POETICAL ESSAYS in SEPTEMBER, 1769. So Falstaff will never decline; Still fruitful and gay, And his rain and his rivers are wine ; Like the rich rainbow's various dyes, Shall more harmonious flow in fong. O had those bards, who charm the lift'ning fhore Of Cam and Ifis, tun'd their claffic lays, And from their full and precious ftore, Thou foft-flowing Avon, by thy filver fiream, Of things more than mortal, fweet Shakespeare would dream, The Fairies by moonlight dance round his green bed, [head. For hallow'd the turf is which pillow'd his II. The love-ftricken maiden, the foft-fighing fwain, [pain; Here rove without danger, and figh without The fweet bud of beauty, no blight shall here dread, [head. For hallow'd the turf is which pillow'd his III. Here youth fhall be fam'd, for their love, and their truth, And chearful old age, feel the fpirit of youth; For the raptures of fancy here poets fhall tread, For hallow'd the turf is that pillow'd his head. IV. 483 Flow on, filver Avon, in fong ever flow, Be the fwans on thy bosom still whiter than fnow, -[fpread, Ever full be thy ftream, like his fame may it And the turf ever hallow'd which pillow'd his head. Tho' bards with envy-aching eyes, And would his flight retard; To crown the heaven-diftinguish'd To wreck the human form; Tho' from his mind rufh forth, the demons. [nefs, and joy. His heart ne'er knew but love, and gentle. to deffroy, AIR. More gentle than the fouthern gale, By heav'n infpir'd, To virtue fir'd, The charm'd, aftonish'd, fons of men! With no reproach, even now thou view' [thy work. To nature facred as to truth, To taint the mind of youth. Near Avon's banks be found, And limit Shakespeare's hallow'd For ages free, ftill be it unconfin'd, [mind. To give the feftive day The fong, the ftatue, and devoted pile? Shall the hero laurels gain, For ravag'd fields, and thoufands flain? • The d- of D-, with the concurrence of Mr. P-y, most generously ordered a great number` of trees to be cut down, to open the river Avon for the Jubilee. †This alludes to a defign of inclofing a large common field at Stratford, And 484 POETICAL ESSAYS in SEPTEMBER, -1769. S. And undiminish'd fame, RELINQUENDA SUNT PALATIA. UINQUE patet notis hiftoria Ruffic fæclis, Q Nafcens, diviium, oppreffum, victorifer, atque ram,. Permian, Livoniam, Cafan, vaftamque Sibe- multa Collectas pellunt imo de gurgite fluctus. Accipit intrantes varios, regumque miniûros gent. Mufica grata fonat votis Catharina fecundis Pectora cælavit, bellique argenteus ordo Enfem fulmineum retinet fua dexters, vultus Mufarum Lepidis fragrantia labra camænis St. Petersburg, decimo fexto Julii, 1769. SEQUEL POETICAL ESSAYS in SEPTEMBER, 1769. SEQUEL to the foregoing. UNC repeto curfum, faveat Ruffanus vos Plerides! metam properabimus unam. c Catharina immortali jubente, Draconis rrendæ leges fitibundæ fanguinis, abfunt. aglia nec fequitur nunc Scytbica jura Zamolxin, cuftos vita fedet Rbadamantbus & orbus, -Auto vapidam fervans fub pectore vulpem, Elus ob boc judex, nec certe tempore noftro, scepto folido rapiuntur carcere cives. emo perpenfus crudeli morte piavit edecus illatum, perjuræ vištima lingua. æc tamen ad noftras fanguinea facta ca manas on bene conveniunt; fuaviffima munera gaudent Tufas, nunc Scarzci referabo miracula Scelli. Fotus odoratâ Thalamus refplendet in ambiâ: Volvitur in præceps iterum, iterumque re- Impetus exoritur, magnis operata ruinis, montes, Quinque per infernas decurrit machina valle". Carmina raptim Petroburgia fcripta, TRANSLATION. THE Ruffian hiftory contains five remark. able periods; we hear of its being founded by Rourik, divided in the reign of Swotapolk, oppreffed in that of George, triumphant in that of Ivan Wafie, and flourthing in that of Peter; these emperors conquered the province of Permian, Livonia, Cafan, and the vaft Siberia. Peter the Great may be confidered as a creator, he caufed this beautiful city to be built; the Grecian churches glitter with gilded ornaments. Arts and fciences were recalled by this prince, who begun to build a fleet of large hips, and to roll his flag over the Baltic fea. We went to Peterhof, which is an imperial palace, furrounded with woods, and commands a fine profpect on the Finnic Gulph; here the waters play moft magn ficently, the foaming whirlpool drawn downwards, by art falls headlong, the loud-founding cataract rages from its burfted caverns, the fountains rife aloft with their bounding waters, they hang on themselves, and pro Sept. 1769. 485 duce an endless chaos, a golden Venus, and water Nymphs play together with the noify Tritons; various monfters Spout up their collected waters from the deep; a fuperb palace, built with many columns, receives the foreign minifters and company; the walis hang with looking-glafs, caft forth a bright reflection, and fo do the well-wrought ceilings. An agreeable mufic is heard; Catharine attended by a number of the nobility, advances; the refulgent moon alone triumphs in fuch majefty, when he is furrounded by all the radiant stars of heaven. She wore a blue garter, a diamond planet glittered on her breast, her dreis was filver, and adamantine chains hung down from her neck. She fpoke to thofe around in a gracious manner, and then it was permitted to kifs her hand, the minifters and nobles prepare their com pliments, and follow the diadem with ex pectant eyes. A company of young lords and ladies, dreffed in jewels and rich clothes, performed the ball in this imperial apartment. A nobleman approaches, and fays to me, O franger! turn your eyes on this picture, it reprefents the emprefs in a man's dress, fitting on a white hoife; fhe holds a fword in her right hand, her countenance is charming, her hair flows in ringlets down her shoulders, her eyes and eye-brows are black, a lovely bloom is (pread over her. Ruffia is now happy, and may fortune long be profperous to our emprefs. Here he ended his difcourse. O ye lips of cæleftial mufes, fragrant with elegant verfe, applaud this conceit! and do you, my dear Apollo, give your approbation! for it is no eafy matter to fing of fo great a monarch. SE QUE L. Have begun again the race; O Ruffian Apollo, and ye mufes, favour me: let us haften to the fame end. By command of the immortal Catharine, the horrid laws of Draco, which thirft after human blood, are abolished, nor does England follow now the Scythian laws of Zamolxis, there is no blind Rhadamanthus, with a vapid fox's heart concealed in his cunning breast, and for that reafon made a juftice of; in our times no citizen can be hurried to prifon for a filling, nor are innocent perfons put to a cruel death from falle informers. Such bloody doings fuit not the mufes, who delight in fofter offerings, and I will tell them the wonders of Sarfcocello, where fplendid temples are erected, where royal pomp abounds, where a whole room is built with fweet fmething amber, and where all the apartments glitter with gold. The adjacent gardens aniwer the expectation of their defigner. A chariot rushes down, and foon rifes; it rolls to the bottom again headlong, and remounts directly; a violent impetus drives it Q ૧ ૧ upwards 486 MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER. upwards and downwards, with fudden falls and great roife. Five times it run rapidly over the lofty hills, and five times it defcended into the deep vallies. The breath is taken away, the eye-fight is obfcured, and Sept. a cold convulfion seizes all the body; aftnifhed and blind, we pafs over land and witer, and our flying limbs are carried away into woods and rooms. THE MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER. THURSDAY, Aug. 24. IR John Lindsay received his commiflion of commander in chief of the fquadron deftined for India; and yesterday kiffed his majesty's hand, on occafion of the above promotion. TUESDAY, 29. This day, at eleven o'clock, the electors of Weftminfier, to the number of about feven thoufand, ailembled in Westminster-hall, to petition his majefty for a redress of grievances. At twelve o'clock Sir Robert Bernard, Bart. was called to the chair, which was placed on the steps of the court of Common Pleas. It is not a little remarkable, that the chair for the chairman had been originally placed on the fleps between the courts of Chancery and the King's Bench; but the electors not liking that fituation defired it might be placed on the fleps of the court of Common Pleas, where, they faid, General Warrants were firft condemned. Robert Jones, Efq; moved for the petition, and informed the aflembly, that he had been chofen chairman of the committee appointed to draw one up. A petition was accordingly produced, and being read by Sir R.Bernard, was received with great applaufe. When the queftion was put, whether they approved of that petition, it was carried unanimously, and the electors began immiately to fign it. The purport of the above petition was to request that his majefty would diffolve the prefent parliament, and call a new one as speedily as poflible. A few days ago the inhabitants of Guildford and Naphill fet out armed to dislodge the formidable gang of gypfies, highway men, and fmugglers in Naphill-wood. Several of them having been forewarned fied, before the townfpeople reached the place. How ever, after a harp onlet, they took fourteen of them. firft propofed in the corporation, whether any new freemen fhould be admitted? which wat carried in the affirmative by seventeen to eleven, against the duke of Bedford. After this refolution the court proceeded to tr choice of the mayor, when it was agreed that those in oppofition to his grace should pell first, and accordingly they polled to the number of 456, when the duke's friends gave up the conteft, after polling 25 only. WEDNESDAY, 6. The ballot came on at the East-India boule, on the following queftion, viz. "That this court doth approve the alterations propoled by the Attorney-general, the hon. Mr. Yorke, and Mr. Sayer, in the fuperintending commiffion, and that a new commiffion be made out accordingly," when the numbers were as follow: For the queftion, 236; against it, 144; majority, 92. Mr. Allen, father to the young man who was fhot fome time ago in a cow-house in St. George's Fields, delivered a petition to his majefty at St. James's. The jubilee at Stratford-upon-Avon, in honour of Shakespeare, began this day. See P. 451. MONDAY, II. A very refpectable meeting of the fier holders of Buckinghamshire affembled at Aylesbury, when the hon. Mr. Hambden was called to the chair. A petition, confined to the right of election, was read by Mr. Aubery, member for Wallingford, in which the whole aflembly concurred with loud atclamations, and proceeded to sign it immediately. WEDNESDAY, 13. The ballot came on at the Eaft-IndiaHoufe on the following queftion, viz. "That this court will give the officer of the crown commanding fhips of the line, a fhare in the deliberations and refolutions of the company merely with regard to the two objects of making peace and declaring war when his majefty's forces are employed;" when the num bets were as follow: Against the question, 177; for it 95; majority 82. A letter from Buxton in Derbyshire fays, that on this day they had one of the most terrible ftorms of thunder and lightening ever remembered; the lightening piercedthrough the roof into the free-tebool, where] there are thirty boys on the foundation; two were inftantly fruck dead, and the mater and 769: The MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER. A feveral fcholars were much hurt; one particular, brother to one of the lads who killed, is not expected to recover. THURSDAY, 14. Two terrible fires broke out this morning, eat Mr. Hill's, ironmonger, the corner of iftopher-court, St. Martin's-le-Grand; ich confumed that and three more, and naged two others: the other happened at eff. Buxton and Enderby's oil-warehouse, al's Wharf, which foon confumed the ne, with the Fortune of War, a publickafe, and another dwelling-house in front. he flames then fpread with amazing rapi ty to a large timber-yard adjoining, where ey deftroyed a prodigious quantity of tim, together with two large lightermen on he river, and feveral houfes backward; the rge fugar-baker's houfe, the corner of the ppofice wharf, was with the greatest diffi Culty preferved. FRIDAY, 15. A fire broke out at Mr. Francifea Rocca's talian warehouse in the Haymarket. SATURDAY, 16. At a meeting of the freeholders of the county of Gloucester, in confequence of norice given by the fheriff, a petition conformable to that of Middlesex was read; but the majority then prefent difapproving the meafare, haftened the conclufion of the meeting, for fear it should be carried by an increase of the affembly. The petition was however left at proper places for figning. SUNDAY, 17. It This morning early the conftable of the night for Caftie-Baynard ward hearing a notte within the fence of the weft end of S. Paul s Cathedral, and calling feveral watchmen to his aftance, apprehended a Lafcar, who, upon being feized, immediately drew a knife and endeavoured to ftab one of the men. appeared, that the Lafcar had broke and defaced the flatue of Queen Anne, and the four other figures, reprefenting the four quarters of the world. Both the arms, with the globe and fcepter, were broke off from the Queen's ftatue, and every other figure had fome damage core to them. The Lafcar had the globe in his hand when he was coming over the iron rails. He is faid to be a lunatic. 487 liff, if he would go down with him to the Tilt-yard, he should there find a friend, and would, on his not giving bail, go with him to a fpunging-houfe. When they came to the Horie Guards, the officer fent for a ferjeant and a file of mufqueteers to fecure the bailiff, on a pretence that he had been infulted by him, which they did, while the prifoner efcaped. Adjutant-general Harvey has ordered the ferjeant and his men clofe prifoners to the Savoy: and as this military effort to elude juftice has made fome noife, and been taken particular notice of, the officer is faid to have furrendered himself. FRIDAY, 22. Was the anniversary of their majesties coronation, and was celebrated accordingly. Meff, Vanfittart, Scraf dn, and Ford, the three East Indian fuperintendants, fet out for Portsmouth, to embark for India, TUESDAY, 26. John Sawbridge, Efq, elect for Langbourne ward, was fworn in at a court of aldermen. FRIDAY, 29. Came on the election of a lord mayor for the year enfuing, when Sir Henry Bankes, who was next the chair (having incurred the difpleafure of the livery, in oppofing their application to the prefent lord mayor for a common hall, to confider of a petition to the throne) was rejected upon the how of hands, and William Beckford, Efq; who ferved the office in the year 1762, and Barlow Trecothick, Efq; were returned to the court of aldermen, for them to elect one. But a poll being demanded in behalf of Mr. Alderman Bankes, the fame opened at four o'clock, and went on greatly in favour of the two gentlemen returned by the hall. Some attempts had been made by the city officers to prevent this nomination, by quoting a by-law made in the reign of Henry VI, which enacted that no perfon who had ferved the office of lord mayor, fhould be obliged to ferve again within feven years, but on fearching for precedents, it appeared that in the year 1740 Sir John Barnard had been a fecond time elected, within the term objected to, which totally overthrew the bylaw. It is worthy of obfervation, that there fhould appear on this occafion, fuch a combination among the city officers to milead the livery; a combination which feems the more flagrant, as they refused to communicate their objections, but the night before, to fome gentlemen, who had applyed to them exprefly for that purpose. |