3. The year 4. 5. Has gone, and with it. many a glorious throng It trod the hall of revelry, where thronged In the dim land of dreams. +Remorseless Time! Fierce spirit of the glass and scythe! What power Can stay him in his silent course, or melt His iron heart to pity! On, still on, He presses, and forever. The proud bird, Through heaven's unfathomable depths, or brave And bathe his plumage in the thunder's home, +Revolutions sweep O'er earth, like troubled visions o'er the breast And rush down, like the Alpine avalanche, And, like the Pleiad, loveliest of their train, CXIX. THE PASSIONS. FROM COLLINS. 1. WHEN Music, heavenly maid, was young, From the supporting myrtles round, 2 First Fear, his hand, its skill to try, 3. Next Anger rushed, his eyes on fire, 4. With twoful measures, wan Despair Low, sullen sounds, his grief +beguiled; A solemn, strange, and mingled air: 'T was sad by fits; by starts 't was wild. 5. But thou, O Hope, with eyes so fair, What was thy delighted measure? And from the rocks, the woods, the vale, And, where her sweetest theme she chose, A soft, responsive voice was heard at every close: And Hope, enchanted, smiled, and waved her golden hair. 6. And longer had she sung, but, with a frown, Revenge impatient rose; He threw his blood-stained sword in thunder down; The war-denouncing trumpet took, And blew a blast so loud and dread, Were ne'er prophetic sounds so full of woe; And, ever and anon, he beat The doubling drum with furious heat; And though, sometimes, each dreary pause between, Her soul-subduing voice applied, Yet still he kept his wild, unaltered mien; While each strained ball of sight seemed bursting from his head. 7. Thy numbers, Jealousy, to naught were fixed, 8. Sad proof of thy distressful state; Of differing themes the veering song was mixed; And now it courted Love; now, raving, called on Hate. With eyes upraised, as one inspired, Pale Melancholy sat retired; And from her wild sequestered seat, In notes by distance made more sweet, Poured through the mellow horn her pensive soul; Bubbling runnels joined the sound: Through +glades and glooms the mingled measures stole; Or, o'er some thaunted stream, with fond delay, Love of peace and lonely musing, In hollow murmurs died away. 9. But, oh! how altered was its sprightlier tone, When Cheerfulness, a nymph of healthiest hue, Her bow across her shoulder flung, 10. Her buskins gemmed with morning dew, Blew an inspiring air, that *dale and thicket rung, The oak-crowned sisters, and their chaste-eyed queen, Peeping from forth their alleys green: Brown Exercise rejoiced to hear, And Sport leaped up and seized his beechen spear Last, came Joy's tecstatic trial: He, with viny crown advancing, First to the lively pipe his hand addressed; To some unwearied minstrel dancing, As if he would the charming air repay, CXX.-DISCONTENT.-AN ALLEGORY. 1. It is a celebrated thought of Socrates, that if all the misfortunes of mankind were cast into a public stock, in order to be equally distributed among the whole species, those who now think themselves the most unhappy, would prefer the share they are already possessed of, before that which would fall to them by such a division. Horace has carried this thought a good deal further, and supposes that the hardships or misfortunes we lie under, are more easy to us, than those of any other person would be, in case we could change conditions with him. 2. As I was ruminating on these two remarks, and seated in my elbow-chair, I insensibly fell asleep; when, on a sudden, methought there was a proclamation made by Jupiter, that every mortal should bring in his griefs and calamities, and throw them together in a heap. There was a large plain appointed for the purpose. I took my stand in the center of it, and saw, with a great deal of pleasure, the whole human species marching one after another, and throwing down their several loads, which immediately grew up into a prodigious mountain, that seemed to rise above the clouds. 3. There was a certain lady of a thin, airy shape, who was very active in this solemnity. She carried a magnifying glass in one of her hands, and was clothed in a loose, flowing robe, embroidered with several figures of fiends and specters, that discovered themselves in a thousand chimerical shapes, as her garments hovered in the wind. There was something wild and distracted in her looks. Her name was Fancy. She led up every mortal to the appointed place, after having very officiously assisted him in making up his pack, and laying it upon his shoulders. My heart melted within me to see my fellow-creatures groaning under their respective burdens, and to consider that prodigious bulk of human calamities which lay before me. 4. There were, however, several persons who gave me great diversion upon this occasion. I observed one bringing in a pack, very carefully concealed under an old tembroidered cloak, which, upon his throwing it into the heap, I discovered to be poverty. Another, after a great deal of puffing, threw down his baggage, which, upon examining, I found to be his wife. There were multitudes of lovers saddled with very whimsical burdens, composed of darts and flames; but, what was very odd, though they sighed as if their hearts would break under these bundles of calamities, they could not persuade themselves to cast them into the heap, when they came up to it; but, after a few faint efforts, shook their heads and marched away, as heavy laden as they came. 5. I saw multitudes of old women throw down their |