ON THE ANCIENT CITY OF BATH.
WRITTEN ON THE FINISHING THE CIRCUS.
IDST flowery meads and Avon's winding floods
Romantic hills, wild rocks, and pendent woods,
Behold fair Bath her ftately front advance,
In all the pomp of Latian elegance!
The hills that rife in rich profufion round,
With gardens deck'd, or splendid villas crown'd!
There Health and Pleasure hand in hand appear,
And smiling weave their rofeate arbours there.
Deep in their moffy cells beneath thefe hills,
The bounteous Naiads form the gufhing rills.
There various fprings their mineral virtues blend,
And warm in falutary ftreams descend;
Thefe ftreams to mortals balmy health reftore,
'The Gout grows mild, and Cholics are no more.
Here languid nymphs regain the bloom of May,
Here cripples dance and hurl the crutch away.
Hither, with lavish hand, fresh peasants bring
The fruits of Autumn and the flowers of Spring;
Whilft lowing herds from richeft paftures, pour
The draught falubrious in their milky ftore;
Each bird of various plume that haunts the wood,
Or wings the heath, or dives the liquid food,
The spreading fea fish and the fcaly fry.
Contiguous coafts or neighbouring streams fupply.
Thus Art and Nature join in friendly ftrife,
To fhower on Bath the blandishments of life.
Oh Bath! thrice happy if to man 'twere given
T'enjoy with temperate ufe the gifts of heaven!
Didft thou thy partial fate but truly prize,
Didft thou increase in virtue as in fize;
Were Luxury banish'd with each baneful Vice,
Th'infernal arts of Scandal, Cards, and Dice ;
The vagrant herds that every ftreet infest,
And Infolence, with vigorous care fupprefs'd;
Did no base miscreants, to themfelves unjust,
By mean exactions liberal minds disgust,
From diftant counties Thanes in crowds should fly,
Proud in thy domes to fhun the wintery fky.
Augufta's felf fhould half deferted stand,
And Bath poffefs the riches of the land.
A FATHER's ADVICE TO HIS SON.
BY JOHN GILBERT COOPER, ESQ.
EEP in a grove by cyprefs fhaded,
Where mid-day fun had seldom fhone,
Or noife the folemn fcene invaded,
Save fome afflicted Mufe's moan;
A Swain towards full ag'd manhood wending,
Sat forrowing at the close of day,
At whofe fond fide a Boy attending,
Lifp'd half his father's cares away.
The father's eyes no object wrested,
But on the fmiling prattler hung,
Till, what his throbbing heart fuggefted,
Thefe accents trembled from his tongue.
"My youth's first hopes, my manhood's treasure,
"My prattling innocent, attend,
"Nor fear rebuke, or four difpleasure,
"A father's lovelieft name is Friend.
"Some truths, from long experience flowing,
"Worth more than royal grants receive,
For truths are wealth of heaven's bestowing,
"Which kings have feldom power to give.
"Since from an ancient race descended
"You boast an unattainted blood,
"By yours be their fair fame attended,
"And claim by birthright to be good.
"In love for every fellow-creature,
"Superior rise above the crowd;
"What most ennobles human nature
"Was ne'er the portion of the croud:
"Be thine the generous heart that borrows
"From others joys a friendly glow,
"And for each hapless neighbour's forrows,
"Throbs with a sympathetic woe.
"This is the temper most endearing;
"Tho' wide proud Pomp her banners spreads,
"An heavenlier power good-nature bearing,,
"Each heart in willing thraldom leads.
"Tafte not from Fame's uncertain fountain, "The peace-deftroying ftreams that flow; "Nor from Ambition's dangerous mountain, "Look down upon the world below.
"The princely pine on hills exalted, "Whofe lofty branches cleave the sky, "By winds long brav'd, at last afsfaulted, "Is headlong whirl'd in duft to lie; VOL. III.
While the mild rofe more fafely growing
Amidst retirement's fhelter blowing,
"Exchanges fweets with every gale.
es Wif not for Beauty's darling features,
"Moulded by Nature's fondling power;
faireft forms 'mong human creatures,
"Skins but the pageants of an hour.
the pride of all the meadow,
noon, a gay Narciffus blow
a river's bank, whofe shadow
"Bloom'd in the filver waves below.
con-tide's heat its youth was wasted,
Tre waters as they pafs'd, complain'd;
its glories all were blafted,
glory ad not one former tint remain’d. I et vain Wit's deceitful
you from Wifdom's path aftray: Genius lives renown'd in story, happiness who found the way?
nder mead behold that vapor, hofe vivid beams illufive play, it feems a friendly taper,
guide the traveller on his way ;
|