And every opening primrofe count,

That trimly paints my blooming mount:
Or o'er the fculptures, quaint and rude,
That grace my gloomy folitude,
I teach in winding wreaths to stray
Fantastic ivy's gadding fpray.

IV.

At eve, within yon ftudious nook, ope my brafs-emboffed book,

I

Pourtray'd with many a holy deed

Of martyrs, crown'd with heavenly meed:
Then, as my taper waxes dim,

Chant, ere I fleep, my meafur'd hymn ;

And early, ere the odorous breath of morn
Awakes the flumb'ring leaves, or taffell'd horn
Shakes the high thicket, hafte I all about,
Number my ranks, and vifit every sprout,

20

25

30

With puiffant words, and murmurs made to blefs, &c. A fimilar employment is given to our first parents, during their ftate of innocence:

On to their morning's rural work they hafte

Among fweet dews and flowers, &c. Par. Loft, v. 211. For the laft part of this ftanza fee, in particular, ix. 215: whether to wind

The woodbine round this arbor, or direct

The clafping ivy where to climb.

V. 24. Fantastic ivy's gadding spray.] The epithet "gadding,” as Mr. Headley notices, is applied by Milton in Lycidas, ver. 40. to the vine. Mafon in his English Garden has ivy's "gadding ten drils." B. ii. ver. 134.

And, at the clofe, the gleams behold
Of parting wings bedropt with gold.

V. 31. the gleams behold

Of parting wings-]

We have a fimilar idea in those exquifitely beautiful lines of Pope;
Sill as the fea ere winds were taught to blow,

Or moving fpirit bade the waters flow,
Soft as the flumbers of a faint forgiven,

And mild as op'ning gleams of promis'd heaven.

Eloif. ver. 253. He had before spoken of the happiness of the blameless Vestal, for whom

-wings of Seraphs fhed divine perfumes. Ver. 218. This resemblance I fince find noticed by Dr. Warton. Pope's Works, ii. 40. By the way, the above four lines from Pope were perhaps fuggefted, as Headley has obferved, by Davenant :

Smooth, as the face of waters first appear'd,

Ere tides began to ftrive, or winds were heard ;

Kind as the willing faints, and calmer farre,
Than in their fleeps forgiven hermits are.

And again:

Calm as forgiven faints at their last hour.

(See Headley's Beauties of Ancient Eng. Poetry, vol. ii. p. 75 and 158.) Pope has skill enough to difcern and to adapt to his own use the beauties of his predeceffors, but not enough ingenuoufnefs to acknowledge his obligations to them,

V. 32.

wings bedropt with gold.] The fame beautiful image

occurs in Milton, Par. Loft, vii. 406 :

Show to the fun their wav'd coats, drept with gold,

And in Pope's Windfor Foreft, ver. 144:

The yellow carp in fcales, bedropt with gold.

Virgil in a manner not altogether diffimilar defcribes the bees, Ardentes auro, et paribus lita corpora guttis. Georg. iv. 99. The following description of Zetes and Calais from Apollonius Rhodius, a poet not indeed in the first rank, but certainly worthy

V.

While fuch pure joys my blifs create,
Who but would smile at guilty state?
Who but would with his holy lot
In calm Oblivion's humble grot?
Who but would caft his pomp away,
To take my staff, and amice gray;
And to the world's tumultuous stage
Prefer the blameless hermitage?

35

40

of more regard than is ufually paid him, is full of picturefque circumftances:

Τω μεν

ເ

ακροτατοισι ποδων ἑκατερθεν ερέμνας

Σειον αειρομένω πτερυγας (μεγα θαμβος ιδέσθαι)

ΧΡΥΣΕΙΑΙΣ ΦΟΛΙΔΕΣΣΙ ΔΙΑΥΓΕΑΣ αμφι δε νωτοις
Κραατος εξ ύπατοιο και αυχένος ενθα και εda

Κυανεαι δονεοντο μετα πνοίησιν εθειραι. Argon. i. 219.

Virgil did not confider Apollonius unworthy of his attention, and, fometimes, clofe imitation.

V. 38. amice gray ;] Gray clothing, from the Latin verb "amicio," to clothe. In Paradife Regained, iv. 427:

-morning fair

Came forth with pilgrim fteps in amice gray.

The amice was one of the ancient ecclesiastical [habits. See Du Frefne Gloff. Med. Lat. in verb. amiclus.

INSCRIBED

ON A

BEAUTIFUL GROTTO NEAR THE WATER.

(Published in 1753-)

I.

THE Graces fought in yonder stream
To cool the fervid day,

When Love's malicious godhead came,
And ftole their robes away.

II.

Proud of the theft, the little god

Their robes bade DELIA wear;

While they, afham'd to ftir abroad,
Remain all naked here.

Inscribed, &c.] This infcription is founded on the following in the Anthologia:

De balneo in Smyrna :

Ενθαδε λεσαμένων Χαρίτων ποτε, θεσκελα πεπλα

Βαιος Έρως έκλεψε και ᾤχετο· τας δ' ελιπ' αυτου

Γυμνας, αιδομένας θυρεων εκτοσθε φανηναι. IV. xix. 11.

The idea is not uncommon with the Greek epigrammatists; see particularly Anthol. IV. xv. 5. and xix. 18.

INSCRIPTION

OVER A

CALM AND CLEAR SPRING IN BLENHEIM GARDENS.

HERE quench your thirst, and mark in ME

An emblem of true Charity;

Who, while my bounty I bestow,
Am neither heard nor feen to flow.

Infcription, &c.] I have heard this infcription attributed to Dr. Phanuel Bacon, fellow of Magdalen College, author of the Kite, and of one or two pieces in the Oxford Saufage. A copy of the infcription, which a friend once fhewed me in MS. has two additional lines:

Repaid by fresh fupplies from heav'n,

I fince find the inscription mentioned as Dr. Bacon's in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1792; where the first line is, "Gentle reader, fee in me." The infertion of the Infcription in the edition of Warton's Poems in 1791, arranged by himfelf, and partly printed before his death, may be confidered as afcertaining him for the author.