The Beginning of a PASTORAL 0% the Death of His Late MAJESTY.

Written by Mr. OTWAY.

And thus difturbs the Shepherd's peaceful
Reign:

A difmal Sound breaks through the yielding Air,
Forewarning us fome dreadful Storm is near.
The bleating Flocks in wild confusion stray,
The early Larks forfake their wand'ring way,
And ceafe to welcome in the new-born Day.
Each Nymph, poffeft with a distracted Fear,
Disorder'd hangs her loofe difhevell'd Hair..
Difeafes with their ftrong Convulfions reign;
And Deities, not known before to Pain,
Are now with Apoplectick Seizures flain:
Hence flow our Sorrows, hence increase our Fears,
Each humble Plant does drop her filver Tears.
Ye tender Lambs ftray not fo faft away,
To weep and mourn ict us together flay :
O'er all the Universe let it be spread,
That now the Shepherd of the Flock is dead.
The Royal Pan, the Shepherd of the Sheep,
He, who to leave his Flock did dying weep,
Is gone, ah gone! ne'er to return from Death's
eternal Sleep.

Begin, Dametas, let thy Numbers fly

Aloft, where the fafe Milky Way does lye;
Moplus, who Daphnis to the Stars did fing,
Shall join with you, and hither waft our King.
Play gently on your Reeds a mournful ftrain,
And tell in Notes thro' all th' Arcadian Plain,
The Royal Pan, the Shepherd of the Sheep,
He, who to leave his Flock did dying weep,
Is gone! is gone! ne'er to return from Death's
eternal Sleep.

}

Of NATURE'S CHANGES.

From Lucretius, Lib. V.

By Sir Robert Howard.

INCE Earth, and Water, more dilated Air,

S'and active Fire, mixt Nature's Parts appear;

Thefe all new form'd, and to Deftruction brought;
Why of the World may not the like be thought?
Reason prefents this Maxim to our view,

What in each Part, that in the Whole is true:
And therefore when you fee, fpring up and fall,
Nature's great Parts, conclude the like of all:
Know Heav'n and Earth on the fame Laws depend,
In time thy both began, in time shall end.
But Memmius, not t’afsume what fome deny;
The Proof, on plain Experience shall rely:
Pil fhew, thefe Elements to Change are prone;
Rife in new Shapes, continue long in none.

Then firft of Earth; conclude that all muft fail,
Which diff'ring Parts fermenting, can exhale:
Much the reflected Rays extract from thence;
And from their burning Heat no less th' expence.
The Duft and Smoak in flying Clouds appear,
Which boiftrous Winds difperfe through liquid Air.
Some parts diffolve, and flow away in Rain,
And from their Banks, the rapid Rivers gain.
A Diminution, nothing e'er escapes ;
Which new Exiftence gives to other Shapes:
Plants, Minerals, and Concretes, owe their Birth,
And Animals their growth, in part, to Earth:
Then fince from this, their Beings firft did fpring,
Time, all to this, their common Grave does bring.
In thefe Examples, not to mention more,
Nature does Earth confume, and Earth restore.

The Springs, the Rivers, and the Seas are found,
For Earth's Supply, with Waters to abound;
Renew'd, and flowing in continual round.
Left thefe, increasing, should at laft prevail;
The mighty Ocean, fiercer Winds affail:
Vaft Shoals of Atoms thence away they bear,
And raising them aloft, transform to Air.
Much is extracted by the pow'rful Sun,
More does in fubterranean Channels run:
In Earth it firft, exceffive Saltness spends;
Then to our Springs and Rivers heads afcends :
Thefe in the fruitful Valleys turn and wind,
And fill to new Productions are inclin'd.

And next of Air; which in its vaft extent,
In Changes infinite, each hour, is spent :
For Air's wide Ocean ftill requiring more,
Fill'd with Effluviums, should it not reftore
The perish'd Shapes, Time's Ruines to repair,
Long fince had all things been diffolv'd to Air.
From others Lofs, its Being it receives;
To thefe again its changing Substance leaves:
So true it is, that Nature ebbs and flows;
And one Part perifhing, another grows.

The Sun the fountain of the glorious Rays,
Instead of vanish'd Light, new Light displays.
The Brightness of the flying Minute paft,

Is now obfcur'd, and to new forms does hafte. [near,
From hence it comes, that when black Clouds draw
And banish'd Sun-shine ftrait does disappear,
The Earth's o'erfhadow'd, as the Storms are driv'a,
And Rays new darted, are requir'd from Heav'n.
Vifion would cease, (fo foon would Light expire)
Without Recruits of bright Etherial Fire,
In our inferiour and fulphureous Light,
Of Lamps and Tapers chafing fhades of Night,
Continu'd Fuel feeds the trembling Flame
Which gives the Light, nor is that Light the fame
Of Sun, of Moon, of Stars, ne'er think it ftrange
That they are not fecure from final Change.

When what fo late did fmile, this inftant dies,
And new born Light ftill fhines to mortal Eyes,
Thus we obferve hard Rocks in time decay'd;
The marble Monuments, for Heroes made,
And ftately Tow'rs in humble Ruins laid.
Do Gods their Images from Age fécure?
Or force their Temples always to endure?
Thus when you fee old Rocks from Mountains fall,
By this conclude their fure Original;

For were they from Eternity fo plac'd,

No Chance could ruine them, no Time could wafte.
Next raise your Eyes to Earth-furrounding Sphears,
From which (fay fome) fprings all that now appears,
To which at laft their vanish'd Parts afcend;
These as they're form'd, to Diffolution tend:
For all things must in such proportion cease,
As they to other Beings give Increase.

But then if no Beginning do's appear,
Of Heav'n and Earth, but both Eternal were;
Before the Theban War was e'er proclaim'd,
Or fatal Siege of Troy by Homer fam'd,
Why did not far more ancient Poets fing
What Revolutions elder times did bring?
Such Men, fuch Acts, how in Oblivion drown'd,
As with immortal Fame might well be crown'd?
No great Antiquity the World has prov'd';
Eternity from this feems far remov'd:
All Arts and Science elfe, would long ago
Have reach'd Perfection, not now daily grow.
No ancient Sailers, e'er like ours did fteer:
No fuch harmonious Mufick charm'd the Ear
This nature of the World, not Ages paft
Was brought to Light, retarded for the laft.
And these Discoveries ordain'd by Fate
To foreign Climes, I with the firft tranflate,
But ftill if no Beginning you believe,
And say, 'tis easier for us to conceive
Such Conflagrations from Sulphureous pow'r,
As totally did Human Race devour:

Or gen'ral Earth-quakes did the World confound,
Or all in mighty Deluges was drown'd;

This force of Argument you then increase,
That Heav'n and Earth in future time muft cease.
For when fuch dreadful Danger threatned All,
Though Nature then efcap'd a total Fall,

Grant but the Caufe increas'd, and 'twill not fail,
As did the lefs, o'er all things to prevail.
What fhews we cannot endless Life enjoy,
But fenfe of Ills which others did destroy?
If you the World's Duration would extend
To all Eternity, you must defend,
Its folid Subftance is fo firmly bound,
No Penetration can it ever wound:
(Minuteft Atoms, 'tis confefs'd, are fo,

But not the Compound which from these did grow)
Or that 'tis Immaterial you must prove,
And what no forcing Agent can remove:
Or else you must all ambient Space deny,
To which it may dissolv'd and ruin'd fly:
(Thus, Universal claims Eternal's Place,
Because it ne'er can pafs t' External Space)
But neither is this various Globe fo fix'd,
(For much Vacuity is intermix'd)

Nor is it void of Matter, nor can be
From threatning Pow'r of Penetration free;
And Pow'rs unknown, from boundless ambient space,
This prefent State of Nature may deface:
With dreadful Huricanes they may invade,
And turn to Chaos all that e'er was made;
Or by fome other means, beyond the reach
Of Man's Conception, make the fatal Breach.
Nor wants there fpace beyond the Spheres of Heav'n,
To which the ruin'd Parts may then be driv❜n:
When e'er thefe Elements their Manfions leave,
That vaft Abyss lyes open to receive.

From hence to their Beginning you're directed,
What Magick Charms have always so protected,