But when the mother's throes begin to come,
The creature, pent within the narrow room,
Breaks his blind prison, pushing to repair
His stifled breath, and draw the living air;
Cast on the margin of the world he lies,
A helpless babe, but he by instinct cries.
He next essays to walk, but downward prest,
On four feet, imitates his brother beast:
By slow degrees he gathers from the ground
His legs, and to the rolling chair is bound;
Then walks alone; a horseman now become,
He rides a stick, and travels round the room.
In time he vaunts among his youthful peers,
Strong-bon'd, and strung with nerves, in pride of years.
He runs with mettle his first merry stage,
Maintains the next, abated of his rage,

But manages his strength, and spares his age.
Heavy the third, and stiff he sinks apace,

And, tho' 'tis down-hill all, but creeps along the race.
Now, sapless, on the verge of death he stands,
Contemplating his former feet and hands.

Thy teeth, devouring Time, thine, envious Age,
On things below still exercise your rage;
With venom'd grinders you corrupt your meat,
And then, at lingering meals, the morsels eat.
Nor those, which element we call, abide,
Nor to this figure, nor to that are tied:
For this eternal world is said of old,
But four prolific principles to hold,

Four diff'rent bodies; two to heav'n ascend,
And other two down to the centre tend:

Fire first, with wings expanded, mounts on high,
Pure, void of weight, and dwells in upper sky;
Then air, because unclogg'd in empty space,
Flies after fire, and claims the second place;
But weighty water, as her nature guides,

Lies on the lap of earth; and mother earth subsides.
All things are mix'd of these, which all contain,
And into these are all resolv'd again:

Thus are their figures never at a stand,

But chang'd by Nature's innovating hand;

All things are alter'd, nothing is destroy'd,
The shifted scene for some new show employ'd.
Then, to be born, is to begin to be
Some other thing we were not formerly:
And what we call to die, is not t' appear,
Nor be the thing that formerly we were.
Those very elements, which we partake,
Alive, when dead some other bodies make;
Translated grow, have sense, or can discourse;
But death on deathless substance has no force.
That forms are chang'd, I grant; that nothing can
Continue in the figure it began;

The golden age, to silver was debas'd;
To copper that; our metal came at last.

The face of places, and their forms, decay;
And that is solid earth, that once was sea;
Seas, in their turn, retreating from the shore,
Make solid land, what ocean was before;
And far from strands are shells of fishes found,
And rusty anchors fix'd on mountain ground:
And what were fields before, now wash'd and worn
By falling floods from high, to valleys turn
And crumbling still descend to level lands;
And lakes and trembling bogs are barren sands:
And the parch'd desert floats in streams unknown;
Wond'ring to drink of waters not her own.

All changing species should my song recite;
Before I ceas'd would change the day to night.
Nations and empires flourish and decay,
By turns command, and in their turns obey;
Time softens hardy people; time again
Hardens to war a soft, unwarlike train.
And, therefore, I conclude, whatever lies,
In earth, or flits in air, or fills the skies,
All suffer change; and we, that are of soul
And body mix'd, are members of the whole.
Then when our sires, or grandsires, shall forsake
The forms of men, and brutal figures take,
Thus hous'd, securely let their spirits rest,
Nor violate thy father in the beast,
Thy friend, thy brother, any of thy kin,

If none of these, yet there's a man* within. spare to make a Thyestæn meal,

T' inclose his body, and his soul expel.

Ill customs by degrees to habits rise,
Ill habits soon become exalted vice:
What more advance can mortals make in sin
So near perfection who with blood begin?
Deaf to the calf, that lies beneath the knife,
Looks up, and from her butcher begs her life:
Deaf to the harmless kid, that ere he dies,

All methods to procure thy mercy tries,

And imitates, in vain, thy children's cries.

Where will he stop, who feeds with household bread,
Then eats the poultry which before he fed?

Let plough thy steers; that, when they lose their breath,
To Nature, not to thee, they may impute their death.

Let goats for food their loaded udders lend,

And sheep from winter-cold thy sides defend;
But neither springes, nets, nor snares employ,
And be no more ingenious to destroy.
Free as in air let birds on earth remain,
Nor let insidious glue their wings constrain:
Nor op'ning hounds the trembling stag affright,
Nor purple feathers intercept his flight;
Nor hooks conceal'd in baits for fish prepare,
Nor lines to heave 'm twinkling up in air.

Take not away that life you cannot give,
For all things have an equal right to live.
Kill noxious creatures, where 'tis sin to save;
This only just prerogative we have:
But nourish life with vegetable food,
And shun the sacrilegious taste of blood."

These precepts by the Samian sage were taught,
Which godlike Numa to the Sabines brought,
And thence transferr'd to Rome, by gift his own:
A willing people, and an offer'd throne.
O happy monarch, sent by heav'n to bless
A savage nation with soft arts of peace!

Portions of the elements of former men.

FROM PLUTARCH'S MORALS.

Pythagoras taught in certain enigmatical sentences, which I shall here relate and expound, as being greatly useful to further virtuous inclinations, such as these;

"Taste not of creatures that have black tails:"-That is, converse not with men that are smutted with vicious qualities.

"Stride not over the beam of a pair of scales :"-Wherein he teaches us the regard we ought to have for justice, so as not to go beyond its measures.

"Sit not on a bushel:"-Wherein he forbids sloth, and requires us to take care to provide ourselves of necessaries for a livelihood.

"Do not strike hands with every man :"-He means that we ought not to be over-hasty to make acquaintances or friendships with others.

"Wear not a strait ring:"-That is, we are to labor after a free and undepending way of living, and not be indebted to others,

"Stir not up the fire with a sword:"-Signifying that we ought not to provoke one more, who is angry already, (as being an act of great indecency,) but rather comply with them while their passion is in its heat.

"Eat not of an heart:"-Which forbids to afflict our souls, and spend our spirits with vexatious cares.

"Abstain from beans:"-That is keep out of public offices; for anciently, new magistrates were chosen, and the old discharged by suffrages, numbered by beans.

"Put not food in a chamber pot:' -Wherein he declares the unsuitableness of a good discourse, (such as is fit to nour ish the mind,) to one whose mind is prepossessed with vicious habits; as that which is endangered to defilement from such

men.

"When men are arrived at the goal, they should not return back again :"-That is, those who are near the end of their days, and see the period of their lives approaching, ought to entertain it contentedly, and not be grieved at it.

2

According to his system, the purpose of philosophy is to free the mind from all incumbrances, and elevate it to the study of immutable truth, and the knowledge of Nature; and the end of wisdom is, to assimilate the human mind to the divine, which can only be done by the practice. of beneficence and truth. This beneficence he extended to all animals, and the better to ensure its practice, he even recommended total abstinence from their flesh. His maxims, from their intrinsic value, and their being arranged in numbers, were called "Golden Verses;" the following are a specimen :

"Do that which you think to be right, whatever the vulgar may think of you; if you despise their praise, disregard also their censure. Be not intimidated by vain threats; let them not divert you from your laudable purpose. Let uprightness influence you in all your actions, and be sincere in whatever you say. Do nothing mean in the presence of others, nor in secret; but let it be your chief law, to respect yourself. It is better that others should respect you, than that they should fear you; for esteem accompanies respect, but fear is attended by hatred. To give a child the best education, send it to live in a well regulated state. Let youth be instructed in the best course of life, and habit will render it the most pleasant. Reproof and correction, are only useful when accompanied with evident marks of the affection of the parent or teacher. Sobriety or temperance is the real strength of mind; for it preserves reason unclouded by passion. No man is free, who has not the command over himself, but submits himself to the tyranny of his passions."

Let not soft slumbers close your eyes,
Before you've recollected thrice

Your train of actions through the day,

And where your thoughts have trac'd their way.

What know I more, that's worth the knowing?
What have I done, that's worth the doing?
What have I sought, that I should shun?
What duty have I left undone?

Or into what new follies run?