DR. DARWIN. 213 



the fouth-pole, in confequence of this 

 primal convulfion, by the explofion of 

 water, or other vapors of greater power. 

 The lunar birth is thus beautifully prefent- 

 ed to the eye, 



When rofe the continents, and funk the main, 

 And Earth's huge fphere, exploding, burft in twain, 

 Gnomes, how you gaz'd, when from her wounded fide, 

 Where now the South-fea rails its wafte of tide, 

 Rofe, on fwift wheels, the Moon's refulgent car, 

 Circling the folar orb, a lifter ftar -, 

 Dimpled with vales, with fhining hills embofs'd, 

 And roird round Earth her airlefs realms of froft. 



The difficulty of introducing theii 

 charming images any other way than by 

 reminding the Gnomes of what they are 

 fuppofed to have feen, gives us, in this ad- 

 drefs, the noun perfonal in apoftrophe, with 

 a frequency which, far from being graceful, 

 becomes almoft ludicrous ; as, " Gnomes, 

 " how you gaz'd ! &c." " Gnomes, 

 " how you fhriek'd !" " Gnomes 

 p 3 <f how 



