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Juft points to yonder ruin'd tower;
Where, at the gloom of midnight hour,
'Midft its dark walls, and lonely walks,
The blood-ftain'd phantom awful stalks.
There lead me, by thy filv'ry light,
To trace the filent fcenes of Night.
With penfive fteps, there let me roam,
Pleas'd with the fympathetic gloom,
Recal Maria's image dear,

And drop the "fadly pleafing" tear.
Thy blufhing orb, ariling flow,

Gives to each cloud a redden'd glow;
And trees and rocks, together, spread
Their lengthen'd fhadows o'er the glade,
Till in meridian glory bright

Thou shedd'it o'er all thy flowing light,
Each ftar's pale trembling luftre flies,
And owns thee Emprefs of the Skies.
So rofe! fo fhone! Maria, bright!
But, ah! too foon, the funk in night
At Death's decree; who cruel bade
Her blooming beauty drooping fade,
To the cold tomb its charms refign,
And leave each leffer ftar to fhine.

ON THE

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When firft, with timid hand, I touch'd the lyre,

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Congenial audience found in bollow friends; Who to the tale “affent with civil leer, And, without fneering, teach the reft to fneer;

His friendship o'er me fpread that guardian fhield,

Which his fevereft virtue best could wield;
Repell'd by him, relentless Slander found
Her dart bereft of half its power to wound.
Alas! no more to him the task belongs
To footh my forrows, or redrefs my wrongs;
No more his letter'd aid (enlighten'd Sage!)
Shall mark the errors of my careless page;
Shall hide from public view the faulty hoe,
And bid the merit he bestows be mine.

Ah! while with fond regret my feeble verse Would pour its tribute o'er his hallowed hearfe,

For him, his country twines her civic palm, And Learning's tears his honour'd name embalm;

His were the lavish ftores, her force fublime Thro' ev'ry paffing age has fnatch'd from time;

His,the Hiftorian's wreath, the Critic's art, A rigid judgment, but a feeling heart;

*Mifs Williams took refuge in Switzerland during the reign of Robespierre.

His,

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Round our order close we bind Laws of love to all mankind. Thus, like clves in myftic ring, Merry mafons drink and fing.

Health, then, to each honest man, Friends to the Mafonic plan! Leaving Parfons grave to blunder,

On reading an EPIGRAM, intended to Leaving Ladies fair to wonder,

L

afperfe a great Law Chara&er.

To MR ERSKINE.

Leaving Thomas still to lie, Leaving Betty still to spy,

Round and round we push our glafs,

ET Envy's pigmy darts affault thy Round and round each toafts his lafs:

name,

Not one fhall ever reach thy giant fame! As foon the feeble gales of zephyr's breeze Might proftrate lay the aged forest trees. As foon might pebbles, from an urchin's hand,

Thus, like elves in myftic ring, Merry Mafons drink and fing.

MOLINEUS's CAT.-A POEM.

BY MR COLE.

TITISSA, well-bred Pufs, defeended

C'erthrow the rock, and bid it kifs the M From cars of Cyprus, much com

ftrand,

No-thine are talents, Erfkine, thine the mind,

That Virtue fhields from malice of mankind.

What heart that feels the prifoner's trembling fear,

What eye that fills with Pity's starting tear, What mild conceding philanthropic breast, But views thy foul the friend of the diftreft. And when from courts to fenates we pur fue,

And trace the conduct to thy country duc, What patriot heart, that does not own in thee,

Our Britain's better Guardian than her Sea.

May virtue then still teach thy fame to rife, And guard its progrefs-till it reach the

kies!

A GLEE, Sung at the Grand Lodge of Free-mafons, at Somerset-boufe.

L'

WRITTEN BY G. DYER.

IGHTLY o'er the village-green Blue-ey'd Fairies fport unfeen, Round and round in circles gay; Then at cock-crow flit away. Thus, 'tis faid, tho' mortal eye Their merry freaks could never spy, Elves for mortals lifp the prayer, Elves are guardians of the fair;

Thus, like cives in myftic ring, Merry mafons drink and fing. Come, then, Brothers, lead along Social rights, and myftic fong: Tho' nor Madam, Miss, or Bess, Could our myft'ries ever guefs; Nor could ever learn'd LING Sacred Mafoury duftne,

mended;

In whom more fondling arts are feen,
Than had that wheedling Cyprian Queen.
Thy beauteous coat unrival'd fhines
With various hues in waving lines;
More foft and yielding than the velt
That warms the turtle's downy breast:
More delicate than virgin's face,
O'erfpread with tender blooming grace.
A much more cunning thievih elf,
Than the fly pilf'ring fox himself.
A perfect monkey in disguise.
With tricks as droll, and looks as wife;
Nor lefs alert than squirrel found,
To fkip and frifk with nimble bound.

How pleas'd art thou to lead the way!
When thro' my garden walks I firay,
How prompt to hint, by geflures court-
ing,

Thy longings for a little fporting!
And when, in playful circles quick,
Around thy head I twirl my flick,
Clofe couching firft, with wav'ring view,
Thy eyes alone its track purfue;
Then eager ipringing from the ground,
With greedy graip thou hugʻit it round.
Again, before thy fparkling eyes,
The flourifa'd ftick enticing flies:
And now with twifting, doubling pace,
Thou urgeft true the giddy chace,
Till caught once more, 'twixt tooth and
nail,

The prize is held, with waggling tail.

I home return; clote, fide by fide,
Thou trotteft on with focial pride.
Then to my study we repair;
But scarce l'in fiat in elbow chair,
To read or write one line fcarce able,
Ere thou art percid upon the table;
As if an owl, fince Pallas chufes,
A cat muft needs attend the Myles.

And

And now, what purrings to exprefs,
And footh thy cherifh'd love's excels!
What hafty ftruttings to and fro,
Thy joys ecftatic height to fhow!
What urgent fits of fond careffing,
With nuftling note my face clofe pref-
fing!

What pride difplayed with back inflected,

And fwelling tail in ftate erected!

I ftroke thee now, fweet Pufs, and prove
Myfelf infected with thy love:
Submitting with compliance bland,
Thou glideft fmooth beneath my hand;
Returning quick, I ftroke again,"
But ftrive to fatisfy in vain ;
For thou again, these coaxings o'er,
Wilt ftill folicit more and more.

Finding thyfelf, at length, neglected, And my thoughts fixt where first directed;

Demure and grave thou canft retreat,
And near my elbow take thy feat.
But tho' on folded paws tuck'd in,
And knuckled close beneath thy chin,
Yet ftill thy eyes, whate'er I do,
With active glance my hands pursue.
And hark! my fcribbling pen, with
fcratches,

Thy quick, attentive ear now catches.
Impatient quite, yet slowly rifing,
Becaufe intent upon surprising,
With gentle ftep, and cautious fear,
Thou creepeft on-till ftation'd near,
With eager wrigglings to express
Thy purpose and fecure fuccefs,
Quick as a moufe in ruftling firaw,
Thou darteft underneath thy paw;
Then rais'd erect, up goes my paper,
With gamefome cuff, and nodling caper.
But this rude trick, tho' far from pleaf
ing,

Is yet fo comically teazing,
That, quite unable to refent,

I laugh, and take it as 'twas meant.
And having plac'd all matters right,
Calmly proceed again to write.
And now each letter that I trace
Thou doft infpect with ferious face:
Mufing, as if at lofs to know

What fuch marks mean, and whence they flow:

But ftill perplex'd, and longing much
To feel, if palpable to touch,

Thy curious foot, to clear the doubt,
Whips in, and blots my writing out.
More teazing this; but love prevailing,
I overlook this fecond failing.
But thou, more bold, the more excus'd,
(And kindness thus is oft abus'd)
Some fresh affault haft foon devis'd,
And ere of thy intent appris'd,

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Once more at this, I vow I'll match thee.
Thefe threats defpis'd, I then reprefs,
With flip on nofe, thy faucinefs.
At this rebuff, thy neck clofe fhrinking,
Thy whifkers flat, and eyelids blinking,
Thou fneakeft back, with fad difmay,
And looks that confcious guilt betray;
Looks fweetly aw'd, fuch looks as prove
Thy pertnefs loft, but not thy love.
And now, as griev'd for infults past,
On me, thy pleading eyes are cast:
But, foon difpell'd each gloomy fear,
Fair gleams of hope thy afpect cheer.
And well, fweet Pufs, may'ft thou be-
lieve

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That, like thyself, I can forgive;
For 'tis a doubt which moft repents,
Or which moft willingly relents.
And yet, methinks, I with thee gone:
I'm bufy; we'll be friends anon.
Come, Pufs, march down, and if this
blow

Should fret and vex thee, when below,
Then fhow it, or on rat, or moufe,
Our common foes, within this houfe:
Thus may thy vented fpleen be eas'd,
And thus my anger beft appeas'd.

ELEGY, TO A RED-BREAST.

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In vain the wooes,amid the gathering fhade So fhall thy fimple warblings charm the The gales of evening, or the dews of

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grove;

For Venus' felf her guardian aid fhall lend,

And the fweet bird, whofe carols fa

vour'd love,

In grateful love fhall ever find a friend.

Then tell her, that her true love ne'er shall fail,

Till mute his tongue, in death his bofom cold;

Thy fong perchance may speak a tenderer tale,

But, ah! a truer never yet was told.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE SEVENTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN.

THE

HOUSE OF LORDS,-Dec. 11. HE order of the day being read, the Houfe refolved itfelf into a Commit tee on the Bill to prevent Seditious Meetings and Affemblies.

Lord Lauderdale moved an Amendment on that claufe which ftated," That every perfon or perfons, who fhall at any time be convicted of any of the offences afore-mentioned, within that part of Great Britain called Scotland, fhall, for every fuch offence, incur and fuffer the pain of death, and confifcation of move ables." This gave rife to a converfation, in which the Lord Chancellor and Lord Thurlow fpoke; and it was agreed that the cause should be rendered more explicit.

The Duke of Norfolk moved, that the duration of this bill fhould be for one year.

The Houfe divided-For the term of three years 45. Against it 8.

On the claufe for enacting the punishment of death againft feveral offences under the bill, the Earl of Lauderdale, Lord Thurlow, and the Bishop of Rochefter argued, that the claufe was fo loofely worded as to inflict the punishment of death on a printer in Scotland, for publishing unauthorifed advertifements, which was punishable in England only by a sol. penalty. The claufe was fupported by Lord Grenville; but it was at length agreed, that a provifo fhould be introduced, on the third reading of the bill, for making the punishment in Scotland the fame for that offence as in England.

Dec. 14. A Meffage was received from the Commons to obtain a conference with that Houfe; which being complied with,

The Earl of Mansfield, Prefident of the Conference, reported to their Lordfhips, on his return to the Houfe, that he had to lay before their Lordships the Refolution and Agreement of the Commons on certain regulations entered into by them, for the better regulation of the prices of Corn, and the reduction of the price of Bread. His Lordship moved, that the fame fhould be printed against Wednesday next.

Lord Thurlow ridiculed the manner in which this fubject had been brought forward. Their Lordships, he faid, could not, confiftently with their dignity and the forms of the Houfe, take into confideration fo ludicrous a proceeding as the Refolution. The Commons ought to have come forward, not with fuch an inefficient Refolution, but brought to their Lordships, with the ufual formalities, fome legiflative act.

Lords Grenville and Hawkesbury defended the mode of proceeding, and Lord Mansfield's motion was carried.

Bill for the Safety of the King's Perfon.

The Earl of Lauderdale moved, that the Bill for the Safety of his Majefty's Perfon, &c. fhould be printed with the amendments, and be confidered on Wednefday.

The Duke of Bedford could not, he faid, even in this laft ftage of the Bill, refrain from making a few obfervatione. He was glad that there had been a conftitutional refiftance to thefe bills; and to this refiftance on the part of the people, were to be attributed the modifications in this bill. For a conftitutional refiftance to the arbitrary acts of a profligate adminiftration an ancestor of his had bled upon the fcaffold; and the

ciples which he vindicated were ratified, not produced, by the Revolution of 1688. In the practice of thofe principles, his Grace declared it to be his determination to live and to die, if his death would be the means of fecuring and preferving them to pofterity.

Lord Hawkesbury entered into a vindication of the Bill, and a long debate enfued, in which the fpeakers recapitulated their former arguments.

The Duke of Leeds, Lord Lauderdale, and the Marquis of Lanfdowne condemned the principle of the Bill. The latter noble Lord afferted, that if the doctrine which runs through the whole of the bills were carried into execution, it was full time for every man of property to transfer it to a land of freedom, for in Britain freedom would be no more. At two o'clock the House divided, Contents Proxies

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57 50

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Majority

14

-107

18

89

The Bill was then read a third time and paffed.

[By the abfence of Lord Moira, who holds the proxies of the Duke of Northumberland and Earl of Shaftesbury, the minority was reduced three, and increafed one by the Duke of Leeds, who voted against the Bills.]

Dec. 16. The order of the day for taking into confideration the papers fent up by the Commons on the fubject of Corn, was read and entered on.

Lord Mansfield began by obferving, that a ferious and melancholy circumftance had befallen the country laft year; he meant the failure in the crops of wheat laft harvest.

We had but too well-grounded reafons to believe, that even what were regarded as tolerable good crops in fome quarters, did not produce the expected quantity; and he was warranted to pronounce, that upon, the whole, laft year's crop was deficient in one third. To obviate the evils there occurred but two remedies, either to fupply the deficiency by importation, or to hit on fome mode of reducing the home coufumption.

The firft remedy could not be expected to be very effectual, as the fame evil was pretty generally felt throughout all. Europe; the other therefore fhould be called in to its fupport. But how this

point could be obtained was now the queftion to be confidered; it could only fucceed through the mode adopted by the Houfe of Commons, or by having recourfe to fome compulfory means, which, if poffible, he wished might be avoided.

The Duke of Bedford declined affixing his name to any fuch Refolution, and declared it to be his opinion that the plans projected were wholly Ineffectual to produce the defired effect.

Several other Lords fpoke ;- after which the Refolutions were put and agreed to.

The amendments made in the Trealon Bill by the Houfe of Commons were agreed to.

December 17. On the queftion being put, that the Bill for raifing the fum of 18,000,000l. to his Majefty, for the public fervice, be read a fecond time, the Earl of Lauderdale role to call their Lordfips attention to the transaction of the late loan. He took a comprehenfive review of the finances of the country; and after commenting on the manner in which loans had been negociated for the laft twenty years, contrafted them with the prefent, and concluded by propofing an enquiry into the conduct of Minifters on the fubject of the Loan.

Lord Grenville vindicated the manner of negociating the Loan, and remark ed, that as the fubject was under the inveftigation of a Select Committee of the other House, the propofition was unneceffary.

The Earl of Lauderdale replied; and the Bill was then read a fecond time.

Dec. 18. Their Lordships met, and after the hearing of Counfel on án Appeal, Anftruther againft Anftruther, a Commillion was opened, empowering the Lord Chancellor, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Dorfet, and others, as Commiffioners to give the Royal Alfent to the Bill for the Safety and Prefervation of his Majefty's Perfon and Government, againft Treafonable and Seditious Practices; the Bill for the more effectually preventing Seditious Meetings and Affemblies; the Bill for the Free Paffage of Grain; Wakeman's Divorce Bill; and nine Inclosure, Road, and Naturalization Bills.

23. The Poft Horfe Duty, Tobac co, Collateral Property Bills," &c. were read a third time.

14. The Royal Affent was given by commiffion to the Tobacco Duty, the More Duties, the Affeffed Tax and Salt

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