Night, and her ugly subjects, thou dost fright,
And Sleep, the lazy owl of Night,

Afham'd and fearful to appear,

They fcreen their horrid fhapes with the black he

XI.

[mifphere. With them there haftes, and wildly takes th' alarm,

Of painted dreams a busy swarm ;

At the firft op'ning of thine eye

The various clusters break, the antic atoms fly.

XII.

The guilty ferpents, and obfcener beasts,
Creep confcious to their fecret rests:

Nature to thee does rev'rence pay,

Ill omens and ill fights removes out of thy way.

XIII.

At thy appearance, Grief itself is faid

To shake his wings, and rouze his head;
And cloudy Care has often took

A gentle beamy fiile reflected from thy look.

XIV.

At thy appearance, Fear itself grows bold;
Thy funshine melts away his cold :

Encourag'd at the fight of thee,

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To the cheek colour comes, and firmness to the knee.

XV.

Ev'n Luft, the mafter of a harden'd face,

Blushes if thou be'ft in the place;

To Darkness' curtains he retires,

In fympathizing night he rolls his fmoky fires.

XVI.

60

When, Goddess! thou lift'st up thy waken'd head

Out of the Morning's purple bed,

Thy quire of birds about thee play,

And all the joyful world falutes the rifing day.
XVII.

The ghosts, and monster sp'rits, that did prefume 65
A body's privilege to affume,

Vanish again invisibly,

And bodies gain again their visibility.

XVIII.

All the world's bravery, that delights our eyes,

Is but thy fev'ral liveries ;

Thou the rich dye on them bestow'st,

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Thy nimble pencil paints this landscape as thou go'st.

XIX.

A crimson garment in the rose thou wear'st;

A crown of studded gold thou bear'st;

The virgin lilies, in their white,

Are clad but with the lawn of almost naked light.

XX...

The violet, Spring's little infant, stands

Girt in thy purple fwaddlingbands:

On the fair tulip thou doft dote;

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Thou cloath'fl it in a gay and party-colour'd coat. 80

XXI.

With flame condens'd thou doft the jewels fix,
And folid colours in it mix:

Flora herself envies to fee

Flow'rs fairer than her own, and durable as the.

XXII.

Ah! Goddefs! would thou couldst thy hand withAnd be lefs liberal to gold;

Didft thou lefs value to it give,

[hold, 85

Of how much care, alas! might'ft thou poor mán

XXIII.

To me the fun is more delightful far,

And all fair days much fairer are;

But few, ah! wondrous few there be

{relieve!

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Who do not gold prefer, O Goddefs! ev'n to thee.

XXIV. t

Thro' the foft ways of heav'n, and air, and sea,

Which open all their pores to thee,

Like a clear river thou doft glide,

་ ་ ་

95

And with thy living stream thro' the close channels

But where firm bodies thy free course oppose,

Gently thy fource the land o'erflows;

Takes there poffeffion, and does make,

[flide.

Of colours mingled light, a thick and standing lake.

Thy rivers, lakes, and springs below,

[flow.

From thence took first their rife, thither at last must

THE COUNTRY MOUSE.

A paraphrafe upon Horace, Book 11. Sat. vi,

1

Ar the large foot of a fair hollow tree,

Clofe to plow'd ground, seated commodiously,
His ancient and hereditary house,

There dwelt a good substantial Country Moufe:
Frugal, and grave, and careful of the main,
Yet one who once did nobly entertain
A City Morfe, well coated, fleek, and gay,
A Moufe of high degree, which loft his way,
Wantonly walking forth to take the air,
And arriv'd early, and belighted there
For a day's lodging. The good hearty host
(The ancient plenty of his hall to boast)
Did all the ftores produce that might excite,
With various tastes, the courtier's appetite:
Fitches and beans, peason, and oats, and wheat, Is
And a large chefnut, the delicious meat
Which Jove himself, were he a Mouse, would eat.
And for a hautgoust there was mix'd with these
The fwerd of bacon and the coat of cheese,
The precious relics which at harvest he

Had gather'd from the reapers' luxury.

5

ΙΟ

20

Freely (faid he) fall on, and never spare,
The bounteous gods will for to-morrow care.
And thus at ease on beds of straw they lay,
And to their genius facrific'd the day :
Yet the nice gueft's Epicurean mind

(Tho' breeding made him civil feem and kind)
Despis'd this country feast, and still his thought
Upon the cakes and pies of London wrought.
Your bounty and civility (faid he)
Which I'm furpris'd in these rude parts to fee
Shews that the gods have given you a mind
Too noble for the fate which here you find.
Why should a foul so virtuous and so great
Lose itself thus in an obfcure retreat?
Let favage beafts lodge in a country den,

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You should fee towns, and manners know, and men And taste the gen'rous lux'ry of the court,

Where all the Mice of quality refort;

Where thousand beauteous fhees about you move, 40

And by high fare are pliant made to love.
We all ere long must render up our breath,
No cave or hole can fhelter us from Death.
Since life is fo uncertain, and so short,
Let's spend it all in feafting and in sport.
Come, worthy Sir! come with me, and partake
All the great things that mortals happy make.
Alas! what virtue hath fufficient arms

45

T'oppose bright Honour and foft Pleafure's charms?