5«8 



Original Poetry. 



[Jan. 1, 



LINES, 



BN SP.FtNO THE 'cjlSTS OP MESSRS. PTTT, 

 FOX, AND THE DlfCHKSS OF DEV0N8IIIRE. 

 TAKFN FROM THEin FACFS WITHIN A 

 TKW nouns AFTKR DEATH, BY MR. NOL- 

 LEKENS. 



BY Mn. PRAIT. 



VE faithful images of Death, 



Formed^ when the newly-parted breath, 

 •Had ftrupi^linp left ilshoiife of clay, 

 Alas ! what change - 3-0 difpl.iy ; 

 Ciianges fo vaft, I fcarcely find. 

 One trait of viCase or of mind. 



Behold ! within a few fliort hours, 

 A monarch each uf menial powers , 

 I3ehold iiu!> wonders oi the world, 

 Prom Wit and Witdora's empire hurl'd ! 

 A third — the fovereign of the gay 

 Dethioned from Faftiion's, Beauty's, fway, 

 Three naked niaflis, they now appear 

 The tr.cckcry of what they were. 



From lip? like ihofe of deadly pale. 

 Where iiill the marks of pain prevail j 

 And in each lineament is feeii. 

 Where the laft agonies have been^ 

 Ah, could I think — had I not heard. 

 With mule attention every word,^ 

 Ah, could I think, ray raptured car. 

 As to the mufic of the fpherc, 

 Had fixed me lift'niiig on the fpot. 

 My fleerp, my iirralth, mvfelf lorgof. 

 Where Britain, Europe," f.-eni'd to wait 

 The ilTue of their deep debate ? 

 By turns I felt Pitt's awful fenfe. 

 And glow'd with Fox's eloquence ; 

 thiwarpcd by faiflion, the free mind 

 To each the patriot palm alfigned. 



And who, fair Devon, could fuppofe, 

 That lifelefs lids, alas! like thofe, 

 Sunk and diftt>rto(i by difeafe. 

 Had e'er poirellrd fuch power to plcafe ? 

 Had foftly veil'-d thofe eyes of fire 

 That long monopolized the lyre ; 

 When tluilied with youth, in Beanty's grace 

 I firft furveyed that altered face ; 

 That face which more ilian beauty knew. 

 Opening high virtues to the view ; 

 For Bmnty in each feature fmilcd. 

 And Sorrow called thee Pity's child. 

 Hadft thou iin error ? 'tvifes excels, 

 A tuip, beyond the meavs to blefs, 

 1 hat all the injured and the poor. 

 Should feel a wrong, a want, no more. 

 Ah had an ampler fcopc been given 

 To her warm heart by favouring Heaven, 

 Had the fame ftretch of boundlefs power 

 That aids War's tyrant to devour, 

 Miriads of widows, orphans, friends, 

 Whofe hearlftrings now that tyrant rends. 

 Would, from her hand have found relief. 

 And ev'ry lenitive of grief. 



• We have juft underftood that forty-two 

 Buds of Mr. Pitt, from thefe cafts, are al- 

 ready ordered, at one hundred guineas 

 each ; and a' yet greater number of Ma. 

 i^ox, audthe Pucu£ss, At the fame price. 



And (half fiich feelings rnufe a foe 

 To the prov'd friend of want and woe? 

 No ! thou pale fembhnce copied here. 

 Which mine eye trace-- thro' a tear, 

 There lives not one, whofe eye, like mine. 

 Will not drop inceiife oa tli^- dirine. 



For the Month I tf ISLigazine.. 



The fame of Chattertnn hxs been made to df^end foa 

 much on his cKce'ltijce as an Imitator, and there are 

 few iierftinj, not very crnverfant with his works, whu, 

 while they beftow on him all the praifes of moft uncom- 

 riun ingenuity, do not imaeinc him to be undefcrving 

 of the reputation of beautiful and original poetry. This 

 general opinion is in a great miafure owine to the very 

 circumOance on which his fame is made to depend, to 

 that talen; for imitation, which induced him to veil all 

 his fcntimrnts 'n thi- Earb of antiqui:». His genius 

 would be more f/.irly eftimated. and be ranked much 

 higher, jf hi^ lanrua^e were reduced to the motlcru 

 ftandard. This would be a lefs diffic It talk than ap- 

 pears from the uncouth orthograpliy .f his p.icm< . ^n<l 

 perhaps there ■» no Itronger proof ot the Impofture tliall 

 arifts from this very fjtility. Chaucer reijuires trarifla- 

 tioh -8 much ss Homer. Virgil, or nantr, to make him 

 familiar to a modern sar ; the moft poetical parts of 

 Chatterton on the co t-ary, with little other alteration 

 than that of new Tpciling and fometiines the fubilifutiun 

 of words, (but never of phrafes) become at once a', po- 

 liihcd verfcs -i~ moft of the prcfent diy. Thefe obferva- 

 tioi.j have iiKluccd nie to offer. a> a ipecinien the Sone 

 of the Min.liel" in Aella, on which I have bellowed no 

 other labour than what I have iuft ftalcd to be necef- 

 fary. What remain, of its antique drrfs is only enough 

 to mark its chara^er, and give it an agreeable pecu- 

 liarity. 



FIPST MINSTREL. 



'pHE budding llow'rct bluflies at the light, 

 The meads are fprinkled with the yellow 

 hue; 

 In daificd mantle is the mountain dight; 



The tender Cow Hip bendi th with jhedew; 

 Through leafy trees, whofe green tops touch 



the (kies, 

 Wak'd by the gentle wind, foft whifpering 



founds arifo. 

 The evening comes, and brings the dew 

 alung ; 

 Theweftern iky «ith golden riidiancc/hines; 

 Sweet Minllrels tune the cheerful village 

 fong ; 

 Young ivy round the cottage door-poft 

 'iwines; 

 I lay me on the prafs ; yet, to my will. 

 Though all is tair around, there wanteth 

 fomething dill. 



S1!C0MD MINSmr.L. 



So onr firft fitlier thouglit in P;iradife, 



Wiiere heav'n and earth did homage to 

 his mind ; 

 In woman man's fupremeft pleafure lies, 



Man's firft and beft delight is womankind. 

 Go ; take a wile unto thine arms, and fee. 

 Winter, and rullct hills will have a charm fof 

 thee. 



THIRD MINSTREL. 



W"heu Autumn bare and fuu-burnt iiotb ap- 

 pear. 

 With golden hand gilding the falling leaf. 

 Bringing up Winter lo fulfil the year. 



And bearsupon his back the ripen'd (heaf ; 

 Willi foreft-feed when all the hills are white, 

 Aud thro' the blazing Iky olt' gleams the 

 uortLem light : 



When 



