Before again the winter lour,
What hinders then your northern tour ?
Be fure of welcome: nor believe
'Those wha an ill report would give
To Ed'nburgh and the land of cakes,
That nought what 's neceffary lacks.
Here plenty's goddess frae her horn
Pours fish and cattle, claith and corn,
In blyth abundance;—and yet mair,
Our men are brave, our ladies fair.
Nor will North Britain yield for fouth
Of ilka thing, and fellows couth,
To any but her fifter South.
True, rugged roads are curfed driegh,
And fpeats aft roar frae mountains high:
The body tires-poor tottering clay,
And likes with ease at hame to stay;
While fauls ftride warlds at ilka ftend,
And can their widening views extend.
Mine fees
while you
you,
On fweet Avona's flowery howm,
There recollecting, with full view,
Thofe follies which mankind pursue ;
While, confcious of fuperior merit,
You rife with a correcting spirit;
And, as an agent of the gods,
Lash them with sharp fatyric rods:
Labour divine!-Next, for a change,
O'er hill and dale I fee you range,
Good-manners guides his pen. Learn'd without pride,
In dubious points not forward to decide.
If here and there uncommon beauties rife,
From flower to flower he roves with glad furprize.
In failings no malignant pleasure takes,
Nor rudely triumphs over fmall mistakes.
No naufeous praife, no biting taunts offend,
W'expect a cenfor, and we find a friend.
Poets, improv'd by his correcting care,
Shall face their foes with more undaunted air,
Stripp'd of their rags, fhall like Ulysses shine,
With more heroic port, and grace divine.
pomp of learning, and no fund of sense, Can e'er atone for loft benevolence.
May Wykeham's fons, who in each art excel,
And rival antient bards in writing well,
While from their bright examples taught they fing,
And emulate their flights with bolder wing,
From their own frailties learn the humbler part,
Mildly to judge in gentleness of heart!
Such critics, Ramfay, jealous for our fame,
Will not with malice infolently blame,
But lur'd by praise the haggard Muse reclaim.
Retouch each line till all is juft and neat,
A whofe of proper parts, a work almost compleat.
So when some beauteous dame, a reigning toast,
The flower of Forth, and proud Edina's boast,
Stands at her toilet in her tartan plaid,
In all her richest head-geer trimly clad,
The curious hand-maid, with obfervant eye,
Corrects the fwelling hoop that hangs awry ;
Through every plait her busy fingers rove,
And now she plies below, and then above,
With pleafing tattle entertains the fair,
Each ribbon fmooths, adjusts each rambling hair,
Till the gay nymph in her full luftre shine,
And Homer's Juno was not half so fine.
To the AUTHOR of the ESSAY ON MAN.
AS ever work to fuch perfection wrought;
How elegant the diction! pure the thought!
Not fparingly adorn'd with scatter'd rays,
But one bright beauty, one collected blaze:
So breaks the day upon the shades of night,
Enlivening all with one unbounded light.
To humble man's proud heart, thy great defign;
But who can read this wondrous work divine,
So juftly plann'd, and fo politely writ,
And not be proud, and boast of human wit?
Yet juft to thee, and to thy precepts true,
Let us know man, and give to God his due ;
His image we, but mix'd with coarse allay,
Our happiness to love, adore, obey;
To praise him for each gracious boon bestow'd,
For this thy work, for every leffer good,
With proftrate hearts before his throne to fall,
And own the great Creator all in all.
Good-manners guides his pen. Learn'd without pride,
In dubious points not forward to decide.
If here and there uncommon beauties rise,
From flower to flower he roves with glad furprize.
In failings no malignant pleasure takes,
Nor rudely triumphs over fmall mistakes.
No naufeous praife, no biting taunts offend,
W'expect a cenfor, and we find a friend.
Poets, improv'd by his correcting care,
Shall face their foes with more undaunted air,
Stripp'd of their rags, shall like Ulysses shine,
With more heroic port, and grace divine.
of learning, and no fund of sense,
Can e'er atone for loft benevolence.
May Wykeham's fons, who in each art excel,
And rival antient bards in writing well,
While from their bright examples taught they fing,
And emulate their flights with bolder wing,
From their own frailties learn the humbler part,
Mildly to judge in gentleness of heart!
Such critics, Ramfay, jealous for our fame,
Will not with malice infolently blame,
But lur'd by praise the haggard Mufe reclaim.
Retouch each line till all is just and neat,
A whose of proper parts, a work almost compleat.
So when fome beauteous dame, a reigning toast,
The flower of Forth, and proud Edina's boast,
Stands at her toilet in her tartan plaid,
In all her richest head-geer trimly clad,
The curious hand-maid, with obfervant eye,
Corrects the fwelling hoop that hangs awry ;
Through every plait her bufy fingers rove,
And now the plies below, and then above,
With pleafing tattle entertains the fair,
Each ribbon fmooths, adjufts each rambling hair,
Till the gay nymph in her full luftre fhine,
And Homer's Juno was not half so fine.
To the AUTHOR of the ESSAY ON MAN.
WAS ever work to fuch perfection wrought;
How elegant the diction! pure the thought!
Not fparingly adorn`d with scatter'd rays,
But one bright beauty, one collected blaze:
So breaks the day upon the fhades of night,
Enlivening all with one unbounded light.
To humble man's proud heart, thy great defign;
But who can read this wondrous work divine,
So juftly plann'd, and so politely writ,
And not be proud, and boast of human wit?
Yet juft to thee, and to thy precepts true,
Let us know man, and give to God his due;
His image we, but mix'd with coarse allay,
Our happiness to love, adore, obey;
To praise him for each gracious boon bestow'd,
For this thy work, for every leffer good,
With proftrate hearts before his throne to fall,
And own the great Creator all in all.
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