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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
Charmi'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.

N 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 fire 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 sper
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 tr
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 h
So loud he winded, that the forest rung;
In vain, no voice but echo from the groun
And vocal woods made mock'ry of the so

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 air
With herald voice proclaim'd th' approac

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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;
When suddenly he spied a distant light,
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 darksome 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

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 rusting in amain,
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

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;

The Lapland witch, when she her broom be-Ne'er was he known to linger thus before. 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;

Her feeble limbs with age and palsy shook,
Bent was her body, haggard was her took.
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'st 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;

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 slape 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 i
So kind! so winning! so divinely fair,

3 A4

Eternal

Eternal youth and pleasure flourish there;
There all the little loves and graces meet,
And every thing that's soft, and every thing
that's sweet.

Thou vagrant, cried the dame, in angry tone,
Where could'st thou loiter thus, so long alone?
Little thou car'st what anxious thoughts mo-
lest,

}

What pangs are labouring in a mother's breast;
Well do you shew your duty by your haste,
For thou of all my sons art always last:
A child less fondled would have fled more fast.
Sure 'tis a curse on mothers, doom'd to mourn,
Where best they love, the least and worst re-

turn.

My dear mama, the gentle youth reply'd,
And made a low obeisance, cease to chide;
Nor wound me with your words, for well you
know

Your Zephyr bears a part in all your woe.
How great must be his sorrow then to learn
That he himself's the cause of your concern!
Nor had I loiter'd thus, had I been free,
But the fair Princess of Felicity
Intreated me to make some short delay,
And ask'd by her, could I refuse to stay?
Surrounded by the damsels of her court,
She sought the shady grove, her lov'd resort;
Fresh rose the grass, the flowers were mix'd
between

Like rich embroidery on a ground of green;
And in the midst, protected by the shade,
A crystal stream in wild meanders play'd;
While in its banks, the trembling leaves among
A thousand little birds in concert sung;
Close by a mount with fragrant shrubs

grown,

Some,studious of themselves,employ'd their care
In weaving flowery wreaths to deck their hair;
While others to some fav'rite plant convey'd
Refreshing show'rs, and chear'd its drooping
head:

A joy so general, spread thro' all the place,
Such satisfaction dwelt on every face,
The nymphs so kind, so lovely look'd the quen,
That never eye beheld a sweeter scene.

Porsenna like a statue 'fix'd appear'd,
And wrapt in silent wonder, gaz'd and head
Much he admir'd the speech, the speaker art,
And dwelt on every word, and griev'd to find
it o'er.

O gentle youth, he cried, proceed to tell
In what fair country does this princess dwell;
What regions unexplor'd, what hidden coast,
Can so much goodness, so much beauty boast?
To whom the winged god, with gracious loct,
Numberless sweets diffusing while he spoke,
Thus answer'd kind: These happy gardens lie
Far hence remov'd, beneath a milder sky;
Their name-the Kingdom of Felicity.
Sweet scenes of endless bliss, enchanted ground,
A soil for ever sought, but seldom found;
Tho' in the search all human kind in vain
Weary their wits, and waste their lives in par,
In different parties, different paths they tre
As reason guides them, or as follies lead;
These wrangling for the place they ne'er shall se
Debating those, if such a place there be;
But not the wisest or the best can say
Where lies the point, or mark the certain w

Some few, by Fortune favour'd, for hers
Have sail'd in sight of this delightful port;
o'er-In thought already seized the bless'd abodes,
And in their fond delirium rank'd with god
Fruitless attempt! all avenues are kept
By dreadful foes, sentry that never slept.
Here fell Detraction darts her pois'nous brea
Fraught with a thousand stings, and scan"
death;

On a cool mossy couch she laid her down;
Her air, her posture, all conspir'd to please,
Her head upon her snowy arm at ease
Reclin'd, a studied carelessness express'd;
Loose lay her robe, and naked heav'd her breast.
Eager I flew to that delightful place,
And pour'd a shower of kisses on her face;
Now hover'd o'er her neck, her breast, her arms,
Like bees o'er flowers, and tasted all their
charms;

And then her lips, and then her cheeks I tried,
And fann'd, and wanton'd round on every side.
O Zephyr! cried the fair, thou charming boy,
Thy presence only can create me joy;
To me thou art beyond expression dear,
Nor can I quit the place while thou art here.
Excuse my weakness, madam, when I swear
Such gentle words, join'd with so soft an air,
Pronounc'd so sweetly from a mouth so fair,
Quite ravish'd all my sense, nor did I know
How long I stay'd, or when, or where to go.
Meanwhile the damsels, debonair and gay,
Frattled around, and laugh'd the time away:
These in soft notes address'd the ravish'd ear,
And warbled out so sweet 'twas heaven to hear;
And those in rings, beneath the green-wood
shade,

Danc'd to the melody their fellows made;

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Or as Jove's bird, descending from on high,
'Snatch'd the young Trojan trembling to the sky.
There perfect bliss thou may'st for ever share,
Scap'd from the busy world, and all its care;
There in the lovely princess thou wilt find
A mistress ever blooming, ever kind.
All ecstacy, on air Porsenna trod,
And to his bosom strain'd the little god;
With grateful sentiments his heart o'erflow'd,
And in the warmest words, millions of
bestow'd.

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

Arraigns him of the heinous sin of fear;
thanksThat he, so tried in arms, whose very name
Infus'd a secret panic where it came;
Ev'n he, as high above the clouds he flew,
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,

When Eolus in surly humour broke Their strict embrace, and thus abruptly spoke: Enough of compliment, I hate the sport. Of meanless words; this is no human court; Where plain and honest are discarded quite, For the more modish title of polite; Where in soft speeches hypocrites impart The venom'd ills that lurk beneath the heart; u friendship's holy guise their guilt improve, And kindly kill with specious shew of love. for us-my subjects are not us'd to wait, and waste their hours to hear a mortal prate; hey must abroad before the rising sun,

and hie 'em to the seas: there's mischief to be done.

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

He ended frowning, and the noisy rout
ach to his several cell went passing out;
ut Zephyr, far more courteous than the rest,
o his own bower convey'd the royal guest;
here on a bed of roses neatly laid,
eneath the fragrance of a myrtle shade,
is limbs to needful rest the prince applied,
is sweet companion slumb'ring by his side.
Book 2.

o sooner in her silver chariot rose
he ruddy Morn, than, sated with repose,
he prince address'd his host; the god awoke,
nd leaping from his couch, thus kindly spoke:
his early call, my lord, that chides my stay,
equires iny thanks, and I with joy obey;
ike you I long to reach the blissful coast,
ate the slow night, and mourn the moments
lost.

he bright Rosinda, loveliest of the fair [care,
hat crowd the princess' court, demands my
'en now with fears and jealousies o'erborn,
pbraids and calls me cruel and forsworn;
That sweet rewards on all my toils attend,
rving at once my mistress and my friend!
ast to my love and to my duty too,
Well paid in her, well pleas'd in pleasing you.
his said, he led him to the cavern gate,
and clasp'd him in his arins, and pois'd his
weight;

Then balancing his body here and there,
Stretch'd forth his agile wings, and launch'd

in air ;

Swift as the fiery meteor from on high

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,

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.

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 gaz'd in sapture, 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

I

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.

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.
He said, and to the ocean wing'd his way;
But see, the rising sun reproves our stay
Stretching his course to climates then un-
known,

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

There

There in Peruvian vales a moment staid, [shade.
And smooth'd his wings, beneath the citron
Then swift his oary pinions plied again,
Cross'd the new world, and sought the southern
main ;

Where inany a wet and weary league o'erpast,
The wish'd-for paradise appear'd at last.

With force abated, now they gently sweep
O'er the smooth surface of the shining deep;
The Dryads hail'd them from the distant shore,
The Nerieds play'd around, the Tritons swam
before';

While soft Favonius their arrival greets,
And breathes his welcome in a thousand sweets.
Nor pale Disease, nor health-consuming Care,
Nor Wrath, nor foul Revenge, can enter there:
No vapour's foggy gloom imbrowns the sky,
No tempests rage, no angry lightnings fly;
But dews and soft refreshing airs are found,
And puré etherial azure shines around.
Whate'er the sweet Sabaan Isle can boast,
Or Mecca's plains, or India's spicy coast;
What Stybla hills, or rich balia's fields,
Or flow'ry vale of fam'd Hymettus yields;
Or what of old th' Hesperian orchard grac'd,
All that was e'er delicious to the taste,
Sweet to the smell, or lovely to the view,
Collected there, with addeď beauty grew.
High-tow'ring to the heavens, the trees are seen,
Their bulk immense, their leaf for ever green;
So closely interwove, the tell-tale sun
Can ne'er descry the deeds beneath them done;
But where by fits the sportive gales divide
Their tender tops, and fan the leaves aside.
Like a smooth carpet at their feet lies spread
The matted grass, by bubbling fountains fed;
And on each bough the feather'd choir employ
Their melting notes, and nought is heard but
joy.

the year.

Book IV.

With fragrant blossoms these adorn the breast,
Those with officious zeal attend the guest;
Or sprinkle liquid odours o'er his head.
Beneath his feet the silken carpet spread,
Delightful! deal the sparkling nectar round;
Others in ruby cups, with roses bound
The lyres resound, the merry minstrels play
Or weave the dance, or tune the vocal lay;
Gay health, and youthful joys o'erspread the
place,

And swell each heart, and triumph in each c
So when embolden'd by the vernal air,
For various use employ their chymic pow'r
The busy bees to blooming fields repair;
One culls the snowy pounce, one sucks
flow'r :

Again to different works returning home,
Some steeve the honey, some erect the comb
All for the general good in concert strive,
And every soul's in motion, every limb's av

And now descending from his flight, the
On the green turf releas'd his precious load
There, after mutual salutations
Zephyr impatient to behold his love,
And endless friendship vow'd, they part in ha
past,
The prince in raptures wand'ring thro

grove,

Now stopping short, to give his transports ve Now skipping on, and singing as he went, With sudden gusts of happiness oppress d. His mind afloat, his wand'ring senses quire Or stands intranc'd, or raves like one posses O'ercome with charms, and frantic with de From scene to scene by random steps conve Admires the distant views, explores the s shade,

Dwells on each spot, with eager eye devous The woods, the lawns, the buildings, ant bow'rs;

The painted flow'rs exhale a rich perfume,
The fruits are mingled with eternal bloom;
New sweets, new joys at ev'ry glance arise,
And Spring and Autumn hand in hand appear, Close by the borders of a rising wood,
And every turn creates a fresh surprize.
Lead on the merry months, and join to cloath In a green vale a crystal grotto stood,
Here, o'er the mountain's shaggy summits In broken falls a silver fountain play d.
[pour'd, And o'er its sides, beneath a beachen shad,
From rock to rock the tumbling torrent roar'd;
While beauteous Iris, in the vale below,
Paints on the rising fumes her radiant bow;
Now thro' the meads the mazy current stray'd,
Now hid its wand'rings in the myrtle shade;
Or in a thousand veins divides its store,
Visits each plant, refreshes every flow'r;
O'er
ge.ns and golden sands in murmurs flows,
And sweetly sooths the soul, and lulls to soft
repose.

If hunger call, no sooner can the mind
Express her will to needful food inclin'd,
But in some cool recess, or op'ning glade,
The seats are plac'd, the tables neatly laid,
And instantly convey'd by magic hand,
In comely rows the costly dishes stand;
Meats of all kinds that nature can impart,
Prepar'd in all the nicest forms of art.
A troop of sprightly nymphs array'd in green,
With flow'ry chaple: scrown'd,come scudding in.

Hither, attracted by the murmuring strea
And cool recess, the pleas'd Porsenna cam
To wave his joys awhile, and take a short re;
And on the tender grass reclining chose
The scene invites him, and the wanton b
That whispers thro' the vale, the dancing
All join their music to prolong his sleep.
The warbling birds, and rills that gently e

The princess to her morning walk prepu
The female troops attend, a beauteous gur
Array'd in all her charms appear`d the fair,
Tall was her stature, unconfin'd her air;
Proportion deck'd her limbs, and in her fact
Lay love enshrin'd, lay sweet attractive gr
Temp'ring the awful beams her eyes conve
And like a lambent flame around her play
No foreign aids, by mortal ladies worn,
For grant that beauty were by gems increa -
From shells and rocks her artless charins ador
"Tis render'd more suspected at the least:

Ap

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