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 fpeedier prey
To talon'd faulcons, and the crooked beak
Of hawks athirft for blood-

TH

The SECOND PART:

The BRIGHT VISIO N.

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 scenes 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 mass
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

With wrinkled brow, nor anguish, nor disease,
or malice forky-tongued. On this dear spot,
itio, my love would fix and plant thy station
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!)

and fhame, and this wafte wilderness
d ars, and nine hundred years of pain.
Thing Mufe new-dreffes the fair garden
A this defart-world, with budding blifs,
Aner-greens, and balms, and flowery beauties
Wit one dangerous tree : There heavenly dews
Nig defcending fhall impearl the grafs
Anderdant herbage; drops of fragrancy
Sitbling on the fpires: The spicy vapours
Rifth the dawn, and through the air diffus'd
Sal your waking fenfes with perfume:
W vital fruits with their ambrofial juice
Re life's purple flood and fountain, pure
Fr vicions taint; and with your innocence
your clay.

In hortalize the ftructure of

this new paradife the cloudless skies all fimile perpetual, while the lamp of day ith flames unfully'd, (as the fabled torch of Hymen) meafures out your golden hours Along his azure road. The nuptial moon

In

In milder rays ferene, fhould nightly rise
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, shall join your worship,
Join your sweet vefpers, 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 Muse 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, cominiffion'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 fublimeft 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 difpute
With conjugal careffes on her lip

Solv'd eafy, and abftrufeft 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 ftill;
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 purchase heaven.

The lovers with indearment mutual thus Promifcuous talk'd, and questions intricate His manly judgment ftill refolv'd, and still Held her attention fix'd: fhe mufing fat On the sweet mention of incarnate love, Till rapture wak'd her voice to fofteft ftrains. "She fang the Infant God; (mysterious 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 stood "Miniftering round their charge with folded wings "Obfequious, though unfeen; while lightfome hours "Fulfill'd the day, and the grey evening rofe. "Then the fair guardians hovering o'er his head "Wakeful all night, drive the foul spirits far, "And with their fauning pinions purge the air "From busy phantoms, from infectious damps, "And impure taint; while their ambrofial plumes "A dewy flumber on his fenfes shed. "Alternate hymns the heavenly watchers fung "Melodious, foothing the furrounding fhades, "And kept the darkness chafte and holy. Then "Midnight was charm'd, and all her gazing eyes "Wonder'd to fee their mighty Maker fleep.

15

"Behold