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Worn with difeafe, and never-ceafing pain,
How firmly did thy foul her feat maintain!
Early thy fide the mortal fhaft receiv'd,
All, but the wounded hero, faw and griev'd.
No fenfe of fmart, no anguish, could control,
Or turn the generous purpofe of his foul.
Witnefs ye nobler arts, by heaven defign'd
To charm the fenfes, and improve the mind,
How through your mazes, with inceffant toil,
He urg'd his way to reap th' immortal spoil!
-So fabled Orpheus tun'd his potent song,

Death's circling fhades and Stygian glooms among.
Of thy great labours this, the laft* and chief,
At once demands our wonder, and our grief;
Thy foul in clouded majesty till now,
Its finifh'd beauties did but partly show,
Wondering we faw difclos'd the ample store,
Griev'd in that inftant, to expect no more.

So in the evening of fome doubtful day,

And clouds divided with a mingled ray,
Haply the golden fun unveils his light,

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And his whole glories fpreads at once to fight;
Th' enliven'd world look up with gladfome chear,
Bless the gay fcene, nor heed the night fo near;
Sudden, the lucent orb drops fwiftly down
Through weitern skies, to fhine in worlds unknown.

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March 28, 1720.

WM. COWPER.

FROM

*The Siege of Damafcus.

Led on by thee, those * flowery paths I view,
For ever lovely, and for ever new,

Where all the Graces with joint force engage,
To ftem th' impetuous follies of the age:
Virtue, there deck'd in ever-blooming charms,
With fuch refiftless rays of beauty warms,
That Vice, abafh'd, confounded, skulks away,
As night retires at dawn of rofy day.

Struck with his guilt, the hardy Atheist dreads
Approaching fate, and trembles as he reads:
Vanqui'd by reason, yet afham'd to fly,
He dares not own a God, nor yet deny :
Convinc'd, though late, forgiveness he implores;
Shrinks from the jaws of hell, and heaven adores.
Hither the wild, the frolick, and the gay,

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As thoughtless through their wanton rounds they ftray, Compell'd by fame, repair with curious eye,

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And their own various forms with wonder spy.
The cenfor fo polite, fo kindly true,

They fee their faults, and ficken at the view.
Hence trifling Damon ceafes to be vain;
And Cloe fcorns to give her lover pain:

And Cælia bids him love, but not adore.

Strephon is true, who ne'er was true before;

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Though ADDISON and STEELE the honour claim,

Here to ftand foremost on the list of fame;
Yet ftill the traces of thy hand we fee,
Some of the brightest thoughts are due to thee.

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Whi

* Alluding to the Spectators written by Mr. Hughes.

IN MEMORIAM VIRI CLARISSIMI

JOHANNIS

HUGHE S.

OCCIDIT heu nimium fato fublatus acerbo,

Occidit Aonidûm decus ille dolorque fororum ! Quæ te, magne, tuis rapuit fors afpera, vates? Quo fugis, ah! noftras nunquam rediturus in oras! En tibi ferali crinem cinxêre cupreffo, Et circum cineres Parnaffia numina lugent. Ipfa tuam flet adhuc, flebitque Britannia mortem : Te patria expofcit, foecundaque criminis ætas. Non tua te pietas, non candida vita, nec artes Ingenuæ, duro juvenem eripuêre fepulchro !

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Sed tibi mors longos nequicquam inviderit annos, Dum maneant claræ monumenta perennia famæ, Dircæufque volet fuperas fuus ales in auras. * Spernis trita fonans plectrum, tenuifque camœnæ Haud petis auxilium : terris te plena relictis Mens rapit impavidum, cœlique per ardua ducit. Jam procul ex oculis gentes & regna recedunt; Jam tellus perit, & punctum vix cernitur orbis. At vos, immenfi placidiffima lumina mundi, Sol, Luna, æterno meritas O! pangite laudes Auctori dominoque; fuis concuffa tremiscat Sedibus, & magnum agnofcat Natura Parentem, Dum vates arcana, parum fententia vulgi Ut ftet follicitus, fublimi carmine pandit ! Qualis verborum pompa ! ut ruit ore profundo Fervidus, ingenii caleat cum Spiritus ingens !

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Nec

Hæc, & proxima alludunt ad fublimia illa authoris noftri Poemata, quibus Tituli, HYMNUS AD REATOREM MUNDI,& ECSTASIS.

Nec minor incedis, tragico indignusive cothurno. Dum tuus Arabicos Phocyas ruit acer in hoftes, Quis non æqualis toto fub pectore flammas Concipit, & fimili laudis fervefcit amore ! O qualis linguæ divina potentia! quali Arte trahis faciles animos; feu pectora flecti Dura jubes, & pulchræ acuis virtutis honore; Sive intus placidos Eudocia concitet ignes ; Ah nimium, nimium infelix Eudocia ! quem non Sors tua fæva movet ? madidi ve&tigal ocelli Quis neget? infauftos quis non deploret amores? O femper damnata pati fata aspera virtus ! At tibi quis fenfus, quæ mens, Eudocia, cum jam Extrahit infixam Phocyas tua flamma fagittam, Securus fati, vitamque ex vulnere fundit ? Quis fatis ingenium comis miretur Abudæ ?

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Quam piger ad poenas, miferumque benignus in hof

tem !

Exemplar vel Christiadis imitabile, mores

Digni etiam meliore fide! O quam, nube remotâ 45
Erroris, tanti eniteant pietatis honores !

Sed quid ego plura hîc laudare nitentia pergam?
Tota nitet, pulchro tota ordine fabrica furgit,
Et delectamur paffim, paffimque monemur.

E Coll. Mert.
Oxon.

L. DUNCOMBE.

Amabilis Juvenis, hujus Carminis Author, Obiit 26 Decem. 1730; Anno tatis 19. "Nox atra caput trifti circumvolat umbrâ." VIRG.

PRO