"Then led thee, circled with the laughing hours, "Where sport young Zephyrs o'er the waste of flow'rs; "With richer strokes the warm description wrought, "And touch'd with transport all the fprings of thought.

"Mine was the ray on Night's dim-curtain thrown, "And mine the glafs where gay Creation fhone; "Mine the bold wing that shot where Tempests rise, "And mine the flight that reach'd the flarry skies."

He ceas'd:—for fudden on the wond'ring gaze,
From heav'n's broad concave burft the rapid blaze!
At once descending from the realms on high,
An angel-shape arrests the dazzled eye!

Loose o'er her limbs the floating garment roll'd,
Her sparkling pinions flam'd with beamy gold,
Her eyes like lightning glanc'd a piercing ray,
And all th' illumin'd æther gleam'd with day!
Near as the came, fuperior though refign'd,
Her Form majestic aw'd the dubious mind;
With heighten'd grace her bloomy features glow'd,
Free on her robe the mazy ringlets flow'd;
Her balmy breath ambrofial fcents perfume,
And o'er her cheek was pour'd celeftial bloom.
Pale Sorrow brightned as RELIGION came,
And flow-pac'd Time ftood trembling at the name;

Rage dragg'd in triumph fwell'd her folemn train, And Death behind her groan'd, and clank'd his chain.

SHE paus'd;—and mufing o'er the fun'ral bier, Sigh'd deeply-fad, and pour'd a tender tear ; Then check'd its courfe; and brightning as the fun She look'd to heav'n ferene, and thus begun :

HAIL, thou escap'd to yonder worlds above ! "Hail, join'd to faints that melt in ftrains of love! «At laft 'tis come! the bright transforming day! "Th' exulting spirit burfts, and foars away! "Loofe are its bars! and gain'd th' immortal prize, "It breathes of heav'n fublime, and walks the skies! "But late my hand yon beauteous fcenes difplay'd, "And led thy fteps thro' Life's perplexing shade! « The vivid wish a distant prospect brought, "The rapt foul trembling o'er the verge of thought! "Yet then what transport taught thy hope to foar! "How flam'd the kindling look that glanc'd it o'er! "How Fancy's touch the glowing draught refin'd! "And light celestial pour'd upon the mind."

"A RACE unborn thy genius fhall infpire, " And fouls yet dark'ned catch fublime defire.— "When to thy page, in fome fequester'd bow'r, "Calm mufing Thought devotes the serious hour:

Juft

Juft when Afpafia's ftrain has warm'd the breast, "When Quiet foothes the fettling foul to rest;

"Then shall my hand fuperior pow'r impart, "Then Love's perfuafive lay fhall melt the heart; "Then shall Religion's pureft beams be giv'n: "Now reftin Peace."-She faid, and foar'd to heav'n.

THE

THE

Third Chapter of HABAKKUK

PARAPHRASE D.

WRAPT

RAPT in the blaze of bright furrounding
flame,

From Paran's lofty brow th' ALMIGHTY came:
All heav'n with terror view'd His rifing frown,
His dazzling eyes with living fplendor fhone,
Blaz'd the blue arch! th' eternal portals glow!
Each rocking mountain bow'd, and groan'd below!
A troop of ghaftly phantomes ftrode before,
Blue blasting Plague, and War that floats in gore;
Loud Fury, roaring with tumult'ous cries,
And frantic Pain that tears her burning eyes;
Revenge, that boils like fome fermenting flood,
Grief that confumes, and Rage that weeps in blood.

ON Judah's broad domain He caft His view; His eyes all-radiant piercing as He flew !

Then mark'd its bound, and with one ftern command Th'affrighted nations fhook, and swept them from the

land.

Then

Then heav'n-bred Terror feiz'd on ev'ry foul,
And rock'd the labouring earth from pole to pole;
Creation totter'd at the dreadful found!

Groan'd all the hills! and burft the folid ground! The fweeping winds each tow'ring mountain bear Full on their wings, and whirl them in the air!

ON Cufhan's tents He aim'd a fatal blow, And Midian trembled at th' Almighty Foe. He call'd the deep:-its tumbling waves obey; Th'astonish'd flood roll'd back to make Him way! Whence rofe His ire? did e'er the flood displease Its God? or raged His fury on the feas?

-

When Ifrael's wond'ring hosts JEHOVAH led,
Why shrunk the backward rivers to their head?
Why roar'd the Ocean from its inmost caves?
What arm reprefs'd, and froze the boiling waves?
O'er its broad bofom heav'n's Eternal rode,
The waves divide before th' advancing God!

In heaps the cleaving billows lay o'erthrown,
He stopp'd their course, and touch'd them into stone!

Lo, where he comes!-defcending from afar
In all the pomp of defolating war!

His cloudy brow with frowning vengeance lowrs,
And bursting round the forky thunder roars.

See