Which once perform'd, moft opportunely comes
Some hero fighted at the noile of drums;
For her fweet fake, whom at first fight he loves,
And all in metap of his palion proves:
But fome fad accident, tho' yet unknown,
Parting this pair, to leave the fwain alone;
He ftrait grows jealous, tho' we know not why;
Then, to oblige his rival, needs will die:
But firft he makes a fpeech, wherein he tells
The abfent nymph how much his fane excels;
And yet bequeaths her, gene. Jully now,
To that lov'd val whom he does not know!
Who frair appeals; but who can fate withitand?
Too late, alas! to hold his hafty hand,
That juft as given him, cif the cruel troke!
At which his very rival's heart is broke:
He, more to his new friend than miftrefs kind,
Moft fadly mourns at being left behind!
Of fuch a death prefers the pleafing charms
To love, and living in a lady's arms.
What shameful and what monftrous things are
thefe !

And then they rail at thofe they cannot pleafe;
Conclude us only partial to the dead,
And grudge the fign of old Ben Jonfon's Head;
When the intrinfic value of the ftage

Can fearce be judg'd but by a following age :
For dances, flutes, Italian fongs, and rhyme,
May keep up finking nonfenfe for a time;
But that inuft fail, which now fo much o'er-rules,
And fenfe no longer will fubmit to fools.

By painful fteps at laft we labour up
Parnaffus' hill, on whofe bright airy top
The Epic poets fo divinely fhow,
And with juft pride behold the rest below.
Hereic have a juft pretence

po ms

To be the utmott fetch of human fenfe;
A work of fuch incftimable with,

There are but two the world has yet brought

forth!

Homer and Virgil! with what facred awe

Do thefe mere founds the world's attention draw?
Juft as the changeling feems below the reft
Of men, or rather is a two-legg'd beaft,
So thefe gi antic fouls, amaz'd, we find
As much above the reft of human kind!
Nature's whole ftrength united! endless fame,
And univerfal fhouts attend their name!
Read Homer once, and you can read no more,
For all books elfe appear fo men fo poor,
Verfe will feem profe; but ftill perfift to read,
And Homer will be all the books you need.
Had Boffu never writ, the world had full,

The fubiect propofed. Adarefs to his Royal Highne the Prince. The origin of hunting. The rude and unpolished manner of the firfl hunters. Beafts at fift hunted for food and foor file. The grant made by God to man of the be fis, &c. The regular manner of hunting foft brought into this land by the Normans. The 'cfthumis and beft horfes bred here. The adrantage of this exercife to us as iflanders. Address to gentlemen of ellates. Situation of the kennel, and its feveral courts. The diverpon and employment of hounds in the kennel. The different forts of hounds for each differen: chace. Defcription of a perfect hound. Of fixing and forting of kounds; the middle fizcá hund recommended. Of the large deep-mouthed hound før hunting the flag and otter. Of the lime-hound; their use on the io ders of England and Scalond. A phyfical account of fcents. Of good and bad fienting days. Afhort admonition to my brethren of the couples.

THE Chace I fing, hounds and their various

breed,

And no lefs various ufe. O thou great Prince!
Whom Cambria's tow'ring hills proclaim their
lord,

Deign thou to hear my bold inftructive fong.
While grateful citizens with pompous fhew,
Rear the triumphal arch, rich with th'exploits
Of thy illuftrious houfe; while virgins pave
Thy way with flow'rs, and as the Royal Youth
Paffing they view, admire, and figh in vain;
While crowded theatres, too fondly proud
Of their exotic minstrels and fhrill pipes,
The price of manhood, hail thee with a fong,
And airs foft-warbling, my hoarfe-founding horn

Like Indians, view'd this wondrous piece of Invites thee to the Chace, the sport of kings;

skill;

As fomething of divine the work admir'd;
Not hop'd to be inftructed, but infpir'd :
But he, difelong facred mysterics,
Has fhewn where all the mighty magic lics;
Defcrib'd the feds, and in what order föwn,
That have to fuch a vaft proportion grown.
Sure, from fome angel he the fecret kaew,
Who thought this labyrinth has lent the clue.
But what, alas avails it poor mankind,

this promis'd land, yet ftay behind?

Image of war without its guilt. The Mufe
Aloft on wing fhall foar, conduct with care
Thy foaming courfer o'er the freepy rock,
Or on the river bank receive thee fafe,
Light bounding o'er the wave from fhore to shore.
Be thou our great protector, gracious Youth;
And if, in future times, fome envious prince,
Carclefs of right and guileful, should invade
Thy Britam's commerce, or thould strive in vain
To wreft the balance from thy equal hand,
Thy hunter-train in cheerful green array'd

(A band

(A band undaunted and inur'd to toils)
Shall compafs thee around, die at thy feet,
Or hew thy paffage thro' th'embattled foe,
And clear thy way to fame: infpir'd by thee,
The nobler Chace of glory fhall purfue [death.
Thro' fire, and smoke, and blood, and fields of
Nature, in her productions flow, afpires
By juft degrees to reach perfection's height:
So mimic Art works leifurely, till Time
Improve the piece, or wife Experience give
The proper finifhing. When Nimrod bold,
That mighty hunter! firft made war on beafts,
And ftain'd the woodland green with purple dye,
New and unpolifh'd was the huntfinan's art;
No ftated rule; his wanton will his guide.
With clubs and ftones, rude implements of war!
He arm'd his favage bands, a multitude
Untrain'd; of twining ofiers form'd, they pitch
Their artlefs toils, then range the defart hills,
And fcour the plains below: the trembling herd
Start at th'unufual found, and clam'rous fhout
Unheard before; furpriz'd, alas! to find
Man now their foe, whom erft they deem'd their
lord,

'But mild and gentle, and by whom as yet
Secure they graz'd. Deatiftretches o'er the plain
Wide waiting, and grum Slaughter red with blood;
Urg'd on by hunger keen, they wound, they kill;
Their rage licentious knows no bound: at laft,
Incumber'd with their poils, joyful they bear
Upon their fhoulders broad the bleeding prey.
Part on their altars fimokes, a facrifice
To that all-gracious Pow'r whole bounteous hand
Supports his wide creation; what remains,
On living coals they broil, inelegant
Of tafte, nor fkill'd as yet in nicer arts
Of pamper'd luxury. Devotion pure,
And strong neceffity, thus firft began
The Chace of beafts; tho' bloody was the deed,
Yet without guilt; for the green herb alone
Unequal to fuftain man's lab'ring race,
Now ev'ry moving thing that liv'd on earth
Was granted him for food. So juft is Heav'n,
To give us in proportion to our wants.

'Or chance or industry in after-times
Some few improvements made, but fhort as yet
Of due perfection. In this ifle remote
Our painted ancestors were flow to learn;
To arms devote, in the politer arts

cry

Nor skill'd aor studious; till from Neuftria's coafts
Victorious William to more decent rules
Subdu'd our Saxon fathers; taught to speak
The proper dialect, with horn and voice
To cheer the bufy hound, whofe well-known
His lift'ning peers approve with joint acclaim,
From him fucceffive huntfimen learn'd to join
In bloody focial leagues the multitude
Difpers'd, to fize, to fort their various tribes;
To rear, feed, hunt, and difcipline the pack.

Hail, happy Britain highly favour'd Isle,
And Heav'n's peculiar care! to thee 'tis giv'n
To train the fprightly feed, more fleet than thofe
Begot by winds, or the celestial breed

That bore the great Pelides thro' the prefs
Of heroes arm'd, and broke their crouded ranks;
Which proudly neighing, with the fun begins
Cheerful his courfe, and ere his beams decline,
Has meafur'd half thy furface unfatigu'd.
In thee alone, fair land of Liberty
Is bred the perfect hound, in fcent and fpeed
As yet unrivall'd, while in other climes
Their virtue fails, a weak degen'rate race.
In vain malignant fteams and winter fogs
Load the dull air, and hover round our coats;
The huntsman, ever gay, robuft, and bold,
Defies the noxious vapour, and confides
In this delightful exercife, to raise
His drooping head, and cheer his heart with joy.
Ye vig'rous Youths! bysmiling fortune bless'd
With large demefaes, hereditary wealth,
Heap'd copious by your wife forefathers care,
Hear and attend! while I the means reveal
T'enjoy thofe pleafures, for the weak too ftrong,
Too coftly for the poor: to rein the fteed
Swift ftretching o'er the plain, to cheer the pack
Op'ning in concerts of harmonious joy,
But breathing death. What tho' the gripe fevere
Of brazen-fifted time, and flow difeafe
Creeping thro' ev'ry vein and nerve unftrung,
Afflict my thatter'd frame, undaunted still,
Fix'd as a mountain-afh, that braves the bolts
Of angry Jove, tho' blafted yct unfall'n;
Still can my foul in Fancy's mirror view
Deeds glorious once, recal the joyous scene
In all its fplendors deck'd, o'er the full bowl
Recount my triumphs paft, urge others on
With hand and voice, and point the winding way;
Pleas'd with that focial fweet garrulity,
The poor disbanded vet'ran's fole delight.

Firft let the kennel be the huntfman's care,
Upon fome little eminence erect,
And fronting to the ruddy dawn; its courts
On either hand wide op'ning to receive
Thefun's all-cheering beams,when mild he shines,
And gilds the mountain tops: for much the pack
(Rous'dfrom their dark alcoves )delight to stretch,
And bafk in his invigorating ray.

:

Wain'd by the ftreaming light and merry lark,
Forth rush the jolly clan; with tuneful throats
They carol loud, and in grand chorus join'd
Salute the new-born day for not alone
The vegetable world, but men and brutes
Own his reviving influence, and joy
At his approach. Fountain of Light! if chance
Some envious cloud veil thy refulgent brow,
In vain the Mufe's aid; untouch'd, unftrung,
Lies ny mute harp, and thy defponding bard
Sits darkly mafing o'er th'unfinish'd lay.

Let no Corinthian pillars prop the dome,
A vain expence on charitable deeds
Better difpos'd, to clothe the tatter'd wretch
Who fhrinks beneath the blaft; to feed the poor
Pinch'd with afflictive want. For ufe, not state,
Gracefully plain, let each apartment rise.
O'er all let cleanlinefs prefide, no fcraps
Beftrew the pavement, and no half-pick'd bones

Gen. chap. ix. ver. 3.

*Cacus, Virg. Æn. lib. vii

§ 39. The Chace. SOMERVILLE.

BOOK II.

THE ARGUMENT.

Of the power of inftin&t in brutes. Two remarkable inftances in the hunting of the roebuck, and in the hare going to feat in the morning. Of the variety of feats or forms of the hare, according to the change of the feafon, weather, or wind. Defeription of the hare-hunting in all its parts, interffirfed with rules to be obferved by thofe who follow that chace. Tranfition to the Afiatic way of hunting, particular, the magnificent manner of the Great Mogul, and other Tartarian princes. taken from Monfieur Bernier, and the history of Genzilkan the Great. Concludes with a short reproof of tyrants and cppreffors of mankind.

No

FOR will it lefs delight th'attentive fage
T'obferve that instinct,which unerring guides
The brutal race, which mimics Reafon's lore,
And oft tranfcends. Heav'n-taught, the roe-
buck swift

Loiters at cafe before the driving pack,
And mocks their vain pursuit, nor far he flies,
But checks his ardour, till the steaming fcent
That freshens on the blade provokes their rage.
Urg'd to their fpeed, his weak deluded foes
Soon flag fatigu'd; ftrain'd to excefs each nerve,
Each flacken'd finew fails; they pant, they foam;
Then o'er the lawn he bounds, o'er the high hills
Stretches fecure, and leaves the fcatter'd crowd
To puzzle in the diftant vale below.

'Tis inflint that directs the jealous hare
To chufe her foft abode. With step revers'd
She forms the doubling maze; then ere the morn
Peeps thro' the clouds, leaps to her clofe recefs.
As wand'ring fhepherds on th' Arabian plains
No fettled refidence obferve, but shift
Their moving camp, now on fome cooler hill,
With.cedars crown'd, court the refiething breeze,
And then below, where trickling streams diftil
From fome penurious fource, their thirst allay,
And feed their fainting flocks; fo the wife hares
Oft quit their feats, left fome more curious eye
Should mark their haunts, and, by dark treach-
'rous wiles,

Plot their deftruction; or perchance, in hopes
Of plenteous forage, near the ranker mead
Or matted blade wary and clofe they fit.
When fpring fhines forth, feaion of love and joy,
In the moit marfh, 'mong beds of rufhes hid,
They cool their boiling blood. When fümmer funs
Bake the cleft earth, to thick wide-waving fields
Of corn full grown they lead their helpless young;
But when autumnal torrents and fierce rains
Deluge the vale, in the dry crumbling bank
Their forms they delve, and cautiously avoid
The dripping covert; yet, when winter's cold
Their limbs benumbs, thither with speed return'd,
In the long grafs they fculk, or fhrinking creep
Among the wither'd leaves: thus changing full
As fancy prompts then, or as food invites.
But ev'ry feafon carefully obferv'd,

Th'inconftant winds, the fickle element,
The wife experienc'd huntíman foon may find
His fubtle, various game, nor wafte in vain
His tedious hours, till his impatient hounds,
With difappointment vex'd, each fpringing lark
Babbling purlue, far fcatter'd o'er the fields.
Now golden Autumn, from her open lap
Her flagrant bounties fhow'rs; the fields are thorn,
Inwardly fmiling, the proud farmer views
The rifing pyramids that grace his yard,
And counts his large increase: his barns are stor'd,
And groaning ftaddles bend beneath their load.
All now is free as air, and the gay pack
In the rough briftly ftubbles range unblam'd.
No widow's tears o'erflow, no fecret curfe
Swells in the farmer's breaft, which his pale lips
But courteous now he levels ev'ry fence,
Trembling conceal, by his fierce landlord aw'd ;
Joins in the common cry, and halloos loud,
Charm'd with the rattling thunder of the field.
Oh! bear me, fome kind Pow'r invifible!
To that extended lawn, where the gay court
View the fwift racers, stretching to the goal!
Games more renown'd, and a far nobler train
Than proud Elean fields could boast of old.
Oh! were a Theban lyre not wanting here,
And Pindar's voice, to do their merit right;
Or to thofe fpacious plains, where the ftrain'd eye,
In the wide profpect loft, beholds at last
Sarum's proud fpire, that o'er the hills ascends,
And pierces thro' the clouds; or to thy downs,
Fair Cotfwold! where the well-breath'd beagle
climbs,

With matchlefs fpeed, thy green afpiring brow,
And leaves the lagging multitude behind.

Hail, gentle Dawn mild blushing goddeft,'
Rejoic'd, I fee thy purple mantle fpread [haii!
O'er half the fkies, gems pave thy radiant way,
And orient pearls from ev'ry fhrub depend.
Farewell Cleora! here, deep funk in down,
Slumber fecure, with happy dreams amus'd,
Till grateful fteams fhall tempt thee to receive
Thy carly meal, or thy officious maids,
The toilette plac'd, shall urge thee to perform
Th'important work. Me other joys invite;
The horn fonorous calls, the pack awak'd,
Their matins chaunt, nor brook my long delay;
My courferhcars their voice: fee there! with ears
And tail erect, neighing he paws the ground;
Fierce rapture kindles in his redd'ning eyes,
And boils in ev'ry vein. As captive boys,
Cow'd by the ruling rod and haughty frowns
Of pedagogues fevere, from their hard tasks
If once difinifs'd, no limits can contain
The tumult rais'd within their little breasts,
But give a loofe to all their frolic play,
So from their kennel rush the joyous pack;
A thousand wanton gaieties exprefs
Their inward ecftafy, their pleafing sport
Once more indulg'd, and liberty reftor'd.
The rifing fun, that o'er th'horizon peeps,
As many colours from their ghoftly fkins
Beaming reflects, as paint the various bow
When April fhow'rs defcend. Delightful scene!
Where all around is gay! men, horses, dogs,

And