And these, the Grecian in ennobling strains,
And in thy numbers, Phillips, fhines for ay
The folitary fhilling. Pardon then,
Ye fage difpenfers of poetic fame!

Th' ambition of one meaner far, whofe pow'rs
Prefuming an attempt not lefs fublime,
Pant for the praife of dreffing to the tafte
Of critic appetite, no fordid fare,

A cucumber, while coftly yet and fcarce.

The ftable yields a ftercorarious heap,
Impregnated with quick fermenting falts,
And potent to resist the freezing blast.
For ere the beech and elm have caft their leaf,
Deciduous, and when now November dark,
Checks vegetation in the torpid plant,
Expos'd to his cold breath, the task begins.
Warily therefore, and with prudent heed,
He feeks a favor'd spot, that where he builds
Th' agglomerated pile, his frame may front
The fun's meridian disk, and at the back
Enjoy clofe fhelter, wall, or reeds, or hedge,
Impervious to the wind. Firft he bids fpread
Dry fern or litter'd hay, that may imbibe
Th' afcending damps; then leifurely impofe,
And lightly, fhaking it with agile hand
From the full fork, the faturated straw.
What longest binds the clofeft, forms fecure
The fhapely fide, that as it rifes, takes
L 2.

By

By juft degrees, an overhanging breadth,
Shelt'ring the base with its projected eaves..
Th' uplifted frame, compact at ev'ry joint,
And overlaid with clear tranflucent glass,
He fettles next upon the flopping mount,
Whose sharp declivity fhoots off secure,
From the dafh'd pane, the deluge as it falls.
He fhuts it close, and the first labor ends.
Thrice muft the voluble and reftlefs earth
Spin round upon her axle, ere the warmth,
Slow gathering in the midft,

through the square mafs
When behold!
A peftilent and moft corrofive steam,
Like a grofs fog Boeotian, rifing faft,
And faft condens'd upon the dewy fash,
Afks egrefs; which obtain'd, the overcharg'd
And drench'd confervatory breathes abroad
In volumes wheeling flow, the vapor dank,
And purify'd, rejoices to have loft›
Its foul inhabitant. But to affuage
Th' impatient fervor which it first conceives -
Within its reeking bofom, threat'ning death
To his young hopes, requires difcreet delay.
Experience, flow preceptrefs, teaching oft
The way to glory by mifcarriage foul,
Muft prompt him, and admonish how to catch
Th' aufpicious moment, when the temper'd heat,
Friendly to vital motion, may afford

Diffus'd, attain the furface.

Soft fermentation, and invite the feed.
The feed felected wifely, plump and fmcoth,

And

And gloffy, he commits to pots of fize
Diminutive, well fill'd, with well-prepar'd
And fruitful foil, that has been treasur'd long,
And drunk no moisture from the dripping clouds.
Thefe, on the warm and genial earth that hides
The fmoking manure, and o'erfpreads it all,
He places lightly, and as time fubdues
The rage of fermentation, plunges deep
In the foft medium, 'till they stand immers❜d:
Then rife the tender germs upstarting quick,
And spreading wide their fpongy lobes, at firft
Påle, wan, and livid, but affuming foon,
If fann'd by balmy and nutritious air,
Strain'd through the friendly mats, a vivid green.
Two leaves produc'd, two rough indented leaves,
Cautious, he pinches from the fecond talk
A pimple, that portends a future fprout,
And interdicts its growth. Thence ftraight fucceed
The branches, sturdy to his utmost wish,
Prolific all, and harbingers of more.

The crowded roots demand enlargement now,
And tranfplantation in an ampler space.
Indulg'd in what they wish, they foon supply
Large foilage, overfhadowing golden flowers,
Blown on the fummit of th' apparent fruit.
These have their fexes, and when fummer fhines,
The bee tranfports the fertilizing meal

From flow'r to flow'r, and ev'n the breathing air,
Wafts the rich prize to its appointed use.

Not fo when winter fcowls.

Affiftant art:

Then

Then acts in nature's office, brings to pafs
The glad efpoufals, and infures the crop.

Grudge not, ye rich, (fince luxury must have
His dainties, and the world's more num'rous half
Lives by contriving delicates for you)
Grudge not the coft. Ye little know the cares,
The vigilance, the labor, and the fkill,
That day and night are exercis'd, and hang
Upon the ticklish balance of fufpence.
That ye may garnish your profufe regales,
With fummer fruits, brought forth by wintry funs.
Ten thousand dangers lie in wait to thwart

The procefs. Heat and cold, and wind and fteam,
Moisture and drought, mice, worms, and swarming flies,
Minute as duft, and numberlefs, oft' work
Dire difappointment that admits no cure,

And which no care can obviate. It were long,
Teo long, to tell th' expedients and the shifts,
Which he that fights a season so severe
Devifes, while he guards his tender trust,

And oft, at last, in vain. The learn'd and wife, .
Sarcaftic would exclaim, and judge the fong
Cold as its theme, and like its theme, the fruit
Of too much labor, worthlefs when produc'd.

Who loves a garden, loves a green-house too.
Unconfcious of a lefs propitious clime,
There blooms exotic beauty, warm and fnug,
While the winds whiftle, and the fnows defcend.

The

The fpiry myrtle, with unwith'ring leaf,

Shines there, and flourishes. The golden boast
Of Portugal, and weftern India there,

The ruddier orange, and the paler lime,

Peep through their polish'd foilage at the form,
And seem to fmile at what they need not fear.
Th' amomum there with intermingling flowr's,
And cherries, hangs her twigs. Geranium boafts:
Her crimson honors, and the fpangl'd beau
Ficoides, glitters bright the winter long.

All plants of ev'ry leaf that can endure

The winter's frown, if screen'd from his fhrewd bite,
Live there, and profper. Thofe Aufonia claims,
Levantine regions thefe; th' Azores fend

Their jeffamine, her jeffamine remote
Caffraia; foreigners from many lands,
They form one focial fhade, as if conven'd
By magic fummons of th' Orphean lyre.
Yet juft arrangement, rarely brought to pass,
But by a master's hand, difpofing well
The gay diverfities of leaf and flow'r,
Muft lend its aid t' illuftrate all her charms,
And dress the regular, yet various scene.
Plant behind plant aspiring, in the van
The dwarfish, in the rear retir'd, but ftill
Sublime above the refl, the ftatelier ftand.
So once were rang'd the fons of ancient Rome,
A noble fhow! while Rofcius trod the stage;
And fo, while Garrick as renown'd as he,
The fons of Albion; fearing each to lofe

Some

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