And orient pearls from ev'ry fhrub depend.
Farewel, Cleora! here, deep funk in down,
Slumber fecure, with happy dreams amus'd,
Till grateful teams fhall tempt thee to receive
Thy early meal; or thy officious maids,
The toilette plac'd, fhall urge thee to perform
Th' important work. Me other joys invite;
The horn fonorous calls, the pack awak'd
Their matins chant, nor brook my long delay:
My courfer hears their voice: fee there! with cars
And tail erect, nei, hing he paws the ground:
Fierce rapture kindles in his redd'ning eyes,
And boils in ev'ry vein. As captive boys,
Cow'd by the ruling rod and haughty frowns
Of pedagogues fevere, from their hard tasks
If once difmifs d, no limits can contain
The tumult rais'd within their little breafts,
But give a lofe to all their frolic play;
So from their kennel rush the joyous pack;
A thoufand wanton gaieties exprefs
Their inward ecftacy, their pleafing sport
Once more indulg'd, and liberty reitor'd.
The rifing fun, that o'er th' horizon peeps,
As many colours from their glefy skins
Beaming reflects, as paint the various bow
When April fhow'rs defcend. Delightful feene!
Where all around is gay-men, hories, dogs;
And in each fimiling countenance appears
Fresh-blooming health, and univerfil joy.
Huntfman! lead on : behind the cluff'ring pack
Submifs attend, hear with respect thy whip
Loud-clanging, and thy harfher voice obey.
Spare not the straggling cur that wildly roves,
But let thy brifk affistant on his back
Imprint thy juft refentments; let each lah
Bite to the quick, till howling he return,
And whining creep amid the trembling crowd.
Here on this verdant fpot, where Nature kind
With double bleffings crowns the farmer's hopes,
Where flow'rs autumnal fpring, and the rank
Affords the wand'ring hares a rich repast, [mead
Throw off thy ready pack. See where they fpread,
And range around, and dath the glitting dew!
If fome itaunch hound, with his authentic voice,
Avow the recent trail, the jostling tribe
Attend his call, then with one mutual cry
The welcome news confirm, and echoing hills
Repeat the pleafing tale. See how they thread
The brakes, and up yon furrow drive along!
But quick they back recoil, and wifely check
Their eager hate; then o'er the fallow'd ground
How leifurely they work, and many a paule
Th' harmonious concert breaks; till, more affur'd,
With joy redoubled the low valleys ring.
What artful labyrinths perplex their way!
Ah! there the lies; how clofe! the pants; the
If now the lives: the trembles as the fits. [doubts
With horror feiz'd. The wither'd graft that clings
Around her head, of the fame ruffet huc,
Almoft deceiv'd my fight, had not her eyes
With life full-beaming her vain wiles betray'd.
At diftance draw thy pack; let all be hush'd;
No clamour loud, no frantic joy, be heard;
Left the wild hound run gadding o'er the plain
Untractable, nor hear thy chiding voice.
Now gently put her off; fee how direct [bring
To her known mew fhe flies! Here, hunfman,
(But without hurry) all thy jolly hounds,
And calmly lay them in. How low they floop,
And feem to plough the ground then all at once
With greedy noftrils fnuff the fuming steam
That glads their flutt'ring hearts. As winds let
loofe
From the dark caverns of the bluft'ring god,
They burft away, and fweep the dewy lawn.
Hope gives them wings, while the 's fpurr'd on by
[woods,
The welkin rings; men, dogs, hills, rocks, and
In the full concert join. Now, my brave youths!
Stripp'd for the chace, give all your fouls to joy.
See how their courfers, than the mountain roe
More fleet, the verdant carpet ikim! thick clouds
Snorting they breathe, their shining hoofs scarce
The grafs unbruis'd; with emulation fir'd [print
They train to lead the field, top the barr'd gate,
O'er the deep ditch exulting bound, and brush
The thorny-twining hedge: the riders bend
O'er their arch'd necks; with steady hands by
Indulge their fpeed, or inoderate their rage.[turas
Where are their forrows, difappointments, wrongs,
Vexations, ficknefs, cares? All, all are gone!
And with the panting winds lag far behind.
Huntfman! her gait obferve; if in wide rings
She wheel her mazy way, in the fame round
Perfifting ftill, the 'll foil the beaten track;
But if the fly, and with the fav'ring wind
Urge her bold courfe, lefs intricate thy ta'k;
Puth on thy pack. Like tome poor exil'd wretch
The frighted chace leaves her late dear abodes,
O'er plains remote the stretches far away,
Ah, never to return! for greedy Death
Hov'ring exults, fecure to feize his prey. [oaks
Hark! from yon covert, where thofe tow 'ring
Above the humble copfe afpiring rife,
What glorious triumphs buift in ev'ry gale
Upon our ravifh'd cars! The hunters fhout,
The clanging horns fwell their fweet winding
The pack wide, op'ning load the trembling air
With various melody, from tree to tree
The
propagated cry redoubling bounds;
And winged zephyrs waft the fleating joy
Thro' all the regions near. Afflictive bich
No more the fchool-boy dreads; his prifon broke,
Scamp'ring he flics, nor heeds his master's cail.
The weary traveller forgets his road, [leaves
And climbs th' adjacent hill. The ploughman
Th' unfinish'd furrow; nor his bleating flocks
Are now the fhepherd's joy. Men, boys, and girls,
Defert th' unpeopled village; and wild crowds
Spread o'er the plain, by the fweet phrenfy feiz`d.
Look how the pants! and o'er yon op'ning glade
Slips glancing by; while at the further end
The puzzling pack unravel wile by wile,
Maze within maze! The covert's utmost bound
Slily the fkirts; behind them cautious creeps;
And in that very track fo lately, ftain'd
By all the fteaming crowd, feems to purfue
[more; And yet a moment lives, till round inclos'd
By all the greedy pack, with infant fercams
She yields her breath, and there reluctant dies!
So when the furious Bacchanals affail'd
Threician Orpheus, poor ill-fated bard !
Loud was the cry; hills,woods, and Hebrus' banks
Return'd their clam'rous rage: diftrefs'd he flics,
Shifting from place to place, but flics in vain ;
For eager they purfue; till panting, faint,
By noify multitudes o'erpower'd, he finks
To the relentless crowd a bleeding prey!
The huntfinan now, a deep incifion made,"
The foe fhe flies. Let cavillers deny
That brutes have reafon; fure 'tis fomething
'Tis Heaven directs, and ftratagems infpires
Beyond the fhort extent of human thought.
But hold-I fee her from the covert break;
Sad on yon little eminence the fits;
Intent he liftens with one ear erect,
Pond'ring, and doubtful what new course to take,
And how to fcape the fierce blood-thirsty crew
That ftill urge on, and still in vollies loud
Infult her woes, and mock her fore diftrefs.
As now in louder peals the loaded winds
Her reeking entrails and yet quiv'ring heart.
Thefe claim the pack, the bloody perquifite
For all their toils. Stretch'd on the ground the lies
A mangled corfe; in her dim-glaring eyes
Cold Death exults, and ftiffens ev'ry limb.
Aw'd by the threat'ning whip, the furious hounds
Around her bay, or at their mafter's foot
Each happy fav'rite courts his kind applause,
With humble adulation cow'ring low.
All now is joy. With checks full-blown they
Her folemn dirge, while the loud-opening pack
The concert fwell, and hills and dales return
The fadly-pleafing founds. Thus the poor hare,
A puny daftard animal! but vers'd
In fubtle wiles, diverts the youthful train.
But if thy proud afpiring foul difdains
So mean a prey, delighted with the pomp,
Magnificence, and grandeur, of the chace;
Hear what the Mufe from faithful record fings.
Bring on the gath'ring ftorm, her fears prevail,Shakes out with hands impure, and dashes down,
And o'er the plain, and o'er the mountain's ridge,
Away fhe flies; nor fhips with wind and tide,
And all their canvas wings, feud half so fast.
Once more, ye jovial train! your courage try,
And each clean courfer's fpeed. We fcour along
In pleafing hurry and confufion tofs'd;
Oblivion to be with'd! The patient pack
Hang on the fcent unwearied; up they climb,
And ardent we purfie: our lab'ring steeds
We prefs, we gore; till, once the fummit gain'd,
Painfully panting, there we breathe awhile;
Then like a foaming torrent pouring down
Precipitant, we smoke along the vale.
Happy, the man who with unrivall'd speed
Can pafs his fellows, and with pleasure view
The ftruggling pack! how in the rapid course
Alternate they prefide, and joftling pufh
To guide the dubious fcent; how giddy youth
Oft blabb'ring errs, by wifer age reprov'd;
How, niggard of his ftrength, the wife old hound
Hangs in the rear, till fome important point
Route all his diligence, or till the chace
Sinking he finds; then to the head he springs,
With thirft of glory fir'd, and wins the prize.
Huntsman! take heed; they ftop in full carcer:
Yon crowding flocks, that at a distance gaze,
Have haply foil'd the turf. See that old hound,
How bufily he works, but dares not truft
His doubtful fenfe! Draw yet'a wider ring.
Hark! now again the chorus fills; as bells,
Sallied awhile, at once their peal renew,
And high in air the tuneful thunder rolls.
See how they tofs, with animated rage
Recov'ring all they loft! That eager hafte
Some doubling wile forefhews. Ah! yet once
[ther hand
They 're check'd-hold back with speed-on ei-
They flourish round-ev'n yet perfift-'tis right:
Away they fpring; the ruffling ftubbles bend
Beneath the driving ftorm. Now the poor chace
Begins to flag, to her laft fhifts reduc'd.
From brake to brake fhe flies, and vifits all [cure,
Her well-known haunts, where once the rang'd fe-
With love and plenty bleft. See! there fhe goes;
She reels along, and by her gait betrays
'Her inward weaknefs. See how black the looks!
The fweat that clogs th' obftructed pores fcarce
A languid fcent. And now in open view [leaves
See! fee! the flies; each cager hound exerts
His utmoft speed, and ftretches ev'ry nerve.
How quick the turns, their gaping jaws cludes,
Why on the banks of Gemna, Indian ftream,
Line within line, rife the pavilions proud,
Their filken ftreamers waving in the wind?
Why neighs the warrior horfe? From tent to tent
Why prefs in crowds the buzzing multitude?
Why fhines the polifh'd helm and pointed lance,
This way and that far beaming o'er the plain?
Nor Vifapour nor Golconda rebel,
Nor the great Sophy, with his num'rous hoft,
Lays walte the provinces, nor glory fires
To rob and to deftroy, beneath the name
And fpecious guife of war. A nobler caufe
Calls Aurengzebe to arms. No cities fack'd,
No mother's tears, no helpless orphan's cries,
No violated leagues, with fharp remorfe
Shall fting the confcious victor, but mankind
Shall hail him good and juft for 'tis on beasts
He draws his vengeful fword; on beafts of prey,
Full-fed with human gore. See, fee, he comes!
Imperial Delhi, op'ning wide her gates,
Pours out her thronging legions, bright in arms
And all the pomp of war. Before them found
Clarions and trumpets, breathing martial airs
And bold defiance. High upon his throne,
Borne on the back of his proud elephant,
Sits the great chief of Timur's glorious race;
Sublime he fits amid the radiant blaze
Of gems and gold. Omrahs about him crowd,
And rein the Arabian teed, and watch his nod,
And potent rajahs, who themfelves prefide
O'er realms of wide extent; but here fubmifs
Cc 2
Their homage pay, alternate kings and flaves!
Next thefe, with prying eunuchs girt around,
The fair fultanas of his court; a troop
Of chofen beauties, but with care conceal'd
From each intrufive eye; one look is death.
Ah! cruel eaftern law! (had kings a pow'r
But equal to their wild tyrannic will)
To rob us of the fun's all-cheering ray
Were lefs fevere. The vulgar clofe the march,
Slaves and artificers; and Delhi mourns
Her empty and depopulated ftrects.
Now at the camp arriv'd, with ftern review
Thro' groves of fpears from file to file he darts
His fharp experienc'd eye, their order marks,
Each in his ftation rang'd, exact and firm,
Till in the boundlefs line his fight is loft.
Not greater multitudes in arms appear'd
On thefe extended plains, when Ammon's fon
With mighty Porus in dread battle join'd,
The vaffal world the prize; nor was that hoft
More numerous of old which the Great King
Pour'd out on Greece from all th' unpeopled East,
That bridg'd the Hellefpont from thore to fhore,
And drank the rivers dry. Meanwhile in troops
The bufy hunter-train mark out the ground,
A wide circumference, full many a league
In compafs round; woods, rivers, hills, and plains,
Large provinces, enough to gratify
Ambition's highest aim, could reafon bound
Man's erring will. Now fit in clofe divan
The mighty chiefs of this prodigious host;
He from the throne high-eminent prefides,
Gives out his mandates proud, laws of the chace,
From ancient records drawn. With rev'rence low,
And proftrate at his feet, the chiefs receive
His irreverfible decrees, from which
To vary is to dic. Then his brave bands
Each to his station leads, encamping round
Till the wide circle is completely form'd.
Where decent order reigns, what thefe command
Thofe execute with fpced and punctual care,
In all the ftricteft difcipline of war,
As if fome watchful foc, with bold infult,
Hung low'ring o'er their camp. The high refolve
That flies on wings thro' all th' encircling line
Each motion fteers, and animates the whole.
So, by the fun's attractive pow'r controll'd,
The planets in their spheres roll round his orb;
On all he fhines, and rules the great machine.
Ere yet the morn difpels the fleeting mifts,
The fignal given by the loud trumpet's voice,
Now high in air th' imperial ftandard waves,
Emblazon'd rich with gold and glitt'rings gems,
And like a sheet of fire thro' the dun gloom
Streaming meteorous. The foldiers' fhouts,
And all the brazen inftruments of war,
With mutual clamour and united din
Fill the large concave, while from camp to camp
They catch the varied founds, floating in air.
Round all the wide circumference tigers fell
Shrink at the noife; deep in his gloomy den
The lion starts, and morfels yet unchew'd
Drop from his trembling jaws. Now all at once
Onward they march embattled, to the found
Of martial harmony; fifes, cornets, drums,
That roufe the fleepy foul to arms and bold
Heroic deeds. In parties here and there,
Detach'd o'er hill and dale, the hunters range
Inquifitive; ftrong dogs, that match in fight
The boldeft brute, around their masters wait,
A faithful guard. No haunt unfearch'd, they drive
From ev'ry covert, and from ev'ry den,
The lurking favages. Inceffant fhouts
Re-echo thro' the woods, and kindling fires
Gleam from the mountain-tops: the foreft feems
One mingling blaze: like flocks of theep they fly
Before the flaming brand: fierce lions, pards,
Boars, tigers, bears, and wolves, a dreadful crew
Of grim blood-thirty foes! Growling along
They talk indignant, but fierce vengeance ftill
Hangs pealing on their rear, and pointed spears
Prefent immediate death. Soon as the night,
Wrapp'd in her fable veil, forbids the chace,
They pitch their tents in even ranks around
The circling camp. The guards are plac'd, and
At proper diftances afcending rife, (fires
And paint th' horizon with their ruddy light.
So round fome ifland's fhore of large extent,
Amid the gloomy horrors of the night,
The billows breaking on the pointed rocks
Seem all one flame, and the bright circuit wide
Appears a bulwark of furrounding fire.
What dreadful howlings and what hideous roar
Disturb thofe peaceful fhades! where erft the bird
That glads the night had cheer'd the lift'ning
groves
With fweet complainings. Thro' the filent gloom
Oft they the guards affail; as oft repell'd
They fly reluctant, with hot-boiling rage
Stung to the quick, and mad with wild defpair.
Thus, day by day, they still the chace renew,
At night encamp; till now in ftraiter bounds
The circle leffens, and the beafts perceive
The wall that hems them in on ev'ry fide.
And now their fury burits, and knows no mean;
From man they turn, and point their ill-judg'd rage
Against their fellow brutes. With teeth and claws
The civil war begins; grappling they tear;
Lions on tigers prey, and bears on wolves;
Horrible difcord! till the crowd behind
Shouting purfue, and part the bloody fray.
At once their wrath fubfides; tame as the lamb
The lion hangs his head; the furious pard,
Cow'd and fubdued, flies from the face of man,
Nor bears one glance of his commanding eye.
So abject is a tyrant in diftrefs!
At laft, within the narrow plain confin'd,
A lifted field, mark'd out for bloody deeds,
An amphitheatre more glorious far [heaps,
Than ancient Rome could boaft, they crowd in
Difmay'd, and quite appall'd. In meet array
Sheath'd in refulgent arms, a noble band
Advance; great lords of high imperial blood,
Early refolv'd t' affert their royal race,
And prove by glorious deeds their valour's growth To feck on diftant hills their late abodes.
Mature, ere yet the callow down has spread
Its curling thade. On bold Arabian steeds
With decent pride they fit, that fearless hear
The lion's dreadful roar; and down the rock
Swift fhooting plunge, or o'er the mountain's ridge
Stretching along, the greedy tiger leave
Panting behind. On foot their faithful slaves
With jav'lins arm'd attend; each watchful eye
Fix'd on his youthful care, for him alone
He fears; and, to redeem his life, unmov'd
Ye proud oppreffors! whofe vain hearts exult
In wantonnefs of pow'r 'gainst the brute race,
Fierce robbers like yourselves, a guiltless war
Wage uncontroll'd: here quench your thirst of
blood;
Would lofe his own. The mighty Aurengzebe
From his high-elevated throne beholds
His blooming race, revolving in his mind
What once he was, in his gay fpring of life,
When vigour ftrung his nerves. Parental joy
Melts in his eyes, and flufhes in his cheeks.
Now the loud trumpet founds a charge. The shouts
Of eager hofts thro' all the circling line,
And the wild howlings of the beats within,
Rend the welkin; the flights of arrows wing'd
With death, and jav'lins launch'd from every arm,
Gall fore the brutal bands, with many a wound
Gor'd thro' and thro'. Defpair at last prevails,
When fainting nature fhrinks, and roufes all
Their drooping courage. Swell'd with furious
rage,
Their eyes dart fire, and on the youthful band
They ruth implacable. They their broad fhields
Quick interpofe; on each devoted head
But learn from Aurengzebe to spare mankind.
BOOK III.
THE ARGUMENT.
of king Edgar, and bis impofing a tribute of
wolves' beads upon the kings of Wales: from
bence a tranfition to fox-bunting, which is de-
feribed in all its parts. Cenfure of an over-
numerous pack. Of the feveral engines to de-
froy foxes and other wild beafts. The ficel-
trap defcribed, and the manner of using it.
Defcription of the pitfall for the lion, and ano-
ther for the elephant. The ancient way of bunt
ing the tiger with a mirror. The Arabian man-
ner of bunting the wild boar. Defcription of the
royal flag-chace at Windfor Foreft. Concludes
with an addrefs to bis Majefly, and an eulogy
upon mercy.
IN Albion's ifle when glorious Edgar reign'd,
He, wifely provident, from her white cliffs
Launch'd half her forefts, and with num'rous
fleets
Cover'd his wide domain; there proudly rode
Lord of the deep, the great prerogative
Of British monarchs: each invader bold,
Dane and Norwegian, at a distance gaz'd,
And, difappointed, gnash'd his teeth in vain.
He fcour'd the feas, and to remotest shores
With fwelling fails the trembling corfair fled.
Rich commerce flourish'd, and with bufy oars
Dash'd the refounding furge. Nor lefs at land
His royal cares; wife, potent, gracious Prince!
His fubjects from their cruel foes he fav'd,
And from rapacious favages their flocks.
Cambria's proud kings (tho' with reluctance) paid
Their flaming faulchions, as the bolts of Jove,
Defcend unerring. Proftrate on the ground
The grinning monfters lie, and their foul gore
Defiles the verdant plain. Nor idle stand
The trufty flaves; with pointed spears they pierce
Thro' their tough hides, or at their gaping mouths
An eafier paffage find. The king of brutes
In broken roarings breathes his laft; the bear
Grumbles in death; nor can his fpotted skin,
Tho' fleek it fhine, with varied beauties gay,
Save the proud pard from unrelenting fate.
The battle bleeds; grim Slaughter ftrides along,
Glutting her greedy jaws, grins o'er her prey-Their tributary wolves, head after head,
Men, horfes, dogs, fierce beafts of ev'ry kind,
A ftrange promifcuous carnage, drench'd in blood,
And heaps on heaps amafs'd. What yet remain
Alive, with vain aifault contend to break
Th' impenetrable line. Others, whom fear
Infpires with felf-preferving wiles, beneath
The bodies of the flain for fhelter creep,
Aghaft they fly, or hide their heads difpers'd.
And now perchance (had Heaven but pleas'd)
the work
Of death had been complete, and Aurengzebe
By one dread frown extinguish'd half their race;
When, lo! the bright fultanas of his court
Appear, and to his ravish'd eyes display
Those charms but rarely to the day reveal'd.
Lowly they bend, and humbly fue to fave
The vanquish'd hoft. What mortal can deny
When fuppliant Beauty begs! At his command,
Op'ning to right and left, the well-train'd troops
Leave a large void for their retreating foes:
Away they fly, on wings of fear uphorne,
In full account; till the woods yield no more,
And all the rav'nous race extinét is loft.
In fertile paftures inore fecurely graz'd
The focial troops, and foon their large increase
With curling fleeces whiten'd all the plains,
But yet, alas! the wily fox remain'd,
A fubtle, pilf'ring foe, prowling around
In midnight fhades, and wakeful to destroy.
In the full fold the poor defencelefs lamb,
Seiz'd by his guileful arts, with sweet warm blood
Supplies a rich repast. The mournful ewe,
Her dearest treasure loft, thro' the dun night
Wanders perplex'd, and darkling bleats in vain;
While in th' adjacent bush poor Philomel
(Herself a parent once, till wanton churls
Defpoil'd her neft) joins in her loud laments
With fweeter notes and more melodious woe.
For thefe nocturnal thieves, huntfman, prepare
Thy fharpeft vengeance. Oh! how glorious 'tis
To right th' opprefs'd, and bring the felon vile
To juft difgrace! Ere yet the morning peep,
Cc 3
Or ftars retire from the first blush of day,
With thy far-echoing voice alarm thy pack,
And roufe thy bold compeers; then to the copfe,
Thick with entangling grafs or prickly furze,
With filence lead thy many-colour'd hounds,
In all their beauty's pride.. See! how they range
Difpers'd, how bufily this way and that
They crofs, examining with curious nofe
Each likely haunt. Hark! on the drag I hear
Their doubtful notes, preluding to a cry
More nobly full, and fwell'd with ev'ry mouth.
As ftraggling armies at the trumpet's voice
Prefs to their ftandard, hither all repair,
And hurry thro' the woods with hafty step,
Ruttling, and full of hope; now driven on heaps
They pufh, they ftrive; while from his kennel
Ineaks
The confcious villain. See! he fculks along
Sleek at the fhepherd's coft, and plump with meals
Purloin'd: fo thrive the wicked here below.
Tho' high his brush he bears, tho' tipt with white
It gaily thine, yet ere the fun declin'd
Recall the fhades of night, the pamper'd rogue
Shall rue his fate revers'd, and at his heels
Behold the juft avenger, fwift to seize
His forfeit head, and thirfting for his blood.
Heavens what melodious ftrains! how beat
our hearts,
Big with tumultuous joy! the loaded gales
Breathe harmony; and as the tempeft drives
From wood to wood, thro' ev'ry dark recefs
The foreft thunders, and the mountains shake.
The chorus fwells; lefs various and lefs fweet
The trilling notes, when in thofe very groves
The feather'd chorifters falute the fpring,
And ev'ry buth in concert joins; or when
The mafter's hand, in modulated air,
Bids the loud organ breathe, and all the pow'rs
Of mufic in one inftrument combine,
An univerfal minftrelly. And now
What lengths we pafs! where will the wand'ring
Lead us bewilder'd! smooth as fwallows fkim
The new-fhorn mead, and far more fwift we fly.
See my brave pack! how to the head they prefs,
Joftling in clofe array, then more diffuse
Obliquely wheel; while from their op'ning mouths
The vollied thunder breaks. So when the cranes
Their annual voyage steer, with wanton wing
Their figure oft they change, and their loud clang
From cloud to cloud rebounds. How far behind
The hunter crew, wide ftraggling o'er the plain!
The panting courfer now with trembling nerves
Begins to reel; urg'd by the goring fpur
Makes many a faint effort: he fnorts, he foams;
The big round drops run trickling down his fides,
With fweat and blood distain'd. Look back and
The strange confufion of the vale below.
Where fore vexation reigns: fee yon poor jade;
In vain th' impatient rider frets and fwears,
And galling fpurs harrow his mangled fides;
He can no more: his ftiff unpliant limbs
Rooted in earth, unmov'd and fix'd he stands;
For ev'ry cruel curfe returns a groan,
And fobs, and faints, and dies! Who without grief
Can view that pamper'd steed, his master's joy,
His minion, and his daily care, well cloth'd,
Well fed with ev'ry nicer cate; no cost,
No labour spar'd; who, when the flying chace
Broke from the copfe, without a rival led
The num'rous train; now a fad spectacle
Of pride brought low, and humbled infolence,
Drove like a pannier'd ass, and scourg'd along!
While thefe, with loofen'd reins and dangling heels
Hang on their reeling palfreys, that scarce bear
Their weights; another in the treach'rous bog
Lics flound ring, haif ingulph'd. What biting
thoughts
Torment th' abandon'd crew! Old Age laments
His vigour fpent: the tall, plump, brawny youth
In vain each earth he tries; the doors are barr'd Curfes his cumbrous bulk, and envies now
Impregnable; nor is the covert fafe:
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pants for purer air. Hark! what loud fhouts Re-echo thro' the groves he breaks away: Shrill horns proclaim his flight. Each fraggling
Strains o'er the lawn to reach the diftant pack.
Tis triumph all and joy. Now, my brave youths!
Now give a loofe to the clean gen'rous ftced;
Flourish the whip, nor fpare the galling fpur;
But jo the madnefs of delight forget
Your fears. Far o'er the rocky hills we range,
And dangerous our coufe; but in the brave
True soulage never fails. In vain the stream
In foaming eddies whirls; in vain the ditch,
Vide-gaping, threatens death. The craggy fteep,
Where the poor dizzy thepherd crawls with care,
And clings to ev'ry twig, gives us no pain,
But down we fweep, as troops the falcon bold
To pyance his prey: then up th'
opponent hill,
By thy fwift motion flung, we mount aloft.
So flips in winter-feas new fliding fink
A down the freepy wave; then, toft on high,
Ride on the billows, and defy the form.
The fhort pygmean race he whilom kenn'd
With proud infulting leer. A chofen few
Alone the fport enjoy, nor droop beneath
Their pleafing toils. Here, huntsman! from this'
height
Obferve yon birds of prey: if I can judge,
'Tis there the villain lurks: they hover round,
And claim him as their own. Was I not right?
See! there he creeps along; his brush he drags,
And fweeps the mire impure: from his wide jaws
His tongue unmoiften'd hangs; fymptoms too fure
Of fudden death. Ha! yet he flies, nor yields
To black defpair. But one loofe more, and all
His wiles are vain. Hark! thro' yon village now
The rattling clamour rings. The barns, the cots,
And leaflefs elms, return the joyous founds.
Thro' ev'ry homeftall, and thro' ev'ry yard,
His midnight walks, panting, forlorn he flies;
Thro' ev'ry hole he fucaks, thro' ev'ry jakes
Plunging, he wades befmear'd, and fondly hopes
In a fuperior stench to lose his own:
But, faithful to the track, th' unerring hounds.
With peals of echoing vengeance clofe purfue:
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