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Hail, facred Peace! hail, long-expected days, That Thames's glory to the flars fhall raise !

Tho' Tyber's ftreams immortal Rome behold,
Tho' foaming Hermus fwells with tides of gold,
From Heaven itself tho' feven-fold Nilus flows,
And harvefls on a hundred realms beflows;
Thefe now no more fhall be the Muses themes,
Lofl in my fame, as in the sea their streams.
Let Volga's banks with iron fquadrons fhine,
And
groves
of lances glitter on the Rhine ;
Ler barb'rous Ganges arm a fervile train ;
Be mine the bleffings of a peaceful reign!
No more my fons fhall dye with British blood
Red Iber's fands, or Ilfter's foaming flood:
Safe on my fhore each unmolefted fwain
Shall tend the flocks, or reap the bearded grain ;
The fhady empire fhall retain no trace

Of war or blood but in the fylvan chace;

The trumpet fleep while cheerful horns are blown,
And-arms employ'd on birds and beafts alone.
Behold! th' afcending villas on my fide
Project long fhadows o'er the cryftal tide.
Behold! Augufta's glitt'ring fpires increase,
And temples rife, the beauteous works of peace.
I fee, I fee, where two fair cities bend
Their ample bow, a new Whitehall afcend!
There mighty nations fhall enquire their doom,
The worlds great oracle in times to come;

There

There kings fhall fue, and fuppliant states be feen
Once more to bend before a British queen.

Thy trees, fair Windfor! now fhall leave their woods
And half thy forefts rush into my floods,
Bear Britain's thunder, and her crofs difplay,
To the bright regions of the rifing day:
Tempt icy feas, where scarce the waters roll,
Where clearer flames glow round the frozen pole ;
Or under fouthern fkies exalt their fails,
Led by new ftars, and borne by spicy gales:
For me the balm fhall bleed, the amber flow,
The coral redden, and the ruby glow;

The pearly fhell its lucid globe infold,
And Phoebus warm the rip'ning ore to gold,
The time fhall come when, free as feas or wind,
Unbounded Thames fhall flow for all mankind";
Whole nations enter with each fwelling tide,
And feas but join the regions they divide;
Earth's distant ends our glory fhall behold,
And the new world launch forth to feek the old.
Then ships of uncouth form shall stem the tide,
And feather'd people crowd my wealthy fide;
And naked youths and painted chiefs admire
Our fpeech, our colour, and our flrange attire!
Oh ftretch thy reign, fair Peace! from fhore to fhore,
Till Conqueft ceafe, and Slavery be no more;
Till the freed Indians in their naked groves
Reap their own fruits, and woo their fable loves;

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Peru once more a race of kings behold,
And other Mexicos be roof'd with gold.
Exil'd by thee from earth to deepest hell,
In brazen bonds fhall barb'rous Difcord dwell
1;
Gigantic Pride, pale Terror, gloomy Care,
And mad Ambition fhall attend her there';
There purple Vengeance bath'd in gore retires,
Her weapons blunted, and extinct her fires;
There hateful Envy her own fnakes fhall feel,
And Perfecution mourn her broken wheel:
There Faction roar, Rebellion bite her chain,
And gafping furies thirft for blood in vain.

Here ceafe thy flight, nor with unhallow'd lays
Touch the fair fame of Albion's golden days:
The thoughts of Gods let Granville's verfe recite,
And bring the fcenes of op'ning fate to light:
My humble Mufe, in unambitious ftrains,
Paints the green forefts and the flow'ry plain,
Where Peace descending bids her olives fpring,
And scatters bleffings from her dove-like wing,
Ev'n I more fweetly pafs my careless days,
Pleas'd in the filent fhade with empty praife;
Enough for me, that to the lift'ning fwains
Firft in thefe fields I fung the fylvan ftrains.

ECSTACY.

ECSTACY.

TH

By THOMAS PARNELL.

THE fleeting joys, which all affords below, Work the fond heart with unperforming show; The wish that makes our happier life compleat, Nor grafps the wealth nor honours of the great; Nor loofely fails on Pleafure's eafy ftream, Nor gathers wreaths from all the groves of fame ; Weak man, whose charms to these alone confine, Attend my prayer, and learn to make it thine.

From thy rich throne, where circling trains of light Make day that's endless, infinitely bright ; Thence, heavenly Father! thence with mercy dart. One beam of brightnefs to my longing heart. Dawn through the mind, drive Error's clouds away, And ftill the rage in Paffion's troubled fea; That the poor banish'd foul, ferene and free, May rife from earth, to vifit heaven and thee: Come, Peace divine! fhed gently from above, Infpire my willing bofom, wond'rous Love; Thy purpled pinions to my fhoulders tye, And point the paffage where I want to fly..

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But whither, whither now! what powerful fire
With this bleft influence equals my defire?
I rife (or Love, the kind deluder, reigns,
And acts in fancy fuch enchanted scenes);
Earth leffening flies, the parting fkies retreat,
The fleecy clouds my waving feathers beat :
And now the fun and now the flars are gone,.
Yet till methinks the spirit bears me on.
Where tracts of æther purer blue display,
And edge the golden realm of native day,
Oh, ftrange enjoyment of a bliss unseen!
Oh, ravishment! Oh, facred rage within!
Tumultuous pleafure, rais'd on peace of mind,
Sincere, exceffive, from the world refin'd;
I fee the light that veils the throne on high,
A light unpierc'd by man's impurer eye;
I hear the words, that iffuing thence proclaim,
6. Let God's attendants praise his awful name !"
Then heads unnumber'd bend before the fhrine,
Myflerious feat of Majefly divine!

And hands unnumber'd ftrike the filver string,
And tongues unnumber'd Hallelujah fing,
See, where the fhining Seraphims appear,
And fink their decent eyes with holy fear.

See flights of angels all their feathers raise,

And range the orbs, and, as they range, they praise ; Behold the great Apoftles, fweetly met,

And high on pearls of azure æther fet..

Behold

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