Th'incumbentearth ifchance the cavern'd ground i The morning sun, that gildswith trembling rays Shrinking subside, and the thin surface yield, Down sinks at once the pond'rousdome, ingulph'd With all its tow'rs. Subtle, delusive Man! How various are thy wiles! artful to kill
Thy savage foes, a dull unthinking race! [pard Fierce from his lair springs forth the speckled Thirsting for blood, and eager to destroy; The huntsman flies, but to his flight alone Confides not; at convenient distance fix'd A polish'd mirror stops in full career The furious brute: he there his image views; Spots against spots with rage improving glow! Another pard his bristly whiskers curls, Grins as he grins, fierce-menacing and wide Distends his op'ning jaws; himself against Himself oppos d,and with dread vengeance arm'd, The huntsman, now secure, with fatal aim Directs the pointed spear, by which transfix'd He dies, and with him dies the rival shade. Thus man innuin'rous engines form'd t' assail The savage kind; but most the docile horse, Swift and confederate with man, annoys His brethren of the plains; without whose aid The hunter's arts were vain, unskill'd to wage With the more active brutes an equal war ; But, borne by him, without the well-train'd pack Man dares his foe, on wings of wind secure. Him the fierce Arab mounts, and with his troop Of bold compeers ranges the desarts wild, Where by the magnet's aid the traveller Steers his untrodded course, yet oft on land Is wreck'd, in the high rolling waves of sand Immers'd and lost; while these intrepid bands, Safe in their horses speed, outfly the storm, And, scouring round, make men and beasts their The grisly boar is singled from his herd, [prey. As large as that in Erimanthean woods, A match for Hercules. Round him they fly In circles wide, and each in passing sends His feather'd death into his brawny sides: But perilous th' attempt; for if the steed Haply too near approach, or the loose earth His footing fail, the watchful angry beast Th' advantage spies, and at one sidelong glance Rips up his groin. Wounded, he rears aloft ; And, plunging, from his back the rider hurls Precipitant; then, bleeding, spurns the ground, And drags his recking entrails o'er the plain. Meanwhile the surly monster trots along,
Windsor's high tow'rs, beholds the courtly train Mount for the chace, nor views in all his course A scene so gay: heroic noble youths, In arts and arms renown'd, and lovely nymphs, The fairest of this isle, where beauty dwells Delighted, and deserts her Paphian grove For our more favor'd shades—in proud parade These shine magnificent, and press around The royal happy pair. Great in themselves, They smile superior, of external show Regardless, while their inbred virtues give A lustre to their pow'r, and grace their court With real splendors, far above the pomp Of eastern kings in all their tinsel pride. Like troops of Amazons, the female band Prance round their cars, not in refulgent arms As those of old; unskill'd to wield the sword Or bend the bow, these kill with surer aim. The royal offspring, fairest of the fair, Lead on the splendid train. Anna, inore bright Than summer suns, or as the lightning keen, With irresistible effulgence arm'd, Fires ev'ry heart: he must be more than man Who unconcern'd can bear the piercing ray. Amelia, milder than the blushing dawn, With sweet engaging air, but equal pow`r, Insensibly subdues, and in soft chains Her willing captives leads. Illustrious maids ; Ever triumphant! whose victorious charms, Without the needless aid of high descent, Had aw'd mankind, and taught the world's great lords
To bow and sue for grace. But who is he, Fresh as a rose-bud newly blown, and fair As op'ning lilies, on whom ev'ry eye With joy and admiration dwells? See, see! He reins his docile barb with manly grace. Is it Adonis for the chace array'd,
Or Britain's second hope? Hail, blooming youth! May all your virtues with your years improve, Till in consummate worth you shine the pride Of these our days, and to succeeding times A bright example! As his guard of mutes On the great Sultan wait, with eyes deject And fix'd on earth, no voice, no sound, is heard Within the wide serail, but all is hush'd, And awful silence reigns; thus stand the pack Mute and unmov'd, and cow'ring low to earth, While pass the glitt'ring court and royal pair:
But with unequal speed; for still they wound,So disciplin'd those hounds, and so reserv'd, Swift-wheeling in the spacious ring. A wood Of darts upon his back he bears; adown His tortur'd sides the crimson torrents roll- From many a gaping font; and now at last Stagg'ring he falls, in blood and foam expires.
But whether rolls my devious Muse, intent On antique tales, while yet the royal stag Unsung remains? Tread with respectful awe Windsor's green glades, where Denham, tuneful bard!
Charm'd once the list'ning Dryads with his song, Sublimely sweet. Oh grant me, sacred shade! To glean submiss what thy full sickle leaves,
Whose honor 'tis to glad the hearts of kings: But soon the winding horn and huntsman's voice Let loose the gen'ral chorus; far around Joy spreads its wings, and the gay morning smiles. Unharbour'd now, the royal stag forsakes His wonted lair; he shakes his dappled sides, And tosses high his beamy head; the copse Beneath his antlers bends. What denbling shifts He tries! not more the wily hare; in these Would still persist, did not the full-mouth'd pack
With dreadful concert thunder in his rear. The woods reply, the hunters' cheering shouts Float
Fleat thro' the glades, and the wide forest rings. How merrily they chant! their nostrils deep Inhale the grateful steam. Such is the cry, And such th' harmonious din, the soldier deems The battle kindling, and the statesman grave Forgets his weighty cares: cach age, each sex, In the wild transport joins: luxuriant joy, And pleasure in excess, sparkling exult On ev'ry brow, and revel unrestrain’d. How happy art thou, Man! when thou'rt no more Thyself! when all the pangs that grind thy soul, In rapture and in sweet oblivion lost, Yield a short interval and case from pain!
See the swift courser strains, his shining hoofs Securely beat the solid ground. Who now The dang'rous pitfall fears, with tangling heath High-overgrown? or who the quiv'ring bog, Soft-yielding to the step? All now is plain, Plain as the strand sea-lav'd, that stretches far Beneath the rocky shore. Glades crossing glades, The forest opens to our wond'ring view: Such was the king's command. Let tyrant fierce Lay waste the world; his the more glorious part | To check their pride; and when the brazen voice Of war is hush'd (as erst victorious Rome) T employ his station'd legions in the works Of peace; to smooth the rugged wilderness, To drain the stagnate fen, to raise the slope Depending road, and to make gay the face Of nature with th' embellishments of art.
How melts my beating heart, as I behold Each lovely nymph, our island's boast and pride, Push on the gen'rous steed, that strokes along," O'er rough, o'er smooth, nor heeds the steepy hill, Nor falters in th' extended vale below; Their garments loosely waving in the wind, And all the flush of beauty in their cheeks! While at their sides their pensive lovers wait, Direct their dubious course, now chill'd with fear Solicitous, and now with love inflam'd.
Oh grant iudulgent Heaven! no rising stornr May darken with black wings this glorious scene! Should some malignant pow'r thus dampour joys, Vain were the gloomy cave, such as of old Betray'd to lawless love the Tyrian queen: For Britain's virtuous nymphs are chaste as fair; Spotless, unblam'd, with equal triumph reign In the dun gloom as in the blaze of day. Now the blown stag thro' woods, bogs, roads, and Has measur'd half the forest; but, alas! [streams, He flies in vain; he flies not from his fears. Tho' far he cast the ling'ring pack behind, His haggard fancy still with horror views The fell destroyer; still the fatal cry Insults his cars, and wounds his trembling heart. So the poor fury-haunted wretch (his hands In guiltless blood distain'd) still seems to hear The dyingshrieks; and the pale threat'ning ghost Moves as he moves, and as he flies pursues. See here his slot; up yon green hill he climbs, Pants on his brow awhile, sadly looks back On his pursuers, cov'ring all the plain ; But, wrung with anguish, bears notlong the fight, Shoots down the steep, and sweats along the vale
There mingles withthe herd, whereoncehereign'd Proud monarchofthegroves, whoseclashing beam His rivals aw'd,-and whose exalted pow'r Was still rewarded with successful love. But the base herd have learn'd the ways of men; Averse they fly, or with rebellious aim Chase him from thence: needless their impious deed,
The huntsman knows him by a thousand marks; Black, and imboss'd; nor are his hounds deceiv'd; Too well distinguish these, and never leave Their once devoted foe: familiar grows His scent, and strong their appetite to kill. Again he flies, and with redoubled speed Skins o'er the lawn; still the tenacious crew Hang on the track, aloud demand their prey, And push him many a league. If haply then Too far escap'd, and the gay courtly train Behind are cast, the huntsman's clanging whip Stops full their bold career: passive they stand, Unmov'd: an humble and obsequious crowd, As if by stern Medusa gaz'd to stones. So at their general's voice whole armies halt In full pursuit, and check their thirst of blood. Soon at the king's command, like hasty streams Danni'd up a while, they foam and pour along With fresh recruiting might. The stag, whohop'd His foes were lost, now once more hears astunn'd The dreadful din: he shivers ev'ry limb; He starts, he bounds; each bush presents a foe. Press'd by the fresh relay, no pause allow'd, Breathless and faint, he falters in his pace, And lifts his weary limbs with pain, that scarce Sustain their load: he pants, he sobs appalled;1 Drops down his heavy head to earth, beneath His cumbrous beams oppress'd. But if perchance Some prying eye surprise him, soon he rears Erect his tow'ring front, bounds o'er the lawn With ill-dissembled vigor, to amuse The knowing forester, who inly smiles At his weak shifts and unavailing frauds. So midnight tapers waste their last remains, Shine forth awhile, and as they blaze expire. From wood to wood redoubling thunders roll, And bellow thro' the vales; the moving storin Thickens amain, and loud triumphant shouts, And horns shrill warbling in each glade, prelude To his approaching fate. And now in view, With hobbling gait and high, exerts amaz'd What strength is left: to the last dregs of life】 Reduc'd, his spirits fail, on ev'ry side Hemm'd in, besieg'd; not the least op'ning left To gleaming hope, th' unhappy's last reserve. Where shall we turn, or whither fly? Despair Gives courage to the weak. Resolv'd to die, He fears no more, but rushes on his foes, And deals his deaths around; beneath his feet These grovelling lie, those by his antlers gor'd Defile th' ensanguin'd plain." Ah, see! distress'd He stands at bay against yon knotty trunk, That covers well his rear; his front presents} An host of foes. O shun, ye noble train, The rude encounter, and believe your lives Your country's due alone. As now aloof
They wing around, he finds his soul uprais'd To date some great exploit; he charges home Upon the broken pack, that on each side Fly diverse; then as o'er the turf he strains, He vents the cooling stream, and up the breeze Urges his course with eager violence; Then takes the soil, and plunges in the flood Precipitant: down the mid streams he wafts Along, till, (like a ship distress'd, that runs Into some winding creek) close to the verge Of a small island, for his weary feet Sure anchorage he finds, there sculks immers'd: His nose alone above the wave draws in The vital air; all else beneath the flood Conceal'd and lost, deceives each prying eye Of man or brute. In vain the crowding pack Draw on the margin of the stream, or cut The liquid wave with oary feet, that move. In equal time. The gliding waters leave No trace behind, and his contracted pores But sparingly perspire: the huntsman strains His lab ring fings, and puffs his cheeks in vain. At length a blood-hound bold, studious to kill And exquisite of sense, winds him from far; Headlong he leaps into the flood, his mouth Loud op'ning spends amain, and his wide throat Swells ev'ry note with joy; then fearless dives Beneath the wave, hangs on his haunch, and
Th' unhappy brute, that flounders in the stream, Sorely distress'd, and struggling strives to mount The steepy shore. Haply once more escap'd, Again he stands at bay, amid the groves Of willows bending low their downy heads. Outrageous transport fires the greedy pack; These swim the deep, and thosecrawl up with pain The slipp'ry bank, while others on firm land Engage: the stag repels each bold assault, Maintains his post, and wounds for wounds re- As when some wily corsair boards a ship [turns, Full freighted, or from Afric's golden coasts Or India's wealthy strand, his bloody crew Upon her deck he slings; these in the deep Drop short, and swim to reach her steepy sides, And clinging climb aloft, while those on board Urge on the work of fate; the master bold, Press'd to his last retreat, bravely resolves To sink his wealth beneath the whelming wave, His wealth, his foes, nor unreveng'd to die : So fares it with the stag, so he resolves To plunge at once into the flood below, Himself, his foes, in one deep gulph immers'd. Ere vet he executes this dire intent,
In wild disorder once more views the light; Beneath a weight of woe he groans distress'd, The tears run trickling down his hairy cheeks: He weeps nor weeps in vain. The king beholds His wretched plight, and tenderness innate Moves his great soul. Soon at his high command Rebuk'd, the disappointed hungry pack Retire submiss, and grumbling quit their prey. Great Prince! from thee what may thy subjects So kind and so beneficent to brutes! [hope, O Mercy, heavenly born! sweet attribute!
Thou great, thou best, prerogative of pow'r! Justicemayguardthethrone; but,join'dwithther, On rocks of adamant it stands secure, And brave the storms beneath: soon as thy smiles Gild the rough deep, the foaming waves subside, And all the noisy tumult sinks in peace. BOOK IV.
Of the necessity of destroying some beasts, and preserving others for the use of man. Of breeding of hounds; the season for this business. The choice of a dog of great moment. Of the hitter of whelps. Of the number to be reared. Of setting them out to their several walks. Cure to be taken to prevent their hunting too soon. Of entering the whelps. Of breaking them from running at sheep. Of the diseases of hounds. Of their age. Of madness: two sorts of it described; the dumb, and outrageous, madness: its dreadful effects. Burning of the wound recommended as preventing all ill consequences. The infectious hounds to be separated, and fedapart. The vanity of trusting to the many infallible cures for this malady. The dismal effects of the biting of a mud dog upon man described. Description of the otter hunting. The conclusion. WHATE'ER of earth is form'd to earth returns Dissolv'd: the various objects we behold, Plants, animals, this whole material mass, Are ever changing, ever new. The soul Of man alone, that particle divine, Escapes the wreck of worlds, when all things fail: Hencegreatthedistance'twixtthebeaststhatperish And God's bright image, man's immortal race. The brute creation are his property, Subservient to his will and for him made: As hurtful these he kills, as useful those Preserves; their sole and arbitrary king. Should he not kill (as erst the Samian sage Taught unadvis'd, and Indian brachmans now As vainly preach), the teeming rav'nous brutes Might fill the scanty space of this terrene, Encumb'ring all the globe: should not his care Improve the growing stock, theirkinds might fail, Man might once more on roots and acorns feed, And thro' the desarts range, shiv'ring, forlorn, Quite destitute of ev'ry solace dear, And ev'ry smiling gaiety of life.
The prudent huntsman therefore will supply With annual large recruits his broken pack, And propagate their kind. As from the root Fresh scions still spring forth, and daily yield New blooming honors to the parent tree; Far shall his pack be fan'd, far sought his breed; And princes at their tables feast those hounds His hand presents, an acceptable boon. Ere yet the sun thro' the bright Ram has urg'd His steepy course, or mother earth unbound Her frozen bosom to the western gale; [solv'd, When feather'd troops, their social leagues disSelect their mates, and on the leafless elm The noisy rook-builds high her wicker nest?
Mark well the wanton females of thy pack, That curl their taper tails, and frisking court Their piebald mates enamour'd; their red Flash fires impure; nor rest nor food they take, Goaded by furious love. In separate cells Confine them now, lest bloody civil wars Annoy thy peaceful state. If left at large, The growling rivals in dread battle join, And rude encounter; on Scamander's stream Heroes of old with far less fury fought For the bright Spartan dame, their valor's prize. Mangled and toru thy fav'rite hounds shall lie Stretch'd on the ground; thy kennel shall appear A field of blood: like some unhappy town In civil broils confus'd, while Discord shakes Her bloody scourge aloft, fierce parties rage, Staining their impious hands in mutual death; And still the best belov'd and bravest fall: Such are the dire effects of lawless love.
The alien offspring; pleas'd thou shalt behold Her tenderness and hospitable love.
If frolic now and playful they desert Their gloomy cell, and on the verdant turf, With nerves improv'd, pursue the mimic chace Coursing around, unto thy choicest friends Commit thy valued prize; the rustic dames Shall at thy kennel wait, and in their laps Receive thy growing hopes, with many a kiss Caress, and dignify their little charge With some great title, and resounding name Of high import. But cautious here observe To check their youthful ardor; nor permit The unexperienced yonker, immature, Alone to range the woods, or haunt the brakes Where dodging conies sport: his nerves unstrung And strength unequal, the laborious chace Shall stint his growth, and his rash forward youth Contract such vicious habits as thy care
Huntsman! these ills by timely prudent care And late correction never shall reclaim. Prevent: for ev'ry longing dame select. Some happy paramour; to him alone In league connubial join. Consider well His lineage; what his fathers did of old, Chiefs of the pack, and first to climb the rock, Or plunge into the deep, or thread the brake With thorns sharp-pointed, plash'd, and briers interwoven.
Observe with care his shape, sort, color, size: Nor will sagacious huntsmen less regard His inward habits. The vain babbler shun, Ever loquacious, ever in the wrong : His foolish offspring shall offend thy ears With false alarms and loud impertinence. Nor less the shifting cur avoid, that breaks Illusive from the pack; to the next hedge Devious he strays, there ev'ry Muse he tries; If haply then he cross the steaming scent, Away he flies vain-glorious, and exults As of the pack supreme, and in his speed And strength unrivall'd. Lo! cast far behind His vex'd associates pant, and lab'ring strain To climb the steep ascent. Soon as they reach Th' insulting boaster, his false courage fails, Behind he lags, doom'd to the fatal noose, His master's hate, and scorn of all the field. What can from such be hop'd but a base brood Of coward curs a frantic, vagrant race? When now the third revolving moon appears, With sharpen'd horns, above the horizon's brink, Without Lucina's aid expect thy hopes Are amplycrown'd: short pangs produce to light The smoking litter, crawling, helpless, blind; Nature their guide, they seek the pouting teat That plenteous streams. Soon as the tender dam Has form'd them with her tongue, with pleasure The marks of their renoun'd progenitors, [view Sure pledge of triumphs yet to come. All these Select with joy; but to the merciless flood Expose the dwindling refuge, nor o'erload Th' indulgent mother. If thy heart relent, Unwilling to destroy, a nurse provide, And to the foster-parent give the care Of thy superfluous brood; she'll cherish kind
When to full strength arriv'd, mature and bold, Conduct them to the field: not all at once; But, as thy cooler prudence shall direct, Select a few, and form them by degrees To stricter discipline. With these consort The staunch and steady sages of thy pack, By long experience vers'd in all the wiles And subtle doublings of the various chace. Easy the lesson of the youthful train When instinct prompts,andwhenexampleguides. If the too forward yonker at the head Press boldly on in wanton sportive mood, Correct his haste, and let him feel abash'd The ruling whip; but if he stoop behind In wary modest guise, to his own nose Confiding sure, give him full scope to work His winding way, and with thy voice applaud His patience and his care; soon shalt thou view The hopeful pupil leader of his tribe, And all the list ning pack attend his call. [play
Oft lead them forth were wanton lambkins And bleating dams with jealous eyes observe Their tender care. If at the crowding flock He bay presumptuous, or with eager haste Pursue them scatter'd o'er the verdant plain, In the foul fact attach'd, to the strong ram Tie fast the rash offender. See! at first His horn'd companion, fearful and amaz'd Shall drag him tremblingo'er the rugged ground; Then, with his load fatigu'd, shall turn ahead, And with his curl'd hard front incessant peal The panting wretch, till breathless and astunn'd, Stretch'd on the turf he lie. Then spare not thou The twining whip, but ply his bleeding sides, Lash after lash; and with thy threat'ning voice, Harsh-echoing from the hills, inculcate loud His vile offence. Sooner shall trembling doves, Escap'd the hawk's sharp talons, in mid air Assail their dang'rous foe, than he once more Disturb the peaceful flocks. In tender age Thus youth is train'd, as cursous artists bend The taper pliant twig, or potters form Their soft and ductile clay to various shapes. Nor is't enough to breed, but to preserve
Must be the huntsman's care. The staunch old | He drops, and with harsh broken howlings rends
Guides of thy pack, tho' but in number few, Are yet of great account; shall oft untie The Gordian knot when reason at a stand Puzzling is lost, and all thy art is vain. O'er clogging fallows, o'er dry plaster'd roads, O'er floated meads,o'er plains withflocks distain'd Rank-scenting, these must lead the dubious way. As party-chiefs in senates who preside With pleaded reason, and with well turn'd speech Conduct the staring multitude; so these Direct the pack, who with joint cry approve, And loudly boast; discoveries not their own. Unnumber'd accidents and various ills Attend thy pack, hang hovering o'er their heads, And point the way thatleads to death's dark cave. Short is their span : few at the date arrive Of antient Argus, in old Homer's song So highly honor'd : kind, sagacious brute! Not e'en Minerva's wisdom could conceal Thy much lov'd master from thy nicer sense: Dying, his lord he own'd, view'd him all o'er With eager eyes, then clos'd those eyes well pleas'd.
Or lesser ills the Muse declines to sing, Nor stoops so low; of these each groom can tell The proper remedy. But, oh! what care, What prudence, can prevent madness, the worst Of maladies! Terrific pest! that blasts The huntsman's hopes, and desolation spreads Thro' all th' unpeopled kennel unrestrain'd, Mare fatal than th' envenom'd viper's bite, Or that Apulian spider's pois'nous sting, Heal'd by the pleasing antidote of sounds.
When Sirius reigns, and the sun's parching Bake the dry gaping surface, visit thou, [beams Each even and morn, with quick observant eye, Thy panting pack. If, in dark sullen mood, The glouting hound refuse his wonted meal, Retiring to some close obscure retreat, Gloomy, disconsolate, with speed remove The poor infectious wretch, and in strong chains Bind him suspected. Thus that dire disease, Which art can't cure, wise caution inay prevent. But this neglected, soon expect a change, A dismal change-confusion, phrensy, death; Or in some dark recess the senseless brute Sits sadly pining; deep melancholy And black despair upon his clouded brow Hang low'ring; from his half-op'ning jaws The clammy venom and infectious froth Distilling fall; and from his lungs, infiam'd, Malignant vapors taint the ambient air, Breathing perdition; his dim eyes are glaz'd, He droops his pensive head; his trembling limbs No more support his weight; abject he lies, Dumb, spiritless, benumb'd; till death at last Gracious attends, and kindly brings relief.
Or, if outrageous grown, behold, alas! A yet more dreadful scene; his glaring eyes Redden with fury; like some angry boar Churning he foams, and on his back erect His pointed bristles rise; his tail incurv'd
The poison-tainted air; with rough course voice Incessant bays, and snuffs th' infectious breeze; This way and that he stares aghast, and starts At his own shade, jealous, as if he deem'd The world his foes. If haply t'ward the stream He cast his roving eye, could horror chills His soul; averse he flies, trembling, appall'd ; Now frantic to the kennel's utmost verge Raving he runs, and deals destruction round: The puck fly diverse; for whate'er he meets Vengeful he bites, and ev'ry bite is death.
If now perchance, thro' the weak fence escap'd, Far up the wind he roves, with open mouth Inhales the cooling breeze, nor man nor beast He spares implacable. The hunter horse, Once kind associate of his sylvan toils (Who haply now without the kennels mound Crops the rank mead, and list'ning hears with joy The cheering cry that morn and eve salutes His raptur'd sense), a wretched victim falls, Unhappy quadruped. No more, alas! Shall thy fond master, with his voice applaud Thy gentleness, thy speed; or with his hand Stroke thy soft dappled sides, as he each day Visits thy stall, well pleas'd: no more shalt thou With sprightly neighings to the winding horn, And the loud op'ning pack in concert join'd, Glad his proud heart; for oh! the secret wound Rankling inflames! he bites the ground, and dies! Hence to the village with pernicious haste Baneful he bends his course: the village flies Alarm'd; the tender mother in her arins Hugs close the trembling bahe; the doors are barr'd,
And flying curs, by native instinct taught, Shun the contagious bane: the rustic bands Hurry to arms, the rude militia seise Whate'er at hand they find; clubs, forks,orguns, From ev'ry quarter charge the furious foe, In wild disorder and uncouth array; Egor'd, Till now with wounds on wounds oppress'd and At one short pois'nous grasp he breathes his last
Hence to the kennel, Muse !Jreturn, and view With heavy heart that hospital of woe, Where Horror stalks at large! insatiate Death Sits growling o'er his prey; each hour presents A different scene of ruin and distress. How busy art thou, Fate! and how severe Thy pointed wrath! the dying and the dead Promiscuous lie: o'er these the living fight In one eternal broil, not conscious why, Nor yet with whom. So drunkards in their cups Spare not their friends, while senseless squabble reigns.
Huntsman, it much behoves thee to avoid The perilous debate. Ah! rouse up all Thy vigilance, and tread the treach'rous ground With careful step. Thy fires unquench'd pre
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