Reluctant praise his words allow, The hardy veteran sits him down; Yet gives the Treasury Bench a frown. Now mark the Statesmen of the City! Hark, Wilkes grows civil! Hayley witty! Sawbridge, so chang'd the scene appears, Consents to keep his seat seven years; Ev'n Bull, the savage Bull, looks tame! And melts before the conq'ring flame.
Not so the Luttrells; in despair The clamorous band besiege the chair. "I burn, I burn," old Irnham cries: The Colonel thinks the Project wise; But Jack and Jemmy jointly pledge Themselves, 'tis breach of privilege; And Temple, Greece and Rome can hawk in, Against this barb'rous stop to talkingIn vain; the House enjoy the effect And the Buzaglo all protect. But Fox, more warily, to gain His dear delight to speak again, Most humbly moves, since they approve This potent wonder-working stove, Lest some unseen mischance ensue, They'd have a Ventilator too. Tho' plausible his Project fails; Thine, happy Muse, alone prevails.
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.
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 !
Epist. XII. EPISTLES DESCRIPTIVE, &c.
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, 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 : 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,
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, 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,
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