And, fince thy choice is always free,
I blefs thee for thy fmiles on me.

When forrows fwell the tempeft high;
Thou, a kind port, art always nigh;
For aching hearts a fov'reign cure,
Not foft nepenthe half fo fure!
And, when returning comforts rife,
Thou the bright fun that gilds our fkies.
While thefe ideas warm'd my breast,
Wy weary eyelids stole to rest;
When fancy re-affum'd the theme,
And furnish'd this inftructive dream:
1 fail'd upon a formy fea
(Thousands embark'd alike with me);
My fkiff was fmall, and weak befide,
Not built, methought, to stem the tide.
The winds along the furges fweep,
The wrecks lie fcatter'd through the deep;
Aloud the foaming billows roar;
Unfriendly rocks forbid the fhore.

While all our various courfe pursue,
A fpacious ifle falutes our view:
Two queens with tempers diff'ring wide,
This new-difcover'd world divide:
A river parts their proper claim,
And Truth its celebrated name.

One fide a beauteous tract of ground
Prefents, with living verdure crown'd:
The feafons temp'rate, foft, and mild,
And a kind fun that always fmil'd:
Few ftorms moleft the natives here:
Cold is the only ill they fear.
This happy cline and grateful foil,
With plenty crowns the labourer's toil.

Here Friendship's happy kingdom grew:
Her realms were finall, her fubje&is few :
A thousand charins the palace grace;
A rock of adamant its base.

Tho' thunders roll, and lightnings fly.
This ftructure braves th' inclement sky:
E'en time which other piles devours,
And mocks the pride of human pow'rs,
Partial to Friendship's pile alone,
Cements the joints, and binds the stone:
Ripens the beauties of the place,
And calls to life each latent grace.

Around the throne in order ftand,
Four Amazons, a trufty band!
Friends ever faithful to advife,
Or to defend when dangers rife.
Here Fortitude, in coat of mail t
There Juice Kits her golden fcale:
Two hardy chiefs, who perfevere,
With form erect, and brow fevere:
Who fmile at perils, pains, and death,
And triumph with their lateft breath,
Temp'rance, that comely matron's near,
Guardian of all the virtue's here:
Adorn'd with ev'ry blooming grace.
Without one wrinkle in her face.

But Prudence most attracts the fight,
And fhines pre-eminently bright.
To view her various thoughts that rife,
She holds a mirror to her eyes;
The mirror, faithful to its charge,
Reflects the virgin's foul in large.

A Virtue with a fofter air

Was handmaid to the regal fair.
This nymph, indulgent, conftant, kind,
Derives from Heaven her fpotlefs mind;
When actions wear a dubious face,
Puts the beft meaning on the cafe ;
She fpreads her arms, and bares her breast,
Takes in the naked and diftrefs'd;
Prefers the hungry orphan's crics,
And from her queen obtains fupplies.
The maid, who acts this lovely part,
Grafp'd in her hand a bleeding heart.
Fair Charity, be thou my gncit,
And be thy conftant couch my breaft!
But virtues of inferior name
Crowd round the throne with equal claim;
In Loyalty by none furpafs'd,

They hold allegiance to the la.
Not ancient records e'er can show
That one deferted to the foe.

The river's other fide display'd
Alternate plots of flow'rs and thade,
Where poppies fhone with vadious hue,
Where yielding willows plenteous grew:
And humble plants †, by trav'ilers thought
With flow but certain polon fraught.
Beyond thefe fcenes the eye defcried
A pow'rful realm exten led wide;
Whole bound'ries from north-east begun,
And ftretch'd to meet the fouth-welt fun.
Here Flatt'ry boasts defpotic sway,
And bafks in all the warmth of day.

Long practis'd in Deception's school, The tyrant knew the arts to rule; Elated with th' imperial robe, She plans the conqueft of the globe; And, aided by her fervile trains, Leads kings, and fons of kings, in chains. Her darling minifter is Pride (Who ne'er was known to change his fide), A friend to all her int'refts juft, And active to difcharge his trust; Carefs'd alike by high and low, The idol of the belle and beau: In ev'ry fhape he fhews his fkill, And forms her fubjects to his will; Enters their houfes and their hearts, And gains his point before he parts, Sure never minifter was known So zealous for his fov'reign's throne! Three fifters, fimilar in mien, Were maid of honour to the queen; Who farther favours fhar'd befide, As daughters of her flitefman, Pride.

Thro' ev'ry scene maintain our truk, Nor e'er be timid or unjuft.

That breast, where Honour builds his
That breaft, which Virtue calls her own,
Nor Int'reit warps, nor Fear appals,
When Danger frowns, or Lucre calls.
No! the true friend collected ftands,
Fearless his heart, and pure his hands:
Let Int'reft plead, let storms arife,
He dares be honeft, tho' he dies!

Mifs **

FAIREST, this Vition is thy due;
I form'd th' inftructive plan for you.
Slight not the rules of thoughful age;
Your welfare actuates every page;
But ponder well my facred theme,
And tremble while you read my dream.
Thefe awful words, till death do part,'
May well alarm the youthful heart :
No after-thought when once a wife,
The die is caft, and caft for life;
Yet thousands venture ev'ry day.
As fome bafe paffion leads the way.
Pert Sylvia talks of wedlock fcenes,
Tho' hardly enter'd on her teens;
Smiles on her whining fpark, and hears
The fugar'd fpeech with raptur'd ears;
Impatient of a parent's rule,

She leaves her fire, and weds a fool.
Want enters at the guardless door,
And Love is fled, to come no more.

Some few they are of fordid mould,
Who barter youth and bloom for gold,
Careless with what or whom they mate;
Their ruling passion 's all for ftate,
But Hymen, gen'rous, juft, and kind,
Abhors the mercenary mind;
Such rebels groan beneath his rod;
For Hymen's a vindictive god:

Be joyless ev'ry night,' he faid;
And barren be their nuptial bed!'
Attend, my fair, to widom's voice;
A better fate fhall crown thy choice.
A married life, to speak the best,
Is all a lottery confest:

Yet, if my fair one will be wife,
I will infure my girl a prize.
Tho' not a prize to match thy worth:
Perhaps thy equal 's not on earth!

'Tis an important point, to know
There's no perfection here below.
Man 's an odd compound, after all;
And ever has been fince the fall.
Say, that he loves you from his foul,
Still man is proud, nor brooks controul;
And tho' a flave in love's soft school,
In wedlock claims his right to rule.
The beft, in fhort has faults about him;
If few thofe faults, you must not flout him.
With fome, indeed, you can't difpenfe,
As want of temper and of fente:

And fickness clouds that brilliant eye;
Say, when or age or pains invade,
And those dear limbs shall call for aid;
If thou art fetter'd to a fool,

Shall not his tranfient paffior cool?
And, when thy health and beauty end,
Shall thy weak mate persist a friend?
But to a man of fenfe, my dear,
E'en then thou lovely fhalt appear;
He 'll fhare the griefs that wound thy hea
And, weeping, claim the larger part:
Tho' age impairs that beauteous face,
He 'll prize the pearl beyond its cafe.
In wedlock when the fexes meet,
Friendship is only then complete.
Blefs'd itate! where fouls each other dr
Where love is liberty and law!'
The choiceft bleffing found below,
That man can with, or Heaven bestow!
Trust me, these raptures are divine,
For lovely Chloe once was mine!
Nor fear the varnish of my style;
Tho' poet, I'm eftrang'd to guile.
Ah me! my faithful lips impart
The genuine language of my heart!

When bards extol their patrons high,
Perhaps 'tis gold extorts the lie;
Perhaps the poor reward of bread-
But who burns incenfe to the dead?
He, whom a fond affection draws,
Careless of cenfure or applaufe;
Whose foul is upright and fincere,
With nought to with and nought to fear.
Now to my vifionary scheme
Attend, and profit by my dream.
Amidit the flumbers of the night,
A ftately temple rose to fight;
And ancient as the human race,
If Nature's purposes you trace:
This fane, by all the wife rever'd,
To wedlock's pow'rful god was rear'd.
Hard by I faw a graceful fage,
His locks were frofted o'er by age;
His garb was plain, his mind ferene,
And wifdom dignified his mien.
With curious fearch his name I fought,
And found 'twas Hymen's fav'rite, Thoug
Apace the giddy crowds advance,
And a lewd fatyr led the dance.

I griev'd to fee whole thousands run, For oh! what thoufands were undone!

in thefe mad troops he spied,
join their fide:
arted pairs began

at him to a man; were trangers to his name, whence the dotard came. Lx the fequel—for this truth tems impetuous youth. Money moon could wane, u'd on ev'ry twain;

, and all day long, ed her icorpion thong: there with frowning mien, wwward cid of ipleen.

nach'd his awful fane,
anum rous train.
ich foft and nameless grace,
nour and in place:
agd, with folemn gait,
****rd was big with fate;
tring taner bore,

moi, fam'd of yore.
d with every charm,
gal's incumbent arm;
d the glowing scene
es of eighteen.
y fmiling fair;
wav'd in air;

hunks, walk'd hobbling nigh,

da and eagle-eye,

. years had ieen, or more
44 had feen a score):
etch, tho' clad in rags,
pon his bags.
r arts difplay'd;
at the maid:

tho' great thy fame),
All to draw the fame;
pow'r is more
was before.

A. Virs Emma brown;
$ the changing flow'r,
d ev'ry hour.

is cygnet's down,

-you know the fair, wa, and fets your hair. mounts his throne of state, ter of fate : **ant glories dreft, 4 un Virtue's breast. tation on the right: with golden light: 4 the fecond place, gui'd grace; ceremonial joy,

1 to the boy;

point his dirt, Juge to the heart; d's inferior hond Otsin'd their stand. w'd rites proceed, and heat-trings bleed. trembling bride, n'd her fide;

Averse the turn'd her weeping face,
And fhudder'd at the cold embrace.

But various baits their force impart;
Thus titles lie at Celia's heart.
A paffion much too foul to name,
Cofts fupercilious prudes their fame:
Prudes wed to publicans and finners;
The hungry poet weds for dinners,
The god with frown indignant view'd
The rabble covetous or lewd;
By ev'ry vice his altar ftain'd,
By ev'ry fool his rites profan'd:
When Love complain'd of Wealth aloud,
Affirming Wealth debauch'd the crowd;
Drew up in form his heavy charge,
Defiring to be heard at large.

The god confents, the throng divide, The young efpous'd the plaintiff's fide; The old declar'd for the defendant, For age is money's fworn attendant.

Love faid, that wedlock was defign'd
By gracious Heaven to match the mind;
To pair the tender and the juft,
And his the delegated truft:
That Wealth had play'd a knavish part,
And taught the tongue to wrong the heart.
But what avails the faithlefs voice?

The injur'd heart difdains the choice.

Wealth ftraight replied, that Love was blind,
And talk'd at random of the mind:
That killing eyes, and bleeding hearts,
And all th' artillery of darts,
Were long ago exploded fancies,
And laugh'd at even in romances.
Poets indeed ftyle love a treat,
Perhaps for want of better meat:
And love might be delicious fare,
Could we, like poets, live on air.
But grant that angels feaft on love
(Thofe purer effences above),
Yet Albion's fons, he understood,
Preferr'd a more fubßantial food.
Thus while with gibes he drefs'd his caufe,
His grey admirers hemm'd applause.
With feeming conqueft pert and proud,
Wealth thook his fides, and chuckled loud;
When Fortune, to reftrain his pride,
And fond to favour Love befide,
Op'ning the mifer's tape-tied velt,

Difclos'd the cares which itung his breaft:
Wealth food abafh'd at his difgrace,
And a deep crimson flush'd his face.
Love fweetly fimper'd at the fight;
His
gay adherents laugh'd outright.
The god, tho' grave his temper, fmil'd;
For Hymen dearly priz'd the child.
But he who triumphs o'er his brother,
In turn is laugh'd at by another.
Such cruel fcores we often find
Repaid the criminal in kind:
For Poverty, that famih'd fiend!
Ambitions of a wealthy friend,
Advanc'd into the miler's place,
And ftar'd the ftripling in the face;

Whofe