Hang in soft raptures o'er the yielding fair,
Love out his hour, and leave his life in air.
So in his silken sepulchre the worm,
Warm'd with new life, unfolds his lava-form;
Erewhile aloft in wanton circles moves,

And wooes on Hymen-wings his velvet loves.

THE CROCODILE.

So from his shell on Delta's shower-less isle Eursts into life the monster of the Nile;

First in translucent lymph with cobweb-threads
The brain's fine floating tissue swells, and spreads;
Nerve after nerve the glistening spine descends,
The red heart dances, the aorta bends;

Through each new gland the purple current glides,
New veins meandering drink the refluent tides;
Edge over edge expands the hardening scale,
And sheath's his slimy skin in silver mail.
Erewhile, emerging from the brooding sand,
With tyger-paw he prints the brineless strand,
High on the flood with speckled bosom swims,
Helm'd with broad tail and oar'd with giant limbs ;
Rolls his fierce eye-balls, clasps his iron claws,
And champs with gnashing teeth his massy jaws;
Old Nilus sighs along his cane-crown'd shores,
And swarthy Memphis trembles and adores.

ASCENT OF THE BOTANIC GODDESS.

THE goddess ceased, and, calling from afar The wandering zephyrs, joins them to her car ; Mounts with light bound, and, graceful, as she bends, Whirls the long lash, the flexile rein extends; On whispering wheels the silver axle slides, Climbs into air, and cleaves the crystal tides, Bursts from its pearly chains, her amber hair Streams o'er her ivory shoulders, buoy'd in air; Swells her white veil, with ruby clasp confined Round her fair brow, and undulates behind; The lessening coursers rise in spiral rings, Pierce the slow-sailing clouds, and stretch their shadowy wings.

AARON'S ROD.

THUS when in holy triumph Aaron trod, And offer'd on the shrine his mystic rod; First a new bark its silken tissue weaves, New buds emerging widen into leaves; Fair fruits protrude, enascent flowers expand, And blush and tremble round the living wand.

DIANA'S SILVER TREE.

So the learnt alchemist exulting sees
Rise in his bright matrass DIANA's trees;
Drop after drop, with just delay he pours
The red-fumed acid on Potosi's ores;

With, sudden flash the fierce bullitions rise,
And wide in air the gas phlogistic flies;

Slow shoot, at length, in many a brilliant mass
Metalic roots across the netted glass;

Branch after branch extend their silver stems, Bud into gold, and blossom into gems.