How faint and tedious, fing, what, piercing deep,
The GODDESs flaff'd at once upon my foul.
For, clear precifion all, the tongue of gods
Is harmony itself; to every ear

Familiar known, like light to every eye.
Meantime difclofing ages, as fhe spoke,
In long fucceffion pour'd their empires forth;
Scene after scene the human drama spread ;;
And still th' embodied picture rose to fight.

385

Oh THOU to whom the Muses owe their flame;

Who bid'ft, beneath the pole, Parnaffus rife,

And Hippocrene flow; with thy bold ease,

391

The stricking force, the lightning of thy thought,

395

And thy strong phrase, that rolls profound, and clear;
Oh gracious GODDESS! re-infpire my fong;
While I, to nobler than poetic fame
Afpiring, thy commands to BRITONS bear.

The CONTENTS of PART II.

IBERTY traced from the pafloral ages, and the

government; to Ver. 47. The feveral establishments of LIBERTY, in EGYPT, PERSIA, PHOENICIA, PALESTINE, lightly touch'd upon, down to her great eftablishment in GREECE; to Ver. 91. Geographical defcription of GREECE; to Ver. 113. SPARTA, and ATHENS, the two principal states of GREECE, defcribed; to Ver. 164. Influence of LIBERTY over all the Grecian States; with regard to their Government, their politeness, their Virtues, their Arts and Sciences. The vaft fuperiority it gave them, in point of force and bravery, over the Perfians, exemplified by the action of Thermopylae, the battle of Marathon, and the retreat of the Ten Thoufand. Its full exertion, and most beautiful effects in ATHENS; to Ver. 216. LIBERTY the fource of free philofophy. The various fchools which took their rife from SOCRATES; to Ver. 257. Enumeration of FINE ARTS: Eloquence, Poetry, Mufic, Sculpture, Painting, and Architecture; the effects of LIBERTY in GREECE, and brought to their utmost perfection there; to Ver. 381. Transition to the modern State of GRECE; to Ver. 411. Why LIBERTY declined, and was at laft entirely lost among the GREEKS; ta Ver. 472. Concluding Reflection.

LIBERTY.

PART II.

T

HUS spoke the GODDESS of the fearless eye,

And at her voice, renew'd, the vifion rofe.

First, in the dawn of time, with eastern fwains,

In woods, and tents, and cottages, I liv'd ;
While on from plain to plain they led their flocks,
In fearch of clearer spring, and fresher field.
These, as increasing families difclos❜d
The tender ftate, I taught an equal sway.
Few were offences, properties, and laws.
Beneath the rural portal, palm-o'erfpread
The father-fenate met. There Justice dealt,
With Reason then and Equity the fame,
Free as the common air, her prompt.decree;
Nor yet had ftain'd her fword with fubject's blood.
The fimpler arts were all their fimpler wants..
Had urg'd to light. But inftant, thefe fupply'd,
Another fet of fonder wants arose,

And other arts with them of finer aim;
Till from refining want to want impell'd,
The mind by thinking push'd her latent powers,
And life began to glow, and arts to shine.

At first, on brutes alope the rustic war
Launch'd the rude fpear; fwift, as he glar'd along,
On the grim lion, or the robber-wolf.

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