"Ah plight too fore fuch worth to equal right! "Ah worth too high to meet fuch piteous plight!

II.

"But I nought ftrive, poor Colin, to compare

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My Hobbin's, or my Thenot's ruftick skill "To thy deft Swains, whofe dapper ditties rare Surpass ought elfe of quainteft fhepherd's quill. "Ev'n Roman Tityrus, that peerless wight, "Mote yield to thee for dainties of delight.

III.

"Eke when in Fable's flow'ry path you stray'd,

Masking in cunning feints Truth's fplendent face; "Ne Sylph, ne Sylphid, but dué tendence paid, "To fhield Belinda's lock from felon base, "But all mote nought avail such harm to chase, "Than Una fair 'gan droop her princely mein, "Eke Florimel, and all my Faery race: "Belinda far furpast my beauties fheen, "Belinda, fubject meet for fuch foft lay I ween.

IV.

"Like as in villag'd troop of birdlings trim,
"Where Chanticleer his red crest high doth hold,
"And quaking Ducks, that wont in lake to swim,
"And Turkeys proud, and Pigeons nothing bold;

Paftoral, are written in the measure which Spenfer ufes in the firft eclogue of the Shepherd's Calendar; the reft, where he Speaks of Fable, are in the flanza of the Faery Queen.

"If chance the Peacock doth his plumes unfold
"Eftfoons their meaner beauties all decaying,
"He glist'neth purple, and he glist'neth gold,
"Now with bright green, now blue himself arraying.
"Such is thy beauty bright, all other beauties fwaying.
V.

"But why do I descant this toyish rhyme,
"And fancies light in fimple guife pourtray?
"Lifting to chear thee at this rueful time,
"While as black Death doth on thy heartftrings prey.
"Yet rede aright, and if this friendly lay
"Thou nathlefs judgeft all too flight and vain,
"Let my well-meaning mend my ill effay:

"So may I greet thee with a nobler strain,

"When foon we meet for aye, in yon star-sprinkled plain."

Laft came a bard of more exalted tread,
And THYRSIs hight by Dryad, Fawn, or Swain,
Whene'er he mingled with the fylvan train;
But feldom that; for higher thoughts he fed;
For him full oft the heav'nly Muses led
To clear Euphrates, and the fecret mount,
To Araby, and Eden, fragrant climes;
All which the facred bard would oft recount:

Hight Thyrfis] i. e. MILTON. Lycidas and the Epitaphium Damonis are the only Paftorals we have of Milton's; in the latter of which, where he laments Car. Deedates under the name of Damon, he calls himself Thyrfis.

And

And thus in ftrain, unus'd in grove or shade,
To fad MUSEUs rightful homage paid.

"Thrice hail, thou heav'n-taught warbler, last and best "Of all the train! Poet, in whom conjoin'd

"All that to ear, or heart, or head, could yield
"Rapture; harmonious, manly, clear, fublime!
"Accept this gratulation: may it chear
"Thy finking foul; nor thefe corporeal ills
"Ought daunt thee, or appall. Know, in high heav'n
"Fame blooms eternal o'er that spirit divine,

"Who builds immortal verfe. There thy bold Muse,
"Which while on earth could breathe Mæonian fire,
"Shall foar feraphick heights; while to her voice
"Ten thousand Hierarchies of angels harp
"Symphonious, and with dulcet harmonies
"Ufher the fong rejoicing. I meanwhile,
"To footh thee in these irksome hours of pain,
"Approach thy vifitant, with mortal laud
"To praise thee mortal. First, (as first beseems)
"For rhyme fubdu'd; rhyme, erft the minstrel rude
"Of Chaos, Anarch old: fhe near his throne
"Oft taught the rattling elements to chime
"With tenfold din; till late to earth upborn
"On ftrident wing, what time fair poefie
"Emerg'd from Gothick cloud, and faintly shot

Rekindling gleams of luftre. Her the fiend "Opprefs'd; forcing to utter uncouth dirge, "Runick, or Leonine; and with dire chains

"Fetter'd her fcarce-fledg'd pinion. I fuch bonds
"Aim'd to deftroy, mistaking: bonds like these
"'Twere greater art t' ennoble, and refine.
"For this fuperior part Mus ÆUS Came:

"Thou cam'st, and at thy magick touch the chains
"Off dropt, and (paffing strange !) foft-wreathed bands
"Of flow'rs their place fupply'd: which well the Muse
"Might wear for choice, not force; obstruction none,
"But lovelieft ornament. Wond'rous this, yet here
"The wonder rests not; various argument
"Remains for me, all doubting, where to cull
"The primal grace, where countless graces charm.
"Various this peaceful scene; this mineral roof;
"This 'femblance meet of coral, ore, and fhell;
"These pointed cryftals fair, 'mid each obfcure

Bright glift'ring; all these flowly-dripping rills, "That tinkling ftray amid the cooly cave..

"Yet not this various peaceful scene; with this
"Its mineral roof; nor this affemblage meet
"Of coral, ore, and shell; norʼmid th' obfcure
"Thefe pointed cryftals, glift'ring fair; nor rills,
"That straying tinkle thro' the cooly cave;
"Deal charms more various to each raptur'd fenfe,
"Than thy mellifluous lay-

"Cease, friendly swain ; (Museus cry'd, and rais'd his aching head)

"All praise is foreign, but of true desert ;

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Plays round the head, but comes not to the heart.

"Ah!

"Ah! why recall the toys of thoughtless youth?
"When flow'ry fiction held the place of truth:
"When fancy rul'd; when trill'd each trivial strain,
"But idly fweet, and elegantly yain.

“O! in that strain, if all of wit had flow'd,
"All mufick warbled, and all beauty glow'd;
"Had livelieft nature, happiest art combin'd,
"That lent each grace, and this each grace refin'd;
"Alas! how little were my proudest boast!
"The sweetest trifler of my tribe at most.

"To fway the judgment, while he charms the ear; "To curb mad paffion in its wild career; "To blend with skill, as loftiest themes inspire, "All reafon's rigour, and all fancy's fire;

"Be this the poet's praise; with this uncrown'd, "Wit dies a jeft, and poetry a found.

"Come then that honeft fame; whose sober ray "Or gilds the fatire, or the moral lay;

"Which dawns, tho' thou, rough DONNE! hew out the line,
"But beams, fage HORACE! from each strain of thine.
"O! if, like these, one poet more could brave
"The venal statesman, or the titled flave;

"Brand frontless Vice, ftrip all her stars and strings,
"Nor spare her basking in the smile of kings:
"Yet ftoop to Virtue, tho' the prostrate maid
"Lay fadly pale in bleak misfortune's fhade:
"If grave, yet lively; rational, yet warm;
"Clear to convince, and eloquent to charm;