The noiseless tide of time, all bearing down to vaft eternity's unbounded fea,

he stemm'd alone; and to the fource (involv'd
deep in primeval gloom) ascending, rais'd
his vivid lights to pilot home the deep
hiftorian, wilder'd in his darksome way.

But who can number up his labours? who his high difcoveries fing? When but few of the deep-studying race can stretch their minds to what he knew: in fancy's lighter thought, How shall the mufe then grafp the mighty theme?

THOMSON.

SECT.

SECT. LXIII.

ON LIBERTY.

My foul is fick with ev'ry day's report
of wrong and outrage with which earth is fill'd,
There is no yielding flesh in man's hard heart,
it does not feel for man. The natʼral bond

of brotherhood is fever'd as the flax
that falls afunder at the touch of fire.

He finds his fellow guilty of a skin
not colour'd like his own; and having pow'r
t'inforce the wrong, for fuch a worthy cause
dooms and devotes him as his lawful prey.
Thus man devotes his brother;

and worse than all, and moft to be deplor'd,
as human nature's broadeft, fouleft blot,
chains him, and tasks him, and exacts his fweat
with stripes, that mercy with a bleeding heart
weeps when the sees inflicted on a beast.
Then what is man? And what man seeing this,
and having human feelings, does not blush
and hang his head, to think himself a man?
I would not have a flave to till my ground,
to carry me, to fan me while I fleep,
and tremble when I wake, for all the wealth
that finews bought and fold have ever earn'd.
No: dear as freedom is, and in my heart's
juft eftimation priz'd above all price,
I had much rather be myself the flave,
and wear the bonds, than faften them on him.
We have no flaves at home, then why abroad?

and

and they themselves, once ferried o'er the wave
that parts us, are emancipate and loos'd.

Slaves cannot breathe in ENGLAND; if their lungs
receive our air, that moment they are free ;—
they touch our country, and their shackles fall.
That's noble, and bespeaks a nation proud
and jealous of the bleffing. Spread it then,
and let it circulate through ev'ry vein

of all your empire, that where BRITAIN's power
is felt, mankind may feel her mercy too.

COWPER.

O Liberty, thou goddess heav'nly bright, profuse of blifs, and pregnant with delight! Eternal pleasure in thy prefence reign, and smiling plenty leads thy wanton train; eas'd of her load subjection grows more light, and poverty looks cheerful in thy fight; thou mak'ft the gloomy face of nature gay, giv'ft beauty to the fun, and pleasure to the day. Thee, goddefs, thee BRITANNIA's ifle adores;" how has the oft exhausted all her stores, how oft, in fields of death, thy prefence sought, nor thinks the mighty prize too dearly bought! On foreign mountains, let the fun refine the grape's foft juice, and mellow it to wine; with citron groves adorn a distant soil; and the fat olive fwell with floods of oil:

we envy not the warmer clime, that lies

in ten degrees of more indulgent skies,
nor at the coarseness of our heav'n repine,
though o'er our heads the frozen pleiads fhine;

'tis Liberty that crown's BRITANNIA's ifle,

that makes her barren rocks and bleakeft mountains (mile.

ADDISON.

SECT.

SECT. LXIV.

OF PATRIOTISM.

Dulce et decorum eft pro patria mori.

Dear is the tie that links the anxious fire

to the fond babe that prattles round his fire;
dear is the love that prompts the generous youth,
his fire's fond cares and drooping age to footh;
dear is the brother, fifter, husband, wife,
dear all the charities of focial life :-

But not th' endearing springs that fondly move
to filial duty or parental love;

nor all the ties that kindred bofoms bind,

nor all the friendship's holy wreaths entwin'd,

are half fo dear, fo potent to controul

the generous workings of the patriot foul,

as is that holy voice that cancels all

thofe ties, that bids him for his country fall.
At this high fummons with undaunted zeal
he bares his breast; invites the impending fteel:
fmiles at the hand that deals the fatal blow,

nor heaves one figh for all he leaves below.

WHEN EDWARD the Third, difappointed of the throne of France by the brave refiftance of the garrifon of Calais, refolved to take revenge, and demanded fix of the principal inhabitants of that place, to be led to him with halters about their necks, as a due atonement for VOL. IV.

4 U

the

the crime of refiftance to their lawful fovereign, as he chose to style himself, the governor EUSTACE SAINT PIERRE first of all voluntarily and cheerfully gave himfelf up as a ransom for the city, and " I doubt not," says he, "there are many here as ready, nay, more zealous for "this martyrdom than I can be, however modefty and the fear of imputed oftentation may withhold them from being

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foremost in exhibiting their merits."-" Yes there are," exclaimed his fon.-"Ah, my child!" (cried St. P1ERRE) "I am then twice facrificed.—But no.—I have "rather begotten thee a fecond time.-Thy years are few, " but full, my fon; the victim of virtue has reached the "utmost purpose and goal of mortality."-" Who next, "my friends?-This is the hour of heroes."-" Your "kinfman!" (cried JAMES WISSANT).-" Your kinf"man!" (cried PETER WISSANT).-"Ah!" (exclaimed Sir WALTER MAUNY, bursting into tears), "Why was I not a citizen of Calais ?”

The fixth victim was still wanting, but was supplied by lot, from numbers who were emulous of fo ennobling an example.

The keys of the city were then delivered to Sir WALTER. He took the fix prisoners into his cuftody. But

+

before they departed, the citizens defired permiffion to

take