In characters uncouth, and spelt amiss.
So ftrong the zeal t' immortalize himself
Beats in the breast of man, that ev'n a few,
Few tranfient years won from th' abyss abhorr'd
Of blank oblivion, feem a glorious prize,
And even to a clown. Now
And posted on this fpeculative height
Exults in its command. The fheep-fold here
Pours out its fleecy tenants o'er the glebe.
At first, progreffive as a stream, they seek
The middle field; but scatter'd by degrees,
Each to his choice, foon whiten all the land.
There, from the fun-burnt hay-field, homeward
The loaded wain, while lighten'd of its charge,
The wain that meets it paffes fwiftly by,
The boorish driver leaning o'er his team
Vocif'rous, and impatient of delay.
Nor lefs attractive is the woodland fcene,
Diverfified with trees of ev'ry growth
Alike yet various. Here the grey fmooth trunks
Of afh or lime, or beech, diftinctly shine,
Within the twilight of their distant shades ;
There, loft behind a rifing ground, the wood
Seems funk, and fhorten'd to its topmoft boughs.
No tree in all the grove but has its charms,
Though each its hue peculiar ; paler fome,
And of a wannifh grey; the willow fuch,
And poplar, that with filver lines his leaf,
And ash far-stretching his umbrageous arm :
Of deeper green the elm; and deeper still,
Lord of the woods, the long-furviving oak.
Some gloffy-leav'd and shining in the fun,
The maple, and the beech of oily nuts
Prolific, and the lime at dewy eve
Diffusing odours: nor unnoted pass
The fycamore, capricious in attire,
Now green, now tawny, and ere autumn yet Have changed the woods, in fcarlet honours bright.
O'er thefe, but far beyond, (a fpacious map
Of hill and valley interpos'd between)
The Oufe, dividing the well-water'd land,
Now glitters in the fun, and now retires,
As bashful, yet impatient to be seen.
Hence the declivity is fharp and fhort,
And fuch the re-afcent; between them weeps
A little Naiad her impov'rifh'd urn
All fummer long, which winter fills again.
The folded gates would bar my progress now,
But that the Lord of this inclosed demefne,
Communicative of the good he owns,
Admits me to a fhare: the guiltless eye
Commits no wrong, nor waftes what it enjoys.
Refreshing change! where now the blazing fun?
By fhort tranfition we have loft his glare,
And stepp'd at once into a cooler clime.
Ye fallen avenues! once more I mourn
Your fate unmerited; once more rejoice
That yet a remnant of your race furvives.
How airy and how light the graceful arch,
Yet awful as the confecrated roof
Re-echoing pious anthems! while beneath
The chequer'd earth feems restless as a flood
Brufh'd by the wind. So fportive is the light
Shot through the boughs, it dances as they dance,
Shadow and funfhine intermingling quick,
And darkning and enlightning, as the leaves
Play wanton, ev'ry moment, ev'ry spot.
And now with nerves new-brac'd and spirits
chear'd
We tread the wilderness, whofe well-roll'd walks With curvature of flow and easy sweep,
Deception innocent-give ample space
To narrow bounds. The grove receives us next; Between the upright fhafts of whofe tall elms
e may difcern the thresher at his tafk. Thump after thump, refounds the conftant flail, That feems to fwing uncertain, and yet falls Full on the deftin'd ear. Wide flies the chaff; The ruftling ftraw fends up a frequent mist Of atoms fparkling in the noon-day beam.
Come hither, ye that prefs your beds of down
And fleep not fee him fweating o'er his bread
Before he eats it-Tis the primal curse,
But foften'd into mercy; made the pledge
Of chearful days, and nights without a groan.
By ceaseless action, all that is, fubfifts.
Conftant rotation of th' unwearied wheel
That nature rides upon, maintains her health,
Her beauty, her fertility. She dreads
An inftant's pause, and lives but while fhe moves. Its own revolvency upholds the world.
Winds from all quarters agitate the air,
And fit the limpid element for ufe,
Elfe noxious: oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams
All feel the fresh'ning impulfe, and are cleanfed
By reftlefs undulation; ev'n the oak
Thrives by the rude concuffion of the storm;
He feems indeed indignant, and to feel
Th' impreffion of the blast with proud difdain;
Frowning as if in his unconscious arm.
His firm ftability to what he fcorns,
More fixt below, the more disturb'd above.
The law by which all creatures elfe are bound,
Binds man the lord of all. Himfelf derives
No mean advantage from a kindred caufe,
From ftrenuous toil his hours of sweetest ease.
The fedentary stretch their lazy length
When custom bids, but no refreshment find,
For none they need: the languid eye, the cheek
Deferted of its bloom, the flaccid, fhrunk,
And wither'd muscle, and the vapid foul,
Reproach their owner with the love of reft
To which he forfeits ev'n the rest he loves.
Not fuch th' alert and active. Measure life
By its true worth, the comforts it affords,
And theirs alone feem worthy of the name,
Good health, and its affociate in the most,
Good temper; fpirits prompt to undertake,
And not foon spent, though in an arduous task ;
The pow'rs of fancy and ftrong thought are
theirs ;
Ev'n age itself seems privileg'd in them
With clear exemption from its own defects.
A fparkling eye beneath a wrinkled front
The vet'ran fhows, and gracing a grey beard
With youthful fmiles, defcends towards the grave
Sprightly, and old almost without decay.
Like a coy maiden, eafe, when courted moft,
Fartheft retires-an idol, at whofe fhrine
Who oft'neft facrifice are favour'd least.
The love of Nature, and the fcenes fhe draws
Is Nature's dictate. Strange! there should be
found
Who felf-imprifon'd in their proud faloons,
Renounce the odours of the open field
|