Slow creaking turns the door with jealous care,
And half he welcomes in the shiv'ring pair;
One frugal faggot lights the naked walls,
And nature's fervor thro' their limbs recalls:
Bread of the coarest fort, with eager wine,
(Each hardly granted) ferv'd them both to dine;
And when the tempeft first appear'd to cease,
A ready warning bid them part in peace.
With still remark the pond'ring Hermit view'd, In one fo rich, a life fo poor and rude;
And why shou'd fuch, within himself he cry'd,
Lock the loft wealth a thousand want befide?
But what new marks of wonder soon took place,
In ev'ry fettling feature of his face;
When from his veft the young companion bore
That cup, the gen'rous Landlord own'd before,
And paid profufely with the precious bowl
The ftinted kindness of this churlifh foul.
But now the clouds in airy tumult fly,
The fun emerging opes an azure sky;
A fresher green the smelling leaves display,
And glitt❜ring as they tremble, chear the day :
The weather courts them from the poor retreat,
And the glad mafter bolts the wary gate.
While hence they walk, the Pilgrim's bofom
With all the travel of uncertain thought; [wrought,
His partner's acts without their caufe appear,
'Twas there a vice, and feem'd a madness here:
Detefting that, and pitying this he goes,
Loft and confounded with the various fhows.
Now night's dim shades again involve the sky, Again the wand'rers want a place to lye, Again they fearch, and find a lodging nigh. The foil improv❜d around, the mansion neat, And neither poorly low, nor idly great: It seem'd to speak its master's turn of mind, Content, and not for praife, but virtue kind. Hither the walkers turn with weary feet, Then blefs the manfion, and the mafter greet:
Their greeting fair, beftow'd with modeft guife,
The courteous mafter hears, and thus replies:
Without a vain, without a grudging heart,
To him who gives us all, I yield a part;
From him you come, for him accept it here,
A frank and fober, more than coftly cheer.
He fpoke, and bid the welcome table spread,
Then talk'd of virtue till the time of bed,
When the grave houshold round his hall repair,
Warn'd by a bell, and close the hours with pray'r.
At length the world renew'd by calm repose
Was ftrong for toil, the dappled morn arofe;
Before the Pilgrim's part, the younger crept,
Near the clos'd cradle where an infant flept.
And writh'd his neck: the Landlord's little pride,
O ftrange return! grew black, and gafp'd, and dy'd.
Horror of horrors! what! his only fon!
How look'd our Hermit when the fact was done ?
Not hell, tho' hell's black jaws in sunder part, And breathe blue fire, cou'd more affault his heart.
Confus'd, and ftruck with filence at the deed,
He flies, but trembling fails to fly with speed.
His steps the Youth purfues; the country lay
Perplex'd with roads, a fervant show'd the way:
A river cross'd the path; the paffage o'er
Was nice to find; the fervant rode before;
Long arms of oaks an open bridge supply'd,
And deep the waves beneath the bending glide.
The Youth, who feem'd to watch a time to fin,
Approach'd the careless Guide, and thrust him in ;
Plunging he falls, and rifing lifts his head,
Then flashing turns, and finks among the dead.
Wild, sparkling rage inflames the father's eyes,
He burfts the bands of fear, and madly cries,
Detefted wretch- -But fcarce his fpeech began,
When the strange partner feem'd no longer man :
His youthful face grew more ferenely fweet;
His robe turn'd white, and flow'd upon his feet;
Fair rounds of radiant points invest his hair;
Celestial odours breathe thro' purpled air ;
And wings, whofe colours glitter'd on the day,
Wide at his back their gradual plumes difplay.
The form etherial burfts upon his fight,
And moves in all the majefty of light.
Tho' loud at firft the Pilgrim's paffion grew,
Sudden he gaz'd, and wist not what to do;
Surprize in fecret chains his words fufpends,
And in a calm his fettling temper ends.
But filence here the beauteous Angel broke,
(The voice of mufic ravifh'd as he spoke.)
Thy pray'r, thy praise, thy life to vice unknown, In fweet memorial rife before the throne:
These charms, fuccess in our bright region find,
And force an Angel down, to calm thy mind;
For this commiffion'd, I forfook the fky,
Nay, cease to kneel-Thy fellow-servant I.
Then know the truth of government divine,
And let these fcruples be no longer thine.
The Maker jufily claims that world he made, In this the right of providence is laid;
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