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PALEMON AND LAVINIA.

SOON as the morning trembles o'er the sky,
And, unperceiv'd, unfolds the spreading day,
Before the ripen'd field the reapers fland
In fair array, each by the lafs he loves,
To bear the rougher part, and mitigate,
By nameless gentle offices, her toil.

At once they ftoop, and fwell the lufty fheaves,
While through their cheerful band the rural talk,
The rural fcandal, and the rural jest,

Fly harmlefs, to deceive the tedious time,
And fteal, unfelt, the fultry hours away.
Behind the mafter walks, builds up the fhocks,
And, confcious, glancing oft on every fide
His fated eye, feels his heart heave with joy.
The gleaners fpread around, and here and there,
Spike after spike, their scanty harvest pick.
Be not too narrow, hufbandmen! but fling
From the full fheaf, with charitable ftealth,
The lib'ral handful. Think, oh, grateful, think!
How good the God of harvest is to you,
Who pours abundance o'er your flowing fields;
While thefe unhappy partners of your kind,
Wide hover round you like the fowls of heaven,
And afk their humble dole. The various furns

Of fortune ponder; that your fons may want
What now, with hard reluctance, faint ye give.
The lovely young LAVINIA once had friends,
And fortune fmil'd deceitful on her birth:
For, in her helpless years depriv'd of all,
Of every fiay fave innocence and heaven,
She with her widow'd mother, feeble, old,
And poor, liv'd in a cottage, far retir'd
Among the windings of a woody vale,
By folitude and deep furrounding shades,
But more by bashful modefty conceal'd.
Together thus they fhunn'd the cruel fcorn
Which virtue, funk to poverty, would meet

From giddy paffion and low-minded pride;
Almoft on nature's common bounty fed,
Like the gay birds that fung them to repose,
Content and carelefs of to-morrow's fare.
Her form was fresher than the morning rofe,
When the dew wets its leaves; unftain'd and pure,
As is the lily or the mountain-fnow.

The modeft virtues mingled in her eyes,
Still on the ground, dejected, darting all
Their humid beams into the blooming flowers;
Or when the mournful tale her mother told,
Of what her faithlefs fortune promis'd once,
Thrill'd in her thought, they, like the dewy star
Of evening, fhone in tears. A native grace
Sat fair proportion'd on her polifh'd limbs,
Veil'd in a fimple robe, their best attire,
Beyond the pomp of drefs; for loveliness
Needs not the foreign aid of ornament,
But is, when unadorn'd, adorn'd the moft;
Thoughtless of beauty, she was beauty's felf,
Reclufe amid the clofe-embowering woods.
As in the hollow breaft of Appenine,
Beneath the shelter of encircling hills
A myrtle rifes, far from human eye,

And breathes its balmy fragrance o'er the wild;
So flourish'd, blooming, and unfeen by all,
The fweet LAVINIA! till at length compell'd
By ftrong neceffity's fupreme command,
With fimiling patience in her looks, fhe went
To glean PALEMON's fields. The pride of fwains
PALEMON was! the generous, and the rich!
Who led the rural life in all its joy
And elegance, fuch as Arcadian fong
Tranfmits from ancient uncorrupted times,
When tyrant cuftom had not fhackled man;
But free to follow nature was the mode.
He then his fancy with autumnal fcenes
Amuting, chanc'd befide his reaper-train
To walk, when poor LAVINIA drew his eye;

Unconscious of her pow'r, and turning quick, With unaffected blushes, from his gaze: He faw her charming, but he saw not half The charms her downcaft modefty conceal'd. That very moment love and chaffe defire Sprung in his bofom, to himself unknown ; For fill the world prevail'd, and its dread laugh, Which fearce the firm philofopher can scorn, Should his heart own a gleaner in the field: And thus in fecret to his foul he figh'd: "What pity! that fo delicate a form, "By beauty kindl'd, where enlivening fenfe, "And more than vulgar goodness seem to dwell, "Should be devoted to the rude embrace "Of fome indecent clown! She looks, methinks, "Of old ACASTO's line; and to my mind "Recals that patron of my happy life,

"From whom my lib'ral fortune took its rife; "Now to the duft gone down; his houfes, lands, "And once fair-fpreading family, diffolv'd. ""Tis faid, that in fome lone obfcure retreat, "Urg'd by remembrance fad, and decent pride, "Far from thofe fcenes which knew their better

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days,

"His aged widow and his daughter live,

"Whom yet my fruitless fearch could never find.
"Romantic wish! would this the daughter were!"
When ftrict enquiring, from herfelf he found
She was the fame, the daughter of his friend,
Of bountiful ACASTO; who can speak
The mingl'd paffions that furpriz'd his heart,
And through his nerves in fhiv'ring transport ran?
Then blaz'd his fmother'd flame, avow'd and bold;
And as he view'd her, ardent, o'er and o'er,
Love, gratitude, and pity, wept at once.
Confus'd, and frighten'd at his fudden tears,
Her rifing beauties flufh'd a higher bloom,
As thus PALEMON, paffionate and just,
Pour'd out the pious rapture of his foul:
H

"And art thou then ACASTO's dear remains? "She, whom my reftlefs gratitude has fought "So long in vain? O Heav'n's! the very fame, "The foften'd image of my noble friend; “Alive his very look, his ev'ry feature,

"More elegantly touch'd. Sweeter than spring! "Thou fole furviving bloffom from the root "That nourish'd up my fortune! Say, ah where! "In what fequefter'd defert, haft thou drawn "The kindest aspect of delighted heaven ? "Into fuch beauty fpread, and blown fo fair; "Though poverty's cold wind, and crushing rain, "Beat keen and heavy on thy tender years? "O let me now, into a richer foil

Tranfplant thee fafe! where vernal funs and "fhow'rs

"Diffufe their warmeft, largest influence; "And of my garden be the pride and joy! "Ill it befits thee, oh! it ill befits

"ACASTO's daughter, his, whofe open ftores,

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Though vaft, were little to his ampler heart, "The father of a country, thus to pick

"The very refufe of thofe harveft-fields,
"Which from his bounteous friendship I enjoy !
"Then throw that shameful pittance from thy hand,
"But ill apply'd to fuch a rugged tafk;
"The fields, the mafter, all, my fair, are thine,
"If to the various bleffings which thy house
"Has on me lavish'd, thou wilt add that blifs,
"That dearest blifs, the power of bleffing thee!"
Here ceas'd the youth: yet ftill his fpeaking eye
Exprefs'd the facred triumph of his foul,
With confcious virtue, gratitude, and love,
Above the vulgar joy divinely rais’d.
Nor waited he reply. Won by the charm
Of goodness irrefiftible, and all

In fweet diforder loft, she blush'd confent.
The news immediate to her mother brought,

While, pierc'd with anxious thought, the pin'd away

The lonely moments for LAVINIA's fate;
Amaz'd, and fcarce believing what she heard,
Joy feiz'd her wither'd veins, and one bright gleam
Of fetting life fhone on her evening hours:
Not lefs enraptur'd than the happy pair;
Who flourish'd long in tender blifs, and rear'd
A numerous offspring, lovely like themselves,
And good; the grace of all the country round.

GOOD-NATURE.

HAIL cherub of the highest heav'n,
Of look divine and temper ev'n,
Celestial fweetness, exquifite of mein,
Of ev'ry virtue, ev'ry praise the queen!
Soft gracefulness, and blooming youth,
Where, grafted on the ftem of truth,

That friendship reigns no int'reft can divide,
And great humility looks down on pride.
Oh! curfe on flander's vip'rous tongue,
That daily dares thy merit wrong;

Idiots ufurp thy title, and thy frame,
Without or virtue, talent, tate or name.

Is apathy, is heart of steel,

Nor ear to hear, nor fenfe to feel,

Life idly inoffenfive fuch a grace,

That it should fteal thy name and take thy place?

No-thou art active-spirit all

Swifter than lightning, at the call

Of injur'd innocence, or griev'd defert,

And large with liberality thy heart.

Thy appetites in eafy tides

(As reafon's luminary guides)

Soft flow-no wind can work them to a ftorm,
Correctly quick, difpaffionately warm.

Yet if a tranfport thou canft feel

"Tis only for thy neighbour's weal;

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