Portrait of John Milton a renowned English poet included in an antique book containing his poetical works May 05, - 10th day of death of Nelly Sachs: Since her emigration i the artist lives in Sweden. She was born at December 10th in Berlin and described in her works the fate of the Jewish nation. In the tradition of her fathers she wrote a poetical work rich of metaphoric expressions in a free styled rhythm Mark Akenside, , an English poet and physician, LONDON.
Selected and edited with introduction, biographical sketch, notes, and a glossary' Image taken from page 28 of 'The Poetical Works of The Poetical Works of the Rev. Now first collected ; illustrated with steel engravings, from drawings by American artists' page of 'The Poetical Works of Jean Ingelow'. Selected and edited with introduction, biographical sketch, notes, and a glossary' Image taken from page of 'The Poetical Works of Poetical Works. Minto 'The poetical works of Fitz-Greene Halleck: Published in Hartford, Conneticut John Hall Scott of Amwell Vintage hardback books on a wooden bookshelf.
From 'La belle dame sans merci'. Now first collected ; illustrated with steel engravings, from drawings by American artists' page 46 of 'The Poetical Works of Jean Ingelow'. I fee the radiant vifions where they rife, More lovely than when Lucifer difplays His beaming forehead thro' the gates of morn, To lead the train of Phoebus and the Spring. With thoughts beyond the limit of his frame, But that th' Omnipotent might fend him forth, In fight of mortal and imm. As on aboundlefs theatre, to rxm The great career of juftice, to exalt His gen'rous aim to all diviner deeds, To chafe each partial purpole from his breaft, iCo And thro' the milts of pallion and of fenfe, And thro' the tofling tide of chance and pain, To hold his courfe unfalt'ring, while the voice Of Truth and Virtue up the fteep afcent Of Nature calls him to his high reward, Th' applauding fmile of Heav'n?
Who but rather turns To heav'n's broad fire his unconftrained view 1 75 Than to the glimm'ring of a waxen flame? Who that from Alpine heights his iab'ring eye Shoots round the wide horizon, to furvey Nilus or Ganges, roiling his bright wave Thro'mountains, plain? The high-born foul Difdains to rett her heav'tt-afpiring wing Beneath its native quarry. Tir'dof earth, And this diurnal fcene, he fprlngs aloft Thro' fields of air, purfues the flying form.
Rides on the volly'd lightning thro' the heav'n's, Or, yok'd with whirlwinds and the northern blafl, Sweeps the long track of day. Then high flie foars The blue profound, and hov'ring round the Sun, Beholds him pouring the redundant flream Of light, beholds his unrelenting fway Bend the relu6lant planets to abfolve The fated rounds of time: Now amaz'd fhe views The empyreal wafte, where happy Ipirits hold y-.
There her hopes Reft at the fatal goal: That not in humble nor in brief delight, Not in the fading echoes of renown, PowVs purple robes, nor Pleafure's flow'ry lap. The foulfhould find enjoyment ; but, from tliefe Turning difdainful to an equal good. Thro' all th' afcent of things enlarge her view, Till ev'ry bound at length hould difappear, azo And infinite perfeftion clofe the fcene. Call now to mind what high capacious pow'rs Lie folded up in man j how far beyond The praife of mortals may th' eternal growth Of Nature toperfe6lion half divine Expand th' blooming foul: And blaft her fpring I Far otherwife defign'd Almighty Wifdom j Nature's happy cares Th' obedient heart far otherwife incline j Witnefs the fprightly joy when aught unknown Strikes the quick fenfe, and wakes each acSlive pow'r " region, pourra etre rempli de bonheur et de gloire.
To bilflcer meafures ; witnel's the negle6l Of all familiar profpeiSls, tho' beheld With tranfport once, the fond attentive gaze Of young Aftonifhment, the fober zeal Of Age commenting on prodigious things. The pleafure from habit may be merely negative. The objeft at firft gave uneafinefs ; this uneafinefs gradually wears off as the objeft grows familiar; and the mir. The diflike conceived of the objeiS at firft might be owing to prejudice or want of attention ; conftqacntly the mind being necefiitated to re- view it often, may at length perceive its own miftake, and be reconciled to what it had looked on witii averfion; in which cafe a fort of inftinftive juftice naturally leads it to make amends for the injury, by running to- ward the other extreme of fondnefs and attachment.
What need words To paint its pow'r? For this the daring youth Breaks from his weeping mother's anxious arms In foreign climes to rove j the penfive fage, Heedlefs of fleep or midnight's harmful damp, Hangs o'er the fickly taper ; and untir'd The virgin follows, with enchanted ftep, The mazes of fome wild and wondrous tale From morn to eve, unmindful of her form. Unmindful of the happy drefs that ftole The wifhes of the youth when ev'ry maid With envy pin'd. Hence, finally, by night The village matron round the blazing hearth Sufpends the infant audience with her tales.
Breathing aftonifhment 1 of witching rhymes And evil fpirits ; of the deathbed call Of him who robb'd the widow, and devour'd The orphan's portion j of unquiet fouls, Ris'n from the grave to eafe the hsTivj guilt Of deeds in life conceal'd ; of fliapes that walk At dead of night, and clank their chains, and wave The torch of hell around the murd'rer's bed: Gazing each other fpeechlefs, and congeal'd With fhiv'ring fighs, till, eager forth' event. Around the beldame all ere6l they hang, Each trembling heart with grateful terrors quell'd.
Smooths her melh'fluent ftream. For ever beamell on th' enchanted heart Love, and harmonious wonder, and delight Poetic. Brighteft progeny of Hiav'n! Hafte then, and gather all her comelieft wealth, Whate'er bright Ipoils the florid earth contains, Whate'er the waters or the liquid air, To deck thy lovely labour. Wilt thou fly With laughing Autumn to th' Atlantic ifles. And range with him th" Hefperian field, and fee Where'er his fingers touch the fruitful grove 29O The branches fiioot with gold ; where'er his ftep Marks the glad foil the tender clufters grow With purple ripenefs, and invert each hill As with the blulhes of an evening fky?
The fmooth Peneus from his glafly flood Keflefts purpureal Tempe's pleafant fcene? And Spring's Elyfian bloom. Her flow'ry ftore To thee nor Tempe fliall refufe, nor watch Of winged Hydra guard Hefperian fruits From thy free fpoil. Hither turn Thy graceful footfteps ; hither, gentle Maid! Incline thy poiifh'd forehead: The cheek fair- blooming; and the rofy lip, Where wmning Smiles and Pleafures, fweet as Love, With fan6lity and wifdom tenip'ring, blend Their foft allurement: And each cerulean filter of the flood With loud acclaim attend her o'er the waves To feek th' Idalian bow'r.
Ye fmiling band Of Youths and Virgins I who thro' all the maze Of young defire with rival fteps purfiie This charm of beauty, if the pleafmg toil Can yield a moment's refpite, hither turn Your favourable ear, and truft my words. Or fhapes infernal rend the groaning earth, Then tell me, for ye know, Does Beauty ever deign to dwell where health And aftive ufe are Itrangers? And fan6lifies his choice.
The gen'rous glebe Whofe bolom fmiles with verdure, the clear track Of ftreams delicious to the thirfty foul, The bloom of neftar'd fruitage ripe to fenfe, And ev'ry charm of animated things. Virtue, for inftance, in the fame refpetl as to which we " cal! This excellent obfervation has been illuftrated and extended by the noble reftorer of ancient philofophy. See Tre CharaSeriftiu-, voL ii. Inquiry into the Original of our Ideas of Beauty and Virtue. As to the conneftion between beauty and truth, there are two opinions concerning it.
Beauty withers in your void embrace j And with the glitt'ring of an idiot's toy Did Fancy mock your vows. Tho' the pois'nous charms Of baleful fuperftition guide the feet Of fervile numbers thro' a dreary way To their abode, thro' dtferts, thorns, and mire, And leave the wretched pilgrim all forlorn, To mufe at laft amid the ghoftly gloom Of graves, and hoary vaults, and clcifler'd cells, To walk with fpeftres thro' the midnight fliaue.
And to the fcreaming owl's accurfed fong Attune the dreadful workings of his heart, Yet be not ye difmay'd j a gentler ftar Your lovely fearch illumines. Could my ambitious hand intwine a wreath Of Plato's olive with the Mantuan bay, Then iliould my pow'rful Verfe at once difpel Thofe monkifti horrors ; then in light divine D found to depend.
Suppofe a ftatue modelled according to this, a man of mere natural tafte, upon looking at it, without enieiirg into its proportions, confeii'es ar. Dil'clofe th' Elyfian profpeft, where the fteps Of thole whom nature charms thro' blooming walks. Thro' fragrant mountains and poetic ftreams, Amid the train of fages, heroes, bards, Led by their winged Genius and the choir Of laurell'd Science and harmonious Art, Proceed exulting to th' eternal fhrine Where Truth confpic'ous with her filter twins, 41 5 The undivided partners of her fway.
With Good and Beauty reigns. Thus with a faithful aim have we prefum'd Advent'rous to delineate Nature's form, Whether in vaft majeftic pomp array'd, Or drefl for pleafing wonder, or ferene In Beauty's roi'y fmilc. It now remains Thro' various Being's fair proportion'd fcale To trace the riiing luftrc of her charms From their firlt twilight, hiiiing forth at length 44J To full meridian fplendor.
And aftive motion ipeaks the tempered foul: So moves the bird of Juno, ib the Iteed With rival ardour beats the durty plain, And faithful dogs with eager airs of joy Salute their fellows. Thus doth Beauty dwell There moft confpic'ous, e'en in outward hape, Where dawns the high exprcfi'ion ot a mind, By Ifeps conducting ourenraptur'd learch To that eternal Origin, whofe pow'r Thro' all th' unbounded fymmetry of things. Like rays effuiging from the parent fun. This endlels mixture of her charms diffus'd. The living fountain in itfelf contains Of beauteous and lublime: Of planets, funs, and adamantine fpheres.
Wheeling unlhaken tiiro' the void immenfe. And fpeak, O Man! Is aught fo fair In all the dewy landfcapes of the Spring, In the bright eye of Hefper or the Morn, In Nature's faii eit forms, is aught io fair As virtuous friendfhip? Or the mild majelly of private life. Where Peace with ever-blooming olive crowns The gate, where Honour's lib'ral hands effufe Unenvy'd treafures, and the fnowy wings Of Innocence and Love prote 5l the fcene?
Once more fearch undifmay'd the dark profound Where Nature works in fecret, view the beds Of mineral trealure, and th' eternal vault That bounds the hoary ocean j trace the forms Of atoms moving with inceflant change Their elemental round ; behold the feeds Of being, and the energy of life Kindling the mafs with ever a6tive flame. For what are all The forms which brute unconicious matter wears, Greatnels of bulk, or fymmetry of parts?
Not reaching to the heart, foon feeble grows The fuperficial impuUe; dull their charms, And fatiate foon, and pall the languid eye. Not fo the moral ipecies, nor the powers Of genius and delign: And temperance from folly. But beyond This energy of truth, whofe di6lates bind AfTenting reafon, the benignant Sire, To deck the honour'd paths ot jult and good, Has added bright Imagination's rays, Where Virtue, rifing from the awtul depth Of Tjuth's myfterious bofom, doih forlake Th' unadorn'd condition of her birth, , And, drei's'd by Fancy in ten thouiknd hues, Afliunes a various feature, to attract With charms refponfive to each gazer's eye The hearts of men.
Amid his rural walk. Of harmony and wonder, while among The herd of fervile minds her ftrenuous form Indignant flaflies on the patriot's eye, And thro' the rolls of memory appeals To ancient honour ; or, in a6l ferene, Yet watchful, ralfes the majeltic fword Of public pow'r, from dark Ambition's reach, To guard the facred volume of the laws.
Nor be my thoughts Prefumptuous counted, if, amid the calm That foothes this vernal ev'ning intofmiles, 1 fteal impatient from the fordid haunts Of Strife and low Ambition, to attend Thy facred prefence in the fylvan fhade, By their malignant footiteps ne'er profan'd. Defcend propitious to my favour'd eye! Bring all thy martial fpoils. Thy palms, thy laurels, thy triumphal fongs. Thy fmiling band of arts, thy godlike fires Of civil wifdom, thy heroic youth.
Warm from the fchools of glory. Guide my way Thro' fair Lyceum's walk,, the gieen retreats Of Academus, and tiie thymy vale Where oft', enchanted with Socratic founds, Ilifliis pure devolv'd his tuneful ftream y'. Plato, in fome of his fincit Dialogues lays the fcene of the converfalion with Socrates on its banks. From the blooming ftore Of thefe aufpicious fields may I unblam'd Tranfplant fome living bloflbms to adorn My native clime ; while far above the flight Of fancy's plume afpiring, I unlock The fprings of ancient wifdom; while I join Thy name, thrice honour'd!
Profpeft of tlieir reunion ui: The Pleafures of fenfe. How flow, the dawn of beauty and of truth 5 Breaks the reluftant fhadts of Gothic night Which yet involve the nations! As long, immui'd In noontide darknefs by the glimin'ring lamp. Each Mufe and each fair Science pin'd away 15 The fordid hours, while foul Barbarian hands Their myfteries profan d, unftrung the lyie.
And cham'd the foaring pinion down to earth. They attempted both the epic ode, and fatire, and abounded in a wild and fantaitic vein of fable, partly allegorical, and partly founded on traditionary legends of the S. Tkefc were the rudiments of Italian poetry. Thefe at laft, in conjunflion with the Pap;il power, entirely cxtingnifnsd the fpirit of liberty in that country, and eftabUHied that abule of the fine arts which has been fuicc propagated over all Europ-. It is hardly poffible to conceive them at a greater diftance'from each other than at the Revolution, when Locke ftood at the head of one party and Dryden of the other.
But the general ipirit of li- berty, which has ever fince been growing, naturally invited our men of wit and genius to improve that inriuence which the arts of perfuafion gave them with the people, by applying them to fubjefts of importance to fociety. EfFusM Its fair creation to enchant The fond adoring herd in Latian fanes To blind belief, while on their proftrate necks 40f The fable tyrant plants his heel fecure. Embrace the fmiling family of Arts, 50 The Mufes and the Graces.
Then no more Shall Vice, diftrafting their delicious gifts To aims abhorr'd, with high diftafte and fcorn Turn from their charms the philofophic eye, The patriot bofom j then no more the paths 55 Of public care or intelle6lual toil Alone by footfteps haughty and fevere In gloomy ftate be trod: Now the fame glad talk Impends j now urging our ambitious toil. We hallen to recount the various fprings Of adventitious Pleafure, which adjoin 70 Their greatlul influence to the prime effe6l Of obje6ts grand or beauteous, and enlarge The complicated joy.
The various lot of life Oft' from external circumftance afTumes 85 A moment's difpofition to rejoice In thoi'e delights which at a diff 'rent hour Would pafs unheeded. Fair the face of Spring When rural longs and odours wake the Morn To ev'ry eye ; but how much more to his 90 Round whom the bed of ficknefs long diffus'd Its melancholy gloom! Recoil at length where concave all behind Th' inten. AflTume a diflp'ient luftre thro' the brede Of colours changing irom the I'plendid rofe To the pale violet's deje61ed hue.
Whether in wonders of the rolling deep. Or the rich fruits of all-fuftaining earth. Or fine-adjiilted fprings of life and fenfe, Ye fcan the counfels of their Author's hind. With fiercer colours and a night of hade? Yet more her honours: PafTion's fierce illapje Rcufes the mind's whole fabric, with liipplies Of daily impulfe keeps th' elaflic pow'rs Intenl'ely poiz'd, and polifhes anew.
By that collifior, all the fine machine ; Elfe riift would jife, and foulnels, by degrees Incumbering, choke at laft what Heav'n defign'd For ceafeleis motion and a round of toil. That name indeed Becomes the roly breath of Love, becomes The radiant fmiies of Joy, th"" applauding hand Of Admiration; but the bitter fliow'r That Sorrow flieds upon her brother's grave. But the dumb palfy of no6lurnal Fear, Or thofe confuming fires that gnaw the heart Of panting Indignation, find we there To move delight r — Then lillen while my tongue Th' unalter'd will of Heav'n with faithlul awe Reveals what old Harmodius wont to teach My early age j Harmodius!
Lucretius refolvcs it into felf- love: The inge- nious author of the Repfluns Critique; fur la Pafic et fur la Pcinture, ac- counts for it by the general delight v;h. While mute attention luing upon his lips, J? Addrelling himlelf to fuch as are not fatisficd concerning Divine Pro'vidence; " Tl: This theory has been delivered of late, efpecially abroad, in a manner which fubverts the freedom of human aflions; whereas Plato appears, very caref..
See alfo The Fifim at the end of The Theodics of teibnitx,. See the Ihining Pair! But thou, my Child! While I am here to vindicate thy toil, Above the gen'rous queftion of thy arm. Brave by thy fears, and in thy weaknefs ftrong. This hour he triumphs ; but confront his might. And dare him to the combat, then, with eaie Difarm'd and queird, his fiercenefs he refigns To bondage and to fcorn ; while thus inuVd, By watchful danger, by unceafing toil, Th' immortal mind fuperior to his fate, Amid the outrage of external things, Firm as the folid bafe of this great world, Rells on his own foundations.
Till all its orbs and all its worlds of fire Be loofen'd from their feats; yet ftill ferene Th' unconquer'd mind looks down upon the wreck. And, ever Itronger as the ftorms advance, Finn thro' the clofing ruin holds his way. Vehement and fwift As lightning fires th' aromatic fliade In Ethiopian fields, the ftripling felt Her infpiration catch his fervid ibul. And darting from his langour thus exelaim'd: Do not think That I am fearful and infirm of foul.
That I may Hften to thy facred voice. And guide by thy decrees my conftant feet. Say, hall the fair Euphrolyne not once Appear again to charm me? Thou in heav'n, O thou Eternal Arbiter of things! Be thy great bidding dor. And be the meeting fortunate! I come With joyful tidings ; we fliall part no more. Hark, how the gentle Echo from her cell Talks thro' the cliff's, and murm'ring o'er the ftream, Repeats the accents, We fhall part no more! The origin of vice, from falfe reprefentations of the fancy, producing ftlfe opinions concerning food and evil.
The general fources of ridicule in the minds and characters of men enumerated. Final caufe of the fenfe of ridicule. The refemblance of certain afpedts of inanimate things to the fenfations and properties of the mind. The operations of the mind in the production of the works of imagination defcribed. The Secondary Pleafure from imitation.
The benevolent order of the world illuftrated in the arbitrary connection of thefe Pleafures with the objefts which excite them. The nature and conduft of tafte. Concluding with an account of the natural and moral advantages refulting from a fenfible and well formed Imagi- nation. And all the teeming regions of the fouth, Hold not a qu: It were eafy, by an indu aioa of fads, to prove that the Iniaginaiion direds ahnoft all the pa'Tlo. Let any man, even of the coldeft ncad and foberert ind. Thus her report can never there be true Where Fancy cheats the intelleflual eye With glaring colovirs and diftorted lines.
If it be obje6fed, that this account of things fuppofes the paflions to be merely accidental, whereas there appears in lome a natural and hereditary difpofition to certain paffions, prior to all circumftances of education or fortune, it may be aafwered, that though no man is born ambitious or a mifer, yet he may inherit from his parents a peculiar temper or complexion of mind, which Ihall render his Imagination more liable to be ftruck with fome particular objefts, confequently difpofe him to form opinions of good and ill, and entertain paffions of a par- ticular turn.
Some men, for initance, by the original frame of their minds, are more delighted with the vaft and magnificent, others, on the contrary, with the elegant and gentle, afpefts of Nature: And this is futficient to account for the objedion. Among the ancient philofophers, though we have feverai hints con- cerning this influence of the imagination upon morals among the remains of the Socratic fciiool, yet the Stoics were the firft who paid it a due attention.
Zeno, their founder, thought it impoflible to preferve any tolerable regularity in life, without frequently infpedling thofe pictures or appearances of things which the Imagination offers to the mind, Diog. The Meditations of M. Sees ghaftly fliapes ofteiTor conjur'd up And black before him, nought but deathbed groans And fearful pray'rs, and plunging from the brink Of light and being down the gloomy air 35 An unknown depth? From th' enchanting cup "Which Fancy holds to all th' unwary, thirft Of youth oi't' fwallows a Circean draught.
That flitds a baleful tinilure o'er the eye OfReafon, till no longer he difcerns, 50 And only guides to err ; then revel forth A furious band, that fpiun him from the throne, And all is uprcar. Tlius Ambition grafps The empire of the foul 5 thus pale Revenge Unfheaths her murd'rcus daggtr j and the hands 55 Of Luft and Rapine with unholy arts Watch to o'erturn the barrier of the laws That keeps them from their prey: Yet not by all Thofe lying forms which Fancy in the brain Engenders are the kindling paflions driven To guilty deeds, nor Realon bound in chains, 65 That Vice alone may lord it: And plays her idiot antics like a queen.
A thoufand garbs fhe wears, a thouland ways She wheels her giddy empire-— Lo! See in what crowds the uncouth forms advance! Each would outllrip the other, each prevent Our careful fearch, and offer to your gaze 80 Unafk'd his motley features. Behold the foremoll band, of flender thought Andeafy faith, whom flatt'ring Fancy foothes 85 With lying fpeftres, in themfeives to view Illulfrious forms of excellence and good, That fcorn the manfion.
With exulting hearts They ipread their fpurious treafures to the fun, And bid the world admire! And lifts with feU-applaufe each lordly brow. In number boundlefs as the blooms of fpring Behold their glaring idols, empty fhades By Fancy gilded o'er, and then fetup 95 For adoration: With formal band, and fable-cinftur'd gown.
Inwrought with flow'ry gold, aflume the port Ot ftately Valour j lift'ning by his fide There ftands a female form ; to her with looks Of eai neft import, pregnant with amaze, He talks of deadly deeds, of breaches, ftorms, And fulph'rois mines, and ambiifh! Others of graver mien behold, adorn'd With holy enfigns, how fublime they move, no And bending oft' their fan6limonious eyes. Take homage of the funple minded throng j Ambaifadors of Heav'n!
Here fide by fide I fee two leaders of the folemn train Approaching ; one a female old and grey, With eyes demure and wrinkle-furrow'd brow, Pale as the cheeks of Death ; yet ftill fhe ftuns The fick'ning audience with a naufeous tale: How many youths her myrtle- chains have worn. How many virgins at her triumphs pin'd! Yet how refolv'd fhe guards her cautious heart! Such is her terror at the rilks of love And man's leducing tongue! Be prudent in your zeal. Ye grave aflbciates I let the filent grace Of her who bluflies at the fond regard Her charms infpire more eloquent unfold The praife of Ipotlefs honour: Another tribe fucceeds ; deluded long By Fancy's dazzling optics, thefe behold The images of peculiar things With brighter hues refplendent, and pourtray'd 15S With features nobler far than e'er adorn'd Their genuine objects: Next him a youth, with fiow'rs and myrtles crown'd.
Attends that virgin form, and blufhing kneels, ifi With fondell gelture and a fiippliant's tongue. To win her coy regard. Adieu for him V'. The dull engagements of the buftling world! Adieu the fick impertmence of praiie, 1 75 And hope and action! Thee too, facetious Momion! Thy once formidable name Shall grace her humble records, and be heard In feoffs and moclc'ry bandy'd from the lips Of ail the vengeful brotherhood around.
So oft' the patient vi6tims of thy fcorn. A fav'ritc brood appears, In whom the demon with a mother's joy Views all her charms reflefted, all her cares At full repaid. Ye moft illullr'ous Band! Who, fcorning Reafon's tame pedantic rules. And Order's vulgar bondage, never meant For fouls fublime as yours, with gen'rous zeal Pay Vice the rev'rence Virtue long ufurp'd. That for the bludiing diffidence of youth It fliuns th' unequal province of your praife.
Thus far triumphant in the pkafing guile Of bland Imagination, Folly's tram. But now, e Gay! Whom Fancy chilis with vifionary fears, Or bends to lervile tameneCs with conceits Of ftiame, of evil, or of l afe defe6l, Fantartic and delulive. Here ihe lave, Who droops abafli'd when I'uUen Pomp furveys His humbler habit ; here the trembling wretch, Unnerv'd and itruck with Terror's icy bolts, Spent in weak wailings, drown'tl in fliameful tears, At ev'ry dream of danger ; here, fubdu'd By frontlefs Laughter, and the hardy icorn Of old unfeeling Vice, the abje Sl foul.
Who, blufhing, half refigns the candid praife Of temperance and honour, half difowns A freeman's hatred of tyrannic pride, And hears with fickly fmiles the venal mouth With foulefl licence inock the patriot's name. Laft of the motley bands, on whom the pow'r Of gay Derifion bends her hoftile aim. Is that where fhamefui Ignorance prefides. Whate'er their doubtful hands Attempt, Confufion ftraight appears behind. And troubles all the work. Thro' many a maze Perplex'd they flruggle, changing ev'ry path, O'erturning ev'ry purpofe, then at laft Sit down difmay'd, and leave th' entangled fcene For Scorn to fport with.
Such then is th' abode Of Folly in the mind, and fuch the ihapes In which flie governs her oblirquious train. Which Morning's dewy fingers on the blooms Of May diftil? The moit important circumftance of this defi- nition is laid down in the lir. Ariftotle's account of the matter feems both imperfect and falf--; ro ya: For allowing it to b; true, as it is not, that the ridiculous is never accompanied with pain, yet we might produce many inftancesof fuch a fault or turpitude which cannot with any tolerable propriety be called ridiculous, to that the definition does not didinguifh the thing defigned.
A man of fenfc and me: Whether any appearance not ridiculous be involved in this d. Ridicule is not concerned with mere ipeculative truth or fall'ehood. It is not in abftrad piopofi- tions or theorems, but in aftions and paflions, good and evil, biauty and deformity, that v. Wherefore but to aid The tardy fteps of Reafon, and at once hy this prompt impulfe urge us to deprefs The giddy aims of Folly?
Tho' the light Of truth, flow dawning on th' inquiring mind. At length unfolds thro' many a fubtle tie How thefe uncouth diforders end at laft In public evil, yet benignant Heav'n, Confcicus how dim the dawn of truth appears To thoufands, confcious what a fcanty paufe From labours and from care, the wider lot Of humble life affords for lludious thought To fcan the maze of Nature, therefore llamp'd The glaring fcenes with cliara6tejs of fcorn, As broad, as obvious, to the pafling clown As to the lettered fage's curious eye.
Such are the various afpe6f s of the mind. And ihis, and r. But it is laid t. I'i-e Socrates of Ariftophanes is as truly ridiculous a character as ever was t-rav. True; but it is not the cii-;radler of Socrates, the divi. No; but it nevertheleis had an ill influence on the mir. And i'o has the reaibnjng of Spinoz. Mark the fable woods That fhade iublime yon' mountain's nodding brow j With what religious awe the I'olemn fccne Commands your fteps!
Whence is this effei5l. This kindred pow'r of fuch difcordant things? Or flows their femblance from that myftic tone To which the new born mind's harmonious pow'rs At firft were Irung r or rather from the links Which artful Cullom twines around her frame? Let the mind Recall one partner of the various league. Or all are fadden'd with the glooms of care. Such is the fecret union when we feel A fong, a flow'r, a name, at once reftore Thofe long conntiSled fcenes where firll they movM Th' attention, backward thro' her mazy walks By thefe inyllerious ties the bufy pow'r Of Mern'ry her ideal train pieiervcs Entire, or, when they would elude her watch, Reclaims their fleeting footlteps frcm the wafte Of dark oblivion ; thus collecting all y-.
Exhaling fweetnels, that the ikilful bee May taite at will, from their lt;le6led fpoils To work, her dulcet food: Thus at length, EndowM with all that Nature can beftow. The child of Fancy oft' in filence bends O'er thefe mixt treafures of his pregnant breaft With conlcious pride ; from them he oft' refolves To frame he knows not what excelling things. And win he knows not what fublime reward Of praife and wonder. By degrees the Mind Feels her young nerves dilate, the plaitic pow'rs Labour for adfion, blind emotions heave His bofom, and, with lovelieft frenzy caught, From earth to heav'n he rolls his daring eye, From heav'n to earth.
Anon ten thoufand ihapes, With fixed gaze He marks the riling phantoms, now compares Theirdiff 'rent forms, now blends them, now divides. Enlarges and extenuates by turns ; Oppofes, ranges in fantaftic bands. At length his plan Begins to open, lucid order dawns j And as from Chaos old the jarring leads Of Nature at the voice divine repaired Each to its place, till roly earth unveil'd Her fragrant bolbm, and the joyful fun Sprung up the blue fcrene, by Iwift degrees Thus difentanglcd his entire delign Emerges.
Colours mingle, features join, And lines converge j the fainter parts retire. The fairer eminent in light advance. And ev'ry image on its neighbour fmiles. A while he ftands, and with a father's joy Contemplates J then with Promethean art 41O Into its proper vehicle he breathes The fair conception, which imbody'd thus And permanent, becomes to eyes or ears An obje6l aicertainM j while thus inform'd.
Thus beauty's palm Betwixt them wav'ring hangs, applauding love Doubts where to chul'e, and mortal man afpires To tempt creative praife. Into its proper vehicle. Sx Enclos'd, and obvious to the beaming lun. Collects his large effulgence, ftraight the heav'ns With equal flames prefent on either hand The radiant vilage, Perfia Hands at gaze Appall'd, and on the brink of Ganges doubts The I'nowy-vefted feer, in Mithra's name, To which the fragrance of the fouth fliall burn, To which his warbled orilbns afcend.
Such various blifs the well-tun'd heart enjoys Favour'd of Heav'n, while plung'd in fordid cares Th' unfeeling vulgar mocks the boon divine, And harfli Aufteniy, from whofe rebuke Young Love and fmiling Wonder fhrink away, Abartrd and chill of heart, with fager frowns Condemns the fair enchantment. On my ftrain Perhaps e'en now fome cold taftidious judge Cafts a difdainful eye, and calls my toil, And calls the love and beauty which I fing.
The dream of Folly. Is beauty then a dream, becaule the glooms Of dulnefs hang too heavy on thy fenfe To let her fliine upon thee? So the man 45O Whofe eye ne'er open'd on the light of heav'n. Might fmile with fcorn while raptur'd Vifion tells Of the gay coloured radiance fluihing bright O'er all creation. From the wife be far Such grofs unhallow'd pride 1 Nor needs my fong Defcend i'o low, but rather now unfold, If human thought could reach or words unfold.
By what myiterious fabric of the m. By what fine ties hath God connefted things. When prefent in the mind, which in themlelves Have no conne6lion? When join'd at eve, Solt-murm'ring ftreams and gales of gentlelt breath Melodious Philomela's waketul ftrain Attemper, could not man's difcerning ear Thro' all its tones the fympathy purlue, Nor yet this breath divine of namelefs joy Steal thro' his veins, and fan th' awaken'd heart, Mild as the breeze, yet rapt'rous as the fong?
But were not Nature ftill endow'd at large With all which life requires, tho' unadornd With fuch enchantment 5 wherefore then her form So exquifitely fair? Whence, but from thee, O Source Divine of everflowing love! And thy unmeafur'd goodnefsr Not content With ev'ry food of life to nourifti man, By kind illufions of the wond'ring fenl'e Thou mak'ft all Nature beauty to his eye. Or mufic to his ear: Nor queltions more the muiic's mmgling founds. Thai, fpace or motion, or eternal time j So fweet he feels their influence to attra6l The fixed foul, to brighten the dull glooms Of care, and make the deltin'd road ot lite Delighifal to his feet.
What then is tafte, but thcfe internal povv'rs, Aftive and ftrong, and feelingly alive To each fine impulfe? This nor gems, nor ftores of gold, Nor purple llate, nor culture, can bellow. Tir'd of earth And this diurnal scene, she springs aloft Through fields of air ; pursues the flying storm ;! Rides on the vollied lightning through the heavens ; Or, yok'd with whirlwinds and the northern blast, Sweeps the long tract of day.
Then high she soars The blue profound, and hovering round the sun Beholds him pouring the redundant stream Of light ; beholds his unrelenting sway Bend the reluctant plaDets to absolve The fated rounds of Time. Thence far effiis'd 5 She darts her swiftness up the long career Of devious comets ; through its burning signs Exulting measures the perennial wheel 1 Wliicli.
Of Nature, and looks back on all the stars, Whose blended light, as with a milky zone, Invests the orient. Now amaz'd she views The empyreal waste, 1 where happy spirits hold, Beyond this concave heaven, their calm abode ; And fields of radiance, whose unfading light 2 Has travell'd the profound six thousand years, Nor yet arrives in sight of mortal things. Even on the barriers of the world untir'd She meditates the eternal depth below ; Till half recoiling, down the headlong steep She plunges ; soon o'erwhelm'd and swallowed up In that immense of being. There her hopes [Rest at the fated goal.
For from the birth Of mortal man, the Sovereign Maker said, That not in humble nor in brief delight, Not in the fading echoes of renown, Power's purple robes, nor pleasure's flowery lap, The soul should find enjoyment: What pity then Should sloth's unkindly fogs depress to earth Her tender blossom ; choke the streams of life, And blast her spring!
Ear otherwise design'd Almighty Wisdom ; Nature's happy cares The obedient heart far otherwise incline. Que ee soit le ciel empyree, on. Huyghens, that there may be fixed stars at such a distance from our solar system, as that their light should not have had time to reach us, even from the" creation of the world to this day. The Supreme Author of our being has so formed the soul of man, that nothing but Himself can be its last, adequate, and proper happiness. Be- cause, therefore, a great part of our happiness must arise from the contem- plation of his Being, that he might give our souls a just relish of such a contemplation, he has made them naturally delight in the apprehension of what is great or un li mited.
For such the bounteous providence of heaven, In every breast implanting this desire 2 Of objects new and strange, to urge us on With unremitted labour to pursue Those sacred stores that wait the ripening soul, In Truth's exhaustless bosom. What need words 3 To paint its power P For this the daring youth Breaks from his weeping mother's anxious arms, 1 It is here said, 4hat in consequence of the love of novelty, objects which at first were highly delightful to the mind, lose that effect by repeated atten- tion to them.
But the instance of habit is opposed to this observation ; for there, objects at first distasteful, are in time rendered entirely agreeable by repeated attention. The difficulty in this case will be removed, if we consider, that when objects, at first agreeable, lose that influence by frequently recurring, the mind is wholly passive, and the perception involuntary; but habit, on the other hand, gene- rally supposes choice and activity accompanying it; so that the pleasure arises here, not from the object, but from the mind's conscious determination of its own activity ; and consequently increases in proportion to the fre- quency of that determination.
In this case, the appearance must be accounted for in one of these ways. The pleasure from habit may be merely negative. The object at first gave uneasiness; this uneasiness gradually wears off as the object grows familiar; and the mind, finding it at last entirely removed, reckons its situation really pleasurable, compared with what it had experienced before. The dislike conceived of the object at first, might be owing to prejudice or want of attention. Consequently, the mind being necessitated to review it often, may at length perceive its own mistake, and be reconciled to what it had looked on with aversion.
In which case, a sort of instinctive justice naturally leads to make amends for the injury, by running toward the other extreme of fondness and attachment. Or, lastly, though the object itself should always continue disagreeable, yet circumstances of pleasure or good fortune may occur along with it. Thus an association may arise in the mind, and the object never be re- membered without those pleasing circumstances attending it ; by which means the disagreeable impression which it at first occasioned will in time be quite obliterated.
But the pleasure in both cases is explicable from the same final cause, the acquisi- tion of knowledge and enlargement of our views of nature ; on this account it is natural to treat of them together. They had, indeed, con- sidered it little, because they had always seen it ; and none but philosophers, nor they always, are struck with wonder, otherwise than Ixj novelty.
In foreign climes to rove: Hence, finally, by night The village matron, round the blazing hearth, Suspends the infant audience with her tales, Breathing astonishment! At every solemn pause the crowd recoil, Grazing each other speechless, and congeal'd With shivering sighs: Thee, Beauty, thee The regal dome, and thy enlivening ray The mossy roofs adore: For ever beamest on the enchanted heart Love, and harmonious wonder, and delight Poetic. How shall I trace thy features? The very first discovery of it strikes the mind with an inward joy, and spreads a cheerfulness and delight through all its faculties.
Haste, then, my song, through Nature's wide expanse, Haste then, and gather all her comeliest wealth, Whate'er bright spoils the florid earth contains, Whate'er the waters, or the liquid air, To deck thy lovely labour. Wilt thou fly With laughing Autumn to the Atlantic isles, And range with him the Hesperian field, and see Where'er his fingers touch the fruitful grove, The branches shoot with gold ; where'er his step Marks the glad soil, the tender clusters grow With purple ripeness, and invest each hill As with the blushes of an evening sky?
Or wilt thou rather stoop thy vagrant plume, Where gliding through his daughter's honour'd shades. The smooth Peneus from his glassy flood Reflects purpureal Tempe's pleasant scene? Her flowery store To thee nor Tempe shall refuse ; nor watch Of winged Hydra guard Hesperian fruits From thy free spoil. O bear then, unreprov'd, Thy smiling treasures to the green recess Where young Dione stays. With sweetest airs Entice her forth to lend her angel form For Beauty's honour'd image.
Hither turn Thy graceful footsteps ; hither, gentle maid, Incline thy polish'd forehead: Then the pleasing force Of Nature, and her kind parental care Worthier I'd sing: That wakes in Zephyr's arms the blushing May, Moves onward ; or as Venus, when she stood Effulgent on the pearly car, and smil'd, Eresh from the deep, and conscious of her form, To see the Tritons tune their vocal shells, And each cerulean sister of the flood With loud acclaim attend her o'er the waves, To seek the Idalian bower.
Ye smiling band Of youths and virgins, who through all the maze Of young desire with rival steps pursue This charm of Beauty ; if the pleasing toil Can yield a moment's respite, hither turn Your favourable ear, and trust my words. I do not mean to wake the gloomy form Of Superstition dressed in "Wisdom's garb To damp your tender hopes ; I do not mean To bid the jealous thunderer fire the heavens, Or shapes infernal rend the groaning earth To fright you from your joys: Then tell me, for ye know, Does Beauty ever deign to dwell where health And active use are strangers?
Is her charm Confess'd in aught, whose most peculiar ends Are lame and fruitless P Or did Nature mean This pleasing call the herald of a lie ; To hide the shame of discord and disease, And catch with fair hypocrisy the heart Of idle faith F O no! The generous glebe Whose bosom smiles with verdure, the clear tract Of streams delicious to the thirsty soul, The bloom of nectar'd fruitage ripe to sense, And every charm of animated things, Are only pledges of a state sincere, The integrity and order of their frame, When all is well within, and every end Accomplished.
Wherefore then, O sons of earth! Beauty withers in your void embrace, And with the glittering of an idiot's toy Did Fancy mock your vows. Have you not observed that these appearances always coincide? Virtue, for instance, in the same respect as to that which we call it good, is ever acknowledged "to be beautiful also. In the characters of men we always x join the two denominations together. The beauty of human bodies corresponds, in like manner, with that economy of parts 'which con- stitutes them good; and in every circumstance of life, the same object is constantly accounted both beautiful and good, inasmuch as it answers the purposes for which it was designed.
This excellent observation has been illustrated and extended by the noble restorer of ancient philosophy ; seethe Characteristics, vol ii. And another ingenious author has particularlv shown, that it holds in the general laws of nature, in the works of art, anal the conduct of the sciences. Inquiry into the original of our ideas of beauty and virtue, Treat, i. As to the connexion between beauty and truth, there are two opinions concerning it. Some philosophers assert an inde- pendent and invariable law in nature, in consequence of which all rational beings must alike perceive beauty in some certain proportions, and deformity in the contrary.
And this necessity being supposed the same with that which commands the assent or dissent of the understanding, it follows of course that beauty is founded on the universal and unchangeable law of truth. And upon this supposition, by that truth which is always connected with beauty, nothing more can be meant than the conformity of any object to those proportions upon which, after careful examination, the beauty of that species is found to depend!
Polycletus, for instance, a famous ancient sculptor, from an accurate men- suration of the several parts of the most perfect human bodies, deduced a canon or system of proportions, which was the rule of all succeeding artists. Suppose a statue modelled according to this: Of youthful hope that shiues upou your hearts, [Be chill' d or clouded at this awful task, To learu the lore of un deceitful good, Aud truth eternal.
Though the poisonous charms Of baleful Superstition guide the feet Of servile numbers, through a dreary way To their abode, through deserts, thorns, and mire ; And leave the wretched pilgrim all forlorn To muse at last, amid the ghostly gloom Of graves, and hoary vaults, and cloister'd cells: To walk with spectres through the midnight shade, And to the screaming owl's accursed song Attune the dreadful workings of his heart ; Yet be not ye dismay 'd. A gentler star Your lovely search illumines. From the grove Where Wisdom talk'd with her Athenian sons, Could my ambitious hand entwine a wreath Of Plato's olive with the Mantuan bay, Then should my powerful verse at once dispel Those monkish horrors: O let not us, Lull'd by luxurious Pleasure's languid strain, Or crouching to the frowns of bigot rage, O let us not a moment pause to join That godlike band.
And if the gracious Power Who first awaken' d my untutor'd song, Will to my invocation breathe anew The tuneful spirit ; then through all our paths, jSTe'er shall the sound of this devoted lyre Be wanting: Thus with a faithful aim have we presum'd, Adventurous, to delineate Nature's form ; Whether, in vast, majestic pomp array 'd, Or drest for pleasing wonder, or serene In Beauty's rosy smile.
Thus with a faithful aim have we prefum'd Advent'rous to delineate Nature's form, Whether in vaft majeftic pomp array'd, Or drefl for pleafing wonder, or ferene In Beauty's roi'y fmilc. And look with fteady eyelid on their fmiles, Their frowns, their tears. Its reputation quickly spread. His hair diffused and wild, his garments ioofe, 60 And ftain'd with blood from felf-infli6led wounds. Immortal fons of praiie! His Difcourfe on the Dyfentery, publlflied in , was confidered as a very confpicuous fpecimen of ele- gant Latin, and tended to enhance his chara6ler as a fcholar as well as a phyfician, fo that he might have rifen to a greater degree of eminence, had not his ftudies ended with his life, by a putrid fever, on the a 3d of June, 1 , in the forty-ninth year of his age.
It now remains, Through various being's fair proportion'd scale, To trace the rising lustre of her charms. From their first twilight, shining forth at length To full meridian splendour. Of degree The least and lowliest, in the effusive warmth Of colours mingling with a random blaze, Doth Beauty dwell.
Then higher in the line And variation of determin'd shape, Where Truth's eternal measures mark the bound Of circle, cube, or sphere. Then more attractive rise the blooming forms Through which the breath of Nature has infus'd Her genial power to draw with pregnant veins Nutritious moisture from the bounteous earth, In fruit and seed prolific: But more lovely still Is Nature's charm, where to the full consent Of complicated members, to the bloom Of colour, and the vital change of growth, Life's holy flame and piercing sense are given, And active motion speaks the temper'd soul: So moves the bird of Juno ; so the steed With rival ardour beats the dusty plain, And faithful dogs with eager airs of joy Salute their fellows.
Thus doth Beauty dwell There most conspicuous, even in outward shape, Where dawns the high expression of a mind: To that eternal origin, whose power, Throngh all the unbounded symmetry of things, Like rays effulging from the parent sun, This endless mixture of her charms diffus'd. Mind, mind alone, bear witness earth and heaven! The living fountains in itself contains Of beauteous and sublime: Look then abroad through nature, to the range 1 Of planets, suns, and adamantine spheres Wheeling unshaken through the void immense ; And speak.
Is aught so fair In all the dewy landscapes of the Spring, In the bright eye of Hesper, or the morn, In Nature's fairest forms, is aught so fair As virtuous friendship? The graceful tear that streams for other's woes? Or the mild majesty of private life, Where Peace with ever blooming olive crowns The gate ; where Honour's liberal hands effuse Unenvied treasures, and the snowy wings Of Innocence and Love protect the scene? Brutus pugionem, Ciceronem nominatim exclamavit, atque ei recuperatam libertatem est gratulatus. Then to the secrets of the working mind Attentive turn ; from dim oblivion call Her fleet, ideal band ; and bid them go!
Break through time's barrier, and o'ertake the hour That saw the heavens created: For what are all The forms which brute, unconscious matter wears, Greatness of bulk, or symmetry of parts?
Not reaching to the heart, soon feeble grows The superficial impulse ; dull their charms, And satiate soon, and pall the languid eye. Not so the moral species, nor the powers Of genius and design ; the ambitious mind There sees herself: For of all The inhabitants of earth, to man ajone Creative Wisdom gave to lift his eye To Truth's eternal measures ; thence to frame The sacred laws of action and of will, Discerning justice from unequal deeds, And temperance from folly.
But beyond This energy of Truth, whose dictates bind Assenting reason, the benignant Sire, To deck the honour'd paths of just and good, Has added bright Imagination's rays: Where Virtue, rising from the awful depth 1 Of Truth's mysterious bosom, doth forsake The unadorn'd condition of her birth ; And dress'd by Fancy in ten thousand hues, Assumes a various feature, to attract, With charms responsive to each gazer's eye, The hearts of men.
Amid his rural walk, The ingenuous youth, whom solitude inspires With purest wishes, from the pensive shade Beholds her moving, like a virgin muse That wakes her lyre to some indulgent theme Of harmony and wonder: The herd of servile minds, her strenuous form Indignant flashes on the patriot's eye, And through the rolls of memory appeals To ancient honour, or in act serene, Yet watchful, raises the majestic sword Of public Power, from dark Ambition's reach To guard the sacred volume of the laws.
Genius of ancient Greece! Nor be my thoughts Presumptuous counted, if amid the calm That soothes this vernal evening into smiles, 1 steal impatient from the sordid haunts Of Strife and low Ambition, to attend Thy sacred presence in the sylvan shade, By their malignant footsteps ne'er profan'd. Bring all thy martial spoils, Thy palms, thy laurels, thy triumphal songs, Thy smiling band of art, thy godlike sires Of civil wisdom, thy heroic youth Warm from the schools of glory. Gruide my way Through fair Lyceum's 1 walk, the green retreats Of Academus," and the thy my vale, Where oft enchant eH with Socratic sounds, Ilissus 3 pure devolv'd his tuneful stream In gentler murmurs.
From the blooming store Of these auspicious fields, may I unblam'd Transplant some living blossoms to adorn My native clime: Plato, in some of his finest dialogues, lays the scene of the conversation with Socrates on its banks. The separation of the works of Imagination from Philosophy, the cause of their abuse among the moderns — Prospect of their re-union under the influence of public Liberty — Enumeration of accidental pleasures, which increase the effect of objects delightful to the Imagination — The pleasures of sense — Particular circumstances of the mind — Discovery of truth — Perception of contrivance and de- sign — Emotion of the passions — All the natural passions partake of a pleasing sensation; with the final cause of this constitution illus- trated by an allegorical vision, and exemplified in sorrow, pity, terror, and indignation.
When shall the laurel and the vocal string Resume their honours? When shall we behold The tuneful tongue, the Promethean hand Aspire to ancient praise? Long they groan' d Beneath the furies of rapacious force ; Oft as the gloomy north, with iron swarms Tempestuous pouring from her frozen caves, Blasted the Italian shore, and swept the works Of Liberty and Wisdom down the gulph Of all devouring night. As long immur'd In noontide darkness by the glimmering lamp, Each Muse and each fair Science pin'd away The sordid hours: They attempted both the epic, ode, and satire ; and abounded in a wild and fantastic vein of fable, partly allegorical, and partly founded on traditionary legends of the Saracen wars.
These were the rudiments of Italian poetry. And, wildly warbling, scatter'd, as they flew, Their blooming wreaths from fair Valclusa's 1 bowers To Arao's 2 myrtle border, and the shore Of soft Parthenope. Thus from their guardians torn, the tender arts 5 Of mimic fancy and harmonious joy, To priestly domination and the lust Of lawless courts, their amiable toil For three inglorious ages have resign'd, In vain reluctant: The great Torquato Tasso was born at Sorento in the kingdom of Naples.
These, at last, in conjunction with the papal power, entirely extinguished the spirit of liberty in that country, and established that abuse of the fine arts which has been since propagated over all Europe. For philosophy itself, to use the words of a noble philosopher, " being thus severed by the sprightly arts and sciences, must consequently grow dronish, insipid, pedantic, useless, and directly opposite to the real knowledge and practice of the world.
It is hardly possible to conceive them at a greater distance from each other than at the Eevolu- tion, when Locke stood at the head of one party, and Dryden of the other. But the general spirit of liberty, which has ever since been growing, naturally invited our men of wit and genius to improve that influence which the arts of persuasion gave them with the people, by applying them to subjects of im- portance to society. Thus poetry and eloquence became considerable; and philosophy is now of course obliged to borrow of their embellishments, in order even to gain audience with the public.
There shall the Virtues, there shall Wisdom's train, Their long-lost friends rejoining, as of old, Embrace the smiling family of Arts, The Muses and the Graces. Then no more Shall Vice, distracting their delicious gifts To aims abhorr'd, with high distaste and scorn Turn from their charms the philosophic eye, The patriot bosom ; then no more the paths Of public care or intellectual toil, Alone by footsteps haughty and severe In gloomy state be trod: Arm'd with the lyre, already have we dar'd To pierce divine Philosophy's retreats, And teach the Muse her lore ; already strove Their long divided honours to unite, While tempering this deep argument we sang Of Truth and Beauty.
Now the same glad task Impends ; now urging our ambitious toil, We hasten to recount the various springs Of adventitious pleasure, which adjoin Their grateful influence to the prime effect Of objects grand or beauteous, and enlarge The complicated joy. The sweets of sense, Do they not oft with kind accession flow, 1 To raise harmonious Fancv's native charm? So while we taste the fragrance of the rose, 2 Glows not her blush the fairer? While we view Amid the noontide walk a limpid rill Gush through the trickling herbage, to the thirst Of summer yielding the delicious draught Of cool refreshment ; o'er the niossy brink Shines not the surface clearer, and the waves With sweeter music murmur as they flow?
The examples he has selected are equally familiar and striking. Another illustration of the same thing may be collected from the wonderful effect on the estimate we form of the beauty of a particular landscape, by the agreeable or disagreeable temperature of the atmosphere at the moment we see it. Nor this alone ; the various lot of life Oft from external circumstance assumes A moment's disposition to rejoice In those delights, which at a different hour Would pass unheeded.
Fair the face of Spring, When rural songs and odours wake the morn, To every eye ; but how much more to his, Hound whom the bed of sickness long diffus'd Its melancholy gloom!
Or shall I mention, where celestial Truth Her awful light discloses, to bestow A more majestic pomp on Beauty's frame? For man loves knowledge, and the beams of Truth More welcome touch his understanding's eye, Than all the blandishments of sound his ear, Than all of taste his tongue, Nor ever yet 1 The melting rainbow's vernal-tinctur'd hues To me have shone so pleasing, as when first The hand of Science pointed out the path, In which the sunbeams gleaming from the west Fall on the watery cloud, whose darksome veil Involves the orient, and that trickling shower, Piercing through every crystalline convex Of clustering dewdrops to their flight oppos'd, Hecoil at length where concave all behind The internal surface of each glassy orb Hepels their forward passage into air ; That thence direct they seek the radiant goal From which their course began ; and, as they strike In different lines the gazer's obvious eye, Assume a different lustre, through the brede Of colours changing from the splendid rose To the pale violet's dejected hue.
Or shall we touch that kind access of joy, That springs to each fair object, while we trace Through all its fabric, Wisdom's artful aim 1 " Akenside has taken notice of the additional charms which Physical Science lends even to the beauties of Nature ; and has illustrated this by an example which to me has always appeared peculiarly fortunate— the re- doubled delight which he himself experienced, when he first looked at the rainbow, after studying the, Newtonian theory of light and colours. ZQ Disposing every part, and gaining still By means proportioned her benignant end r Speak ye the pure delight, whose favour' d steps The lamp of science through the jealous maze Of nature guides, when haply you reveal Her secret honours: The beauteous laws of light, the central powers That wheel the pensile planets round the year ; "Whether in wonders of the rolling deep, Or the rich fruits of all-sustaining earth.
Or fine-adjusted springs of life and sense, Ye scan the counsels of then Author's hand. What, when to raise the meditated scene. The hanie of passion, through the struggling soul Deep-kindled, shows across that sudden blaze The object of its rapture, vast of size, With fiercer colours and a night of shade? What, like a storm from their capacious bed Tne sounding seas o'erwhelming, when the might Of these eruptions, working from the depth Of man's strong apprehension, shakes his frame Even to the base ; from every naked sense Of pain or pleasure dissipating all Opinion's feeble coverings, and the veil Spun from the cobweb fashion of the times To hide the feeling heart: Then Nature speaks Her genuine language, and the words of men, Big with the very motion of their souls, Declare with what accumulated force.
The impetuous nerve of passion urges on The native weight and energy of things. Passion's fierce illapse Bouses the mind's whole fabric ; with supplies Of daily impulse keeps the elastic powers Intensely pcis ; d. Else rust would rise, and foulness, by degrees Incumbering, choke at last what heaven designed Eor ceaseless motion and a round of toil.
Lucretius resolves it into self-love: Suave mari magno, ie. That name indeed Becomes the rosy breath of love ; becomes The radiant smiles of joy, the applauding hand Of admiration: Oft the hours From morn to eve have stolen unmark'd away, While mute attention hung upon his lips, As thus the sage his awful tale began: Of good and evil much, And much of mortal man my thought revolv'd ; When starting full on fancy's gushing eye The mournful image of Parthenia's fate, That hour, O long belov'd and long deplor'd!
When blooming youth, nor gentlest wisdom's arts, 'Nor Hymen's honours gather'd for thy brow, IN" or all thy lover's, all thy father's tears Avail'd to snatch thee from the cruel grave ; Thy agonising looks, thy last farewell Struct to the inmost feeling of my soul As with the hand of Death.
At once the shade More horrid nodded o'er me, and the winds With hoarser murmuring shook the branches. Dark As midnight storms, the scene of human things 1 " On the subject of the passions, when our attention evidently expects to be disengaged from abstraction by spirited draughts illustrative of their in- fluence, how much are we disappointed by the cold and tedious episode of Harmodius' s vision; an allegory which is the more intolerable, because it professes to teach us resignation to the will of heaven, by a fiction which neither imposes on the fancy, nor communicates a moral to the under- standing.
What is the life of man? Or cannot these, Not these portents thy awful will suffice? That, propagated thus beyond their scope, They rise to act their cruelties anew In my afflicted bosom, thus decreed The universal sensitive of pain, The wretched heir of evils not its own! With slow descent A purple cloud came floating through the sky, And, pois'd at length within the circling trees, Hung obvious to my view ; till opening wide Its lucid orb, a more than human form Emerging lean'd majestic o'er my head, And instant thunder shook the conscious grove.
Then melted into air the liquid cloud, And all the shining vision stood reveal'd. A wreath of palm his ample forehead bound, And o'er his shoulder, mantling to his knee, Flow'd the transparent robe, around his waist Collected with a radiant zone of gold -ZEthereal: Appall' d I gaz'd The godlike presence ; for athwart his brow Displeasure, temper'd with a mild concern, Look'd down reluctant on me, and his words Like distant thunders broke the murmuring air.
And impotent thy tongue. Is thy short span Capacious of this universal frame? Thy wisdom all sufficient? Dost thou aspire to judge between the Lord Of JN"ature and his works? Of being, as by adamantine links, Was drawn to perfect union and sustained From everlasting?
Hast thou felt the pangs Of softening sorrow, of indignant zeal, So grievous to the soul, as thence to wish The ties of Nature broken from thy frame ; That so thy selfish unrelenting heart Might cease to mourn its lot, no longer then The wretched heir of evils not its own? O fair benevolence of generous minds! For verdant alleys and surrounding trees, A solitary prospect, wide and wild, Hush'd on my senses. Aloft recumbent o'er the hanging ridge, The brown woods wav'd ; while ever trickling springs Wash'd from the naked roots of oak and pine The crumbling soil ; and still at every fall Down the steep windings of the channel'd rock, Hemurmuring rush'd the congregated floods With hoarser inundation ; till at last They reach'd a grassy plain, which from the skirts Of that high desert spread her verdant lap, And drank the gushing moisture, where confin'd In one smooth current, o'er the lilied vale Clearer than glass it flow'd.
Autumnal spoils Luxuriant spreading to the rays of morn, Blush'cl o'er the cliffs, whose half encircling mound As in a sylvan theatre enclos'd That flowery level. My listening powers Were aw'd, and every thought in silence hung, And wondering expectation. Then the voice Of that celestial power, the mystic show Declaring, thus my deep attention call'd: He has one passage so frill and clear on this head, that I am persuaded the reader will be pleased to see it here, though somewhat long.
Addressing himself to such as are not satisfied concerning divine Providence: One of these parts is yours, unhappy man, which though in itself most inconsiderable and minute, yet being connected with the universe, ever seeks to co-operate with that supreme order. You in the mean time are ignorant of the very end for which all particular natures are brought into existence, that the all-compre- hending nature of the whole may be perfect and happy; existing as it does, not for yoox sake, but the cause and reason of your existence, which, as in the symmetry of every artificial work, must of necessity concur with the general design of the artist, and be subservient to the whole of which it is a part.
Your complaint therefore is ignorant and groundless; since, according to the various energy of creation, and the common laws of nature, there is a constant provision of that which is best at the same time for you and for the whole. In this man- ner he ordered, through the entire circle of being, the internal constitution of every mind, where should be its station in the universal fabric, and through what variety of circumstances it should proceed in the whole tenor of its existence. This theory has been delivered of late, especially abroad, in a manner which subverts the freedom of human actions: Yet by immense benignity inclin'd To spread around hira that primeval joy Which fill'd himself, he rais'd his plastic arm, And sounded through the hollow depths of space The strong creative mandate.
Straight arose These heavenly orbs, the glad abodes of life, Effusive kindled by his breath divine Through endless forms of being. Each inhal'd Erom him its portion of the vital flame, In measure such, that, from the wide complex Of coexistent orders, one might rise, 1 One order, all involving and entire.
He too beholding in the sacred light Of his essential reason, all the shapes Of swift contingence, all successive ties Of action propagated through the sum Of possible existence, he at once, Down the long series of eventful time, So fix'd the dates of being, so dispos'd, To every living soul of every kind The field of motion, and the hour of rest, That all conspir'd to his supreme design, To universal good: Not content, By one exertion of creative power His goodness to reveal through every age, Through every moment up the tract of time His parent hand with ever new increase Of happiness and virtue has adorn'd The vast harmonious frame: As flame ascends, 1 As bodies to their proper centre move, As the pois'd ocean to the attracting moon.
Obedient swells, and every headlong stream Devolves its winding waters to the mam ; So all things which have life aspire to God, The sun of being, boundless, unimpair'cl. Nor does the faithful voice Of Nature cease to prompt their eager steps Aright: That in their stations all may persevere To climb the ascent of being, and approach For ever nearer to the life divine.
Let the scene Paint in thy fancy the primeval seat Of man, and where the Will Supreme ordain'd His mansion, that pavilion far-cliffus'd Along the shady brink ; in this recess To wear the appointed season of his youth, Till riper hours should open to his toil The high communion of superior minds, Of consecrated heroes and of gods. Oft from the radiant honours of his throne, He sent whom most he lov'd, the sovereign fair, The effluence of his glory, whom he plac'd Before his eyes for ever to behold ; The goddess from whose inspiration flows The toil of patriots, the delight of friends ; "Without whose work divine, in heaven or earth, Kought lovely, nought propitious comes to pass, Nor hope, nor praise, nor honour.
Her the Sire Gave it in charge to rear the blooming mind, The folded powers to open, to direct The growth luxuriant of his young desires, And from the laws of this majestic world To teach him what was good. As thus the nymph Her daily care attended, by her side i This opinion, though not held by Plato nor any of the ancients, is yet a very natural consequence of his principles.
But the disquisition is too 'com- plex and extensive to be entered upon here. With constant steps her gay companion stay'd, The fair Euphrosyne, the gentle queen Of smiles, and graceful gladness, and delights That cheer alike the hearts of mortal men, And powers immortal. See the shining pair! Behold, where from his dwelling now disclos'd They quit their youthful charge and seek the skies," I look'd, and on the ilowery turf there stood Between two radiant forms a smiling youth, Whose tender cheeks display'd the vernal flower Of beauty: With fond regard He view'd the associates, as their steps they mov'd ; The younger chief his ardent eyes detain'd, With mild regret invoking her return.
Bright as the star of evening she appear'd Amid the dusky scene. Eternal youth O'er all her form its glowing honours breath'd; And smiles eternal from her candid eyes Elow'd, like the dewy lustre of the morn Effusive trembling on the placid waves. The spring of heaven had shed its blushing spoils To bind her sable tresses: More sublime The heavenly partner mov'd. The prime of age Compos'd her steps. The presence of a god, High on the circle of her brow enthron'd, From each majestic motion darted awe, Devoted awe!
Free in her graceful hand she pois'd the sword Of chaste dominion. An heroic crown Display'd the old simplicity of pomp Around her honour' d head. A matron's robe, White as the sunshine streams through vernal clouds, Her stately form invested. Hand in hand The immortal pair forsook the enamell'd green Ascending slowly.
Bending down to earth I stood, With dumb attention. Soon a female voice, As watery murmurs sweet, or warbling shades, "With sacred invocation thus began: Behold well pie as 'd 1 seek to finish thy divine decree. With frequent steps I visit yonder seat Of man, thy offspring ; from the tender seeds Of justice and of wisdom, to evolve The latent honours of his generous frame ; Till thy conducting hand shall raise his lot From earth's dim scene to these ethereal walks, The temple of thy glory. But not me, IS ot my directing voice, he oft requires, Or hears delighted: If man refuse To hearken to thy dictates: Go then, once more, and happy be thy toil ; Go then!
In her stead, behold! With thee the son of Nemesis I send ; The fiend abhorr'd! See where he calls thee, burning to be gone, Fierce to exhaust the tempest of his wrath On yon devoted head. But thou, my child, Control his cruel frenzy, and protect Thy tender charge ; that when despair shall grasp His agonizing bosom, he may learn, Then he may learn to love the gracious hand Alone sufficient in the hour of ill, To save his feeble spirit; then confess Thy genuine honours, O excelling fair!
Looking up, I view'd A vast gigantic spectre striding on 1 Thro' murmuring thunders and a waste of clouds, With dreadful action. Black as night, his brow [Relentless frowns involv'd. His savage limbs With sharp impatience violent he writh'd, As through convulsive anguish ; and his hand, Arm'd with a scorpion lash, full oft he rais'd In madness to his bosom ; while his eyes Hain'd bitter tears, and bellowing loud he shook The void with horror.
Silent by his side The virgin came.
No discomposure stirr'd Her features. From the glooms which hung around, No stain of darkness mingled with the beam Of her divine effulgence. Now they stoop Upon the river bank ; and now to hail His wonted guests, with eager steps advanc'd The unsuspecting inmate of the shade. The story is, in fact, the introduction of evil, accounted for by the necessity of training the pupil of Providence to the love of virtue, the supreme good, by withdrawing from him for awhile the allurements of plea- sure; but why his very suffering should be attended with pleasure, which was the phenomenon to be accounted for, is not so clearlymade out.
Down from the winding ridge he sweeps amain, And thinks he tears him: Amaz'd the stripling stood: The Queen beheld His terror, and with looks of tenderest care Advanc'd to save him. Soon the tyrant felt Her awful power. His keen tempestuous arm Hung nerveless, nor descended where his rage Had aim'd the deadly blow: Then grasps his hands, and cheers him with her tongue: Shall the spite Of yon tormentor thus appal thy heart, While I, thy friend and guardian, am at hand To rescue and to heal?
O let thy soul Hemember, what the will of Heaven ordains Is ever good for all ; and if for all, Then good for thee.