For he, deep judging fage, beheld
With pain the triumphs of the field :
And when the charioteer drew nigh,
And, flufh'd with hope, had caught his eye,
"Alas! unhappy youth," he cry'd,
"Expect no praise from me," (and figh'd.)
"With indignation I furvey

Such skill and judgment thrown away.
The time profufely fquander'd there,
On vulgar arts beneath thy care,
If well employ'd, at lefs expenfe,
Had taught thee honour, virtue, sense;
And rais'd thee from a coachman's fate
To govern men, and guide the state."

SECTION V.

WHITEHEAD.

DISCOURSE BEtween adam AND EVE; RETIRING TO REST.

Now came ftill ev'ning on, and twilight gray
Had in her fober liv'ry all things clad.
Silence accompanied; for beaft and bird,
They to their graffy couch, thefe to their nefts
Were flunk; all but the wakeful nightingale.
She all night long her am'rous defcant fung:
Silence was pleas'd. Now glow'd the firmament
With living fapphires: Hefperus, that led
The ftarry hoft, rode brightest, till the moon,
Rifing in clouded majefty, at length,
Apparent queen unveil'd her peerlefs light,
And o'er the dark her filver mantle threw.

When Adam thus to Eve: "Fair confort, th' hour
Of night, and all things now retir'd to rest,
Mind us of like repofe; fince God hath fet
Labour and reft, as day and night, to men
Succeffive; and the timely dew of fleep,
Now falling with foft flum'brous weight, inclines →
Our eyelids. Other creatures all day long
Rove idle, unemploy'd, and lefs need reft:
Man hath his daily work of body or of mind
Appointed, which declares his dignity,
And the regard of Heav'n on all his ways; ;
While other animals unactive range,

And of their doings God takes no account.
Tomorrow, ere freth Morning ftreak the eaft
With first approach of light, we must be rifen,
And at our pleasant labour; to reform
Yon flow'ry arbours, yonder alleys green,.
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,,
That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth.
Those bloffoms alfo, and those dropping gums,
That lie bestrown, unfightly and unfmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease.
Meanwhile, as Nature wills, night bids us reft,"
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorn'd;
"My author and difpofer, what thou bidft
Unargu'd I obey; fo God ordains..

With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feafons and their change, all please alike..
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing sweet,
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the fun
When first on this delightful land he spreads
His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r,
Glift'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth.
After foft fhow'rs; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful evening mild; then filent night,
With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon,
And these the gems of heav'n, her starry train:
But neither breath of morn, when fhe afcends
With charm of earliest birds; nor rising fun
On this deligthful land; nor herb, fruit, flow'r,
Glift'ring with dew; nor fragrance after show'rs;
Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night
With this her folemn bird; nor walk by moon,
Or glitt'ring itar-light,-without thee is fweet.
But wherefore all night long fhine thefe? for whom
This glorious fight, when fleep hath fhut all eyes?"
To whom our gen'ral ancestor reply'd:

Daughter of God and man, accomplish'd Eve,
Thefe have their courfe to finifh round the earth
By morrow-ev'ning; and from land to land
In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Mit ring light prepar'd, they fet and rife;
Leit total darkness fhould by night regain

Her old poffeffion, and extinguifh life

In nature and all things; which these foft fires.
Not only enlighten, but, with kindly heat.
Of various influence, foment and warm,
Temper or nourish; or in part fhed down
Their ftellar virtue on all kinds that grow...
On earth, made hereby apter to receive:
Perfection from the fun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night,
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none,
That heav'n would want fpectators, God want praise :
Millions of fpritual creatures walk the earth
Unfeen, both when we wake, and when we fleep.
All these with ceaseless praise his works behold,
Both day and night. How often, from the steep.
Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard
Celestial voices to the midnight air,

Sole, or refponfive each to others' note,.
Singing their great Creator? Oft in bands,
While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk
With heav'nly touch of inftrumental founds,
In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to heav'n.”
Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd
On to their blifsful bow'r.-

-There arriv'd, both stood,
Both turn'd; and under open fky ador'd

The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n,
Which they beheld, the moon's refplendent globe,
And itarry pole. "Thou also mad'ft the night,
Maker Omnipotent, and thou the day,
Which we, in our appointed work employ'd,
Have finifh'd, happy in our mutual help,
And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss
Ordain'd by thee; and this delicious place
For us too large, where thy abundance wants
Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground.
But thou haft promis'd from us two a race,
To fill the earth, who fhall with us extol
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake,
And when we feek, as now, thy gift of fleep..

MILLON

2

SECTION VI.

RELIGION AND DEATH.

Lo! a form divinely bright
Descends, and burfts upon my fight;
A feraph of illuftrious birth!
(Religion was her name on earth;}
Supremely fweet her radiant face,
And blooming with celeftial grace!
Three fhining cherubs form'd her train,
Wav'd their light wings, and reach'd the plain :
Faith, with fublime and piercing eye,
And pinions flutt'ring for the fky;
Here hope, that smiling angel stands,
And golden anchors grace her hands;
There charity in robes of white,
Fairest and fav'rite maid of light.

The feraph fpoke-" "Tis reafon's part
Το govern and to guard the heart;
To lull the wayward foul to reft,
When hope and fears diftract the breaft.
Reafon may calm this doubtful ftrife,
And fteer thy bark through various life:
But when the ftorms of death are nigh,
And midnight darkness veils the sky,
Shall reafon then direct thy fail,
Difperfe the clouds, or fink the gale?
Stranger, this fkill alone is mine,
Skill that tranfcends his fcanty line."
"Revere thyfelf-thou'rt near allied
To angels on thy better fide.

How various e'er their ranks or kinds,
Angels are but unbodied minds:
When the partition walls decay,
Men emerge angels from their clay.
Yes, when the frailer body dies,
The foul afferts her kindred kies.
But minds, though fprung from heav'nly race,
Muft firft be tutor'd for the place :

The joys above are understood,
And relish'd only by the good.
Who fhall affume this guardian care;

Who fhall fecure their birthright there?
Souls are my charge-to me 'tis giv'n
To train them for their native heav'n."
"Know then, who bow the early knee,
And give the willing heart to me ;-
Who wifely, when Temptation waits,
Elude her frauds, and fpurn her baits;
Who dare to own my injur'd cause,
Though fools deride my facred laws;
Or fcorn to deviate to the wrong,
Though perfecution lifts her thong;
Though all the fons of hell confpire
To raise the stake and light the fire;
Know, that for fuch fuperior fouls,
There lies a blifs beyond the poles;
Where fpirits fhine with purer ray,
And brighten to meridian day;

Where love, where boundless friendship rules ;
(No friends that change, no love that cools ;)
Where rifing floods of knowledge roll,
And pour, and pour upon the foul!"

"But where's the paffage to the skies?
The road through death's black valley lies.
Nay, do not fhudder at my tale;
Tho' dark the fhades, yet safe the vale.
This path the best of men have trod;
And who'd decline the road to God?
Oh! 'tis a glorious boon to die!
This favour can't be priz'd too high."
While thus the fpoke, my looks exprefs'd
The raptures kindling in my breast ;
My foul a fix'd attention gave;
When the stern monarch of the grave
With haughty ftrides approach'd-amaz'd
I ftood and trembled as I gaz'd.

The feraph calm'd each anxious fear,
And kindly wip'd the falling tear;
Then haften'd with expanded wing
To meet the pale, terrific king.
But now what milder fcenes arife!
The tyrant drops his hoftile guife;
He feems a youth divinely fair,