Though with those streams he no refemblance hold,
Whose foam is Amber, and their Gravel Gold;
His genuine, and lefs guilty wealth t' explore,
Search not his bottom, but furvey his fhore
O're which he kindly spreads his fpacious wing:
And hatches plenty for th' enfuing Spring.
Nor then deftroys it with too fond a ftay,
Like Mothers which their Infants overlay :
Nor with a fudden and impetuous wave,
Like profufe Kings, refums the wealth he gave ;
No unexpected inundations spoil

The Mowers hopes, nor mock the Plowmans toyl:
But Godlike his unwearied Bounty flows;

First loves to do, than loves the Good he does :
Nor are his Bleffings to his banks confin'd,
But free, and common, as the Sea or Wind;
When he to boaft or to difperfe his ftores
Full of the tributes of his grateful fhores,
Vifits the World, and in his flying towers

Brings home to us, and makes both Indies ours;
Finds wealth where 'tis, beftows it where it wants,
Cities in defarts, Woods in Cities plants.
So that to us no thing, no place is ftrange,
While his fair bofom is the World's exchange.
O could I flow like thee, and make thy ftream
My great example, as it is my theme!

Though deep, yet clear, though gentle, yet not dull,
Strong without rage, without o're-flowing full.

Heaven

The Forrest.

Heaven her Eridanus no more fhall boast,
Whofe Fame in thine, like leffer Currents loft;
Thy nobler Streams fhall vifit Jove's Aboads,
To fhine among the Stars, and bathe the Gods:
Here Nature, whether more intent to please
Us, or her felf with ftrange Varieties;
(For Things of Wonder give no lefs Delight
To the wife Makers, than Beholder's Sight.
Though thefe Delights from feveral Caufes wove,
For fo our Children, thus our Friends we love)
Wifely the knew the Harmony of Things,
As well as that of Sounds, from Difcords fprings.
Such was the Discord, which did first disperse
Form, Order, Beauty, through the Univerfes
While Drinefs, Moisture, Coldness, Heat refifts,
All that we have, and that we have fubfifts.
While the fteep horrid Roughness of the Wood
Strive with the gentle Calmness of the Flood.
Such huge Extreams when Nature doth unite,,
Wonder from thence refults, from thence Delight;
The Stream is fo tranfparent, pure and clear,
That had the felf-enamour'd Youth gaz'd here,
So fatally deceiv'd he had not been,

"

While he the Bottom, not his Face had feen.
But his proud Head the airy Mountain hides.
Among the Clouds; his Shoulders, and his Sides
A fhady Mantle clothes; his curled Brows
Frown on the gentle Stream, which calmly flows,

Narciffus

While

While Winds and Storms his lofty Forehead beat
The common Fate of all that's High or Great.
Low at his Foot a fpacious Plain is plac'd,
Between the Mountain and the Stream embrac'd:
Which Shade and Shelter from the Hill derives,'
While the kind iver, Wealth and Beauty gives;
And in the mixture of all thefe appears
Variety, which all the reft indears.

This Scene, had fome bold Greek, or British Bard
Beheld of old, what Stories had we heard

Of Fairies, Satyrs, and the Nymphs, their Dames,
Their Feafts, their Revels, and their Amorous Flames?
'Tis ftill the fame, altho' their airy Shape,
All but a quick Poetick Sight efcape.
There Faunus and Silvanis keep their Courts,
And thither all the horned Hoaft resorts,
To graze the ranker Mead, that noble Heard
On whose fublime and fhady Fronts is rear'd
Nature's great Mafter-Piece; to fhew how foon
Great things are made, but fooner are undone..
Here have I feen the King, when great Affairs
Gave leave to flacken, and unbend his Cares,
Attended to the Chafe by all the Flower
Of Youth, whofe Hopes a nobler Prey devour:
Pleasure with Praife, and Danger, they would buy,
And with a Foe that would not only fly.
The Stag now conscious of his fatal Growth,
At once indulgent to his Fear and Sloth,
To fome dark Covert his Retreat had made,
Where no Man's Eye, nor Heaven's fhould invade
His fof Repofe; when th' unexpected Sound
Of Dogs and Men, his wakeful Ear doth wound:
Rouz'd with the Noife, he scarce believes his Ear;
Willing to think th' Illufions of his Fear
had given this false Alarm, but strait his View
Confirms, that more than all he fears is true:

Betray'd

Betray'd in all his Strengths, the Wood befet,
All Inftruments, all Arts of Ruine met

He calls to mind his Strength, and then his Speed,
His winged Heels, and then his Armed Head;
With these t' avoid, with that his Fate to meet;
But fear prevails, and bids him trust his Feet.
So faft he flies, that his reviewing eye
Has loft the Chafers, and his ear the Cry:
Exulting, till he finds, their Nobler Senfe
Their difproportion'd Speed does recompenfe.
Then curfes his confpiring Feet, who scent
Betrays that fafety, which their fwiftnefs lent.
Then tries his Friends, among the bafer heard,
Where he fo lately was obey'd, and fear'd,
His fafety feeks: the Herd, unkindly wife,
Or Chafes him from thence, or from him flies.
Like a declining Statesman, left forlorn
To his Friends pity, and Purfuers fcorn;
With fhame remembers, while himself was one
Of the fame Herd, himself the fame had done.
Thence to the Coverts, and the conscious Groves,
The Scenes of his paft Triumphs, and his Loves;
Sadly furveying where he rang'd alone

Prince of the Soil, and all the Herd his own;
And like a bold Knight Errant did proclaim
Combat to all, and bore away the Dame;
And taught the Woods to Echo to the Stream
His dreadful Challenge, and his clashing Beam:
Yet fairly now declines the fatal ftrife;
So much his Love was dearer than his Life.
Now every Leaf, and every moving Breath
Prefents a Foe, and every Foe a Death.
Wearied, forfaken, and purfu'd, at last
All fafety in defpair of safety plac'd,
Courage he thence refumes, refolv'd to bear
All their Affaults, fince 'tis in vain to fear,

And

And now too late he wishes for the fight,
That strength he wafted in ignoble flight:
But when he fees the eager Chafe renew'd
Himself by Dogs, the Dogs by Men pursu❜d :
He ftrait revokes his bold refolve, and more
Repents his courage, than his fear before;
Finds that uncertain ways unfafeft are,
And Doubt a greater mischief than Despair.
Then to the Stream, when neither Friends, nor Force,
Nor fpeed, nor Art avail, he fhaps his course;
Thinks not their rage fo defperate t'affay
An Element more merciless than they.
But fearless they pursue, nor can the Flood
Quench their dire Thirft; alas, they thirst for Blood.
So toward a Ship the oarefin'd Gallies ply,
Which wanting Sea to ride, or Wind to fly,
Stands but to fall reveng'd on those that dare
Tempt the last fury of extream Despair.
So fares the Stag among the enrag'd Hounds,
Repels their force, and wounds returns for wounds
And as a Hero, whom his bafer Foes

In Troops furrounds, now these affails, now thofe,
Though Prodigal of Life, difdains to dye
By common hands; but if he can defcry
Some nobler Foes approach, to him he calls,
And begs his Fate, and then contented falls.
So when the King a mortal Shaft lets flye
From his unerring hand, then glad to dye,
Proud of the wound, to it refigns his Blood,
And ftains the Crystal with a purple Flood.
This a more innocent and happy Chafe,
Than when of old, but in the felf-fame place,
* Fair Liberty purfu'd, and meant a Prey
To lawless power, here turn'd, and food at Bay.

Runny Mead. where that Great Charter was firft fealed.

When