with the feet of enemies we come,

at purpose draws your wand'ring steps a-
whom the stranger: We are friends to
Greece,

Commiseration from the good, behold,
crave admittance with a friendly tongue. Thou glorious leader of unconquer'd bands,
The Spartan answers: Thro' the midnight Behold, descended from Darius' loins,
shade
[broad?Th' afflicted Ariana, and my pray'r
Accept with pity, nor my tears disdain !
First, that I lov'd the best of human race,
By nature's hand with ev'ry virtue form'd,
Heroic, wise, adorn'd with ev'ry art,
Of shame unconscious does my heart reveal.
This day in Grecian arms conspicuous clad
He fought, he fell! A passion long conceal'd
For me, alas! within my brother's arms
His dying breath resigning, he disclos'd.
—Oh I will stay my sorrows! will forbid
My eyes to stream before thee, and my heart,
Thus full of anguish, will from sighs restrain!
For why should thy humanity be griev'd
With my distress, and learn from me to mourn
The lot of nature, doom'd to care and pain!
Hear then, O king, and grant my sole request,
To seek his body in the heaps of slain.

Thus to the Spartan sued the regal maid,
Resembling Ceres in majestic woe,
When supplicant at Jove's resplendent throne,
From dreary Pluto, and th' infernal gloom,
Her lov'd and lost Proserpina she sought.
Fix'd on the weeping queen with stedfast eyes,
Laconia's chief these tender thoughts recall'd:

Such are thy sorrows, O for ever dear!
Who now at Lacedæmon dost deplore
My everlasting absence!-then inclin'd
His head, and sigh'd; nor yet forgot to charge
His friend, the gentle Agis, thro' the straits
The Persian princess to attend and aid.
With careful steps they seek her lover's corse.
The Greeks remember'd, where by fate re-
press'd

His arm first ceas'd to mow their legions down;
And from beneath a mass of Persian slain
Soon drew the hero, by his armour known.
To Agis high pavilion they resort.
Now, Ariana, what transcending pangs
Thy soul involv'd! what horror clasp'd thy

heart!
But love grew mightiest; and her beauteous
limbs

On the cold breast of Teribazus, threw
The grief-distracted maid. The clotted gore
Deform'd her snowy bosom. O'er his wounds
Loose flow'd her hair, and bubbling from her

eyes

to the presence of the Spartan king
ission we implore. The cautious chief
acedæmon hesitates again :

en thus, with accents musically sweet,
nder voice his wond'ring ear allur'd:
gen'rous Grecian, listen to the pray'r
me distress'd! whom grief alone hath led
his dark hour to these victorious tents,
retched woman, innocent of fraud.
he Greek descending thro' th' unfolded

gates

eld a flaming brand. One first appear'd rvile garb attir'd; but near his side oman graceful and majestic stood; with an aspect rivalling the pow'r tal Helen, or the wanton charms ve's soft queen; but such as far excell'd ute'er the lily blending with the rose ts on the check of beauty, soon to fade; as express'd a mind which wisdom rul'd, sweetness temper'd, virtue's purest light ining the countenance divine; ould not sooth remorseless fate, nor teach znant fortune to revere the good; ch oft with anguish rends the spotless heart,

oft associates wisdom with despair.
urteous phrase began the chief humane:
alted fair, who thus adorn'st the night,
ear to blame the vigilance of war,
to the laws of rigid Mars impute
I thus long unwilling have delay'd
e the great Leonidas to place
your apparent dignity and worth.
spake; and gently to the lofty tent
arta's king the lovely stranger guides.
is' summons, with a mantle broad
ighty limbs Leonidas infolds,
uits his couch. In wonder he surveys
ustrious virgin, whom his presence aw'd:
e submissive to the ground inclin'd
veneration of the god-like man.
on his voice her anxious dread dispell'd,
olent and hospitable thus :

form alone, thus amiable and great, ind delineates, and from all coinmands me regard. Relate, thou noble dame, at relentless destiny compell'd, ander feet the paths of darkness tread : se th' afflictions whence thy virtue

inourns.

ner wan cheek a sudden blush arose, ay's first dawn upon the twilight pale, rapt in grief, these words a passage broke:

be most unhappy, and to know ope is irrecoverably fled; = great and wretched, may deserve

Share in my suff'rings,and return my sighs?
O bitter unsurmountable distress!
Lo! on thy breast is Ariana bow'd,
Hangs o'er thy face, unites her cheek to thine,
Not now to listen with enchanted ears
To thy persuasive eloquence, no more
Charni'd with the wisdom of thy copious
mind!

She could no more: invincible despair
Suppress'd her utt'rance. As a marble form
Fix'd on the solemn sepulchre, unmov'd,
O'er some dead hero, whom his country lov'd,
Bends down the head with imitated woe;
So paus'd the princess o'er the breathless clay,
Intrane'd in sorrow. On the dreary wound,
Where Dithyrambus' sword was deepest
plung'd,

Mute for a space and motionless she gaz'd;
Then with a look unchang'd, nor trembling
hand,

Drew forth a poniard, with her garment veil'd,
And, sheathing in her heart th' abhorred steel,
On her slain lover silent sinks in death.

§ 129. The History of Parsenna, King of
Russia. H. L. BowLES.
I
x Russia's frozen clime, some ages since,
There dwelt, historians say, a worthy prince,
Who to his people's good confin'd his care,
And fix'd the basis of his empire there;
Enlarged their trade, the liberal arts improv'd,
Made nations happy and himself belov'd;
To all the neighbouring states a terror grown,
The dear delight, and glory of his own.
Not like those kings who vainly seek renown
From countries ruin'd, and from battles won;
Those mighty Nimrods, who mean laws de-
spise,

Call murder but a princely exercise;
And if one bloodless sun should steal away,
Cry out with Titus they have lost a day.
Who to be more than men, themselves de-
base

Porsenna there without a rival stood,
And would maintain his right of doing good.
Nor did his person less attraction wear,
Such majesty and sweetness mingled there;
Heaven with uncommon art the clay refin'd,
A proper mansion for so fair a mind;
Each look, each action, bore peculiar grace,
And love itself was painted on his face.
In peaceful time he suffer'd not his mind
To rust in sloth, tho' much to peace inclin'd
Nor wanton in the lap of pleasure lay,
And lost to glory loiter'd life away;
But active rising ere the prime of day,
Thro' woods and lonely deserts lov'd to stray;
With hounds and horns to wake the furious
bear,

Beneath the brute, their maker's form deface,
Raising their titles by their God's disgrace.
Like fame to bold Erostratus we give,
Who scorn'd by less than sacrilege to live;
On holy ruins rais'd a lasting name,
And in the temple's tire diffus'd his shame.
Far different praise, and a brighter fame,
The virtues of the young Porsenna claim;
For by that name the Russian king was known,
And sure a nobler ne'er adorn'd a throne:
In war he knew the deathful sword to wield,
And sought the thickest dangers of the field;
A bold commander, but the storm o'erflown,
He seem'd as he were made for peace alone;
Then was the golden age again restor'd,
Nor less his justice honour'd' than his sword,
All needless pomp, and outward grandeur spar'd,
The deeds that grac'd him were his only guard.
No private views beneath a borrow'd name,
His and the public interest were the same."
In wealth and pleasure let the subject live,
But virtue is the king's prerogative.

Or rouze the tawny lion from his laire;
To rid the forest of the savage brood,
And whet his courage for his country's good.

One day, as he pursu'd the dangerous spor
Attended by the nobles of his court,
It chanc'd a beast of more than common speed
Sprang from the brake, and thro' the forest
The ardent prince impetuous as the wind
Rush'd on, and left his lagging train behind
Fir'd with the chace, and full of youthful blood
O'er plains and vales, and woodland wilds
rode,

Urging his courser's speed, nor thought the
Now wasted, nor how intricate the way;
Nor till the night in dusky clouds came on,
Restrain'd his pace, or found himself alone
Missing his train, he strove to measure ba
The road he came, but could not find the tras
Still turning to the place he left before,
And only lab'ring to be lost the more.
The bugle-horn, which o'er his shoulders hur
So loud he winded, that the forest rung;
In vain, no voice but echo from the ground
And vocal woods made mock'ry of the sou

And now the gath'ring clouds began to sp
O'er the dun face of night a deeper shade,
And the hoarse thunder growling from att
With herald voice proclaim'd th' approach:

Nor wine to chear his heart, nor fire to burn,
Nor place to rest, nor prospect to return;
Drooping and spiritless, at life's despair,
He bade it pass, not worth his farther care;

That faintly twinkled thro' the gloom of night,
And his heart leapt for joy, and bless'd the
welcome sight.

Ofttimes he doubted, it appear'd so far,
And hung so high, 'twas nothing but a star,
Or kindled vapour wand'ring thro' the sky;
But still press'd on his steed, still kept it in

his eye;

Till much fatigue, and many dangers past,
At a huge mountain he arriv'd at last. [knees,
There lighting from his horse, on hands and
Grop'd out the dark some road by slow degrees,
Crawling or clamb'ring o'er the rugged way,
The thunder rolls above, the flames around
him play.

Joyful at length he gain'd the steepy height,
And found the rift whence sprang the friendly
light;

And here he stopp'd to rest his wearied feet,
And weigh the perils he had still to meet;
Unsheath'd his trusty sword, and dealt his eyes
With caution round him, to prevent surprise;
Then summon'd all the forces of his mind,
And ent'ring boldly cast his fears behind;
Resolv'd to push his way, whate'er withstood,
Or bravely perish as a monarch should.
While he the wonders of the place survey'd,
And thro' the various cells at random stray'd,
In a dark corner of the cave he view'd
Somewhat that in the shape of woman stood;
But more deform'd, than dreams can represent
The midnight hag, or poet's fancy paint
The Lapland witch, when she her broom be-
strides,

And scatters storms and tempests as she rides.
She look'd as nature made her to disgrace
Her kind, and cast a blot on all the race;
Her shrivel'd skin with yellow spots besmear'd,
Like mouldy records seem'd, her eyes were
blear'd:

Thy crime, tho' great, an easy pardon finds,
For mercy ever dwells in royal minds. [hand
And would you learn from whose indulgent
You live, and in whose awful presence stand;
Know farther, thro' yon wide extended plains,
Great Eolus, the king of tempests, reigns,
And in this lofty palace makes abode, [God.
Well suited to his state, and worthy of the
The various elements his empire own,
And pay their humble homage at his throne;
And hither all the storms and clouds resort,
Proud to increase the splendour of his court.
His queen am I, from whom the beauteous race
Of Winds arose, sweet fruit of our embrace!
She scarce had ended, when with wild uproar,
And horrid din, her sons impetuous pour
Around the cave; came rushing in amin,
Lybs, Eurus, Boreas, all the boisterous train;
And close behind them on a whirlwind rode
In clouded majesty the blust'ring God.
Their locks a thousand ways were blown about,
Their cheeks, like full-blown bladders, strutted

Her feeble limbs with age and palsy shook,
Bent was her body, haggard was her look.
From the dark nook outcrept the filthy crone,
And propt upon her crutch, came tott ring on.
The prince in civil guise approach'd the dame,
Told her his piteous case, and whence he came,
And till Aurora should the shades expel,
Implor'd a lodging in her friendly cell,
Mortal, whoe'er thou art, the fiend began,
And as she spake a deadly horror ran [sook,
Thro all his frame; his cheeks the blood for
Chatter'd his teeth, his knees together shook:
Whoe'er thou art, that with presumption rude,
Dar'st on our sacred privacy intrude,

And without licence in our court appear,
Know, thou'rt the first that ever enter'd here.
But since thou plead'st excuse, thou'rt hither
brought

More by thy fortune than thy own default;

out;

Their boasting talk was of the feats th' had done,
Of trees uprooted, and of towns o'erthrown ;
And when they kindly turn'd them to accost
The prince, they almost pierc'd him with their

frost.

The gaping hag in fix'd attention stood, And at the close of every tale cried-good! Blessing, with outstretch'd arms, each darling

son,

In due proportion to the mischief done.
And where, says she, does little Zephyr stray?
Know ye, my sons, your brother's rout to-day;
In what bold deeds does he his hours employ?
Grant heaven no evil has befall'n my boy;
Ne'er was he known to linger thus before.
Scarce had she spoke, when at the cavern door
Came lightly tripping, in a form more fair
Than the young poet's fond ideas are,
When fir'd with love, he tries his utmost art
To paint the beauteous tyrant of his heart.
A satin vest his slender shape confin'd,
Embroider'd o'er with flowers of every kind,
Flora's own work, when first the goddess strove
To win the little wanderer to her love.

Of burnish'd silver were his sandals made,
Silver his buskins, and with gems o'erlaid;
A saffron-colour'd robe behind him flow'd,
And added grace and grandeur as he trod.
His wings than lilies whiter to behold,
Sprinkled with azure spots, and streak'd with
gold;

So thin their form, and of so light a kind,
That they for ever danc'd, and flutter'd in the
wind.

Around his temples, with becoming air,
In wanton ringlets curl'd his auburn hair,
And o'er his shoulders negligently spread,
A wreath of fragrant roses crown'd his head.

Such his attire, but O! no pen can trace,
No words can shew the beauties of his face à
So kind! so winning! so divinely fair,

3A4

Eternal

as Jove's bird, descending from on high,
tch'd the young Trojan trembling to the sky.
re perfect bliss thou may'st for ever share,
p'd from the busy world, and all its care;
re in the lovely princess thou wilt find
istress ever blooming, ever kind.
estacy, on air Porsenna trod,

to his bosom strain'd the little god;

grateful sentiments his heart o'erflow'd, | Arraigns him of the heinous sin of fear; in the warmest words, millions of thanks That he, so tried in arms, whose very name bestow'd. Infus'd a secret panic where it came; Ev'n he, as high above the clouds he flew,

Then Eolus in surly humour broke

f

strict embrace, and thus abruptly spoke:And spied the mountain less'ning to the view; Nought round him but the wide expanded air, Helpless, abandon'd to a stripling's care; Struck with the rapid whirl, and dreadful height,

ugh of compliment, I hate the sport
heanless words; this is no human court;
re plain and honest are discarded quite,
he more modish title of polite;
te in soft speeches hypocrites impart
enom'd ills that lurk beneath the heart;
endship's holy guise their guilt improve,
kindly kill with specious shew of love.
Is-my subjects are not us'd to wait,
their hours to hear a mortal prate;
must abroad before the rising sun,
nie 'em to the seas: there's mischief to be
done.

waste

se my plainness, sir, but business stands, we have storms and shipwrecks on our hands.

ended frowning, and the noisy rout to his several cell went passing out; Zephyr, far more courteous than the rest, s own bower convey'd the royal guest; on a bed of roses neatly laid, th the fragrance of a myrtle shade, mbs to needful rest the prince applied, veet companion slumb'ring by his side.

Book 2.

oner in her silver chariot rose

addy Morn, than, sated with repose,
rince address'd his host; the god awoke,
aping from his couch, thus kindly spoke:
early call, my lord, that chides my stay,
res my thanks, and I with joy obey;
ou I long to reach the blissful coast,
he slow night, and mourn the moments

Here with quick fan his lab'ring pinions play,
There glide at ease along the liquid way;
Now lightly skim the plain with even flight,
Now proudly soar above the mountain's height.

Spiteful Detraction, whose envenom'd hate,
Sports with the sufferings of the good and great,
Spares not our prince, but with opprobrious

sneer

Confess'd some faint alarm, some little fright.
The friendly god, who instantly divin'd
The terrors that possess'd his fellow's mind,
To calm his troubled thoughts, and cheat the
way,

weight;
alancing his body here and there,
d forth his agile wings, and launch'd
in air ;

Describ'd the nations that beneath them lay;
The name, the climate, and the soil's increase,
Their arms in war, their government in peace;
Shew'd their domestic arts, their foreign trade,
What int'rest they pursu'd, what leagues they

made.

lost.

right Rosinda, loveliest of the fair [care,
crowd the princess' court, demands my
How with fears and jealousies o'erborn,
ids and calls me cruel and forsworn ;
sweet rewards on all my toils attend,
gat once my mistress and my friend!
love and to my duty too,
id in her, well pleas'd in pleasing you.
id, he led him to the cavern gate,

my

asp'd him in his arins, and pois'd his

The sweet discourse so charm'd Porsenna's ear,
That lost in joy, he had no time for fear.
From Scandinavia's cold inclement waste,
O'er wide Germania's various realms they past;
And now on Albion's fields suspend their toil,
And hover for a while, and bless the soil.
O'er the gay scene the prince delighted hung,
And gazd in rapture, and forgot his tongue;
Till bursting forth at length, Behold, cried he,
The promis'd isle, the land I long'd to see:
Those plains, those vales, and fruitful hills
declare

My queen, my charmer must inhabit there.
Thus rav'd the monarch, and the gentle guide,
Pleas'd with his error, thus in smiles replied:
must applaud, my lord, the lucky thought,
Ev'n I, who know th' original, am caught,
And doubt my senses, when I view the
draught.

I

The slow ascending hill, the lofty wood
That mantles o'er its brow; the silver flood,
Wand'ring in mazes thro' the flow'ry mead;
The herd that in the plenteous pastures feed;
And every object, every scene excites
Fresh wonder in my soul, and fills with new
delights:

Dwells chearful Plenty there, and learned Ease,
And art with nature seems at strife to please.
There Liberty, delightful goddess, reigns,
Gladdens each heart, and gilds the fertile plains ;
There firmly seated may she ever smile,
And show'r her blessings o'er her fav'rite isle.
But see, the rising sun reproves our stay
He said, and to the ocean wing'd his way;
Stretching his course to climates then un-
known,

s the fiery meteor from on high

to its goal, and gleams athwart the sky. Nations that swelter in the burning zone;

There