AUTUMN

[Inscribed to the Rt. Hon. Arthur Onslow, Esq., Speaker of the House of Commons. First published in 1730 (1,269 11.); last edition in author's lifetime published 1746 (1373 11.).]

THE ARGUMENT

THE subject proposed. Addressed to Mr. Onslow. A prospect of the fields ready for harvest. Reflections in praise of industry raised by that view. Reaping. A tale relative to it. A harvest storm. Shooting and hunting; their barbarity. A ludicrous account of foxhunting. A view of an orchard. Wall fruit. A vineyard. A description of fogs, frequent in the latter part of Autumn; whence a digression, inquiring into the rise of fountains and rivers. Birds of season considered, that now shift their habitation. The prodigious number of them that cover the northern and western isles of Scotland. Hence a view of the country. A prospect of the discoloured, fading woods. After a gentle dusky day, moonlight. Autumnal meteors. Morning; to which succeeds a calm, pure, sunshiny day, such as usually shuts up the season. The harvest being gathered in, the country dissolved in joy. The whole concludes with a panegyric on a philosophical country life.* CROWNED with the sickle and the wheaten sheaf While Autumn nodding o'er the yellow plain Comes jovial on, the Doric reed once more Well-pleased I tune. Whate'er the Wintry frost Nitrous prepared, the various-blossomed Spring Put in white promise forth, and Summer-suns Concocted strong, rush boundless now to view, Full, perfect all, and swell my glorious theme.

*The above is the original Argument (1730) enlarged for the ed. of 1744. The additions to the original are in italics. For 'sunshiny' the original Argument gives 'sunshine'.

Onslow the muse, ambitious of thy name
To grace, inspire, and dignify her song,
Would from the public voice thy gentle ear
A while engage. Thy noble cares she knows,
The patriot-virtues that distend thy thought,
Spread on thy front, and in thy bosom glow;
While listening senates hang upon thy tongue,
Devolving through the maze of eloquence
A roll of periods, sweeter than her song.
But she too pants for public virtue; she,
Though weak of power, yet strong in ardent will,
Whene'er her country rushes on her heart,
Assumes a bolder note, and fondly tries
To mix the patriot's with the poet's flame.

ΙΟ

20

When the bright Virgin gives the beauteous days, And Libra weighs in equal scales the year,

From heaven's high cope the fierce effulgence shook Of parting Summer, a serener blue,

With golden light enlivened, wide invests

The happy world. Attempered suns arise

Sweet-beamed, and shedding oft through lucid clouds

A pleasing calm; while broad and brown, below, 30
Extensive harvests hang the heavy head.

Rich, silent, deep they stand; for not a gale
Rolls its light billows o'er the bending plain;
A calm of plenty! till the ruffled air

Falls from its poise, and gives the breeze to blow.
Rent is the fleecy mantle of the sky;

The clouds fly different; and the sudden sun
By fits effulgent gilds the

38.

illumined field,

14 bosom] conduct 1730-38. 27 enlivened] irradiate 173031 Extensive] Unbounded 1730–38.

And black by fits the shadows sweep along-
A gaily chequered, heart-expanding view,
Far as the circling eye can shoot around,
Unbounded tossing in a flood of corn.

These are thy blessings, Industry, rough power! Whom labour still attends, and sweat, and pain; Yet the kind source of every gentle art

And all the soft civility of life:

Raiser of human kind! by nature cast
Naked and helpless out amid the woods
And wilds to rude inclement elements;
With various seeds of art deep in the mind
Implanted, and profusely poured around
Materials infinite; but idle all,
Still unexerted, in the unconscious breast
Slept the lethargic powers; Corruption still
Voracious swallowed what the liberal hand
Of Bounty scattered o'er the savage year.
And still the sad barbarian roving mixed
With beasts of prey; or for his acorn meal
Fought the fierce tusky boar-a shivering wretch !
Aghast and comfortless when the bleak north,
With winter charged, let the mixed tempest fly,
Hail, rain, and snow, and bitter-breathing frost.
Then to the shelter of the hut he fled,

And the wild season, sordid, pined away;
For home he had not: home is the resort
Of love, of joy, of peace and plenty, where,
Supporting and supported, polished friends
And dear relations mingle into bliss.
But this the rugged savage never felt,

40 heart-expanding] wide-extended 1730-38 bounded] Convolved and 1730-38.

40

50

60

42 Un

50 With various powers

of deep efficiency 1730-38. 60 bleak] red 1730-38.

Even desolate in crowds; and thus his days
Rolled heavy, dark, and unenjoyed along-
A waste of time! till Industry approached,
And roused him from his miserable sloth;
His faculties unfolded; pointed out
Where lavish Nature the directing hand
Of Art demanded; showed him how to raise
His feeble force by the mechanic powers,
To dig the mineral from the vaulted earth,
On what to turn the piercing rage of fire,
On what the torrent, and the gathered blast;
Gave the tall ancient forest to his axe;
Taught him to chip the wood, and hew the stone,
Till by degrees the finished fabric rose;
Tore from his limbs the blood-polluted fur,
And wrapt them in the woolly vestment warm,
Or bright in glossy silk, and flowing lawn;
With wholesome viands filled his table, poured
The generous glass around, inspired to wake
The life-refining soul of decent wit;
Nor stopped at barren bare necessity;
But, still advancing bolder, led him on
To pomp, to pleasure, elegance, and grace;
And, breathing high ambition through his soul,
Set science, wisdom, glory in his view,

And bade him be the lord of all below.

70

80

90

Then gathering men their natural powers combined, And formed a public; to the general good Submitting, aiming, and conducting all. For this the patriot-council met, the full, The free, and fairly represented whole;

91 Following this line in the original text (1730-38) cameBy hardy patience and experience slow

dropped in 1744.

100

For this they planned the holy guardian laws,
Distinguished orders, animated arts,

And, with joint force Oppression chaining, set
Imperial Justice at the helm, yet still

To them accountable: nor slavish dreamed
That toiling millions must resign their weal
And all the honey of their search to such
As for themselves alone themselves have raised.
Hence every form of cultivated life

In order set, protected, and inspired
Into perfection wrought. Uniting all,
Society grew numerous, high, polite,

And happy. Nurse of art, the city reared

In beauteous pride her tower-encircled head;

And, stretching street on street, by thousands drew, From twining woody haunts, or the tough yew To bows strong-straining, her aspiring sons.

Then commerce brought into the public walk The busy merchant; the big warehouse built; Raised the strong crane; choked up the loaded street With foreign plenty; and thy stream, O Thames, 121 Large, gentle, deep, majestic, king of floods!

113 reared] rose

101 they planned] devised 1730-38. 1730-38. 114 This line does not appear in the original text. It was added in 1744. 115 drew] led 1730-38. 118 Here followed in the original text (1730-38) a passage of six lines, dropped in 1744 :

'Twas nought but labour-the whole dusky group

Of clustering houses and of mingling men-
Restless design and execution strong;

In every street the sounding hammer plied

His massy task, while the corrosive file

In flying touches formed the fine machine.

121 on thee, thou Thames 1730-38.

came in the original text (1730-44)—

122 After this line

Than whom no river heaves a fuller tidedropped in 1746.