The vanquish'd Charles to Almack's fled,
The Speech is prais'd: the Address is read;
The Question carried nemine con:

The House is up: the business done.

236

EPISTLE XII.

THE

PLEASURES OF THE MIND,

KIND Nature, with a mother's joys
Her every art to charm employs,
For man-the golden King of day
Pours light, health, beauty, in his ray.
The Morn in silver tresses bright,
With milder charms salutes his sight,
And Night her shadowy curtain draws,
Indulging sleep's refreshing pause:
For man the purply finger'd Hours,

Dress beauteous Spring in new-blown flow'rs./
Teach her to breathe a rich perfume,
And smile with eye-enchanting bloom.
Then, ripe in beauty's glowing pride,
Blithe Summer, Sol's refulgent bride,
Bids Plenty revel o'er the plains,
And carol heart enlivening strains.
Next, Autumn calls the sylvan pow'rs,
To lay him soft in shady bow'rs,

Where grape and nectarine, plum and peach,
May tempting hang within his reach!

20

Epist. XII.

EPISTLES DESCRIPTIVE, &c.

103

Last, Winter comes to rule the year

In sweet vicissitude severe.

See him on Zembla's mountains stand,
He stretches out his palsied hand,
And all his magazines unfold

Their copious hoards of ice and cold:
The hail, in vollies rattles round,

30

The snow descending, shrouds the ground:
Deep bellowing bursts of thunders roll,
And pleasing horror swells the soul,
With still improv'd delight, the mind
Beholds her powers unconfin'd,
She roves with Nature, and explains
What virtues live in secret veins
Of herbs; bids Flora's children rise
In naked beauty to her eyes,
To the soft serenade of gales

Thro' ocean's liquid realms she sails,
Thro' pearly worlds, thro' coral groves,
Where every scaly wonder roves:

40

With Phoebus, in his chariot driv❜n,
She journies thro' the expanse of heav'n;
Now rolling round on Saturn's ring,
Now roving on the comet's wing,
And urging still her airy flight,
She gains those smiling realms of light,
Where sons of bliss, Immortals dwell,
In golden groves of asphodel.

Now conscious of celestial skill,

Her forming pow'r she tries at will,

50

Her pencil weds assenting dies,

And see a new-born world arise.

Here charms the eye the blossom'd grove,
Where, looking bliss, young Lovers rove;
There serpentine the river glides,
And nibbling flocks adorn its sides,
Soft'ning to flesh the marble lives,
And takes each attitude she gives :
Here nerv❜d to strength the Hero stands,
There Orators extend their hands, bo
The Patriot here, by Freedom's side,
Smiling pours out the vital tide;
Here Beauty charms the gazing eye,
The Loves and Graces waiting by:
Is it the breeze that wakes the Spring,
Or say, does Philomela sing,
And bid the list’ning ear rejoice?
'Tis music tunes her heav'nly voice,
Her voice of sweetest skill to raise
The drooping heart ten thousand ways.
Now heav'n-caught fury fires the soul,
And spurning oft earth's dull control,
Vent'rous she wings her full-plum'd flight,
Detects new regions of delight;

Led by th' enchantress Fancy roves,___
The Muses' gay ideal groves,

Where countless beings strike her eye,
Confus'd in glitt❜ring novelty :
But what the varied years delight,

Or what the mental ken so bright, 80

Or what the kind inspiring Muses,
To bliss that genuine love transfuses!
The parent fond impassion❜d flow,
The filial duteous grateful glow,
Congenial friendship, heav'nly true,
And pity pressing balmy dew.
The feast of converse, that dispenses
Rapture to fill up all the senses,

Where Reason, Mirth, good Humor sit,

And Beauty sparkles into wit.

༡༠

100

Here too, as in the natural scene,
Triumphs the Mind, creative queen,
Here Fancy, with illusion kind,
Indulges ev'ry longing mind,
Brings to the Lover, in despair
His mutually impassion'd Fair,
Adorns the frightful female face
With beauties cull'd from every Grace;
Instructs Ambition's slave to nod,
And bids the reptile soar a God,
Applauds the Bard's prosaic songs,
Gives eloquence to stamm'ring tongues,
Lets Ocean's sons their haven gain,
Unbinds the Captive's galling chain ¡
To Poverty each joy bestows,
From rich Humantity that flows,
Gives her at once herself to bless,
And charm the Virtues in distress,
Yet still reserves the sapient Mind,
Her darling free-born joy behind,"