Here, in a fhrine that caft a dazzling light,
Sate fix'd in thought the mighty Stagarite;
His facred head a radiant zodiac crown'd,
And various animals his fides furround;
His piercing eyes, erect, appear to view
Superior worlds, and look all Nature through.
With equal rays immortal Tully fhone,
The Roman roftra deck'd the conful's throne:
Gath'ring his flowing robe, he feem'd to stand
In act to speak, and graceful stretch'd his hand.
Behind, Rome's genius waits with civic crowns,
And the great father of his country owns.
Thefe maffy columns in a circle rife,
O'er which a pompous dome invades the skies;
Scarce to the top I ftretch'd my aching fight,
So large it spread, and fwell'd to fuch a height:
Full in the midt proud Fame's imperial feat
With jewels blaz'd, magnificently great;
The vivid em'ralds there revive the eye,
The flaming rubies fhew their fanguine dye,
Bright azue rays from lively fapphires ftream,
And lucid amber cafts a golden gleam.
With various colour'd light the pavement shone,
And all on fire appear'd the glowing throne;
The dome's high arch reflects the mingled blaze,
And forms a rainbow of alternate rays.
When on the Goddess first I caft my fight,
Scarce feem'd her stature of a cubit's height;
But fwell'd to larger fize, the more I gaz'd,
Till to the roof her tow'ring front fhe rais'd.
With her, the temple ev'ry moment grew,
And ampler viftas open'd to my view:
Upward the columns fhoot, the roofs afcend,
And arches widen, and long ifles extend.
Such was her form, as ancient bards have told,
Wings raife her arms, and wings her feet infold;
A thousand bufy tongues the goddess bears,
A thousand open eyes, and thoufand lift'ning ears.
Beneath, in order rang'd, the tuneful Nine
(Her virgin handmaids) ftill attend the shrine;
With eyes on Fame for ever fix'd, they fing;
For Fame they raise the voice, and tune the ftring;
With Time's firit birth began the heav'nly lays,
And laft, eternal, through the length of days.
Around thefe wonders as I caft a look, The trumpet founded, and the temple shook, And all the nations fummon'd at the call, From diff'rent quarters fill the crowded hall: Of various tongues the mingled founds were heard; In various garbs promifcuous throngs appear'd; 281 Thick as the bees, that with the fpring renew Their flow'ry toils, and fip the fragrant dew, When the wing'd colonies firft tempt the sky, O'er dusky fields and shaded waters fly,
Or fettling, feize the sweets the blossoms yield,
And a low murmur runs along the field.
Millions of fuppliant crowds the shrine attend,
And all degrees before the Goddess bend;
The poor, the rich, the valiant, and the fage,
And boafting youth, and narrative old age.
Their pleas were diff'rent, their request the same:
For good and bad alike are fond of Fame.
Some the difgrac'd, and fome with honors crown'd;
Unlike fucceffes equal merits found.
Thus her blind fifter, fickle Fortune, reigns,
And, undifcerning, fcatters crowns and chains.
Firft at the shrine the learned world appear,
And to the Goddess thus prefer their pray'r:
Long have we fought t' inftruct and please mankind,
With ftudies pale, with midnight vigils blind;
But thank'd by few, rewarded yet by none,
We here appeal to thy fuperior throne:
On wit and learning the just prize bestow,
For fame is all we must expect below.
The Goddefs heard, and bade the Mufes raife
The golden trumpet of eternal praise:
From pole to pole the winds diffufe the found,
That fills the circuit of the world around;
Not all at once, as thunder breaks the cloud,
The notes at first were rather fweet than loud:
VOL. I.
By juft degrees they ev'ry moment rife,
Fill the wide earth, and gain upon the skies.
At ev'ry breath were balmy odours fhed,
Which still grew fweeter as they wider fpread;
Lefs fragrant fcents th' unfolding rofe exhales,
Or fpices breathing in Arabian gales.
Next thefe the good and juft, an awful train,
Thus on their knees addrefs'd the facred fane:
Since living virtue is with envy curs'd,
And the best men are treated like the worst,
Do thou, juft Goddefs, call our merits forth,
And give each deed th' exact intrinfic worth.
Not with bare juftice fhall your act be crown'd,
(Said Fame,) but high above defert renown'd:
Let fuller notes th' applauding world amaze,
And the loud clarion labour in your praife.
This band difmifs'd, behold another crowd
Preferr'd the fame requeft, and lowly bow'd;
The conftant tenor of whofe well spent days
No lefs deferv'd a juft return of praife.
But ftraight the direful trump of Slander founds;
Through the big dome the doubling thunder bounds; Loud as the burft of cannon rends the fkies,
The dire report through ev'ry region flies,
In ev'ry ear inceffant rumours rung,
And gath'ring fcandals grew on ev'ry tongue.
From the black trumpet's rufty concave broke
Sulphureous flames, and clouds of rolling smoke:
The pois'nous vapour blots the purple skies,
And withers all before it as it flies.
A troop came next, who crowns and armour wore, And proud defiance in their looks they bore: For thee (they cry'd) amidst alarms and strife, We fail'd in tempefts down the fream of life; For thee whole nations fill'd with flames and blood, And fwam to empire through the purple flood. Thofe ills we dar'd, thy infpiration own, What virtue feem'd, was done for thee alone. Ambitious fools! (the Queen reply'd, and frown'd,) Be all your acts in dark oblivion drown'd;
There fleep forgot, with mighty tyrants gone,
Your ftatues moulder'd, and your names unknown!
A fudden cloud straight snatch'd them from my fight,
And each majestic phantom funk in night.
To follow virtue e'en for virtue's fake.
Plain was their dress, and modeft was their mein.
Great Idol of mankind! we neither claim
The praife of merit, nor aspire to fame!
But fafe in deferts from th' applause of men,
Would die unheard of, as we liv'd unfeen:
'Tis all we beg thee, to conceal from fight
Thofe acts of goodness which themselves requite.
O let us still the fecret joy partake,
Then came the fmalleft tribe I yet had feen;
And live there men who flight immortal fame ? Who then with incenfe fhall adore our name? But, Mortals! know, 'tis ftill our greatest pride To blaze those virtues which the good would hide. Rife! Mufes, rife! add all your tuneful breath; 370 These must not fleep in darkness and in death. She faid; in air the trembling mufic floats, And on the winds triumphant fwell the notes; So foft, though high, so loud, and yet so clear, E'en lift'ning angels lean`d from heav'n to hear: 375 To fartheft fhores th' ambrofial fpirit flies, Sweet to the world, and grateful to the skies.
Next thefe a youthful train their vows exprefs'd, With feathers crown'd, with gay embroid❜ry dress'd: Hither, they cry'd, direct your eyes, and fee The men of pleature, drefs, and gallantry; Ours is the place at banquets, balls, and plays; Sprightly our nights, polite are all our days; Courts we frequent, where 'tis our pleating care To pay due vifits, and addrefs the fair:
In fact, 'tis true, no nymph we could perfuade,
But ftill in fancy vanquish'd ev'ry maid:
Of unknown ducheffes lewd tales we teil,
Yet, would the world believe us, all were well.
The joy let others have, and we the name,
And what we want in pleasure, grant in fame.
The Queen affents; the trumpet rends the skies,
And at each blaft a lady's honour dies.
Pleas'd with the strange success, vast numbers prest
Around the shrine, and made the same request.
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What, you, (she cry'd,) unlearn'd in arts to please;
Slaves to yourselves, and e'en fatigu’d with ease,
Who lofe a length of undeferving days,
Would you ufurp the lover's dear-bought praise!
To juft contempt, ye vain pretenders! fall,
The peoples' fable, and the fcorn of all.
Straight the black clarion fends a horrid found,
Loud laughs burft out, and bitter fcoffs fly round;
Whispers are heard, with taunts reviling loud,
And fcornful hiffes run through all the crowd.
Last, those who boast of mighty mischiefs done,
Enslave their country, or ufurp a throne;
Or who their glory's dire foundation laid
On fov'reigns ruin'd, or on friends betray'd;
Calm, thinking villains, whom no faith could fix,
Of crooked counfels and dark politics;
Of thefe a gloomy tribe furround the throne,
And beg to make the immortal treasons known.
The trumpet roars, long flaky flames expire,
With sparks that seem'd to set the world on fire. 415
At the dread found pale mortals ftood aghaft,
And startled Nature trembled with the blaft.
This having heard and seen, fome pow'r unknown Straight chang'd the fcene, and fnatch'd me from the Before my view appear'd a structure fair, Its fight uncertain, if in earth or air;
With rapid motion turn'd the mansion round;
With ceafeless noife the ringing walls refound:
Not lefs in number were the fpacious doors
Than leaves on trees, or fands upon the fhores;
Which still unfolded ftand, by night, by day,
Pervious to winds, and open ev'ry way.
As flames by nature to the fkies afcend,
As weighty bodies to the centre tend,
As to the fea returning rivers roll,
And the touch'd needle trembles to the pole;
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