"Till, flufh'd with hope from views of paft fuccefs,
We lay on fome main trifle all our stress;
When lo! the mistress or the friend betrays :
And the whole fancied cheat of life difplays :
Stun'd with an ill that from ourselves arose;
For inftinct rul'd, when reason fhould have chofe :
We fly for comfort to fome lonely scene,
Victims henceforth of dirt, and drink, and fpleen.
But let no obstacles that cross our views,
Pervert our talents from their deftin'd ufe;
For, as upon life's hill we upwards press,
Our views will be obftru&ted lefs and lefs.
Be all falfe delicacy far away,

Left it from nature lead us quite astray;
And for th' imagin'd vice of human race,
Destroy our virtue, or our parts debafe;
Since God with reafon joins to make us own,
That 'tis not good for man to be alone,

ODE,

ODE, to a LADY.

On the Death of Col. CHARLES Ross, in the Action at Fontenoy. Written May 1745.

By Mr. W. COLLINS .

1.

WHILE, loft to all his former mirth,

BRITANNIA's genius bends to earth,

And mourns the fatal day;

While, ftain'd with blood, he ftrives to tear

Unfeemly from his fea-green hair

The wreaths of cheerful May;

a William Collins was born at Chichester on the 25th day of December, about 1720. His father was a hatter. In 1733 he was admitted a fcholar of Winchefter college, and in 1740 ftood first in the lift of the fcholars in fucceffion at New College; but there being no vacancy at that time, he became a commoner of Queen's College, and in about half a year after was elected a Demy of Magdalen College, where he continued until he had taken a Batchelor's degree, and then fuddenly left the univerfity. This event happened about the year 1744. He immediately came to London, and commenced a literary adventurer; in which capacity he was not diligent enough to keep himself from want. In a fhort time he was relieved from his diftreffes by the death of his uncle, Mr. Martin, a lieutenant colonel, who left him about £. 2,000. From this period his health began to decline, and he gradually fell into that ftate

1

1

II.

The thoughts which musing pity pays,
And fond remembrance loves to raife,
Your faithful hours attend;

Still fancy, to herself unkind,

Awakes to grief the soften'd mind,
And points the bleeding friend.
III.

By rapid Scheld's defcending wave.
His country's vows fhall blefs the grave,
Where-e'er the youth is laid:

That facred spot the village hind
With every sweetest turf fhall bind,

And peace protect the shade.
IV.

O'er him, whofe doom thy virtues grieve,

Aerial forms fhall fit at eve

And bend the penfive head!

And, fall'n to fave his injur'd land,

Imperial Honour's aweful hand

Shall point his lonely bed!

of depreffion of mind which enchains the faculties without destroying them, and leaves reason the knowledge of right without the power of pursuing it. These clouds which he perceived gathering on his intellects, he endeavoured to disperse by travel, and paffed into France; but found himself constrained to yield to his malady, and returned. He was for fome time confined in a house of lunatics, and afterwards retired to the care of his fifter at Chichester, where death, in 1756, came to his re. lief.

VOL. I.

Z

V. The