ROWN'D with the Sickle, and the wheaten Sheaf, While AUTUMN, nodding o'er the yellow Plain, Comes jovial on; the Doric Reed once more, Well pleas'd, I tune. Whate'er the wintry Frost Nitrous prepar'd; the various-blossom'd Spring Put in white Promise forth; and Summer-Suns Concocted strong, rush boundless now to View, Full, perfect all, and fwell my glorious Theme.
ONSLOW! the Muse, ambitious of thy Name,
To grace, inspire, and dignify her Song,
Would from the Public Voice thy gentle Ear
A. while engage. Thy noble Cares she knows,
The Patriot-Virtues that diftend thy Thought,
Spread on thy Front, and in thy Bofom glow;
While liftening Senates hang upon thy Tongue,
Devolving thro the Maze of Eloquence
A Rowl of Periods, fweeter than her Song,
But fhe too pants for public Virtue, fhe,
Tho weak of Power yet ftrong in ardent Will,
Whene'er her Country rushes on her Heart,
Affumes a bolder Note, and fondly tries
To mix the Patriot's with the Poet's Flame.
WHEN the bright Virgin gives the beauteous Days, And Libra weighs in equal Scales the Year; From Heaven's high Cope the fierce Effulgence fhook 25 Of parting Summer, a ferener Blue,
With golden Light enliven'd wide invests
The happy World. Attemper'd Suns arise,
Sweet-beam'd, and fhedding oft thro lucid Clouds
A pleafing Calm; while broad, and brown, below 30
Extenfive Harvests hang the heavy Head.
Rich, filent, deep, they ftand; for not a Gale
Rolls its light Billows o'er the bending Plain;
A Calm of Plenty! till the ruffled Air
Falls from its Poife, and gives the Breeze to blow. 35
Rent is the fleecy Mantle of the Sky;
The Clouds fly different; and the fudden Sun
By Fits effulgent gilds th' illumin'd Field,
And black by Fits the Shadows sweep along.
A gayly-checker'd Heart-expanding View,
Far as the circling Eye can shoot around,
Unbounded toffing in a Flood of Corn.
THESE are thy Bleffings, INDUSTRY! rough Power! Whom Labour ftill attends, and Sweat, and Pain; Yet the kind Source of every gentle Art,
And all the foft Civility of Life:
Raiser of Human Kind! by Nature caft,
Naked, and helplefs, out amid the Woods,
And Wilds, to rude inclement Elements ;
With various Seeds of Art deep in the Mind
Implanted, and profufely pour'd around
Materials infinite; but idle all.
Still unexerted, in th' unconfcious Breast,
Slept the lethargic Powers; Corruption ftill,
Voracious, fwallow'd what the liberal Hand
Of Bounty scatter'd o'er the favage Year:
And still the fad Barbarian, roving, mix'd
With Beafts of Prey; or for his Acorn-Meal
Fought the fierce tusky Boar; a fhivering Wretch !
Aghaft, and comfortless, when the bleak North,
60
With Winter charg'd, let the mix'd Tempest fly,
Hail, Rain, and Snow, and bitter-breathing Froft:
Then to the Shelter of the Hut he fled;
And the wild Season, fordid, pin'd away.
For Home he had not; Home is the Refort
Of Love, of Joy, of Peace and Plenty, where,
Supporting and fupported, polish'd Friends,
And dear Relations mingle into Blifs.
But this the rugged Savage never felt,
Even defolate in Crouds; and thus his Days
Roll'd heavy, dark, and unenjoy'd along :
A Waste of Time! till INDUSTRY approach'd,
And rous'd him from his miferable Sloth:
G 6
His Faculties unfolded; pointed out,
Where lavish Nature the directing Hand
Of Art demanded; fhew'd him how to raise
His feeble Force by the mechanic Powers,
To dig the Mineral from the vaulted Earth,
On what to turn the piercing Rage of Fire,
On what the Torrent, and the gather'd Blast;
Gave the tall antient Foreft to his Ax;
Taught him to chip the Wood, and hew the Stone,
Till by Degrees the finish'd Fabric rose ;:
Tore from his Limbs the Blood-polluted Fur,
And wrapt them in the woolly Vestment warm,
Or bright in gloify Silk, and flowing Lawn;
With wholesome Viands fill'd his Table, pour'd
The generous Glafs around, infpir'd to wake
The Life refining Soul of decent Wit.:
Nor ftopp'd at barren bare Neceffity;
But ftill advancing bolder, led him on,
To Pomp, to Pleasure, Elegance, and Grace ;.
And, breathing high Ambition thro his Soul,
Set Science, Wifdom, Glory, in his View,.
And bad him be the Lord of all below.
THEN gathering Men their natural Powers combin'd,
And form'd a Public; to the general Good
Submitting, aiming, and conducting all.
For This the Patriot-Council met, the full,
The free, and fairly reprefented Whale ;
For this they plann'd the holy Guardian-Laws,
Diftinguifh'd Orders, animated Arts,
And with joint Force Oppreffion chaining, set
Imperial Justice at the Helm; yet ftill
To them accountable: nor flavifh dream'd
That toiling Millions must refign their Weal,
And all the Honey of their Search, to fuch
As for themselves alone themselves have rais'd.
HENCE every Form of cultivated Life
In order fet, protected, and inspir'd,
Into Perfection wrought. Uniting all,.
Society grew numerous, high, polite,
And happy. Nurfe of Art! the City rear'd
In beauteous Pride her Tower-encircled Head ;
And, ftretching Street on Street, by Thousands drew, 115
From twining woody Haunts, or the tough Yew
To Bows ftrong-ftraining, her afpiring Sons.
THEN Commerce brought into the public Walk The bufy Merchant; the big Ware-houfe built; Rais'd the ftrong Crane; choak'd up the loaded Street With foreign Plenty, and thy Stream, OTHAMES, Large, gentle, deep, majeftic, King of Floods! Chofe for his grand Refort. On either hand, Like a long wintry Foralt, Groves of Mafts Shot up their Spires; the bellying Sheet between Poffefs'd the breezy Void; the footy Hulk
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