have been deterred from approaching it, if he had seen nothing, in the whole prospect, but the sublime, the solemn, and the sombrous.
The reader will have no cause to complain, if, instead of Extracts, he often finds poems inserted entire. This has been done whenever it seemed consistent with the design, and could be done without injustice. In this matter, the opinion of those, who must be supposed best qualified to give it, was asked and followed. The wish was, to take nothing but what seemed to lie on the common, relinquished or neglected by the lord of the
Though the Book is divided into Four Parts, yet the formality of regular and systematical arrangement of the component pieces has not been observed. Such compilations as these have not unfrequently been called garlands and nosegays: but, in a garland or nosegay, who would place the tulips, the lilies, the pinks, and the roses, in separate compartments? In a disposition so artificial, their beauty and fragrance would be less pleasing than if they were carelessly mingled with all the ease and wildness of natural variety. I hope the analogy will hold if not, I must throw myself, in this, as I do in all other circumstances of this Publication, upon my Reader's indulgence. I expect not praise; but I confide in receiving pardon.
Perhaps the Reader will be the more inclined to extend it towards me, if I do not weary him with apologies. I will, then, conclude my preface with the ideas of Montaigne :-"I have here only made a nosegay of culled flowers, and have brought nothing of my own but the thread that ties them."
Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss!
§ 2. Adam and Eve, in a Morning Hymn,
call upon all the Parts of the Creation to
join with them in extolling their common
Maker.
MILTON.
THESE Are Thy glorious works, Parent of good,
Almighty, thine this universal frame,
Thus wondrous fair; thyself how wondrous
Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these Heavens
To us invisible, or dimly seen
In these thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r di-
With thy bright circlet, praise him in thy
sphere,
While day arises, that sweet hour of prime.
Thou, Sun, of this great world both eye and
Acknowledge him thy greater, sound his praise
In thy eternal course, both when thou climb'st,
And when high noon has gain'd, and when
Moon, that now meet'st the orient sun, now
With the fix'd stars, fix'd in their orb that flies,
fly'st
And ye
five other wand'ring fires that move
In mystic dance, not without song, resound
His praise, who out of darkness call'd up light.
Air, and ye Elements, the eldest birth
Of nature's womb, that in quaternion run
Perpetual circle, multiform; and mix
And nourish all things; let your ceaseless
change
Vary to our great Maker still new praise.
Ye Mists and Exhalations that now rise
From hill or steaming lake, dusky or grey,
Till the sun paint your fleecy skirts with gold,
In honor to the world's great Author rise,
Whether to deck with clouds th' uncolor'd sky,
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers,
Rising or falling still advance his praise.
His praise, ye Winds, that from four quarters
blow,
Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light,
Angels; for ye behold him, and with songs
And choral symphonies, day without night,
Circle his throne rejoicing; ye in Heaven,
On Earth, join all ye creatures to extol
Him first, him last, him midst, and without end.
Fairest of stars, last in the train of night,
If better thou belong not to the dawn, [morn
Sure pledge of day, that crown'st the smiling With every plant in sign of worship wave.
VOL. v. Nos. 67 & 68.
Breathe soft or loud; and wave your tops, ye
Pines,
Fountains, and ye that warble as ye flow,
Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise.
Join voices, all ye living Souls; ye Birds,
That singing up to Heaven's gate ascend,
Bear on your wings and in your notes his praise.
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep;
Witness if I be silent, morn or even,
To hill or valley, fountain or fresh shade
Made vocal by my song, and taught his praise.
Hail, universal lord! be bounteous still
To give us only good; and if the night
Have gather'd aught of evil, or conceal'd,
Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark.
§3. Hymn on Gratitude. ADDison. WHEN all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys;
Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise.
O how shall words with equal warmth
The gratitude declare
That glows within my ravish'd heart?
But thou canst read it there.
Thy providence my life sustain'd,
And all my wants redress'd,
When in the silent womb I lay,
And hung upon the breast.
To all my weak complaints and cries
Thy mercy lent an ear,
Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learn
To form themselves in pray'r.
Unnumber'd comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestow'd,
Before my infant heart conceiv'd
From whom those comforts flow'd.
When in the slipp'ry paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm unseen convey'd me safe,
And led me up to man.
Through hidden dangers, toils, and deaths,
It gently clear'd my way,
And through the pleasing snares of vice,
More to be fear'd than they.
When worn with sickness, oft hast thou
With health renew'd my face,
And when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Reviv'd my soul with grace.
Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss
Has made my cup run o'er,
And in a kind and faithful friend
Has doubled all my store.
Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ,
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,
That tastes those gifts with joy.
Through every period of my life
Thy goodness I'll pursue ;
And after death in distant worlds
The glorious theme renew.
When nature fails, and day and night
Divide thy works no more,
My ever grateful heart, O Lord,
Thy mercy shall adore.
Through all eternity to Thee
A joyful song I'll raise,
For O! eternity's too short
To utter all thy praise.
4. Hymn on Providence. Addison.
THE Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care:
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noon-day walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.
When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountains pant,
To fertile vales, and dewy meads,
My weary wand'ring steps he leads;
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.
Though in the paths of Death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,
For thou, O Lord, art with me still;
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful shade.
Though in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious lonely wilds I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile :
The barren wilderness shall smile,
With sudden greens and herbage crown'd;
And streams shall murmur all around.
§ 5. Another Hymn, from the beginning of the 19th Psalm. ADDISON.
THE spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim:
Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's pow'r display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty hand.
Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the list'ning earth,
Repeats the story of her birth:
Whilst all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.
What though in solemn silence all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball!
What though nor real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found!
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
For ever singing as they shine,
"The hand that made us is Divine."
6. Psalm 8th. MERRICK.
IMMORTAL King! through Earth's wide frame
How great thy honor, praise, and name!
Whose reign o'er distant worlds extends,
Whose glory, heav'n's vast height transcends.
From infants thou canst strength upraise,
And form their lisping tongues to praise :
By these the vengeance-breathing Foe
Thy mightier terrors taught to know,
In mute astonishment shall stand,
And bow beneath thy conquering hand.
When, rapt in thought, with wakeful eye
I view the wonders of the sky,
Whose frame thy fingers o'er our head
In rich magnificence have spread;
The silent Moon, with waxing horn,
Along th' ethereal region borne ;
The stars with vivid lustre crown'd,
That nightly walk their destin'd round;
Lord! What is Man, that in thy care
His humble lot should find a share;
Or what the Son of Man, that Thou
Thus to his wants thy ear shouldst bow?
His rank awhile, by thy decree,
Th' Angelic Tribes beneath them see,
Till round him thy imparted rays
With unextinguish'd glory blaze.
Subjected to his feet by Thee,
To him all nature bows the knee;
The beasts in him their Lord behold;
The grazing herd, the bleating fold,
The savage race, a countless train,
That range at large th' extended plain,
The fowls, of various wing, that fly
O'er the vast desert of the sky,
And all the wat'ry tribes, that glide
Through paths to human sight deny'd.
Immortal King! through Earth's wide frame,
How great thy honor, praise, and name!
7. Psalm 23d. MERRICK.
Lo, my shepherd's hand divine!
Want shall never more be mine.
In a pasture fair and large
He shall feed his happy charge,
And my couch with tenderest care
'Midst the springing grass prepare.
When I faint with summer's heat,
He shall lead my weary feet
To the streams that still and slow
Through the verdant meadow flow,
He my soul anew shall frame,
And, his mercy to proclaim,
When through devious paths I stray,
Teach my steps the better way.
Though the dreary vale I tread
By the shades of death o'erspread;
There I walk from terror free,
While my ev'ry wish I see
By thy rod and staff supplied;
This my guard, and that my guide.
While my foes are gazing on,
Thou thy favoring care hast shown:
Thou my plenteous board hast spread;
Thou with oil refresh'd my head;
Fill'd by thee my cup o'erflows;
For thy love no limit knows.
Constant, to my latest end,
This my footsteps shall attend,
And shall bid thy hallow'd dome
Yield me an eternal home.
§ 8. An Hymn to the Supreme Being. An Imitation of the 104th Psalm. BLACKLOCK.
ARISE, my soul! on wings seraphic rise! And praise th' Almighty Sov'reign of the skies;
In whom alone essential glory shines, Which not the heav'n of heav'ns, nor bound less space confines.
When darkness ruled with universal sway, He spoke, and kindled up the blaze of day; First, fairest offspring of th' omnific word! Which like a garment cloth'd its sov'reign Lord.
On liquid air he bade the columns rise,
That prop the starry concave of the skies;
Diffus'd the blue expanse from pole to pole,
And spread circumfluent ether round the
whole.
Soon as he bids impetuous tempests fly,
To wing his sounding chariot through the sky,
Impetuous tempests the command obey,
Sustain his flight, and sweep th' aerial way,
Fraught with his mandates, from the realms
on high,
Unnumbered hosts of radiant heralds fly
From orb to orb, with progress unconfined,
As lightning swift, resistless as the wind.
In ambient air this pond'rous ball he hung, And bade its centre rest for ever strong; Heav'n, air, and sea, with all their storms in
Assault the basis of the firm machine.
At thy Almighty voice old Ocean raves,
Wakes all his force, and gathers all his waves;
Nature lies mantled in a wat'ry robe,
And shoreless billows revel round the globe:
O'er highest hills the higher surges rise,
Mix with the clouds, and meet the fluid skies.
But when in thunder the rebuke was giv'n,
That shook th' eternal firmament of heav'n;
The grand rebuke th' affrighted waves obey,
And in confusion scour their uncouth way;
And posting rapid to the place decreed,
Wind down the hills, and sweep the humble
mead.
Reluctant in their bounds the waves subside;
The bounds, impervious to the lashing tide,
Restrain its rage; whilst, with incessant roar,
It shakes the caverns, and assaults the shore.
By him, from mountains cloth'd in lucid
Through fertile vales the mazy rivers flow.
Here the wild horse, unconscious of the rein, That revels boundless o'er the wide champaign,
Imbibes the silver surge, with heat opprest,
To cool the fever of his glowing breast.
Here rising boughs, adorn'd with summer's
pride,
Project their waving umbrage o'er the tide ;
While, gently perching on the leafy spray,
Each feather'd warbler tunes his various lay:
And, while thy praise they symphonise around,
Creation echoes to the grateful sound.
How perfect then must the great Parent shine,
Who with one act of energy divine
Laid the vast plain, and finished the design !”
Where'er the pleasing search my thoughts
Unbounded goodness rises to my view;
Nor does our world alone its influence share;
Exhaustless bounty and unwearied care
Extends through all th' infinitude of space,
Wide o'er the heavens the various bow he And circles nature with a kind embrace.
bends,
Its tinctures brighten, and its arch extends:
At the glad sign the airy conduits flow,
Soften the hills, and cheer the meads below:
By genial fervor and prolific rain,
Swift vegetation clothes the smiling plain :
Nature, profusely good, with bliss o'erflows,
And still is pregnant, though she still bestows.
Here verdant pastures wide extended lie,
And yield the grazing herd exuberant supply.
Luxuriant waving in the wanton air,
Here golden grain rewards the peasant's care:
Here vines mature with fresh carnation glow,
And heav'n above diffuses heav'n below.
Erect and tall here mountain cedars rise,
Wave in the starry vault, and emulate the
skies.
The azure kingdoms of the deep below,
Thy pow'r, thy wisdom, and thy goodness
show.
Here multitudes of various beings stray,
Crowd the profound, or on the surface play :
Tall navies here their doubtful way explore,
And ev'ry product waft from shore to shore;
Hence meagre want expell'd and sanguine
strife,
For the mild charms of cultivated life;
Hence social union spreads from soul to soul,
And India joins in friendship with the pole.
Here the huge potent of the scaly train
Enormous sails incumbent o'er the main,
An animated isle! and, in his way,
Dashes to heaven's blue arch the foamy sea;
When skies and ocean mingle storm and flame,
Here the wing'd crowd, that skim the yield- Portending instant wreck to nature's frame, Pleas'd in the scene, he mocks, with conscious
With artful toil their little domes prepare ;
Here hatch their tender young, and nurse the
rising care.
Up the steep hill ascends the nimble doe,
While timid conies scour the plains below,
Or in the pendent rock elude the scenting foe.
He bade the silver majesty of night
Revolve her circles, and increase her light;
Assign'd a province to each rolling sphere,
And taught the sun to regulate the year.
At his command, wide hov'ring o'er the plain,
Primeval night resumes her gloomy reign;
Then from their dens, impatient of delay,
The savage monsters bend their speedy way,
Howl through the spacious waste, and chase
Here stalks the shaggy monarch of the wood,
Taught from thy providence to ask his food!
To thee, O Father, to thy bounteous skies,
He rears his mane, and rolls his glaring eyes:
He roars; the desert trembles wide around,
And repercussive hills repeat the sound.
Now orient gems the eastern skies adorn,
And joyful nature hails the op'ning morn:
The rovers, conscious of approaching day,
Fly to their shelters, and forget their prey.
Laborious man, with moderate slumber blest,
Springs cheerful to his toil from downy rest;
Till grateful evening, with her argent train,
Bid labour cease, and ease the weary swain.
"Hail sov'reign goodness! all-productive
mind!
On all thy works thyself inscrib'd we find :
How various all, how variously endow'd,
How great their number; and each part how
good!
The volley'd lightning, and the surging tide :
And while the wrathful elements engage,
Foments with horrid sport the tempest's rage,
All these thy watchful providence supplies,
To thee alone they turn their waiting eyes;
For them thou open'st thy exhaustless store,
Till the capacious wish can grasp no more.
But, if one moment thou thy face should'st
Thy glory clouded, or thy smiles deny'd.
Then widow'd nature veils her mournful eyes,
And vents her grief in universal cries:
Then gloomy death, with all his meagre train,
Wide o'er the nations spreads his dismal
reign;
Sea, earth, and air, the boundless ravage mourn,
And all their hosts to native dust return.
But when again thy glory is displayed,
Reviv'd creation lifts her cheerful head;
New rising forms thy potent smiles obey,
And life rekindles at the genial ray;
United thanks replenish'd nature pays,
And heav'n and earth resound their Maker's
praise.
When time shall in eternity be lost,
And hoary nature languish into dust,
For ever young, thy glory shall remain,
Vast as thy being, endless as thy reign.
Thou from the regions of eternal day,
View'st all thy works at one immense survey;
Pleas'd thou behold'st the whole propensely
tend
To perfect happiness, its glorious end.
If thou to earth but turn thy wrathful eyes, Her basis trembles, and her offspring dies:
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