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But now he is abfent, I walk by its fide,
And ftill as it murmurs do nothing but chide
Muft you be fo cheerful, while I go in pain?
Peace there with your bubbling, and hear me complain.
IV.

When my lambkins around me would oftentimes play,
And when Phebe and I were as joyful as they,
How pleasant their sporting, how happy their time,
When fpring, love, and beauty, were all in their prime?
But now in their frolics when by me they pass,
I fling at their fleeces an handful of grass;
Be ftill then, I cry, for it makes me quite mad,
To fee you fo merry, while I am fo fad.

V.

My dog I was ever well pleased to see Come wagging his tail to my fair one and me; And Phebe was pleas'd too, and to my dog faid, Come hither, poor fellow; and patted his head. But now, when he's fawning, I with a four look Cry, Sirrah; and give him a blow with my crook; And I'll give him another: for why fbould not Tray . Be as dull as his master, when Phebe's away?

VI.

When walking with Phebe, what fights have I feen? How fair was the flower, how fresh was the green? What a lovely appearance the trees and the fhade, The corn-fields and hedges, and ev'ry thing made? But now he has left me, tho' all are still there, They none of them now fo delightful appear: 'Twas nought but the magic, I find, of her eyes, Made fo many beautiful profpeits arife.

VII.

Sweet mufic went with us both all the wood thro', The lark, linnet, throftle, and nightingale too; Winds over us whisper'd, flocks by us did bleat, And chirp went the grasshopper under our feet.

But

But now fhe is abfent, tho' ftill they fing on,
The woods are but lonely, the melody's gone:›
Her voice in the concert, as now I have found,
Gave ev'ry thing else its agreeable found.

VIII.

Rofe, what is become of thy delicate hue? And where is the violet's beautiful blue? Does 'ought of its fweetness the bloffom beguile? That meadow, thofe daifies, why do they not fmile?' Ah! rivals, I fee what it was that you dreft, And made yourselves fine for; a place in her breaft? You put on your colours to pleafure her eye, To be pluckt by her hand, on her bofom to die.

IX.

How flowly time creeps till my Phebe return ?
While amidst the foft Zephyr's cool breezes I burn;
Methinks, if I knew whereabouts he would tread,
I could breathe on his wings, and 'twould melt down
the lead.

Fly fwifter, ye minutes, bring hither my dear,
And reft fo much longer for't when he is here.
Ah, Colin! old Time is full of delay,

Nor will budge one foot fafter for all thou canst say.

X.

Will no pitying pow'r that hears me complain, Or cure my difquiet, or foften my pain? To be cur'd, thou must, Colin, thy paffion remove ;: But what fwain is fo filly to live without love? No, Deity, bid the dear nymph to return, For we'er was poor fhepherd so sadly forlorn. Ah! what fhall I do? Ifhall die with defpair; Take heed, all ye fwains, how ye love one fo fair.

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FRIDAY,

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Tu ne quæfieris (fcire nefas) quem mihi, quem tibi, Finem dii dederint, Leuconoe; nec Babylonios

Tentaris numeros

HOR. Od. xi. lib. 1. ver. 1.

Ah, do not strive too much to know,

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THE

CREECH,

HE defire of knowing future events, is one of the strongest inclinations in the mind of man, Indeed an ability of forefeeing probable accidents is what, in the language of men, is called wifdom and prudence: But not fatisfied with the light that reafon holds out, mankind hath endeavoured to penetrate more compendioufly into futurity. Magic, oracles, omens, lucky hours, and the various arts of fuperftition, owe their rife to this powerful caufe. As this principle is founded in felf-love, every man is fure to be folicitous, in the first place, about his own fortune, the course of his life, and the time and manner of his death.

If we confider that we are free agents, we shall discover the abfurdity of such enquiries. One of our actions which we might have performed or ne glected, is the cause of another that fucceeds it, and fo the whole chain of life is linked together. Pain, poverty, or infamy, are the natural product of vicious and imprudent acts; as the contrary bleffings are of good ones; fo that we cannot fuppofe our lot to be determined without impiety. A great enhancement of pleasure arifes from its being unexpected; and pain is doubled by being foreseen, Upon all these, and feveral other accounts, we

ought

ought to reft fatisfied in this portion bestowed on us; to adore the hand that hath fitted every thing to our nature, and hath not more difplayed his goodness in our knowledge than in our ignorance.

It is not unworthy obfervation, that fuperftitious. enquiries into future events prevail more or less, in proportion to the improvement of liberal arts and useful knowledge in the feveral parts of the world. Accordingly we find that magical incantations remain in Lapland; in the more remote parts of Scotland they have their fecond fight, and feveral of our own countrymen have feen abundance of fairies In Afia this credulity is. ftrong; and the greatest part of refined learning there consists in the knowledge of amulets, talifmans, occult numbers, and the like.

When I was at Grand Cairo, I fell into the acquaintance of a good-natured muffulman, who promifed me many good offices, which he defigned to do me when he became the Prime Minister, which was a fortune beftowed on his imagination, by a doctor very deep in the curious fciences. At his repeated folicitations I went to learn my destiny of this wonderful fage. For a fmall fum I had his promise, but was defired to wait in a dark apartment until he had run through the preparatory ceremonies. Having a ftrong propenfity, even then, to dreaming, I took a nap upon the fofa where I was placed, and had the following vifion, the particulars whereof I picked up the other day among my papers.

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I found myself in an unbounded plain, where methought the whole world, in feveral habits, and with different tongues, was affembled. The multitude glided swiftly along, and I found in myself a ftrong inclination to mingle in the train. My eyes quickly fingled out fome of the moft fplendid fi gures. Several in rich caftans and glittering tur

bans.

bans bustled through the throng, and trampled over the bodies of those they threw down; until, to my great surprife, I found that the great pace they went, only haftened them to a fcaffold or a bowftring. Many beautiful damfels on the other fide moved forward with great gaiety; fome danced until they fell all along; and others painted their faces until they loft their nofes. A tribe of creatures with bufy looks falling into a fit of laughter at the misfortunes of the unhappy ladies, I turned my eyes upon them. They were each of them filling his pockets with gold and jewels, and when there was no room left for more, thefe wretches looking round with fear and horror, pined away before my face with famine and difcontent.

This profpect of human misery struck me dumb for fome miles. Then it was that, to disburden my mind, I took pen and ink, and did every thing that hath fince happened under my office of SPECTATOR. While I was employing myfelf for the good of mankind, I was furprised to meet with very unfuitable returns from my fellow-creatures. Never was poor author fo befet with pamphleteers, who fometimes marched directly againft me, but oftner fhot at me from ftrong bulwarks, or rose up fuddenly in ambush. They were of all characters and capacities, fome with enfigns of dignity, and others in liveries; but what moft fuprifed me, was to fee two or three in black gowns among my enemies. It was no fmall trouble to me, fometimes to have a man come up to me with an angry face, and reproached me for having lampooned him, when I had never seen or heard of him in my life. With the ladies it was otherwife: Many became my enemies for not being particularly pointed out; as there were others who refented the fatire which they imagined I had directed against them. My great comfort was in the company of half a dozen friends, who, I found fince, were the club

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