With hopeful gems. The reft, no portion left
That may difgrace his art, or disappoint
Large expectation, he difpofes neat
At meafur'd distances, that air and fun,
Admitted freely, may afford their aid,
And ventilate and warm the fwelling buds.
Hence fummer has her riches, autumn hence,
And hence ev'n winter fills his wither'd hand
With blufhing fruits, and plenty, not his own*.
Fair recompenfe of labour well beftow'd,
And wife precaution; which a clime fo rude
Makes needful still, whofe fpring is but the child
Of churlish winter, in her froward moods
Discovering much the temper of her fire.
For oft, as if in her the ftream of mild
Maternal nature had revers'd its course,
She brings her infants forth with many smiles;
But, once deliver'd, kills them with a frown.
He, therefore, timely warn'd, himself supplies
Her want of care, fcreening and keeping warm
The plenteous bloom, that no rough blast may fweep
His garlands from the boughs. Again, as oft
As the fun peeps and vernal airs breathe mild,
*Miraturque novos fructus et non fua poma. VIRG.
The fence withdrawn, he gives them ev'ry beam,
And spreads his hopes before the blaze of day.
To raise the prickly and green-coated gourd,
So grateful to the palate, and when rare
So coveted, elfe bafe and difesteem'd-
Food for the vulgar merely-is an art
That toiling ages have but just matur'd,
And at this moment unaffay'd in fong.
Yet gnats have had, and frogs and mice, long fince,
Their eulogy; thofe fang the Mantuan bard,
And these the Grecian, in ennobling strains;
And in thy numbers, Philips, fhines for aye
The folitary fhilling. Pardon, then,
Ye fage difpenfers of poetic fame,
Th' ambition of one, meaner far, whofe pow'rs,
Prefuming an attempt not lefs fublime,
Pant for the praife of dreffing to the taste
Of critic appetite, no fordid fare,
A cucumber, while costly yet and scarce.
The ftable yields a ftercoraceous heap,
Impregnated with quick fermenting falts,
And potent to refift the freezing blast:
For, ere the beech and elm have caft their leaf
Deciduous, when now November dark
Checks vegetation in the torpid plant
Expos'd to his cold breath, the task begins.
Warily, therefore, and with prudent heed,
He feeks a favour'd fpot; that where he builds
Th' agglomerated pile his frame may front
The fun's meridian disk, and at the back
Enjoy close fhelter, wall, or reeds, or hedge
Impervious to the wind.
Dry fern or litter'd hay,
Firft he bids spread that may imbibe
Th' afcending damps; then leifurely impofe,
And lightly, fhaking it with agile hand
From the full fork, the faturated straw.
What longest binds the clofeft, forms fecure
The fhapely fide, that, as it rifes, takes,
By juft degrees, an overhanging breadth,
Shelt'ring the base with its projected eaves;
Th' uplifted frame, compact at ev'ry joint,
And overlaid with clear tranflucent glass,
He fettles next upon the floping mount,
Whofe fharp declivity fhoots off fecure
From the dafh'd pane the deluge as it falls.
He fhuts it close, and the first labour ends.
Thrice muft the voluble and restless earth
Spin round upon her axle, ere the warmth,
Slow gathering in the midft, through the fquare mafs Diffus'd, attain the furface: when, behold!
A peftilent and moft corrofive fteam,
Like a grofs fog Boeotian, rifing fast,
And faft condens'd upon the dewy fash,
Afks egrefs; which obtain'd, the overcharg'd
And drench'd confervatory breathes abroad,
In volumes wheeling flow, the vapour
dank;
And, purified, rejoices to have loft
Its foul inhabitant. But to affuage
Th' impatient fervour which it first conceives
Within its reeking bofom, threat'ning death
To his young hopes, requires difcreet delay.
Experience, flow preceptrefs, teaching oft
The way to glory by mifcarriage foul,
Muft prompt him, and admonish how to catch
Th' aufpicious moment, when the temper'd heat,
Friendly to vital motion, may afford
Soft fomentation, and invite the feed.
The feed, felected wifely, plunip, and fmooth,
And gloffy, he commits to pots of fize
Diminutive, well fill'd with well-prepar'd
And fruitful foil, that has been treafur'd long,
And drank no moisture from the dripping clouds:
These on the warm and genial earth, that hides
The fmoking manure and e'erfpreads it all,
He places lightly, and, as time fubdues
The rage of fermentation, plunges deep
In the foft medium, till they ftand immers'd.
Then rife the tender germs, upstarting quick, And spreading wide their fpongy lobes; at first Pale, wan, and livid; but affuming foon,
If fann'd by balmy and nutritious air,
Strain'd through the friendly mats, a vivid green.
Two leaves produc'd, two rough indented leaves,
Cautious he pinches from the fecond stalk
A pimple, that portends a future fprout,
And interdicts its growth. Thence strait fucceed
The branches, sturdy to his utmost wish;
Prolific all, and harbingers of more.
The crowded roots demand enlargement now,
And tranfplantation in an ampler fpace.
Indulg'd in what they wish, they foon fupply
Large foliage, overshadowing golden flow'rs,
Blown on the fummit of th' apparent
These have their fexes! and, when fummer fhines,
The bee transports the fertilizing meal
From flow'r to flow'r, and ev'n the breathing air
Wafts the rich prize to its appointed use.
Not fo when winter fcowls. Afliftant art
Then acts in nature's office, brings to pafs
The glad efpoufals, and enfures the crop.
Grudge not, ye rich, (fince luxury must have dainties, and the world's more num'rous half
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