The finging birds, the warbling winds,
And water's murm'ring fall,

To praise the firft Almighty cause
With diff'rent voices call.

Thy num'rous works exalt thee thus,
And fhall I filent be?

No; rather let me ceafe to be,

Than ceafe from praising thee!

MEN, whose bodies are free from pain, their minds from remorfe; who poffefs enough to fatisfy the wants of nature, and covet feweft of the fuperfluities of life; are far happier than the ambitious who roll in riches and luxury, while they have yet defires which cannot be gratified; or the avaricious, whofe barns are filled with plenty, while they have not hearts capable of enjoying it.

The diftinction of Ages into divifions of feven years, has fomething in it that is juft and natural:

THE feven firft years of life (man's break of day)
Gleans of fhort fenfe, a dawn of thought difplay.
When fourteen fprings have bloom'd his downy cheek,
His foft and blufhful meanings learn to fpeak.
From twenty-one, proud manhood takes its date;
Yet is not ftrength complete till twenty-eight.
Thence to his five-and-thirtieth, life's gay fire
Sparkles, burns loud, and flames in fierce defire,
At forty-two his eyes grave wifdom wear;
And the dark future dims him o'er with care.
On to the nine and-fortieth, toils increase;
And bufy hopes and fears difturb his peace.
At fifty-fix cool reafon reigns intire;
Then life burns fteady, and with temp'rate fire.
But fixty-three unbinds the body's ftrength,
E'er the unwearied mind has run her length.
And when, from feventy, age furveys her last;
Tir'd, fhe ftops fhort-and wishes all were past.

OF all employments, the contemplation of the Deity, in his works, is the most noble, the most interesting, and pleasurable. By the things that are feen, the ftudious mind gradually afcends, as it were, from earth to heaven, and contemplates the attributes of their invincible author.

THE true Chriftian believes that all things work for good to those who love God; he knows that the beneficent Creator of all things does not willingly grieve or affict the work of his own hands: and in this belief he is always thankful, calm, ferene, and refigned, under any difpenfations of Providence.

WHILST the poor man rejoices in the midst of his labour, that he is providing for himfelf and those whom by the ties of nature he is obliged to fupport; the gentleman oftentimes grows fretful, melancholy, and out of temper, for want of bufinefs to employ his time, and is forced to feek after infignificant diverfions, to turn the stream of his own reftlefs and uneafy thoughts. But, after all, he that enjoys the greatest fhare of pleasure is at an immenfe distance from perfect happiness: Providence having wifely intermixed feveral degrees of uneafinefs and fatisfaction in every thing our fenfes have to do with; to the intent, that finding imperfection, difquietude, and a want of complete felicity in all thofe enjoyments which we can here obtain or wifh for, we may be the more ready and content to quit our station, whenever it shall please him to call us hence.

THE human state is but a paffage, not a place of abode. It is a station of exercise and discipline, and was not defiged for the place of enjoyment. That happy country is before us.

AS longs the weary traveller for rest,

Faint with the heat and labour of the day;
As pines the infant for its mother's breait,
And nothing elfe its cravings can allay:
As the touch'd needle trembles for the pole,
So heaven alone can fatisfy the foul.

A LETTER

A LETTER from the DUKE of BUCKINGHAM to Dr. W. Written on his death-bed.

DEAR DOCTOR,

I HAVE always looked upon you to be a perfon of true virtue, and know you to have a found understanding; for however I may have acted in oppofition to the principles of religion, or the dictates of reason, I can honestly affure you, I have always had the highest veneration for both. The world and I thake hands; for I dare affirm, we are heartily weary of each other. O, what a prodigal have I been of that moft valuable of all poffeflions, Time!-I have fquandered it away with a profufion unparalleled; and now, when the enjoyment of a few days would be worth the world, 1 cannot flatter myself with the profpect of half a dozen hours. How defpicable, my dear friend, is that man who never prays to his God, but in the time of distress? In what manner can he fupplicate that Omnipotent Being, in his afflictions, whom, in the time of his profperity, he never remembered with reverence ?-Don't brand me with infidelity, when I tell you, that I am almost ashamed to offer up my petitions at the Throne of Grace, or to implore that Divine Mercy in the next world, which I have scandalously abused in this. Shall ingratitude to man be looked upon as the blackest of crimes, and not ingratitude to GODShall an infult offered to the king be looked upon in the moft offenfive light, and yet no notice taken when the King of kings is treated with indignity and difrefpect? The companions of my former libertinifm would scarcely believe their eyes, were you to fhew them this epiftle. They would laugh at me as a dreaming enthusiast, or pity me as a timorous wretch, who was shocked at the appearance of futurity; but whoever laughs at me for being right, or pities me for being fenfible of my errors, is more entitled to my compaffion than refentment. A future ftate may well enough trike terror into any man, who has not acted well in this life; and he must have an uncommon fhare of courage indeed, who does not fhrink at the presence of God. The apprehenfions of death will foon bring the most profligate to a proper ufe of his understanding. To what a fituation am I

R 3

now.

now reduced? Is this odious little hut a fuitable lodging for a prince? Is this anxiety of mind becoming the character of a Chriftian? From my rank, I might have expected affluence to wait upon my life; from religion and understanding, peace to fmile upon my end: inftead of which, I am afflicted with poverty, and haunted with remorfe; defpifed by my country, and I fear, forfaken by my God. There is nothing fo dangerous as extraordinary abilities: I cannot be accused of vanity now, by being fenfible that I was once poffeffed of uncommon qualifications, efpecially as I fincerely regret that I ever had them. My rank in life made these accomplishments still more confpicuous; and fascinated by the general applaufe which they procured, I never confidered the proper means by which they fhould be difplayed.— Hence, to procure a fmile from a blockhead, whom I defpifed, I have frequently treated the virtuous with disrespect; and fported with the Holy Name of Heaven, to obtain a laugh from a parcel of fools, who were entitled to nothing but contempt. Your men of wit generally look upon themfelves as difcharged from the duties of religion, and confine the doctrines of the gospel to people of meaner understandings. It is a fort of derogation, in their opinion, to comply with the rules of Christianity: and they reckon that man poffeffed of a narrow genius, who ftudies to be good. What a pity, that the Holy Writings are not made the criterion of true judgment; or that any perfon fhould pass for a fine. gentleman in this world, but he that appears folicitous about his happiness in the next. I am forfaken by all my acquaintance, utterly neglected by the friends of my bofom, and the dependants on my bounty: but no matter! I am not fit to converfe with the former, and have no ability to ferve the latter. Let me not, however, be wholly caft off by the good. Favour me with a vifit as foon as poffible. Writing to you gives me fome ease, especially on a fubject i could talk of for ever. I am of opinion this is the laft vifit I fhall ever folicit from you; my distemper is powerful; come and pray for the departing fpirit of the poor unhappy

BUCKINGHAM."

On

On the DEATH of an INFANT. By a Youth of 16.

SWEET babe! by death's cold hand in earliest bloom
Torn from thy mother's bofom to the tomb:
While o'er thy grave thy drooping parents bend;
Oh! may these parents hear a faithful friend!
Nor think thee only born but to bequeath
Pain at thy birth, and forrow at thy death:
For when the great eternal day fhall come,
Then fhall they meet thee at thy happiest home;
And fee their first dear pledge of mutual love
Blooming in fpotlefs innocence above.

Written near the Entrance of a fine Wood.
FOWLER! caft thy gun behind,

Ere thou treadit this gentle grove ::
None come here of ruthless mind;
None who are not friends to love.

Mark, how all the air is ringing!
Mark yon Blackbird on the spray!
Rapturous his vernal finging;

Wouldst thou sport his life away!

Ruthlefs lord! thy truft abufing,.
Sent to rule this earthly ball,

As a patron all things ufing,
Not a tyrant over all.

See, from out his fylvan hiding,
Yonder little Lev'ret ftray,
Food to crop of heav'n's providing,-
Would't thou fport his life away?

Dread, left juftice, long forbearing,
Rouze the Snake, in grafs conceal'd.
Others death whilft thou'rt preparing,
Thine may fuddenly be feal'd.

Haf