He fpoke, and all a fudden there
Light mufic floats in wanton air :

The monarch leads the queen :
The reft their fairie part'ners found;
And Mable trimly tript the ground

With Edwin of the green.

The dauncing paft, the board was laid,
And fiker fuch a feast was made

As heart and lip defire,
Withouten hands the dishes fly,
The glaffes with a wifh come nigh,
And with a wish retire.

But now to please the fairie king,
Full ev'ry deal they laugh and fing,
And antick feats devise;

Some wind and tumble like an ape,
And other-fome tranfmute their shape
In Edwin's wond'ring eyes.

"Till one at laft that Robin hight,
(Renown'd for pinching maids by night)
Has hent him up aloof;

And full against the beam he flung
Where by the back the youth he hung
To fprawl unneath the roof.

From thence," reverfe my charm, he crysa. "And let it fairly now fuffice

"The gambol has been shown.”

But Oberon answers with a smile,
Content thee Edwin for a while,

The vantage is thine own.

Here ended all the phantome-play;
They smelt the fresh approach of day,
And heard a cock to crow;
The whirling wind that bore the crowd
Has clapp'd the door, and whistled loud,
To warn them all to go.

Then fcreaming all at once they fly,
And all at once the tapers dye;

Poor Edwin falls to floor;
Forlorn his ftate, and dark the place,
Was ever wight in fike a cafe

Through all the land before.

But foen as Dan Apollo rofe,
Full jolly creature home he goes,
He feels his back the less;
His honeft tongue and fteady mind
Had rid him of the lump behind,
Which made him want fuccefs.

With lufty livelyhed he talks,
He feems a dancing as he walks,
His story foon took wind;
And beauteous Edith fees the youth
Endow'd with courage, fenfe, and truth,
Without a bunch behind.

The ftory told, Sir Topax mov'd,
(The youth of Edith erst approv'd)

To fee the revel scene:

At clofe of eve he leaves his home,
And wends to find the ruin'd dome
All on the gloomy plain.

As there he hides, it fo befell,
The wind came ruftling down a dell
A fhaking feiz'd the wall:
Up fpring the tapers as before,
The Fairies bragly foot the floor,
And musick fills the hall.

But Certes forely funk with woe
Sir Topaz fees the Elphin fhow,
His fpirits in him dye :
When Oberon crys, " a man is near,
"A mortal paffion, cleeped fear,

"Hangs flagging in the sky.
With that Sir Topaz (haplefs youth!)
In accents fault'ring ay for ruth
Intreats them pity graunt;
For als he been a mifter wight,
Betray'd by wand'ring in the night,
To tread the circled haunt ;
"Ah lofell vile, at once they roar;
"And little skill'd of Fairie lore,

"Thy caufe to come we know &
Now has thy keftrell courage fell;
"And Fairies, fince a ly you tell,

"Are free to work thee woe."
Then Will, who bears the wifpy fire
To trail the fwains among the mire,
The caitive upward flung ;
There like a tortoife in a shop
He dangled from the chamber-top,
Where whilome Edwin hung.
The revel now proceed apace,
Deffly they frifk it o'er the place,

They fit, they drink, and eat;
The time with frolick mirth beguile,
And poor Sir Topaz hangs the while
"Till all the rout retreat.

By this the ftars began to wink,
They skriek, they fly, the tapers fink,
And down y'drops the knight a
For never fpell by Fairie laid
With ftrong enchantment bound a glade
Beyond the length of night.

Chill, dark, alone, adreed, he lay,
Till up the welkin rose the day,

Then deem'd the dole was o'er a
But wot ye well his harder lot?
His feely back the bunch has got
Which Edwin loft before.

This tale a Sybil nurse ared;
She foftly ftrok'd my youngling head,
And when the tale was done,
<< Thus fome are born, my fon (fhe cries)
"With base impediments to rife,
And some are born with none.

"But virtue can itself advance
"To what the fav'rite fools of chance,
"By fortune feem'd defign'd:
"Virtue can gain the odds of fate,
"And from itself shake off the weight

"Upon th' unworthy mind."

She won Lavinia for her warlike fon,
And winning her, the Latian empire won.
She gave to Mars the maid whofe honour'd womb
Swell'd with the founder of immortal Rome.
Decoy'd by Shows the Sabine Dames the led,
And taught our vig'rous youth the means to wed.
Hence sprung the Romans, hence the race divine,
Thro' which great Cæfar draws his Julian line.

Let thofe love now, who never lov'd before,
Let thofe who always lov'd, now love the more.
in rural feats the foul of pleafure reigns;
The life of beauty fills the rural fcenes ;
Ev'n love (if fame the truth of love declare)
Drew first the breathings of a rural air.
Some pleafing meadow pregnant beauty preft,
She laid her infant on its flow'ry breast,
From nature's fweets he fipp'd the fragrant dew,
He fmil'd, he kiss'd them, and by killing grew.
Let thofe love now, who never lov'd before,
Let those who always lov'd, now love the more.

Now bulls o'er italks of broom extend their fides,
Secure of favour from their lowing brides.
Now ftately rams their fleecy conforts lead,
Who bleating follow thro' the wand'ring shade.
And now the goddefs bids the birds appear,
Raife all their Mufick, and falute the year:
Then deep the fwain begins, and deep the fong
Runs o'er the water where he fails along;
While Philomela tunes a treble ftrain,
And from the poplar charms the lift'ning plain,
We fancy love expreft at ev'ry note,

It melts, it warbles, in her liquid throat.
Of barb'rous Tereus the complains no more,
But fings for pleasure as for grief before.

And fill her graces rife,

And all is filence 'till the

her airs extend, Syten end.

How long in coming is my lovely spring?
And when thail i, and when the fwallow fing?
Sweet Philomela, cease,
Or here I fit,

And filent lofe my rapt'rous hour of wit:
'Tis gone, the fit retires, the flames decay,
My tuneful Phoebus flies averfe away.
His own Amycle thus, as ftories run,
But once was filent, and that once undone.

Let thofe love now, who never lov'd before, And those who always lov'd, now love the more.

Pternotractas, a bacon-eater.
Lychopimax, a licker of dishes.
Embafichytios, a creeper into pots.
Lychenor, a name from licking.
Troglodytes, one who runs into holes.
Artophagus, who feeds on bread.
Tyroglyphus, a cheese scooper.
Pternoglyphus, a bacon fcooper.
Pternophagus, a bacon-eater.

Chiff dioctes, one who follows the team of kitchens.

Sitophagus, an eater of wheat,

Meridarpax, one who plunders his share.
Names of the FROGS.

PHYSIGNATHUS, one who fwells hi cheeks.

Pelus, a name from mud.

Hydromedufe, a ruler in the waters.
Hypfiboas, a loud bawler.

Pelion, from mud.

Seutlæus, called from the beets.
Polyphonus, a great babbler.

Lymnocharis, one who loves the lake.
Crambophagus, a cabbage-eater.
Lymnifius, called from the lake.
Calaminthius, from the herb.
Hydrocharis, who loves the water.
Borborocates, who lives in the mud.
Praffophagus, an eater of garlic.
Pelufius, from mud.

Pelobates, who walks in the dirt.
Praffæus, called from garlic.

Craugafides, from croaking.

HOMER'S

1

For loft Pfycarpax much my foul endures, 'Tis mine the private grief, the public, yours. Three warlike fons adorn'd my uptial bed, Three fons, alas, before their father dead! Our eldeft perish'd by the rav'ning cat, As near my court the prince unheedful fat. Our next, an engine fraught with danger drew, The portal gap'd, the bait was hung in view, Dire arts alift the trap, the fates decoys 321 29050 And men unpitying kill'd my gallant boy! The laft, his country's hope, his parent's pride, Plung'd in the lake by Phyfignathus, dy’d. Roufe all the war, my friends avenge the deed, And bleed the monarch, and his nation, Bleed. His words in ev'ry breast infpir'd alarms, હાં! And careful Mars fupply'd their hoft with arms. In verdant hulls defpoil'd of all their beans The buskin'd warriors ftalk'd along the plains: Quills aptly bound, their bracing corfelet made, Fac'd with the plunder of a cat they flay'd: The lamp's round bofs, affords their ample field; Large hells of nuts their covring belmet yields, And o'er the region, with reflected rays, Tall groves of needles for their lances blaze. Dreadful in arms the marching Mice appear; The wond'ring Frogs perceive the tumult near, Forfake the waters, thick'ning form a ring, And alk, and hearken,

H

ດ

When near the crowd, difches the poifes spring.
to public view,
The valiant chief Embalichy tros drew:
The facred herald's feeptre grac'd his hand,
And thus his words exprefs'd his king's com-
»manda hefir 93 grotad piros bole
Ye Frogs!, the Mice, with vengeance fir'd,
advance de moit bre
Τ
And deck'd in armour thake the shining lance:
Their hapless Prince by Phyfignathus flua,
Extends incumbent on the watry plain.
Then arm your hoft, the doubtful battle try ;
Lead forth thofe Frogs that have the foul to die.
The chief retires, the crowd the challenge hear,
And proudly swelling, yet perplex'd appear;
Much they refent, yet much their monarch blame,
Who rifing, Ipake to clear his tainted fame.

And vent'rous, in the Wanton dy'd.

Ofriends, I never forc'd the Moufe to death, Nor faw the gafpings of his lateft breath. He, vain of youth, our art of fwimming try aŢ Grin To vengeance now by appearante led, They point their anger at my guiltlers head. Eut wage the rifing war by deep device, of nad T And turn its fury on the crafty Mice..

Your king directs the way, my thoughts elate, With hopes of conqueft, form defigns of fate. Where high the banks their verdant furface leave, And the fteep fides confine the fleeping wave,

A

There, near the margin, clad in armour bright,
Suftain the first impetuous fhocks of fight :
Then, where the dancing feather joins the creft,
Le: each brave Frog his obvious Mouse arreft ;
Each strongly grafping, headlong plunge a foe,
'Till countless circles whirl the lake below;

Down fink the Mice in yielding waters drown'd;
Loud flash the waters, and the shores refound:
The Frogs triumphant tread the conquer'd plain,
And raise their glorious trophies of the flain.

He fpake no more, his prudent fcheme imparts Redoubling ardour to the boldeft hearts. Green was the fuit his arming heroes chofe, Around their legs the greaves of mallows close, Green were the beets about their shoulders laid And green the colewort, which the target made. Form'd of the vary'd fhells the waters yield, Their gloffy helmets gliften'd o'er the field: And tap ring fea-reeds for the polish'd fpear, With upright order pierc'd the ambient air. Thus drefs'd for war, they take th'appointed height, Poize the long arms, and urge the promis'd fight.

But now, where Jove's irradiate (pires arife, With stars furrounded in æthereal skies, (A folemn council call'd) the brazen gates Unbar; the Gods affume their golden feats: The fire fuperior leans and points to show What wondrous combats mortals wage below : How ftrong, how large, the numerous heroes furide! What length of lance they thake with warlike pride! What eager fire, their rapid march reveals!-4 So fierce Centaurus ravaged o'er the dales ; And fe confirm)'d, daring Titans role, Heap'd bills on hills, and bade the Gods be foes. This feen, the tilage rears He cafts

sa pityin his facre cares,

on

And asks what heav'nly guardians take the lift,
Or who the Mice, or who the Frogs affift?

Then thus to Pallas.If my daughter's mind
Have join'd the Mice, why stays the ftill behind;
Drawn forth by fav'ry ftreams they wind their way,
And fure attendance round thine altar pay
Where while the victims gratify their taste,
They sport to please the goddess of the feat.

Thus fpake the ruler of the fpacious kies, But thus, refolved the blue-ey'd maid replies. In vain,

To fuch the Pallole their dangers plead,

never grants her aid.

MS

My flow'ry wreaths they petulantly fpoil, br A
And rob my crystal lamps of feeding oil.
(Ills following ills) but what afflicts me more,
My veil, that idle race profanely tore.

The web was curious, wrought with art divine
Relentless wretches! all the work was mine
Along the loom the purple warp Ispread, 169
Caft the light shoot, and crofs'd the liver thread
In this their teeth a thousand breaches tear,
The thousand breaches fkilful hands repair,
For which vile earthly dúns thy daughter grieve,
(The gods, that use no coin, have none to give.
And learning's goddef's never lefs car owe,
Neglected learning gains no wealth below.)
Nor let the Frogs to wid my fuccour fue,
Thofe clam'rous fools have loft my favour too."
For late, when all the conflict ceas'd at night,
When my ftretch'd fmews work'd," "with" "expe'

fight,