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The blufhing rofe, Mentor of virgin pride;

Woodbines with cumbrous wealth hung cluft'ring down,
The jafmine meek and pure; and more befide,

That make a paradife and fcent the fummer tide.

But most his luscious fruits with glittering eye,
That cloath the funny wall, he will commend;
The while he fhews, how they all fruits outvie,
He prunes them all, their growth his cares attend,
There bids them fprucely fpread, here bids them bend.
How glows the blushing peach at his command;
The nectarine rich, where summer's bounties blend,
The confcious plum, that from the spoiler's hand

Loft bloom bemoans, like worth sad-stain'd by flander's brand.

Securely there the painted goldfinch breeds,
Securely shelter'd trills the mellow lay;

All on their downy couch his offspring feeds,
And warbles thankfulness his rent to pay.

For, happy guests! from thence no fongiters ftray;
For there compaffion, nature's friend, they meet;
Their emulative tuneful pow'rs difplay;
The confcious master's daily vifits greet,
And fill with grateful melody his bleft retreat.

Not all for pleasure, herbs for ufe defign'd,
Within the garden's cultur'd precinct grow,
To the main chance looks forth the thrifty mind,
And fubftance holds above mere empty fhow,"
"For penny fav'd," a proverb well fuch know.
And there, with heart compact, the cabbage ftands,
With trickling drops begem'd that brightly glow;
There nodding onions rang'd like marshall'd bands;
And apples dropping down that ask the gatherer's hands.

Uprears afparagus his fpiry head;

Child of the fea, fnug cole in native sand;
The fluggard carrot fleeps his days in bed;
The cripple pea, alone that cannot stand,
With vegetable marrow rich and bland;
The bean, whofe tempting fweets the bees invite;
The artichoke in fcaly armour grand;
With more, that may nice epicure delight,
And dainties yield to glad the fickle appetite.

There ftretch'd upon his bed of falts, fupine,
Cool cucumber his creeping arms extends,
Rough-coated melon fhoots his tender vine,
Like worth, whom afpect rude, ill recommends,

In jeftful mood the mafter tells his friends
How cauliflower, like doctor's wig fo white,
All flower exceeds: a joke much mirth that lends.
For never jeft fo ftale, or wit fo trite,

In little minds that cannot raise fupreme delight.

There too the currant hangs its loaded head;
Pomona's pearls and crimfon gems all bright.
Plethoric gooseberries, amber, green, or red,
Whofe giant fize may rivalfhip excite,

With harmless pride nice culture's care requite;
And there the strawberry, 'mid her veil of green,
Bafliful with modeft face fhrinks back from fight,
True virgin beauty blufhing to be feen:
And what fo fweet as chastity in beauty's mien ?

ADDRESS to MARCH.

[From FIRST FLIGHTS, by JOHN HEYRICK, jun.]

THY younger fifter's conftant tears

Invite the poet's lyre,

And laughing May, when the appears,
Shall raise the rapture higher.

But let the gaudy tulip gain

The loftier poet's verfe,

For once will I, an untaught fwain,
Thy paler fweets rehearse.

The full-blown beauties of the year
To courtly ftrains belong;
But when thy modeft buds appear,
They claim the rural fong.

Let the auricula and rofe

On May's warm breast be fet; The opening thorns for me difclofe Thy fweeter violet.

No raging fun's tyrannic fire

Forbids my wand'ring feet

To fearch, with friendly mufe and lyrc,

Thy primrofes' retreat.

Ah! would my lov'd Eliza deign

To take my eager hand,

Thy bard, dear March, would ne'er complain

At fterneft fate's command.

How

How gaily then my fong fhould rife,
Amidst thy infant grove;

Then gazing on Eliza's eyes,

How foftly change to love!

APOSTROPHE to an OLD TREE.

[From the Second Volume of SONNETS and other POEMS, by CHARLOTTE SMITH.]

HERE thy broad branches brave the bitter North,

WH

Like rugged, indigent, unheeded, worth,

Lo! vegetation's guardian hands embofs
Each giant limb with fronds of ftudded mofs,
That clothes the bark in many a fringed fold
Begemm'd with fcarlet fhields and cups of gold,
Which to the wildeft winds their webs oppose,
And mock the arrowy fleet, or weltering fnows.
-But to the warmer Weft the Woodbine fair
With taffels that perfumed the fummer air,
The mantling Clematis, whofe feathery bowers
Wav'd in feftoons with Nightfhade's purple flowers,
The filver weed, whofe corded fillets wove
Round thy pale rind, even as deceitful love
Of mercenary beauty would engage
The dotard fondness of decrepit age;
All these, that during fummer's halcyon days
With their green canopies conceal'd thy fprays,
Are gone for ever; or disfigured, trail
Their fallow relics in the autumnal gale;
Or o'er thy roots, in faded fragments toft,
But tell of happier hours, and sweetness loft!

-Thus in fate's trying hour, when furious storms
Strip focial life of pleature's fragile forms,
And awful Juftice, as his rightful prey,
Tears Luxury's filk, and jewell'd robe away,
While reads Adverfity her leffon ftern,

And Fortune's minions tremble as they learn;
The crowds around her gilded car that hung,

Bent the lithe knee, and troul'd the honey tongue,
Defponding fail, or fly in pale despair;

And fcorn alone remembers that they were.
Not fo Integrity; unchanged he lives
In the rude armour confcious honour gives,
And dares with hardy front the troubled sky,
In Honefty's uninjured panoply.
Ne'er on Profperity's enfeebling bed
Or roly pillows, he repofed his head,

N4

But

But given to useful arts, his ardent mind
Has fought the general welfare of mankind;
To mitigate their ills his greatest blits,

While studying them, has taught him what he is ;
He, when the human tempeft rages worst,
And the earth fhudders as the thunders burst,
Firm as thy northern branch, is rooted fast,
And, if he can't avert, endures the blast.

[blocks in formation]

SMALL, viewless aeronaut, that by the line
Of Goffamer fufpended, in mid air

Float'ft on a funbeam-Living atom, where
Ends thy breeze-guided voyage;-with what defign
In æther doft thou launch thy form minute,

Mocking the eye?-Alas! before the veil
Of denfer clouds fhall hide thee, the pursuit
Of the keen fwift may end thy fairy fail!
Thus on the golden thread that fancy weaves
Buoyant, as hope's illufive flattery breathes,
The young and vifionary poet leaves

Life's dull realities, while feven-fold wreaths

Of rainbow-light around his head revolve.

Ah! foon at Sorrow's touch the radiant dreams diffolve!

ODI

DOMESTIC

DOMESTIC LITERATURE

Of the Year 1797.

THE

HE biblical and theological Department of our annual Labours for the year 1793, commenced with the ift volume of "The Holy Bible, or the Books accounted facred by Jews and Christians, &c. faithfully tranflated from corrected Texts of the Original; with various Readings, explanatory Notes, and critical Remarks, by the Rev. Alex. Geddes, LL.D." In the opinion which we then expreffed of the general merits of the new verfion, our readers may perceive the high estimation in which it led us to hold the erudition, abilities, and industry of the tranflator; and the ample tribute of gratitude to which we confidered him entitled from the biblical student. The appearance, during the year 1797, of the 2d volume of that work, comprising the books of Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ruth, and the Prayer of Manaffeh, has in no respect tended to leffen Dr. Geddes's claims to commendation, and encouragement. The text, like that of the former volume, contains numerous improvements of the common verfion; and is accompanied with va luable, although brief, notes, and important various readings. In the Preface to the volume, when treating of the generally received opinion refpecting the infpiration of the Hebrew fcriptures, Dr. Geddes

affords ftriking evidence of his li berality, and of the boldness of fpirit with which he can dare the cenfure and obloquy of bigots of all perfuafions. His obfervations on the difficulties infeparable from the common hypothefis, and on the advantages which would refult to the caule of revelation from adopting the doctrine of partial and putative, in preference to that of abfolute and plenary inspiration, are highly important, and deferve the ferious attention of believers and unbelievers. What he says, indeed, at prefent, is only applicable to the Hebrew writers confidered as historians: his opinion concerning the infpiration of their legiflator and prophets, he referves for his volume of critical remarks. That volume we hope to have it in our power to notice in our next year's Regiiter.

During the year 1797, likewise, we have been enabled to renew our acquaintance with another eminent fcholar and critic, whofe labours have deservedly claffed him among our most valuable feripture commentators. Dr. Blayney, regius profeffor of Hebrew, and canon of Chrift-Church, Oxford, has prefented the public with "Zechariah; a new Tranflation: with Notes, critical, philological, and explanatory, &c." In his preliminary difcourfe our author, with fingu

lar

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