Nor is confinement any pain,

To him who hugs his pleafing chain.

III.

Bright Venus! offspring of the fea!
Thy fovereign dictates I obey;
I own fubmifs thy mighty reign,
And feel thy power in every vein :
I feel thy influence all-confeft,
I feel thee triumph in my breast!
'Tis there is fix'd thy facred court,
'Tis there thy Cupids gaily sport.
IV.

Come, my Boy, the altar place,
Add the blooming garland's grace;
Gently pour the facred wine,
Hear me, Venus! power divine!
Grant the only boon I crave,
Hear me, Venus! hear thy flave!
Bless my fond foul with beauty's charms,
And give me Flavia to my arms (8).

(8) As this fong is a fhort imitation of the 19th Ode of the first book of Horace, it is worth your while, Reader, to fee how Mr. Francis has done the whole. I will here fet down a few lines:

Urit me Glyceræ nitor

Splendentis pario marmore purius:

Urit grata protervitas,

Et vultus nimium lubricus afpici.

Which lines are imitated in the firft verfe of the above fong, and a part of the fecond; rnd the ingenious Mr. Francis renders them in the following manner-

E 3

Again

Just as I was finishing this piece of mufic, old Mr. Noel came into the parlour, in

Again for Glycera I burn,

And all my long forgotten flames return.
As Parian marble pure
and bright,

The fhining maid my bofom warms;
Her face too dazling for the fight,

Her sweet coquetting-how it charms!

In me tota ruens Venus
Cyprum deferuit—

Of which the third verfe of the fong is an imitation :Mr. Francis translates in the following manner

And

Whole Venus rushing through my veins,
No longer in her favourite Cyprus reigns.

Hic vivum mihi cefpitem, hic

Verbenas, pueri, ponite thuraque

Bimi cum patera meri:

Mactatâ veniet lænior hoftiâ :

Which lines are imitated in the fourth verfe of the fong-Mr. Francis tranflatés as follows

Here let the living altar rise,

Adorn'd with every herb and flower:
Here flame the incenfe to the skies,
And pureft wines libation pour;

Due honours to the Goddess paid,

Soft finks to willing love the yielding maid.

You fee in this the difference between a tranflation and

an imitation.

his wonted good-humour, and feemed very greatly pleased with me and my inftrument. He told me, I was the young man he wanted to be acquainted with, and that if it was no detriment to me, I should not leave him this month to come. Come, Sir, (continued this' fine old gentleman) let me hear another piece of your mufic-vocal or inftrumental-as you will, for I fuppofe you fing as well as you play. Both you shall have, Sir, (I replied), to the best of my abilities, and by way of change, I will give you first a fong called the Solitude.

A SONG called the SOLITUD E.

Y

I.

E lofty mountains, whofe eternal fnows, Like Atlas, seem to prop the diftant skies; While shelter'd by your high and ample brows, All nature's beauties feaft my ravifh'd eyes: And far beneath me o'er the diftant plain The thunders break, and rattling tempefts reign.

II.

Here, when Aurora with her chearful beam
And rofy blushes marks approaching day,
Oft do I walk along the purling stream,
And fee the bleating flocks around me stray:

The woods, the rocks, each charm that ftrikes my fight,

Fills my whole breaft with innocent delight."

III.

Here gaily dancing on the flow'ry ground The chearful Shepherds join their flute and voice;

While through the groves the woodland fongs refound,

And fill the untroubled mind with peaceful

joys.

Mufic and love inspire the vocal plain,

Alone the turtle tunes her plaintive ftrain.

IV.

Here the green turf invites my wearied head
On nature's lap, to undisturb'd repofe;
Here gently laid to reft-each care is fled;
Peace and content my happy eye-lids close.
Ye golden flattering dreams of state adieu !
As bright my flumbers are, more foft than you.

V.

Here free from all the tempefts of the Great,
Craft and ambition can deceive no more!
Beneath these fhades I find a bleft retreat,
From Envy's rage secure, and Fortune's pow'r:
Here call the actions of paft ages o'er,

Or truth's immortal fource alone explore.

Here

VI.

Here far from all the bufy world's alarms,
I prove in peace the Mufe's facred leisure :
No cares within, no diftant found of arms,

Break my repofe, or interrupt my pleasure.
Fortune and Fame! deceitful forms! adieu !
The world's a trifle far beneath my view.

This fong delighted the old gentleman to a great degree. He told me, he was charmed with it, not only for the fine mufic I made of it, but the morality of it, and liked me fo much, that I was most heartily welcome to make his folitary retreat my home, as often and long as I pleased. And indeed I did fo, and continued to behave in fuch a manner, that in two months time, I gained fo entirely his affections, and fo totally the heart of his admirable daughter, that I might have her in wedlock when I pleafed, after the expiration of that current year, which was the young lady's request, and be fecured of his eftate at his death; befides a large fortune to be immediately paid down; and this, tho' my father should.. refufe to fettle any thing on me, or Mifs Noel, my wife. This was generous and charming as my heart could defire. I thought myfelf the happiest of men. Every week I went to Eden Park, one time or other, to fee my dear Mifs Noel, and pay my E 5 refpects