Implanted, and profufely pour'd around
Materials infinite; but idle all.
Still unexerted, in th' unconfcious breast,
Slept the lethargic powers; corruption still,
Voracious, swallowed what the liberal hand
Of bounty scatter'd o'er the favage year:
And ftill the fad barbarian, roving, mix'd
With beafts of prey; or for his acorn-meal
Fought the fierce tufky boar; a fhivering wretch!
Aghaft, and comfortlefs, when the bleak north, 60
With Winter charg'd, let the mix'd tempeft fly,
Hail, rain, and fnow, and bitter-breathing froft:
Then to the fhelter of the hut he fled;
And the wild feafon, fordid, pin'd away.
For home he had not; home is the resort
Of love, of joy, of peace and plenty, where,
Supporting and fupported, polish'd friends,
And dear relations mingle into blifs.
But this the rugged favage never felt,
Even defolate in crouds; and thus his days
Roll'd heavy, dark, and unenjoy'd along :
A waste of time! till INDUSTRY approach'd,
And rous'd him from his miferable floth:
His faculties unfolded; pointed out,
Where lavish Nature the directing hand
Of Art demanded; fhew'd him how to raise
His feeble force by the mechanic powers,
To dig the mineral from the vaulted earth,
On what to turn the piercing rage of fire,
On what the torrent, and the gather'd blast;
Gave the tall ancient foreft to his ax;
Taught him to chip the wood, and hew the stone,
Till by degrees the finish'd fabric rofe;
Tore from his limbs the blood-polluted fur,
And wrapt them in the woolly vestment warm, 85
Or bright in gloffy filk, and flowing lawn ;
With wholesome viands fill'd his table, pour'd
The generous glafs around, infpir'd to wake
The life-refining foul of decent wit:
Nor stopp'd at barren bare neceffity;
But ftill advancing bolder, led him on
To pomp, to pleasure, elegance and grace;
And, breathing high ambition thro' his foul,
Set science, wisdom, glory, in his view,
And bade him be the Lord of all below.
THEN gathering men their natural powers comAnd form'd a Public; to the general good Submitting, aiming, and conducting all. For this the Patriot-Council met, the full, The free, and fairly reprefented Whole; For this they plann'd the holy guardian laws, Diftinguifh'd orders, animated arts, And with joint force Oppression chaining, set Imperial Justice at the helm; yet ftill To them accountable: nor flavish dream'd That toiling millions must resign their weal,
And all the honey of their fearch, to such
As for themselves alone themfelves have rais'd.
HENCE every form of cultivated life In order fet, protected, and infpir'd, Into perfection wrought. Uniting all, Society grew numerous, high, polite, And happy. Nurse of art! the city rear'd In beauteous pride her tower-encircled head; And, ftretching ftreet on street, by thousands drew, 115 From twining woody haunts, or the tough yew To bows ftrong-ftraining, her aspiring fons.
THEN COMMERCE brought into the public walk
The bufy merchant; the big ware-houfe built; 119
Rais'd the ftrong crane; choak'd up the loaded street
With foreign plenty; and thy stream, O THAMES,
Large, gentle, deep, majestic, king of floods!
Chofe for his grand refort. On either hand,
Like a long wintry foreft, groves of masts
Shot up their fpires; the bellying fheet between 125
Poffefs'd the breezy void; the footy hulk
Steer'd fluggish on; the fplendid barge along
Row'd, regular, to harmony; around,
The boat, light-fkimming, ftretch'd its oary wings;
While deep the various voice of fervent toil
130
From bank to bank increas'd; whence ribb'd with oak,
To bear the BRITISH THUNDER, black, and bold,
The roaring veffel rush'd into the main.
THEN too the pillar'd dome, magnific, heav'd Its ample roof; and Luxury within
Pour'd out her glittering stores: the canvas smooth,
With glowing life protuberant, to the view
Embodied rofe; the ftatue feem'd to breathe,
And foften into flesh, beneath the touch
Of forming art, imagination-flush'd.
ALL is the gift of INDUSTRY; whate'er Exalts, embellishes, and renders life Delightful. Penfive Winter chear'd by him Sits at the focial fire, and happy hears Th' excluded tempeft idly rave along; His harden'd fingers deck the gaudy Spring; Without him Summer were an arid waste ; Nor to th' Autumnal months could thus tranfmit Thofe full, mature, immeasurable stores,
That, waving round, recall my wandering fong. 150
Soon as the morning trembles o'er the sky,
And, unperceiv'd, unfolds the spreading day;
Before the ripened field the reapers ftand,
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 stoop and swell the lufty fheaves;
While thro' their chearful band the rural talk,
The rural fcandal, and the rural jest,
Fly harmlefs, to deceive the tedious time,
And steal unfelt the fultry hours away.
Behind the master walks, builds up the shocks;
And, conscious, glancing oft on every fide
His fated eye, feels his heart heave with joy.
The gleaners spread around, and here and there, 165
Spike after spike, their scanty harvest pick.
Be not too narrow, husbandmen! but fling
From the full fheaf, with charitable stealth,
The liberal handful. Think, oh grateful think!
How good the GOD of HARVEST is to you;
170
Who pours abundance o'er your flowing fields;
While these unhappy partners of your kind
Wide-hover round you, like the fowls of heaven,
And ask their humble dole. The various turns
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 smil'd, deceitful, on her birth.
For, in her helpless years depriv'd of all,
Of every stay, 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 fhades,
But more by bashful modesty, conceal'd.
Together thus they fhunn'd the cruel scorn
Which virtue, funk to poverty, would meet
From giddy paffion and low-minded pride:
Almoft on Nature's common bounty fed;
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