Rejoice!

and ye have special cause for joy.

For, as the element of air affords

An easy passage to the industrious bees

Fraught with their burthens; and a way as smooth
For those ordain'd to take their sounding flight
From the throng'd hive, and settle where they list
In fresh abodes their labour to renew;

So the wide waters, open to the power,

The will, the instincts, and appointed needs
Of Britain, do invite her to cast off

Her swarms, and in succession send them forth,
Bound to establish new communities

On every shore whose aspect favours hope
Or bold adventure; promising to skill
And perseverance their deserved reward.
Yes,' he continued, kindling as he spake,

Change wide and deep, and silently perform'd,
This land shall witness; and, as days roll on,
Earth's universal frame shall feel th' effect,
Even till the smallest habitable rock,
Beaten by lonely billows, hear the song
Of humanized society; and bloom

With civil arts, and send their fragrance forth,
A grateful tribute to all-ruling Heaven.
From culture, universally bestow'd

On Britain's noble race in freedom born,
Expect these mighty issues; from the pains
And quiet care of unambitious schools,
Instructing simple childhood's ready ear,
Thence look for these magnificent results!
Vast the circumference of hope — and ye
Are at its centre, British lawgivers;

Ah! sleep not there in shame! Shall Wisdom's voice, From out the bosom of these troubled times

Repeat the dictates of her calmer mind,

And shall the venerable halls ye fill

Refuse to echo the sublime decree?

Trust not to partial care a general good;
Transfer not to futurity a work

Of urgent need. Your country must complete

Her glorious destiny. Begin even now,
Now, when oppression, like th' Egyptian plague
Of darkness stretch'd o'er guilty Europe, makes
The brightness more conspicuous, that invests
The happy island where ye think and act ;
Now when destruction is a prime pursuit,
Show to the wretched nations for what end
The powers of civil polity were given.'

Abruptly here, but with a graceful air,
The sage broke off. No sooner had he ceased
Than, looking forth, the gentle lady said,
'Behold, the shades of afternoon have fallen
Upon this flow'ry slope; and see — beyond --
The lake, though bright, is of a placid blue,
As if preparing for the peace of evening.
How temptingly the landscape shines! The air
Breathes invitation; easy is the walk

To the lake's margin, where a boat lies moor'd
Beneath a shelt'ring tree.' Upon this hint
We rose together; all were pleased; but most
The beauteous girl, whose cheek was flushed with joy.
Light as a sunbeam glides along the hills
She vanish'd — eager to impart the scheme
To her loved brother and his shy compeer.
Now was there bustle in the Vicar's house
And earnest preparation. Forth we went,
And down the valley on the streamlet's bank
Pursued our way a broken company,
Mute or conversing, single or in pairs.
Thus having reach'd a bridge, that overarch'd
The hasty rivulet, where it lay becalm'd
In a deep pool, by happy chance we saw
A twofold image; on a grassy bank
A snow-white ram, and in the crystal flood
Another and the same! Most beautiful,
On the green turf, with his imperial front
Shaggy and bold, and wreathèd horns superb,
The breathing creature stood; as beautiful,
Beneath him, show'd his shadowy counterpart.

It seems extinct; nor shall the fanning breeze
Revive its ashes. What care we for this,

Whose ends are gain'd? Behold an emblem here
Of one day's pleasure, and all mortal joys!
And, in this unpremeditated slight

Of that which is no longer needed, see
The common course of human gratitude !'

Skirting the lake and observing the various beauties of its shore, they land upon a natural pier formed by projecting rock.

'Alert to follow as the Pastor led

We clomb a green hill's side, and thence obtain'd
Slowly, a less and less obstructed sight

Of the flat meadows and indented coast
Of the whole lake, in compass seen: far off
And yet conspicuous, stood the old church-tower,
In majesty presiding o'er the vale

And all her dwellings; seemingly preserved
From the intrusion of a restless world
By rocks impassable and mountains huge.

Already had the sun,

Sinking with less than ordinary state,
Attain'd his western bound; but rays of light –
Now suddenly diverging from the orb,
Retired behind the mountain tops or veil'd
By the dense air-shot upwards to the crown
Of the blue firmament - aloft and wide;
And multitudes of little floating clouds,
Through their ethereal texture pierced

ere we,

Who saw, of change were conscious, had become
Vivid as fire - clouds separately poised,
Innumerable multitude of forms

Scatter'd through half the circle of the sky;
And giving back, and shedding each on each,
With prodigal communion, the bright hues

Each had his glowing mountains, each his sky,
And each seem'd centre of his own fair world:
Antipodes unconscious of each other,

Yet, in partition, with their several spheres,
Blended in perfect stillness, to our sight!

"Ah! what a pity were it to disperse, Or disturb so fair a spectacle,

And yet a breath can do it!

Entering the boat, they row to a rocky island crowned with fir trees.

'One spirit animating old and young, A gipsy fire we kindled on the shore

Of the fair isle with birch-trees fringed — and there, Merrily seated in a ring, partook

The beverage drawn from China's fragrant herb. Launch'd from our hands, the smooth stone skimm'd the lake;

With shouts we roused the echoes; stiller sounds
The lovely girl supplied, a simple song,

Whose low tones reach not to the distant rocks

To be repeated there, but gently sank

Into our hearts, and charm'd the peaceful flood,
Rapaciously we gather'd flow'ry spoils

From land and water; lilies of each hue
Golden and white, that float upon the waves,
And court the wind; and leaves of that shy plant
(Her flowers were shed), the lily of the vale,
That loves the ground, and from the sun witholds
Her pensive beauty; from the breeze her sweets.

'Such product and such pastime, did the place
And season yield; but, as we re-embarked,
Leaving, in quest of other scenes, the shore
Of that wild spot, the Solitary said

In a low voice, yet careless who might hear,
'The fire that burn'd so brightly to our wish,
Where is it now? Deserted on the beach