "Saluting the great mother, and adore "Ifrael's anointed King, the appointed heir "Of the creation. How debas'd he lies "Beneath his regal state; for thee, my Mitio, "Debas'd in fervile form; but angels food "Miniftering round their charge with folded wings "Obfequious, though unfeen; while lightfome hours "Fulfill'd the day, and the grey e vening rofe. "Then the fair guardians hovering o'er his head "Wakeful all night, drive the foul fpirits far, "And with their fanning pinions purge the air "From bufy phantoms, from infectious damps, "And impure taint; while their ambrofial plumes "A dewy flumber on his fenfes fhed. "Alternate hymns the heavenly watchers fung "Melodious, foothing the furrounding fhades, "And kept the darkness chalte and holy. Then "Midnight was charm'd, and all her gazing eyes "Wonder'd to fee their mighty Maker fleep.

5

"Behold