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Of these a gloomy tribe furround the throne, And beg to make th' immortal treasons known. The trumpet roars, long flaky flames expire, With sparks, that seem'd to set the world on fire. At the dread found, pale mortals stood aghast, And startled nature trembled with the blaft.

This having heard and feen, fome pow'runknown Strait chang'd the scene, and fnatch'd me from the throne.

IMITATIONS.

VER. 418. This having heard and feen, etc.] The Scene here changes from the temple of Fame to that of Rumour, which is almost entirely Chaucer's. The particulars follow.

Tho faw I ftonde in a valey,
Under the castle fast by
A house, that Domus Dedali
That Labyrinthus cleped is,
Nas made fo wonderly, I wis,
Ne half fo queintly y-wrought;
And evermo as swift as thought,
This queint house about went,
That never more it ftill ftent-
And eke this house hath of entrees
As many as leaves are on trees,
In fummer, when they ben grene;
And in the roof yet men may fene
A thousand hoels and well mo,
To letten the foune out go;
And by day in every tide
Ben all the doors open wide,
And by night each one unfhet;
No porter is there one to let,
No manner tydings in to pace :
Ne never reft is in that place. P.

420

Before my view appear'd a structure fair,
Its fite uncertain, if in earth or air;
With rapid motion turn'd the mansion round;
With ceaseless noise the ringing walls refound;
Not lefs in number' were the fpacious doors,

Than leaves on trees, or fands

upon the shores; 425 Which still unfolded stand, by night, by day, Pervious to winds, and open ev'ry way.

As flames by nature to the skies afcend,
As weighty bodies to the centre tend,
As to the sea returning rivers roll,

430

And the touch'd needle trembles to the pole; Hither, as to their proper place, arise

435

All various founds from earth, and feas, and skies,
Or fpoke aloud, or whisper'd in the ear;
Nor ever filence, reft, or peace is here.
As on the smooth expanse of crystal lakes
The finking stone at first a circle makes;
The trembling furface by the motion stirr'd,
Spreads in a second circle, then a third;
Wide, and more wide, the floating rings advance,
Fill all the watʼry plain, and to the margin dance:

IMITATIONS.

439

VER. 428. As flames by nature to the, etc.] This thought is tranferr'd hither out of the third book of Fame, where it takes up no less than one hundred and twenty verses, beginning thus,

Geffray, thou wotteft well this, etc. P.

Thus ev'ry voice and found, when first they break,
On neighb'ring air a foft impreffion make;
Another ambient circle then they move;
That, in its turn, impels the next above;
Thro' undulating air the founds are fent,
And spread o'er all the fluid element.

445

There various news I heard of love and ftrife,
Of peace and war, health, fickness, death, and life,
Of lofs and gain, of famine and of store, 450
Of ftorms at fea, and travels on the shore,
Of prodigies, and portents seen in air,

Of fires and plagues, and stars with blazing hair,
Of turns of fortune, changes in the state,
The falls of fav'rites, projects of the great, 455
Of old mifmanagements, taxations new :
All neither wholly false, nor wholly true.

IMITATIONS.

VER. 448. There various news I heard, etc.]
Of werres, of peace, of marriages,
Of reft, of labour, of voyages,
Of abode, of dethe, and of life,
Of love and hate, accord and ftrife,
Of lofs, of lore, and of winnings,
Of hele, of ficknefs, and leffings,
Of divers tranfmutations
Of estates and eke of regions,
Of truft, of drede, of jealoufy,
Of wit, of winning, and of folly,
Of good, or bad government,
Of fire, and of divers accident. P.

Above, below, without, within, around, Confus'd, unnumber'd multitudes are found, Who pass, repass, advance, and glide away; 460 Hosts rais'd by fear, and phantoms of a day : Aftrologers, that future fates forefhew, Projectors, quacks, and lawyers not a few; And priests, and party-zealots, num'rous bands With home-born lies, or tales from foreign lands; Each talk'd aloud, or in some secret place, 466 And wild impatience ftar'd in ev'ry face. They flying rumours gather'd as they roll'd, Scarce any tale was fooner heard than told;

IMITATIONS.

VER. 458. Above, below, without, within, etc.]

But fuch a grete congregation

Of folke as I faw roam about,
Some within, and fome without,
Was never seen, ne fhall be eft-
And every wight that I faw there
Rowned everich in others ear
A new tyding privily,

Or elfe he told it openly

Right thus, and faid, Knowft not thou

That is betide to night now?

No, quoth he, tell me what?

And then he told him this and that, etc.
-Thus north and fouth

Went every tiding fro mouth to mouth,

And that encreafing evermo,

As fire is wont to quicken and go
From a sparkle fprong amifs,
Till all the citee brent up is.

And all who told it added fomething new, 470 And all who heard it, made enlargements too, In ev'ry ear it spread, on every tongue it grew. Thus flying eaft and weft, and north and fouth, News travell'd with increase from mouth to mouth. So from a fpark, that kindled first by chance, 475 With gath'ring force the quick'ning flames ad

vance;

Till to the clouds their curling heads aspire,
And tow'rs and temples fink in floods of fire.

When thus ripe lies are to perfection sprung, Full grown, and fit to grace a mortal tongue, 480 Thro' thousand vents, impatient, forth they flow, And rush in millions on the world below.

Fame fits aloft, and points them out their course,
Their date determines, and prescribes their force :
Some to remain, and fome to perish soon; 485
Or wane and wax alternate like the moon.
Around, a thousand winged wonders fly,
Born by the trumpet's blaft, and scatter'd thro'
the fky.

There, at one paffage, oft you might survey, A lie and truth contending for the way;

490

IMITATIONS.

VER. 489. There, at one passage, etc.]

And fometime I faw there at once,

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