By distant masters shall each step be seen,
Tho' mountains rife, and oceans roar between ;
Hence, with her fifter arts, fhall Dancing claim.
An equal right to univerfal fame,

And ISAAC's rigadoon shall live as long,

AS RAPHAEL's painting, or as VIRGIL's fong.
Wife Nature ever, with a prudent hand,
Difpenfes various gifts to every land,
To every nation frugally imparts

A genius fit for fome peculiar arts;

To trade the DUTCH incline, the Swiss to arms,
Mufic and verfe are foft ITALIA's charms
BRITANNIA juftly glories to have found
Lands unexplor'd, and fail'd the globe around :
But none will fure presume to rival FRANCE,
Whether she forms, or executes the dance;
To her exalted genius 'tis we owe

The sprightly Rigadoon and Louvre flow,
The Borée, and Courant unpractis'd long,
Th' immortal Minuet, and the smooth Bretagne,
With all those dances of illustrious fame,

* That from their native country take their name,
With these let every ball be firft begun,
Nor country dance intrude till thefe are done.

Each cautious bard, ere he attempts to fing,
Firft gently flutt'ring tries his tender wing,

*French dances.

And

And if he finds that with uncommon fire
The Mufes all his raptur'd foul infpire,
At once to heav'n he fores in lofty odes,
And fings alone of heroes and of gods;
But if he trembling fears a flight so high,
He then descends to fofter elegy;
And if in elegy he can't fucceed,

In paft'ral he may tune the oaten reed:

So fhould the dancer, ere he tries to move,

With care his ftrength, his weight, and genius prove;
Then, if he finds kind Nature's gifts impart
Endowments proper for the dancing art,
If in himself he feels together join'd,
An active body and ambitious mind,
In nimble Rigadoons he may advance,
Or in the Louvre's flow majeftic dance;
If these he fears to reach, with easy pace
Let him the Minuet's circling mazes trace:
Is this too hard? this too let him forbear,
And to the Country-dance confine his care.

Wou'd you in dancing ev'ry fault avoid,
To keep true time be your firft thoughts employ'd;
All other errors they in vain shall mend,
Who in this one important point offend;
For this, when now united hand in hand
Eager to start the youthful couple stand;
Let them awhile their nimble feet restrain,
And with foft taps beat time to ev'ry strain ;

So

So for the race prepar'd two courfers ftand,
And with impatient pawings fpurn the sand.

In vain a master shall employ his care,
Where Nature once has fix'd a clumfy air;
Rather let fuch, to country sports confin'd,
Pursue the flying hare, or tim'rous hind:
Nor yet, while I the rural 'fquire despise,
A mien effeminate would I advise;
With equal fcorn I would the fop deride,
Nor let him dance-but on the woman's fide.
And you, fair nymphs, avoid with equal care,
A ftupid dulnefs,' and a coquet air;

Neither with eyes, that ever love the ground,
Afleep, like spinning-tops, run round and round;
Nor yet with giddy looks, and wanton pride,
Stare all around, and skip from fide to fide.

True dancing, like true wit, is best exprefs'd

By nature only to advantage drefs'd;
"Tis not a nimble bound, or caper high,
That can pretend to please a curious eye,
Good judges no fuch tumblers tricks regard,
Or think them beautiful, because they're hard.

"Tis not enough, that every stander-by
No glaring errors in your steps can spy,
The dance and mufic muft fo nicely meet,
Each note should seem an echo to your feet;
A nameless grace muft in each movement dwell,
Which words can ne'er exprefs, or precepts tell,

Not to be taught, but ever to be feen
In FLAVIA's air, and CHLOE's easy mien:
'Tis fuch an air that makes her thousands fall,
When FIELDING dances at a birth-night ball;
Smooth as CAMILLA fhe fkims o'er the plain,
And flies like her thro' crowds of heroes flain.
Now when the Minuet oft repeated o'er,
(Like all terreftrial joys) can please no more,
And ev'ry nymph, refufing to expand
Her charms, declines the circulating hand;
Then let the jovial country-dance begin,
And the loud fiddles call each fraggler in :
But ere they come, permit me to disclose,
How first, as legends tell, this pastime rose.

In ancient times (fuch times are now no more)
When Albion's crown illuftrious ARTHUR Wore,
In fome fair op'ning glade, each fummer's night,
Where the pale moon diffus'd her filver light,
On the foft carpet of a graffy field,

The fporting fairies their affemblies held :
Some lightly tripping with their pigmy queen,
In circling ringlets mark'd the level green,
Some with foft notes bade mellow pipes refound,
And music warble thro' the groves around;

Oft' lonely fhepherds by the foreft fide,
Belated peafants oft' their revels fpy'd,
And home returning, o'er the nut-brown ale,
Their guests diverted with the wond'rous tale.

In

Inftructed hence, throughout the British isle,
And fond to imitate the pleafing toil,

Round where the trembling may-pole's fix'd on high,
And bears its flow'ry honours to the sky,
The ruddy maids, and fun-burnt fwains refort,
And practise every night the lovely sport;
On every fide Æolian artists stand,

Whofe active elbows fwelling winds command,
The fwelling winds harmonious pipes infpire,
And blow in ev'ry breast a generous fire.

Thus taught at firft the country-dance began,
And hence to cities and to courts it ran,
Succeeding ages did in time impart
Various improvements to the lovely art:
From fields and groves to palaces remov'd,
Great ones the pleafing exercise approv'd;
Hence the loud fiddle, and fhrill trumpet's founds,
Are made companions of the dancer's bounds;
Hence gems, and filks, brocades, and ribbons join,
To make the ball with perfect luftre shine.
So rude at firft the tragic Mufe appear'd,
Her voice alone by rustic rabble heard,
Where twifting trees a cooling arbour made,
The pleas'd fpectators fat beneath the shade,
The homely stage with rufhes green was ftrew'd,
And in a cart the ftrolling actors rode :
Till time at length improv'd the great design,
And bade the scenes with painted landskips shine;

VOL. III.

L

Then