Of his unrivall'd pencil. He infpires
Their balmy odours, and imparts their hues,
And bathes their eyes with nectar, and includes,
In grains as courtlefs as the fea-fide fands,

The forms with which he fprinkles all the earth.
Happy who walks with him! whom what he finds
Of flavour or of scent in fruit or flow'r,
Or what he views of beautiful or grand
In nature, from the broad majestic oak
To the green blade that twinkles in the fun,
Prompts with remembrance of a prefent God!
His prefence, who made all fo fair, perceiv'd,
Makes all still fairer. As with him no fcene
Is dreary, fo with him all feafons please.
Though winter had been none, had man been true,
And earth be punifh'd for its tenant's fake,
Yet not in vengeance; as this smiling sky,
So foon fucceeding fuch an angry night,
And thefe diffolving fnows, and this clear stream.
Recov'ring faft its liquid mufic, prove.

Who, then, that has a mind well strung and tun'd To contemplation, and within his reach

A fcene fo friendly to his fav'rite task,

Would waste attention at the chequer'd board,
His hoft of wooden warriors to and fro

Marching and countermarching, with an eye As fix'd as marble, with a forehead ridg'd And furrow'd into forms, and with a hand Trembling, as if eternity were hung In balance of his conduct of a pin ?----Nor envies he aught more their idle sport, Who pant with application mifapplied To trivial toys, and, pushing iv'ry balls Across the velvet level, feel a joy Akin to rapture when the bawble finds Its deftin'd goal, of difficult access.Nor deems he wifer him, who gives his noon To mifs, the mercer's plague, from shop to fhop Wand'ring, and litt'ring with unfolded filks The polish'd counter, and approving none, Or promifing with fmiles to call again.— Nor him, who by his vanity feduc'd, And footh'd into a dream that he difcerns The diff'rence of a Guido from a daub, Frequents the crowded auction: station'd there As duly as the Langford of the show, With glass at eye, and catalogue in hand, And tongue accomplish'd in the fulfome cant And pedantry that coxcombs learn with ease; Oft as the price-deciding hammer falls He notes it in his book, then raps his box,

Swears 'tis a bargain, rails at his hard fate
That he has let it pass-but never bids!

Here, unmolested, through whatever fign The fun proceeds, I wander. Neither mist, Nor freezing fky, nor fultry, checking me, Nor ftranger intermeddling with my joy. Ev'n in the fpring and play-time of the year, That calls th' unwonted villager abroad With all her little ones, a fportive train, To gather king-cups in the yellow mead, And prink their hair with daisies, or to pick A cheap but wholesome fallad from the brook, These shades are all my own. The tim'rous hare, Grown fo familiar with her frequent guest, Scarce fhuns me; and the stock-dove, unalarm'd, Sits cooing in the pine-tree, nor suspends His long love-ditty for my near approach. Drawn from his refuge in fome lonely elm That age or injury has hollow'd deep, Where, on his bed of wool and matted leaves, He has outflept the winter, ventures forth To frisk awhile, and bask in the warm fun, The fquirrel, flippant, pert, and full of play: He fees me, and at once, swift as a bird,

Afcends the neighb'ring beech; there whifks his brush,

And perks his ears, and stamps and scolds aloud,

With all the prettinefs of feign'd alarm,
And anger infignificantly fierce.

The heart is hard in nature, and unfit
For human fellowship, as being void
Of fympathy, and therefore dead alike

To love and friendship both, that is not pleas'd
With fight of animals enjoying life,

Nor feels their happiness augment his own.
The bounding fawn, that darts across the glade

When none purfues, through mere delight of heart,
And spirits buoyant with excefs of glee;
The horse as wanton, and almost as fleet,
That fkims the fpacious meadow at full speed,
Then ftops and fnorts, and throwing high his heels,
Starts to the voluntary race again;

The very kine that gambol at high noon,

The total herd receiving first from one

That leads the dance a fummons to be gay,
Though wild their strange vagaries, and uncouth
Their efforts, yet refolv'd with one confent
To give fuch act an utt❜rance as they may
To ecftafy too big to be fupprefs'd-
These, and a thousand images of bliss,
With which kind nature graces ev'ry scene

Where cruel man defeats not her defign,
Impart to the benevolent, who wish
All that are capable of pleasure pleas'd,
A far fuperior happiness to theirs,
The comfort of a reasonable joy.

Man scarce had ris'n obedient to his call Who form'd him from the dust, his future grave, When he was crown'd as never king was fince. God fet the diadem upon his head,

And angel choirs attended. Wond'ring stood The new-made monarch, while before him pass'd, All happy, and all perfect in their kind,

The creatures, fummon'd from their various haunts
To fee their fov'reign, and confefs his fway.
Vaft was his empire, abfolute his pow'r,
Or bounded only by a law, whose force
'Twas his fublimeft privilege to feel

And own-the law of univerfal love.

He rul'd with meeknefs, they obey'd with joy;
No cruel purpofe lurk'd within his heart,
And no diftruft of his intent in theirs.

So Eden was a scene of harmless sport,

Where kindness on his part who rul'd the whole Begat a tranquil confidence in all,

And fear as yet was not, nor cause for fear.