Her public wounds bound up, her credit high, And burn to give mankind a single lord. The follies past are of a private kind, And cannot thrice ten hundred years unpraise How guilty these! yet not less guilty they Tho' disappointed thousands justly blame Some future strain, in whichthe Muse shalltell How miserssqueezea young volumptuous peer, How Versus is less qualified to steal This swarm of themes that settles on my pen, The love of fame, in its effects survey'd, Shot from above, by Heav'ns indulgence came Desire of praise first broke the patriot's rest, But, oh! this passion planted in the soul, up false gods, and wrong'd her high descent, Would you then fully comprehend the whole Ye Ye doctors! hear the doctrine I disclose, To glorious deeds this passion fires the mind, In meaner minds ambition works alone; But with such art puts virtue's aspect on, That not more like in feature, and in mien, The god and mortal in the comic scene *. False Julius, ambush'd in his fair disguise, Soon made the Roman liberties his prize, No mask in basest minds ambition wears, No pride of thrones, no fever after fame; From one fam'd Alpine hill, which props the Amphytrion. When his heart burns with such a god-like aim Nor human rage alone his pow'r perceives, state, And sported with a king's and kingdom's fate, What felt thy Walpole, pilot of the realm? $52. The Castle of Indolence. An Allegorical Poem. THOMSON. The Castle hight of Indolence, We liv'd right jollily. O MORTAL man, who livest here by toil, With woody hill o'er hill encompass'd round, A listless climate made, where, sooth to say, Noliving wight could work,ne cared even for play. Was nought around but images of rest : Sleep-soothing groves, and quiet lawns between And flow`ry beds that shumb'rous influence kest, The King in danger by sea. S Ecce Deus ramum Lethæo rore madentem, &c. Hom. II. lib. 1. VIRG. 1. V. From From poppies breath'd; and beds of pleasant| green, Where never yet was creeping creature seen Meantime unnumber'd glittering streamlets play'd, And hurled every where their waters sheen; That, as they bicker'd thro' the sunny glade, Tho' restless still themselves, a lulling murmur made. Join'd to the prattle of the parling rills Were heard the lowing herds along the vale, And flocks loud-bleating from the distant hills, And vacant shepherds piping in the dale; And now and then sweet Philomelwouldwail, Or Stock-doves 'plain amid the forest deep, That drowsy rustled to the sighing gale; And still a coil the grasshopper did keep: Yet all these sounds yblent inclin'd all to sleep. Full in the passage of the vale above, A sable, silent, solemn forest stood; [move, Where nought but shadowy forms was seen to As idleness, fancied in her dreaming mood: And up the hills on either side a wood Of blackening pines, ay waving to and fro, Sent forth a sleepy horror thro' the blood; And where this valley winded out below, The murmuring main was heard, and scarcely heard, to flow. A pleasing land of drowsy head it was, Of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; And of gay castles in the clouds that pass, For ever flushing round a summer sky; There eke the soft delights that witchingly Instil a wanton sweetness through the breast, And calm the pleasures, always hover'd nigh, But whate'er smack'd of noyance, or unrest, Was far, far off expell'd from this delicious nest. The landscape such, inspiring perfect ease, Where Indolence (for so the wizard bight) Close hid his castle 'mid embow'ring trees, That halfshutoutthebeams of Phoebus bright, And made a kind of checquer'd day and night: Meanwhile, unceasing at the inassy gate, Beneath a spacious palm, the wicked wight Was plac'd; and, to his lute, of cruel fate And labor harsh complain'd, lamenting man's ? What youthful bride can equal her array “Who can with her for easy pleasure vie? "From mead to meadwith gentlewing to stray, "From flow'r to flow'r on balmy gales to fly, "Is all she hath to do beneath the radiant sky. "Behold the merry minstrels of the morn, "The swarming songsters of the carelessgrove, Ten thousand throats! that from the flower"ing thorn "Hymn their good God, and carolsweetoflore, "Such grateful kindly raptures them emove: "They neither plough nor sow; ne, fit for flail, "E'er to the barn the nodding sheaves they "drove ; "Yet theirs each harvest dancing in the gale, "Whatever crowns the hill, or smiles along the "Vale. "Outcast of nature, man! the wretched thrall "Of bitter-dropping sweat, of sweltry pain, "Of cares that eat away thy heart with gall, "And of the vices, an inhuman train, "That all proceed from savage thirst of gain: "For when hard-hearted interest first began "To poison earth, Astrea left the plain; "Guile, violence, and murder, seis'd on man, And, for soft milky streams, with blood the "rivers ran. "Come ye who still the cumbrous load of life "Push hard up hill; but, as the farthest steep "You trust to gain, and put an end to strife, "Down thunders back the stone with mighty "sweep, "And hurls your labors to the valley deep, "For ever vain; come, and withouten fee I in oblivion will your sorrows steep, "Your cares, your toils; will steep you in a sea "Of full delight: oh coine, ye weary wights to "me! "With me you need not rise at early dawn, “To pass the joyless day in various sounds; "Or, louting low, on upstart fortune fawn, "And sell fair honor for some paltry pounds: "Or thro' the city take your dirty rounds, “To cheat, and dun, and lie, and visit pay, "Now flattering base, now giving secret "wounds; "Or proul in courts of law for human prey, "In venal senate thieve, or rob on broad highway. 66 "No cocks with me to rustic labor call, "From village on to village sounding clear; "To tardy swains no shrill'd-voic'd matrons squall; [ear; "No dogs, no babes, no wives, to stun your "No hammers thump; no horrid blacksmith [start, "No noisy tradesmen your sweet slumbers "With sounds that are a misery to hear: "But all is calm, as would delight the heart "Of Sybarite of old, all nature and all art. "Here nought but candor reigns, indulgent [down. fear; ease, "Good-natur'd lounging, saunt'ring up and They "They who are pleas'd themselves must always please; 66 "On others ways they never squint a frown, Nor heed what haps in hamlet or in town. “Thus, from the source of tender indolence, "With milky blood the heart is overflown, "Is sooth'd and sweeten'd by the social sense: "For int'rest, envy, pride, and strife are banish'd hence. "What, what is virtue, but repose of mind? "A pure ethereal calm, that knows no storm; "Above the reach of wild ambition's wind, "Above those passions that this world deform, "And torture man, a proud malignant worm! But here instead, soft gales of passion play, "And gently stir the heart, thereby to form "A quicker sense of joy; as breezes stray "Across th' enliven❜d skies, and make them "still more gay. "The best of men have ever lov'd repose; "They hate to mingle in the filthy fray; "Where the soul sours, and gradual rancor "grows, "Embitter'd more from peevish day to day. "Ev'n those whom fame has lent herfairestray, "The most renown'd of worthy wights of yore, "From a base world at last have stol'n away. "So Scipio, to the soft Cumæan shore "Retiring, tasted joy he never knew before. "But if a little exercise you choose, "Some zest for ease, 'tis not forbidden here. "Amid the groves you may indulge the Muse; "Or tend the blooms, and deck the vernal "year; "Or softly stealing, with your watery gear, Along the brooks, the crimson-spotted fry "You may delude: the whilst amus'd you hear "Now the hoarse stream, and now the ze"phyr's sigh, "Attuned to the birds and woodland melody. "O grievous folly! to heap up estate, "Losing the days you see beneath the sun; "When,sudden,comes blindunrelentingfate, "And gives the untasted portion you have won "With ruthless toil, and many a wretch un"done, [reign, "To those who mock you gone to Pluto's "There with sad ghosts to pine, and shadows "dun: "But sure it is of vanities most vain, [tain." "To toil for what you here untoiling may ob Heceas'd. Butstill theirtremblingearsretain'd The deep vibrations of his 'witching song; That by a kind of magic pow'r constrain'd To enter in, pell-mell, the list'ning throng. Heapspour'donheaps, andyetthey slipp'd along. In silent ease; as when beneath the beam Of summer moons, the distant woods among, Or by some flood all silver'd with the gleam, The soft embodied fays thro' airy portal stream. By the smooth demon so it order'd was, And here his baneful bounty first began: Tho' some there were who would not further And his alluring baits suspected han. [pass, The wise distrust the too fair spoken man; Yet through the gate they cast a wishful eye Not to move on, forsooth, is all they can; For, do their very best, they cannot fly; But often each way look, and often sorely sigh. When this the watchful wicked wizard saw, Withsuddenspringheleap'duponthemstraight, And, soon as touch'd by his unhallow'd paws They found themselves within the cursed gate; Full hard to be repass'd, like that of fate. Not stronger were of old the giant crew Who sought to pull high Jove from regal state; Certes, who bides his grasp, will that encounter Tho' feeble wretch he seem'd of sallow hue, rue. Wak'd by the crowd, slow from his bench arose A comely full-spread porter, swoln with sleep; His calm, broad, thoughtless aspect breath'd repose, And in sweet torpor he was plunged deep, Androus'dhimselfasmuchas rouse himself he can. So O fair undress, best dress! it checks no vein, Sir porter sat him down, and turn'd to sleep again. There each deep draughts, as deep he thirsted drew. It was a fountain of Nepenthe rare (grew, Whence, as Dan Homer sings, huge pleasaunce And sweet oblivion of vile earthly care; Fair gladsome waking thoughts, and joyous dreams more fair. This rite perform'd, all inly pleas'd and still, Withouten tromp was proclamation made: Ye sons of Indolence, do what you will; And wander where you list,thro' hallorglade! "Be no man's pleasure for another's staid; "Let each as likes him best his hours employ; "And curs'd be he who minds his neigh "bour's trade! "Here dwells kind ease and unreproving joy: "He little merits bliss who others can annoy." Straight of these endless nuinbers, swarming round, As thick as idle motes in sunny ray, Not one eftsoons in view was to be found, But ev'ry man stroll'd off his own glad way. Wide o'er this ample court's blank area, With all the lodges that thereto pertain'd, No living creature could be seen to stray; While solitude and perfect silence reign'd: So that to think you dream'd you almost was constrain'd. As when a shepherd of the * Hebrid Isles, Plac'd far amid the melancholy main, (Whether it be lone fancy hini beguiles, Or that aërial beings sometimes deign To stand, embodied, to our senses plain) Sees on the naked hill, or valley low, The whilst in ocean Phoebus dips in wain, A vast assembly moving to and fro: Then all at once in air dissolves the wondrous show. Ye gods of quiet and of sleep profound, Whose soft dominion o'er this castle sways, And all the wildly silent places round, Forgive me if my trembling pen displays What never yet was sung in mortal lays. But how shall I attempt such arduous string. I who have spent my nights and nightly days In this soul-deadening place, loose loitering? Ah! how shall I for this uprear my moulted wing? Come on, my Muse, nor stoop to low despair Thou imp of Jove, touch'd by celestial fire! Thou yet shalt sing of war, and actions fair, Which the bold sons of Britain will inspire; Of antient bards thou yet shall sweep the lyre; Thou yet shalt tread the tragic pall the stage, Paint love's enchanting woes, the hero's ire, The sages calm, the patriot's noble rage, Dashingcorruptiondownthro'ev'ry worthless age. The doors, that knew no shrill alarming bell, Ne cursed knocker plied by villain's hand, Self-open'd into halls, where, who can tell What elegance and grandeur wide expand, The pride of Turkey and of Persian land? Soft quilts on quilts, on carpets carpets spread, And couches stretch around in seemly band; And endless pillows rise to prop the head; So that each spacious room was one full-swelling bed. And every where huge cover'd tables stood, With wines high flavor'd and rich viands crown'd; Whatever sprightly juice or tasteful food On the green bosom of this earth are found, And all old ocean genders in his round: Some hand unseen these silently display'd, Ev'n undemanded by a sign or sound: You need but wish; and instantly obey'd, Fair rang'd the dishes rose, and thick the glasses play'd. Here freedom reign'd without the least alloy; Nor gossip's tale, nor antient maiden's gall, Nor saintly spleen, durst murmur at our joy, And with envenom'd tongue our pleasures pall. For why? there was but one great rule for all; To wit, that each should work his own desire, And eat, drink, study, sleep, as it may fall, Or melt the time in love, or wake the lyre, And carol what, unbid, the Muses might inspire. The rooms with costly tapestry were hung, Where was enwoven many a gentle tale; Such as of old the rural poets sung, Or of Arcadian or Sicilian vale: Those pleas'd the most, where, by a cunning Toil was not then. Of nothing took they heed, feed: Blest sons of Nature they! true golden age indeed! Sometimes the pencil, in cool airy halls, Bade the gay bloom of vernal landscapes rise, Or autumn's varied shades imbrown the walls: Now the black tempest strikes th' astonish'd eyes; Now down the steep the flashing torrent flies; Or savage rosa dash'd, or learned Poussin drew. Those islands on the western coast of Scotland, called the Hebrides. |