But here the youth enjoin'd the eager fire,
(Who into hidden truths did much enquire)
If he'd in filence each event behold,

He would to him fome wond'rous things unfold.
Agreed;——and now the clofing hour of day
Came onward, mantled o'er with fober grey*;
Nature in filence bids the world repofe;

When near the road a flately palace rofe:
There, by the moon, thro' ranks of trees they pafs,
Whofe verdure crown'd their floping fides of grafs.
It chanc'd, the noble mafter of the dome

Still made his house the wand'ring stranger's home;
Yet fill the kindnefs, from a thirft of praife,
Prov'd the vain flourish of expenfive cafe.

The pair arrive, the liv'ry'd fervants wait;
Their lord receives them at the

pompous gate; The table groans with coftly piles of food, And all is more than hospitably good.

Then led to reft, the day's long toil they drown,
Deep funk in fleep, and filk, and heaps of down.
At length, 'tis morn, and at the dawn of day
Along the wide canals the zephyrs play;

*Now came ftill evening on, and fober grey
Had in her fober livery all things clad.

MILTON

Fresh o'er the gay parterres the breezes creep,
And fhake the neighbouring wood to banish fleep.
Up rife the guests, obedient to the call;
An early banquet deck't the fplendid hall;
Rich, lufcious wine, a golden goblet grac'd,
Which the kind mafter forc'd his guests to taste:
Then pleas'd and thankful from the porch they go,
And, but the landlord, none had caufe of woe;
His cup was vanished; for in fecret guife,
The younger gueft purloin'd the glitt'ring prize.
Now on they pafs; when far upon the road,
The wealthy spoil the wily partner fhow'd.

As one who fpies a ferpent in his way,
Glift'ning and bafking in the fummer ray,
Disorder'd flops, to fhun the danger near,

Then walks with faintnefs on, and looks with fear:
So feem'd the fire, he walk'd with trembling heart:
And much he wifh'd, but durft not ask, to part:
Murm'ring, he lifts his eyes, and thinks it hard,
That gen'rous actions meet a base reward*.
While thus they pafs, the fun his glory shrouds,
The changing skies hang out their fable clouds;

A found

*We are not to do evil, that good may come of it, but infinite wifdom can always bring good out of evil, however impoffible it may appear to poor fhort-fighted mortals like ourfelves.

A found in air prefag'd approaching rain,
And beafts to coverts fcud across the plain.
Warn'd by the figns, the wand'ring pair retreat,
To feek for fhelter at a neighb'ring feat:
'Twas built by turrets on a rifing ground,
And ftrong, and large, and unimprov'd around:
Its owner's temper, tim'rous and fevere,
Unkind and griping, caus'd a defart there.
As near the mifer's heavy door they drew,
Fierce rifing gulls with fudden fury blew;
The nimble light'ning, mix'd with fhow'rs began,
And o'er their heads loud rolling thunder ran.
Here long they knock, but knock or call in vain,
Driv'n by the wind, and batter'd by the rain.
At length fome pity warm'd the master's breast:
('Twas then his threshold first receiv'd a guest.)
Slow creaking turns the door, with jealous care,
And half he welcomes in the fhiv'ring pair;
One frugal faggot lights the naked walls,

And Nature's fervour thro' their limbs recalls:
Bread of the coarfeft fort, with dead fmall-beer,
(Each hardly granted) ferv'd them both for cheer;
And when the tempeft firft appear'd to ceafe,
A ready warning bid them part in prace.

With ftill remark the pond'ring Hermit view'd,
In one fo rich, a life fo poor and rude;
And why fhould fuch (within himself he cry'd)
Lock the loft wealth a thousand want befide?

But what new marks of wonder foon took place
In every fetting feature of his face!

When, from his veft, the young companion bore
That cup, the gen'rous landlord own'd before;
And paid profufely with the precious bowl,
The flinted kindnefs of this churlifh foul:
Juft funk to earth, the inifer in furprize,
Receiv'd the glitt'ring gift with ftartled eyes;
But, 'ere he could recover from his fright,
The generous guefls were gone quite out of fight.
Now the brifk clouds in airy tumults fly,

The fun emerging opes another sky;

A fresher green the fwelling leaves difplay,
And glitt'ring as they tremble, cheer the day;
While hence they walk, the pilgrim's bofom wrought,
With all the travel of uncertain thought;

His partner's acts without their caufe appear,
'Twas there a vice but feem'd a madness here*.
Detefting that, and pitying this, he goes,

Loft and confounded with the various fhows.
Now night's din fhades again involve the sky;
Again the wand'rers want a place to lie;
Again they fearch and find a manfion nigh.

}

The

* Men fee and know but in part, as thro' a glafs darkly in the prefent fate, but in the world to come, we shall fe as we are fen, and know even as we are known.

The foil improv'd around, the manfion neat,
And neither poorly low, nor richly great:
It feem'd to fpeak its master's turn of mind,
Content, and (not for praife, but virtue) kind.

Hither the walkers turn their weary feet,
Then blefs the manfion, and the mafler greet;
Their greeting fair, beftow'd with modeft guife,
The courteous mafler hears, and thus replies:
Without a vain, without a grudging heart.
To him who gives us all, I yield a part*;
From him you come, from him accept it here,
A frank and fober, more than coftly cheer.
He fpoke, and bid the welcome table spread,
Then talk'd of virtue 'till the time of bed;
When the grave houfhold round the hall repair,
Warn'd by a bell, and clofe the hours with pray'r.
At length the world renew'd by calm repose,
Was ftrong for toil, the dappled morn arose;
Before the pilgrims part, the younger crept,
Near the clos'd cradle, where an infant flept,
And writh'd his neck; the landlord's little pride,
Oftrange return! grew black, then gafp'd, and dy'd.
Horror of horrors! what! his only fou?

How look'd our Hermit when the fact was done?
Not Hell, tho' Hell's black jaws in funder part,
And breathe blu fire, could more affail his heart."

C 3

To God who gives us all, fure all is due.

Confus'd