O best of wives! O dearer far to me How can my soul endure the loss of thee? Without my sweet companion can I live! Without thy lovely smile, The dear reward of every virtuous toil, For my distracted mind On whom for consolation shall I call? My dear In every other grief, Are now with your idea sadden'd all : We were the happiest pair of human kind : That all this pleasing fabric Love had rais'd On which even wanton Vice with envy gaz'd, And every scheme of bliss ourheartshadform'd, With soothing hope for many a future day, In one sad moment broke! Yet, O my soul! thy rising murmurs stay; Nor dare th' all-wise Disposer to arraign, Or against his supreme decree With impious grief complain, That all thyfull-blown joys at once shouldfade, Was his most righteous will-and be that will obey'd. Would thy fond love his grace to her control, Unjustly, for thy partial good, detain? That heavenly radiance of eternal night, Is every mortal bliss? Even Love itself, if rising by degrees Beyond the bounds of this imperfect state, Whose fleeting joys so soon must end, It does not to its sovereign good ascend. Rise then, my soul, with hope elate, And seek those regions of serene delight, Whose peaceful path, and ever-open gate, No feet but those of harden'dGuilt shall miss: There Death himself thy Lucy shall restore; There yield up all his pow'r ne'er to divide you .. on me, "Oh! cruel was iny father, that shut his door [could see; And cruel was my mother, that such a sight And cruel is the wint'ry wind, that chills y heart with cold; [for gold! But crueller than all, the lad that left my love Hush, hush, my lovely baby, and warm thee in [distrest! Ah, little thinks thy father how sadly we're For, cruel as he is, did he know but how we fare, He'd shield us in his arms from this bitter my breast; piercing air. Cold,coldmydearestjewel! thy little life is gone: Oh let my tears revive thee, so warm that trickle down: [fore they fall. My tears that gush so warm, oh they freeze be Ah wretched, wretched mother! thou 'rt now bereft of all." $95. The School Mistress. In Imitation of Spenser. SHENSTONE. -Auditæ voces, vagitus et ingens, Infantumque animæ fientes in limine primo. Virg. AH me! full sorely is my heart forlorn, To think how modest worth neglected lies, While partial Fame doth with her blasts adorn Such deeds alone as pride and pomp disguise; Deeds of ill sort, and mischievous emprize : Lend me thy clarion, Goddess! let me try To sound the praise of merit ere it dies ; Such as 1 oft have chanced to espy, Lost in the dreary shades of dull obscurity. Inev'ryvillage, mark'd with little spire, [fame, Embower'd in trees, and hardly known to There dwells, in lowly shade and mean attire, A matron old, whom we School-mistress name; Who boasts unruly brats with birch to tame: They grieven sore, in piteous durance pent, Aw'd by the pow'r of this relentless dame, And oft-times, on vagaries idly bent, [shent. For unkempt hair, or task unconn'd, are sorely And all in sight doth rise a birchin tree, Which Learningnearherlittle dome did stow, Whilone a twig of small regard to see, Tho' now so wide its waving branches flow, And work the simple vassals mickle woe, For not a wind might curl the leaves that blew; (low; But their limbs shudder'd, and their pulse beat And, as they look'd, they found their horror grew, And shap'd it into rods, and tingled at the view. Sad servitude! Such comfortless annoy Ne superstition clog his dance of joy, Ne vision empty, vain, his native bliss destroy! Near to this dome is found a patch so green, On which the tribe their gambols do display ; And at the door impris'ning board is seen, Lest weakly wightsofsmallersizeshouldstray, Eager, perdie, to bask in sunny day! [sound, The noises intermix'd, which thence reDo Learning's little tenement betray; Where sits the dame, disguis'd in look profound [around. And eyes her Fairy throng, and turns her wheel Her. cap, far whiter than the driven snow, Emblem right meet of decency does yield; Her apron dyed in grain, as blue, I trowe, As is the bake-bell that adorns the field: And in her hand, for sceptre, she does wield Tway birchi sprays, with anxious fear entwin'd, With dark distrust, and sad repentance fill'd, And stedfast hate, and sharp affliction join'd, And fury uncontrol'd, and chastisement unkind. Few but have kenn'd, in semblance meet pourtray'd, The childish faces of old Æol's train, Libs, Notns, Auster*: these in frowns array'd. How then would fareonearth,or sky,ormain, Were the stern God to give his slaves the rein? And were not she rebellious breasts to quell, And were not she her statutes to maintain, The cot no more, I ween, wcredeem'd the cell Where comely peace of mind and decent order dwell. A russet stole was o'er her shoulders thrown; A russet kirtle fene'd the nipping air; "Twas simple russet, but it was her own, Twas her own country bred the flock so fait; "Twas her own labor did the fleece prepare, And, sooth to say, her pupils, rang'daround, Thro' pious awe did term it passing rare: For they in gaping wonderment abound, And think, no doubt, she been the greatest wight on ground. Albeit, ne flattery did corrupt her truth; Ne pompous title did debauch her ear; Goody, good-woman, gossip, n'aunt, forsooth, Or dame, the sole additions she did hear; Yet these she challeng'd, these she held right dear; Ne would esteem him act as monght behove, Who should not honor'd eld with these revere; For never title yet so mean could prove, But there was ekea mind which did that title love. One antient hen she took delight to feed, The plodding pattern of the busy dame, Which ever and anou, impell'd by need, Into her school, begirt with chickens, came; Such favor did her past deportment claim : And if neglect had lavish'd on the ground Fragment of bread, she would collect the same, For well she new, and quaintly cold expound. What sin it were to waste the smallest crumb she found. Herbs too she knew, and well of each could speak, That in her garden sipp'd the silv'ry dew, Where no vain flow'r disclos'd a gaudy streak, But herbs for use and physic not a few, Of grey renown, within those borders grew; The tufted basil, pun-provoking thyme, Fresh baum, and marygold of cheerful hue, The lowly gill, that never dares to climb, And more I thin would sing, disdaining here to rhyme. Yet euphrasy may not be left unsung, Thatgivesdimeyes to wander leagues around; And pungent radish, biting infant's tongue; And plaintain ribble, that heals the reaper's wound; * The south-west wind, south, &c. And marj'ram sweet, in shepherds' posie found; A sacred shelter for its branches here, Where edg'd with gold its glitt'ring skirts appear. O wassel days! O customs meet and well! Ere this was banish'd from its lofty sphere; Simplicity then sought this humble cell, Nor ever would she more with thane and lordling dwell. Here oft the dame, on Sabbath's decent eve, If winter 'twere she to her hearth did cleave: For she was just, and friend to virtuous lore, And pass'd much time in truly virtuous deed; And tortious Death was true Devotion's meed; By the sharp tooth of cank'ring Eld defac'd, Our sov'reign prince and liefest liege is plac'd, The matron fate: and some with rank she grac'd, The source of children's and of courtier's pride! [pass'd) Redress'd affronts (for vile affronts there And warn'd them not the fretful to deride, But love each other dear, whatever them betide. Right well she knew each temper to descry, To thwart the proud, and the submiss toraise; Some with vile copper prize exalt on high, Andsomeentice with pittance small of praise; And other some with baleful sprig she 'frays; E'en absent, she the reins of pow'r doth hold, While with quaint arts the giddy crowd she sways; Ah! luckless he, and born beneath the beam And down they drop; appears his dainty skin, His little sister doth his peril see: Nor gentle pardon could this dame deny (If gentle pardon could with dames agree) To her sad grief that swells in either eye, And hardly she forbears, thro' awful fear, And soon a flood of tears begins to flow, Or what device his loud laments explain? The form uncouth of his disguised face? The pallid hue that dyes his looks amain? Theplenteous show'rthatdoeshis cheekdistain? When he in abject wise implores the dame, Ne hopeth aught of sweet reprieve to gain; Or when from high she levels well her aim, And, thro' the thatch, his cries each falling stroke proclaim. The other tribe, aghast with sore disma Attend, and conntheir tasks withinickle care, By turns, astonied, ev'ry twig survey, And from their fellows hateful wounds be- Knowing, Iwist, how each the same may share; meet, And to the well-known chest the dame repair, Forewarn'd, iflittle bird their pranks behold, Twill whisper in her ear, and all the scene un-And fold, • Spenser. sweet! See, See, to their seats they hye with merry glée, And in beseemly order sitten there, All but the wight of bum y-galled; he Abhorreth bench, and stool, and form, and chair [hair); (This hand in mouth y-fixed, that rends his And eke with snubs profound, and heaving breast, Convulsions intermitting! does declare His grievous wrong, his dame's unjust behest, Andscornsheroffer'd love, and situns to be caress'd. His face besprent with liquid crystal shines; His blooming face, that seemsa purple flow'r, Which low to earth his drooping head decines, All smear'd and sullied by a vernal show'r Oh the hard bosoms of despotic pow'r! All, all but she, the author of his shame, All, all but she, regret this mournful hour: Yet hence the youth, and hence the flow'r shall claim, [fame. If so, I deem aright, transcending worth and Behind some door in melancholy thought, Mindless of food, he, dreary caitiff! pines; Ne for his fellows joyaunce careth ought, But to the wind all merriment resigns, And deems it shame if he to peace inclines; And many a sullen look askaunce is sent, Which for his dame's annoyance he designs ; And still the more to pleasure him she's bent, The more doth he, perverse, her 'haviour past Yet, nurs'd with skill, what dazzling fruits appear! E'en now sagacious foresight points to show A little bench of heedless bishops here, And there a chancellor in embryo, Or bard sublime, if hard may e'er be so; As Milton, Shakspeare, names that ne'er shall die! Tho' now he crawl along the ground so low; Nor weeting how the Muse should soar on high, [fly. Wisheth, poor starv'ling elf! his paper kite may And this perhaps, who cens'ring the design, Low lays the house which that of cards doth build, Shall Dennis be, if rigid Fates incline; And many an epic to his rage shall yield, And many a poet quit th' Aönian field: And, sour'd by age, profound heshall appear, As he who now, with 'sdainful fury thrill'd, Surveys mine work, and levels many a sucer, And furls his wrinkly front, and cries, What stuff is here!" But now Dan Phoebus gains the middle sky, And now the grassy cirque han cover'd o'er With boist'rous revel-rout and wild uproar. A thousand ways in wanton rings they run, Heaven shield their short liv'd pastimes, I implore! For well may Freedom, erst so dearly won, Appear to British elf more gladsome than the sun. Enjoy, poor imps! enjoy your sportive trade, Andchasegayflies, and cull the fairest flow'rs, For when my bones in grass green sods are laid, For never may ye taste more careless hours In knightly castles, or in ladies' bow'rs. ( vain, to seek delight in earthly things! But most in courts, where proud Ambition tow'rs; Deluded wight! who weens fair peace can spring Beneath the pompous dome of kesar or of king. See in each sprite some various bent appear! These rudely carol most incondite lay; Those saunt'ring on the green, with jocund leer, Salute the stranger passing on his way: Some builden fragile tenements of clay; Some to the standing lake their courses hend, With pebbles sinooth, at duck and drake to play; Thilk to the huxter's sav'ry cottage tend, Inpastykingsand queens th'allotted mite to spend. Here, as each season yields a different store, Each season's stores in order ranged been; Apples with cabbage net y-cover'd o'er, Gallingfullsoreth unmonied wight, are seen; And gooseb'rie, clad in liv'ry red or green: And here of lovely dye the Cath'rine pear; Fine pear! as lovely for thy juice I ween; O may no wight e'er pennyless come there, Lest, smit with ardent love, he pine with hopeless care! See cherries here, ere cherries yet abound, With thread so white in tempting posies tied, Scatt'ring like blooming maid their glances round, With pamper'd look draw little eyes aside, And must be bought, tho' penury betide; The plum all azure, and the nut all brown; And here each season do those cakes abide, Whose honor'd names th' inventive city Shrewsbury Cakes. praises Not all are blest, whom Fortune's hand sustains With wealth in courts, nor all that haunt the 'plains. • Well may your hearts believe the truths I tell; Ye Persian dames,' he said, to you belong Boast but the worth Balsora's pearls display! Drawn from the deep, we own thesurface bright: But, dark within, they drink no lustrous light. Such are the maids, and such the charms they By sense unaided, or to virtue lost. [boast, Self-flatt'ring sex! your hearts believe in vain <That Love shall blind, when once he fires the Or hope a lover by your faults to win,[swain; As spots on ermine beautify the skin: Who seeks secure to rule, be first her care Each softer virtue that adorns the fair; Each tender passion man delights to find 'The lov'd perfection of a female mind! Blest were the days when Wisdom held her reign, And shepherds sought her on the silent plain; With Truth! she wedded in the secret grove, Immortal Truth! and daughters blest their love. O haste, fair maids! ye Virtues, come away! Sweet peace and Plenty lead you on your way! The balmy shrub for you shall love our shore, By Ind excell'd or Araby, no more. Lost to our fields, for so the fates ordain, The dear deserters shall return again. Come thou, whose thoughts as limpid springs ' are clear; To lead the train, sweet Modesty, appear: Here make thy court amidst our rural scene, Andshepherdgirlsshall own thee for theirqueen, With thee be Chastity, of all afraid, Distrusting all, a wise suspicious inaid; But man the most-not more the mountain doe Holds the swift falcon for her deadly for. Cold is her breast, like flow'rs that drink thedew; A silken veil conceals her from the view. No wild desires amidst thy train be known, But Faith, whose heart is fix'd on one alone : Desponding Meekness, with her down-casteyes, And friendly Pity, full of tender sighs; And Love the last. By these your hearts approve; These are the virtues that must lead to love." Thus sung the swain; and antient legends say, The maids of Bagdat verified the lay: Dear to the plains, the Virtues came along; The shepherds lov'd, and Selim bless'd his song. ECLOGUE II. Hassan; or the Camel-Driver. IN silent horror o'er the boundless waste, Sad was the hour, and luckless was the day. • When first from Schiraz' walls I bent my 'way! Ah! little thought I of the blasting wind, The thirst or pinching hunger that I find! Bethink thee, Hassan, whereshall thirst assuage, When fails this cruse, his unrelenting rage? 'Soon shall this scrip its precious load resign; Then what but tears and hunger shall bethine? Ye mute companions of my toils, that beat In all my griefs a more than equal share! The Gulf of that name, famous for the pearl fishery. Here |