PR 5221 Re Class. Book. POEMS AND MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. POEMS iftttsrellaneous €%u$$< BY HENRIETTA RHODES. BRENTFORD PRINTED BY P. NORBURY. 1814. -PR?** 1 205449 '13 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS, Annesley, the Honorable George 2 copies Anson, Right Honorable Lord Viscount 2 copies Anson, Right Honorable Lady 2 copies Anson, the Honorable Miss Aston, Miss Aston, Miss Maria i>. Barclay, -, Esq. Bury-Hill Barker, Henry Edmund, Esq, Cambridge a 3 VI LlsT OF SUBSCRIBERS. Bayley, Mrs. Beaumont, John, Esq. Bicknell, George, Esq. Bodfield, Mrs. Boycott, Mrs. Bradford, Right Honorable Lord Bradford, Right Honorable Lady Brandon, Mrs. Hay don- Square Bridgeman, the Honorable George Bridgeman, the Honorable Orlando Bridgeman, the Honorable Henry Browne, Isaac Hawkins, Esq. Browne, Mrs. Butler, Lieutenant-Colonel, Bath 8 copies 2 copies 2 copies 2 copies 5 copies 2 copies C. Castlcstewart, Right Honorable the Countess of Champigny, Mrs. Balk Chapellow, the Rev. Mr. Clark, George, Esq. Bewdley Clayton, Miss, Wrbxet&r Clonbrock, the Dowager Lady, Bath Coates, Miss 3 copies Coke, Miss, Holkham 5 copies Cooper, , Esq. Bath Cork and Orrery, Right Honorable Countess Dowager of Corser, the Rev. William Cory, the Rev. C. Hornsea Cotes, John, Esq. M. P. 5 copies Cotes, Miss Cotes, Miss Charlotte Crump, Mr. sJlbrighton J,JST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Yll Curzon, the Honorable Miss Curzon, the Honorable and Rev. D. Curzon, the Honorable Rear-Admiral Curzon, the Honorable Captain D, Dashwood, Mrs. St. Asaph Davenport, William Yelverton, Esq. 2 copies Davey, Thomas, Esq. Dealtry, Percival, JSsq. Dennys, Nicholas, Esq. London Devonshire, His Grace the Duke of Dickenson, Lieutenant -Colonel, Bath Drummond, Mrs. Bath Dudley and Ward, Right Honorable Viscount Dudley and Ward^ Right Honorable Viscountess Dyer, Mr. Fawtrell, the Rev. Charles Fisher, Mrs. Shiffnall Fitzroy, Right Honorable Lady Henry Floyd, Miss 2 copies Galway, Right Honorable Viscount Galway, Right Honorable Viscountess a 4 Vlll LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Galway, Rijjrht Honorable Dowager Viscountess Gatacre, Mrs. Edward Getton, Thomas, Esq. Gee, the Rev. Robert, JJasle, near Hull Gibbon, Mrs. Gibbon, Miss E. Grey, the Right Honorable Lady Louisa H. Hall, Mr. Hall, Mr. Julian Hallen, Mr. George Hamilton, Mrs. Bath Hardwicke, , Esq. Harrison, , Esq. London Haslewood, W. Esq. Hawker, Joseph, Esq. Hill, the Rev. Charles Hill, Mrs. Waldron Hinchley, } Esq. London Hinchley, Mrs. Coton Hoare, Sir Richard Colt, Bart. Hobhouse, Sir Benjamin, Bait, Howard, Mrs. Isaac, E. Esq. Wick LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. l£ -I, Johnson, General, Bath Johnson, Mrs. Ditto Johnson, Miss, Ditto Jones, Arthur, Esq, Lampet, Lionel, Esq. Lee, Lancelot Henry, Esq. Lee, Mrs. Leman, the Rev. Thomas, Bath Literary Club Lousada, Baruh, Esq. M. Macmichael, Mr. M'Neal, General, Bath Malary, Mrs. Marley, Miss Matthews, Mr. Bath Milner, John, Esq. Erdington Monckton, the Honorable Edward Monckton, the Honorable Mrs. Monckton, the Honorable Miss Monckton, the Honorable Miss Fanny Monckton, Miss Sophia X LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS Monckton, Miss Leonora Monckton, Miss Anna Maria Monckton, Edward, Esq. Monckton, Hugh, Esq. Monckton, William, Esq. Montague, the Rev. Dr. Oxford Moseley, Walter, Esq. Layton Moseley, Walter, Esq. Winterdine Moukree, John, Esq. 2 copies Moultree, Mrs. 2 copies, Moultree, Captain N\ Natchbult, Mr. Needham, the Honorable General Needham, the Honorable Mrs. Needham, the Six Misses Nesbit, , Esq. Newnham, Miss Norman, Anthony, Esq. e, Omblcr, Mrs. Parkes, Mr. Parr, the Rev. Dr. Phipps, Warner, Esq. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS, XI Pigot, Sir George, Bart. Pigot, Lady Pigot, General Pigot Mrs. Pigot, Miss Pigot, Miss Fanny Piatt, Mr. Richard Proud, Miss Ann 5 copies 5 copies 4 copies 2 copies 2 copies Richards, Mr. Richardson, « -, Esq. Calcutta Robins, Joseph, Esq. Humbold, the Honorable Lady 2 copies S. Scarsedale, Right Honorable Lord Scarsedale, Right Honorable Lady Shaw, Mrs. Shipley, the very Rev. Dr. Dean of St. Jsapli Shipley, the Rev. Charles Shipral, Mr. George Smith, the Honorable Lady Sparkes, Joseph, Esq. Sparkes, Mrs. Sparkes, Captain Sherrington Spurgeon, the Rev. T. G. Stamford and Warrington, Right Honorable Earl of Stamford and Warrington, Right Honorable Countess of ill LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Stanier, Miss E. St. Leger, the Rev. 9 Bath Stokes, Dr. Stokes, Miss Talbot, Right Honorable Earl Taylor, Farmer, Esq. Taylor, David Jun. Esq. Turner, the Rev, T. A. Becket Tvdd, Lady Upton,, Charles^ Esq. Valentia, Right Honorable Viscount 3 copies Vetro, Miss Vickers, the Rev. W. Wait, William, Esq. Walesley, the Rev. Dr. Ward, Mrs. Wells, Francis, Esq. Whitcombc, Samuel, Esq. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. xiii White, , Esq. White, Mrs. Whitmore, Thomas, Esq. M, P. 10 copies Whitmore, Mrs, 5 copies Whitmore, William, Esq. 5 copies Whitmore, Mrs. W. 5 copies Whitmore, Colonel Woolryche 5 copies Whitmore, John Henry, Esq. 2 copies Whitmore, Miss Fanny Whitmore, Miss Janetta Whitmore, John, Esq. 5 copies Whitmore, Mrs. 2 copies Whitmore, John Jun. JEsq. Whyte, Mrs. Worral, , Esq. Wrighte, Miss 3 copies Wrottesley, Sir John, Bart. 3 copies Wrottesley, Right Honorable Lady Caroline 6 copies Wrottesley, the Honorable Lady 3 copies Wrottesley, Miss 5 copies Wrottesley, Miss Charlotte 5 copies Wrottesley, the Honorable Miss Louisa .5 copies Wrottesley, Henry, Esq. Wrottesley, the Rev. Charles Wylde, the Rev. Robert Yonge, Mr. Yonge, Mrs. POEMS. SIR EDSIC. A LEGENDARY TALE. WHILE o'er the plain a lengthen'd shade Proclaim'd the close of day, And through the glen, but faintly stole Eve's soft, and dusky ray; A warrior, worn with care and thought, In pensive sorrow came ; Whose graceful form, and deeds of worth No strangers were to fame. For he, amid the warlike band Unequal valour show'd — The love of science filFd his mind — His breast with virtue glow'd. But now that war had ceas'd, and peace Was lur'd to Mercia's plain ; Each chief the well-known path pursu'd, His long lost home to gain. Not so Sir Edric — other cares, His gentle mind opprest; For Friendship's parting breath had urg'd, A sad — a fond request. B POEMS .1X1) And deep he mourn'd the fatal cause, Deep felt the sacred trust ; And "till this duty was perform'd, Believ'd himself unjust. For this, through many a desert wild, He many a day had sped, Well mounted on his favourite steed Who safe through dangers led. But now the aid of balmy rest His wearied limbs require; And much to find some hamlet shed His longing eyes desire! " Does fancy give ideal forms " To those dark clouds of grey ? " Or does a castle, to my sight, " Its tow'ring height display?" He urg'd his steed, and through the gloom Saw battlements arise ; " Welcome, ye lofty towers, which blend " Your outline with the skies!" A draw-bridge, fast secur'd within, Forbade the unlicens'd guest ; And the stupendous walls, a rude Magnificence exprest. Sir Edric paus'd awhile, that he The Castle might survey; And whilst he view'd the gloomy pile, His heart felt sad dismay; MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. For not one chearing ray of light, His strained eye-balls found; Nor yet was his attentive ear, Struck with the smallest sound! At length the pillar caught his eye, To which a horn was hung ; And quick he blew so shrill a blast, As through the castle rung. From whence reverberating slow, Through eve's unruffled gale, Oft, but more faint, it reach'd the ear, Then died along the vale. And soon advancing steps are heard; — And soon a knight appears, Who with uncourteous voice demands Why he such summons hears. " A warrior faint with toil, presumes " This night for rest to sue, " For darkness spreads apace, and hides " The path he had in view." " Not unto me," the knight replied, " Belong these vast domains; " These towers my friend Earl Ruthin won, " And bravely still maintains ; " But if thou com'st not with design, " Nor prov'st thyself a foe ; " Safety and rest thou mays't enjoy, " For these I can bestow." POEMS AM) The draw-bridge past, Sir Edric's thanks, A sullen welcome found, And as they pass'd the spacious courts, Which buildings vast surround, Deep hollow echoes struck his ear: — 'Twas but his own firm tread — Yet never had his dauntless soul, Before felt equal dread! The portal gaind, they long pursued, An arehed passage way, Where from the walls, some straggling lamps Diiius'd a glimmering ray. A large apartment next they gain'd — " Here," his conductor cried, " Thou may'st repose, and soon with food " Thou shalt be well supply'd." Cold, damp, and dreary was the place! No hearth its blaze supplied! A single light serv'd to disclose A prison vast and wide. Am I to be confin'd, thought he ! Then treachery lurketh here; For never yet in noble minds Dwelt sueh suspicious fear. Could he the passage find, he hop'cl His steed might be regain'd ; He tried the door, and joy'd to see, The bolts undrawn remaind. MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. With cautious steps he sought his way, For dim the tapers shone; 'Till distant accents caught his ear, Which spoke distressful moan! At which all thoughts of flight gave way For yet his generous heart, Had never heard the woe, in which It did not share a part. In mute attention fix'd he stood, Impatient to discern From whence the sound arose; resolv'd, That way his steps to turn. At length a piercing shriek he heard — ■ Then all was sudden hush'cl — To learn no more Sir Edric stay'd, But on impetuous rush'd. And soon he reach'd th'adjacent tower, From whence the accents broke; And soon he mark'd the room, in which A voice, inhuman, spoke. " These female arts avail thee not, " For fix'd is my design; " Too long entreaty has been us'd, " And force shall make thee mine.'" " Release thy victim, miscreant knight," Sir Edric, entering, cried, " Or else the force you would employ, " With me must first be tried. b 3 POEMS AND " If to thy breast, Nature's best gift, " MERCY, has been denv'd; " Why do'st thou wear a badge, that says, " True honour is thy guide? " Thou know'st that little word contains " All that is dear to fame! " Then let me be thy friend, and save " Thee from a deed of shame." Surprize and rage o'erpower'd the Earl, His words no passage found; And looking death, the fainting fair, Had sunk upon the ground. Sir Edric flew to her relief, With accents soft and kind; And as he rais'd her, strove to chase The terror from her mind. The furious Earl at length found words- Rage flashing from his eyes ! — And loudly call'd for arms, that he The intruder might chastise. Osric, subservient to his will, Heard not his voice in vain; And on his ready steps attend, A servile looking train, Who fiercely rais'd their falchions high, Sir Edric to assail;— A) id what against such numerous foes, Could single might avail? — MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. f O'erpower'd, he fell; his arms are seiz'd, Himself in fetters ty'd; But his unconquer'd soul, with scorn The tyrant still defied. r " 'Twas I, the stranger introduc'd ;" Said Osric to his friend; " On me alone, his punishment " Most justly should depend " 'Twou'd stain thy name and rank, shou'd'st thou " With him the combat dare; " And vict'ry oft attends that arm, " Made furious by despair. " Should he repass thy walls, and tell " What he has witness'd here, From such a tale, too well we know " How much we have to fear. Revenge, and safety both require " That death should be his doom ; Then let him in the dungeon find " Unheard, a living tomb." Thou counsel'st well," the Earl replied, " Such vengeance is my due; Nor to the miscreant's pray'rs will I " Favour or mercy shew." " No miscreant sues thy favour, Earl," Sir Edric proudly cried; " A knight I am, and oft have fought " By our lov'd monarch's side. B 4 u a POEMS AKD cc Amid the woods, which skirt thy wallgj " Darkness my steps betray'd; " And, stranger to the path I sought, " I lost it in the shade. u Thy turrets gave me hope their chief " Possess'd a noble mind; " And that the rest my toils requir'd, " In safety I might find. u I crav'd admittance, and 'twas given, " With prompt, and kind accord; " And as unknown to me, were both " The castle and its lord, ec How could I treachery mean, or how " Commit a base design? From friends and native shores can part 9 Her great security — thy love! For oh ! each scene, when thou'rt away Assumes an aspect dull and drear ; Fled are those hours which shone so gay s When thou with happiness wert here! No terrors will my fancy wake, Though lightnings flash, and thunders roll! No elemental discord shake, Th'intrepid purpose of my soul! For thee alone, in such dread hours, I'd breathe the humble, fervent pray'r; And grateful thank the heav'nly powers, For happiness, wert thou their care. With thee how light the sense of toil, The tedious march, or short repast! To future joys they'll prove a foil, When retrospection views them past Far from my mind I'll bravely chase The ills my timid sex would fear, Since nought could rob my soul of peace, Or happiness, whilst thou wert near. 30 POEMS A.\D And should — (but Heaven avert the deed) Should Henry in the virtuous cause Of glory, and his country, bleed, Let grateful Britons pay applause. For that sad hour in which we part, Will prove I liv'd for thee alone, For Death must rend this faithful heart, When thou, with happiness art gone ! WRITTEN TO A FRIEND, FROM SOUTH HAY COTTAGE, NEAR BATH, DURING THE DREADFUL STORMS OF THE 14TH AND 15TH OF JANUARY, 1806. Oh! where shall I fly from the storm's sullen roar? Destruction sure waits on its wild raging' blast! Dark, dark are the clouds, and the torrents they pour, Seem to threaten the earth, with a deluge that's vast. The lightning's dread glare, shoots athwart thro' the sky, And I shrink from such terrors — yet where can I fly? MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 31 Hark! hark! — -'twas the wind as it rush'd down the steep, Resistless it seem'd — and methought, tho' so low. This cottage had bent, at the menacing sweep, For it shook, at the rage of the blast, to and fro ! In fearful suspense of the danger that's nigh, I breathless remain, — for oh! where can I fly? Now the fastenings are burst from the casements and door, From the " pitiless storm" scarcely shelter is found ; For chilling the wind is, and damp is the floor, Where the rain beating in, spreads curl'd eddies around. Be still, thou vast spirit, that troublest the sky; In pity be still — for I've no where to fly! Cold fear shakes my soul, — 'midst the hurricane's rage, Which to a rude chaos all Nature deforms; No soothing sound chears me — no voice to assuage My dread of the peril which lurks in the storms! I gaze in despair ! alas ! no one is by To hear my complaint — or to whom I can fly! 32 POEMS AX 9 BALLAD. This Ballad was occasioned by the following circumstance : a Lad//, who was engaged to an Officer, serving on the Continent, being in company where a newspaper -was read, which gave an account of a battle having taken place between the English and the French, in %ohick numbers of the former had fallen, retired to her own apart- inent to conceal her emotion, where she was so?ne time afterwards found dead upon the floor. It appeared that the Officer, to whom she was betrothed, had died of the wounds he had received about the same hour in which she had expired. Rude blew the wind around the tower Where Ellen sat alone; And the long dreary midnight hour Had pass'd in piteous moan: When in a sudden glare of light, Which shook her soul with fear — And just revealed to her sight, fShe saw her love appear. (C Ah! shadowy form of my belov'd! " Say what portends this view? " Art thou to happier realms remov'd, " And come to prove me true ? " From thy sunk cheek the rose is fled, " And ghastly seems thine eye! " If thou art number'd with the dead, " Then shortly so shall I!" MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS, 33 " Oh, dearest maid! to me no more " To visit earth, 'tis given; " But thou may'st still enjoy a store " Of bliss, ere thou gain'st Heaven! " To say I lov'd thee, e'en in death, " My fleeting spirit came, " And that my latest ling'ring breath " Feebly pronounc'd thy name." " Could then my Henry's faithful heart " So lightly think of mine? 66 Already Death performs his part, " And I am wholly thine. " Stay, take thy love to thy cold grave! " She will not be deny'd !" — She stretch'd her arms to grasp his shade, And then sunk down and died ! o-l POEMS AND EXTEMPORE. WRITTEN IN THE COTTAGE BOOK AT DUDMASTON. Oh! ye, whose footsteps from the splendid dome, To this sequester'd spot may chance to roam; Who court these scenes, day's garish eye to shun, Yet Folly's restless course delight to run; See where Content has fix'd her humble scat, And learn this lesson in her calm retreat ; That all the real joys which life bestows, The peaceful inmate of the cottage knows. Yet think not ye, who turn from mis'ry's tear That 'tis the name, which brings Contentment here. No: like the bounteous pair who bless this grove, Do thou the pangs of want and woe remove! So shall ye taste the true, the highest charm Which with delight the feeling breast can warm : So shall these smiling plains, and shady woods, These fragrant flow'rs, and undulating floods ; Their sweetest influence o'er your mind impart, And Nature boast her triumph over Art. MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 35 PARODY ON CAPTAIN MORRIS'S SONG, WRITTEN AT THE REGtUEST OF A FRIEND; And as it would be injustice not to give a place to his Lines also, which abound with exquisite wit and humour, they will be found at the end of these Poems* In the Country I never know what to be at, Delighted with this, and enraptur'd with that; 'Midst the beauties of Nature unwearied I roam, Or the charms of sweet converse, enjoy when .at home. Bat in London, good Lord! what a terrible bore, To be stunn'd all the day with the raps at your door! No view from your window, no sun at mid-day, Whilst for fog, or for smoke, you can scarce see your way. In the Country, whilst show'rs the green verdure renew, We've amusements within, and we've beauties in view; And when the chill blast, sweeps with rage o'er our fields, We boast the proud joys hospitality yields! d 2 3t> f'OKMS IAD In Town, when it rains, the dread season you rue, And feel the worst ill — bavins; nothing to do; Should torrents descend, and your coaches can't meet, No resource can you find — but a peep in the street. In the Country we meet for society's sake, And we know ev'ry one who our fare shall partake; The heart can select, and the judgment approve, And our test of admittance, is those that we love. In London, no matter who enters your door, 'Tis sufficient your rooms will not hold one soul more; — 'Tis sufficient your smiles to each guest shouldextend, And you welcome a knave, as you welcome a friend. In the Country, no homage to fashion we pay, Which Nature inverts, and to night turns the day; The vot'ries of health, we've no fees to give, And a doctor alone in the Country can't live. But in London by physic your health is preserved For if you're not sick, you are surely un-nerv'd; Whilst of med'eine, bad hours, and bad air you've your fill, Your doctor at least gets good pay for his skill. In the Country our visits we make in hroad day, Secure that our friends will not turn us away; And the peril of driving by night we ne'er know, For as well as good cheer, we've good beds to bestow! MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 3 J In Town how delightful to visit by scores, Those who only will give you access to their doors ! Though I ne'er knew the bliss, such it surely must be, To have an acquaintance with those you ne'er see! In the Country, a rubber of whist we oft make, But we play for amusement, and not for the stake; Our losses can't hurt us, for skill we contend, We ne'er lose our good humour, or ruin a friend! But in London, high play is the charm of your life, And to pocket the gold of your neighbour your strife ; Then your temper a mixture of acid must know, When you risk all you have in the world, on a throw! In the Country we hunt, or we fish, shoot, or ride, We have billiards and bowls, and our grounds are our pride; By exercise strengthen'd, our spirits are bold, And we laugh at effeminate beaus who fear cold. In Town, where your mornings begin when near dark, A grand effort you make, when you ride through Hyde-Park ; And as for your belles, all the airing they know. Is a long string of coaches, stuck fast in a row! d 3 38 rOEMS AND I've oft heard that love, in the Town they deride, That their idol is wealth, and their sole passion, pride; And that London fine beans will require to their chain, Such a number of links, that they drag it with pain. For their Opera, Ranelagh, concert, or ball, I care not a straw, since we out-do them all; Can their domes, drest by art, our gay landscapes excel, Can they boast such a songstress, as sweet Philo- mel ! As the Country I love, may I there live, and die, For the Town cannot boast half its charms, in my eye; And in sight of its chimnies, may those be confin d, Who to each nobler object, their smoke has made blind ! LINES WRITTEN AT THE REQ.UEST OF A FRIEND IN A BLOTTING BOOK, PRESENTED BY HER TO LORD VALENTIA, IN WHICH HERSELF AND SEVERAL OF THE LADIES IN HER FAMILY HAD ALSO WRITTEN VERSES. Oh, Muse! that lov'st to dwell 'Midst laurel bowers! And form with magic spell, Thy wreath of deathless flowers! MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. o$ Oh, Muse ! indulgently on me bestow Numbers that breathe, and thoughts that glow With thy celestial fire. — For him I strike the lyre, Who lur'd by Science, from his native soil, Where honours court him, and luxurious ease, Encounters dangers — baneful climates — toil — And the uncertain track of untry'd seas ! Go on, illustrious traveller! — pursue In safety, and in health, thy patriot view! Can ought more elevate the human mind, Than thus to prove the lover of mankind? India to him her grateful homage pays, And Abyssinian shores resound his praise ; And thou enchanting Muse, * Do'st not refuse, But wilt supply Sweet poesy To deck with friendship's bands the trump of fame, And give due honour to Valentia's name. In allusion to the preceding poetry written in the book. D 4 40 POEMS AND EPILOGUE TO THE « EFFECTS OF CURIOSITY;' A COMEDY, WRITTEN BY MADAME GENLIS, AND ACTED AT DUDMASTON BY A PARTY OF LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. Lord Walcourt enters, speaking as Prompter. Well, ladies, now my scene of acting's past, I hope you'll give me leave to speak at last — ■ What a strange plot! plann'd with true female art, Where but one man appears, and his a silent part! In vain I urg'd, " the thing is quite absurd, " Sustain an hero's character without one word! " Tis cruel so to cut me — faith I'll speak, " And if you'll give no speeches, rant in Greek." " Lord, Sir! how can you be so very teazing; " You'll look the part so well, you're sure of pleas- ing." Thus flattery silcnc'd, and the part has charms, Which doom'd me to receive an Helen in my arms. MISCELLANEOUS ESS A VS. 41 Yet on the stage, tho' I've not once been heard, Behind the scenes, I've whisper' d every word. As thus (ad libitum) and memory supplying, Have tutor'd those, who told you I was dying". Tis true, my task requir'd uncommon spirit! — To each I vow'd her high pretence to merit ; — Bade each unnecessary fears resign ; — And conquer'd such amazing diffidence as mine. For well we knew how difficult to fill, Each mimic scene with dignity and skill. Here beams the eye of elegance and taste; Here dwell the virtues which our Author trae'd! Here with true splendour shines the parent's name! And real worth, unconscious of its fame! Oh! may the choicest gifts which mortals share, With added joys await the honour'd pair! But now, to find the meaning of the play — Curiosity and its Effects — What are they, prayr We all renounce the vice, tho' none believe us, But Where's the harm? unless tli "Effect's mischievous. Nay, frown not — -certainly 'tis very clear, That Curiosity alone has led you here! The Effects of which, by this unerring measure, Are good, if you have heard our play with plea- sure. POEMS AN* EPILOGUE TO FOOTERS COMEDY OF " TASTE r PERFORMED BY SOME YOUNG GENTLEMEN, AND SPOKEN BY ONE OF THEM. By mimic character, no longer known, Lo! here I come, and re-assume my own ; Nor do feign d accents now assault the ear, But artless truths, which tell what passes her el Your kind acceptance of our humble aim, The genuine marks of gratitude might claim; Yet more than this, in ev ry breast you raise, And wake to rapture by your liberal praise. Observe the cautious care with which we chuse The sportive satire of the comic Muse! For modern taste, 'twere dang 'rous to arraign, Since all erect, and consecrate its fane: If modish buckles, or the high-crown d hat, The puJTd up handkerchief, or vast cravat, Circle the foot, or nearly hide the face, Those form the beau — these give to beauty grace. Here no one, I may venture to suppose, Sighs for a Venus, who has lost her nose! MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 43 Or that so great for China is the rage, No other passion can your hearts engage! None chuse with ecstacy a broken bust, Or know an Otho by its flavour d rust. To-night you've seen upon this little stage. One striking feature of our Shakspeare's age; His female characters, sustain' d by men, Exhibited the grace, of Lady Pen *, Who, cas'd in stays, and pinch'd by hlgh-heeVd shoes, Nor body, breath, or limbs, could freely use ! This too was taste; — thank Heaven! our polish'd days With chasten' d judgment, nicer skill displays. Custom with slavish rule, no more enchains, And beauty indisputed empire gains. The intellectual ray, which faintly gleams, Fann'd by approving smiles, with splendour beams. The social wish expands the glowing heart, And self-taught actors venture on their part, Secure their ev'ry aim to please, shall know, The honour' d patronage which you bestow. # Lady Pentvveazle, performed by one of the young gentlemen, dressed in women's clothes. 44 POEMS ASD EPILOGUE WRITTEN FOR A FRIEND, WHO PERFORMED THE PART OF ROVER, IN " WILD OATSr So fleet, and strange has pass'd the mimic scene, That mem'ry scarcely tells me what I've been. A friendless orphan in the dawn of life; — Then presto! I've both parents, and a wife! — ■ Stern Poverty's hard grasp, 'twas mine to prove Then to be blest with for tu?ie, and with love! Our author begs of you to try his cause; Say, has his drama swerv'd from Nature's laws? Oft has th'embattled plain, distain'd with gore, The helpless infant, from its parent tore, And the kind bosom, which could /Wand save By cruel fate, been level'd with the grave! Pale want, might then unpity'd sorrows tell; — Yet should wild genius in that bosom dwell, The glowing thought might mis'ry's power con- troul, And lift above its woes, his daring soul. — MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 4$ Ah! then to fiction, give not pity's tear, The child of poverty is always near. Probe the ingenuous mind — effect its cure; Such is our moral, the ^ £ ward is sure. " Aye," cries some female critic, taking snuff, a This sowing of Wild Oats, is well enough ; " But Lady Amaranth, did you suspect her? " And don't you think her Rover will neglect her?" Oh, monstrous! can I wish to leave those arms ? Where pity — gentleness — and beauty charms ? Do they not give the bliss to earth assign'd. And form a chain to fix the roving mind ? More natural the question of that beau ; — " Pray how did you in youth, its joys forego?" Because its joys I transiently ran o'er, And found once tasted, such were joys no more. You, who in youth, your Wild Oats have not sown, Bear crops of vice, which never can be mown. Odious they seem in age's furrow'd brow, Nor e'er can meet the suffrage I claim now. •iG POEMS AISD LINES WRITTEN WITH THE RUSH, WHICH WHILST GREEN, MAY BE MADE INTO A PEN; AND SENT WITH THE PEN INCLOSED, TO A BOTANIC FRIEND WHO WISHED FOR A SPECIMEN. IMPROMPTU. Absent from her he lov'd, a shepherd swain, To winds, and echo told his am'rous pain. " Oh ! to my fair, my sighs," he cried " convey — * The breeze grew faint, and echo died away. — " The fond remembrances my bosom knows, " Teach me, some sacred power! to disclose." Sudden the green rush from the earth he drew, And pens Love's flow'r * express'd the purple hue. The pliant bark-j~ receivd his vows of truth, And equal constancy rewards the youth. Thus Love, his faithful votaries inspires With wilder genius, and subliiner fires ! • Viola, t The bark of the birch tree may be written upon. MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS, 4? LINES ON READING A MOST EXCELLENT ESSAY ON THE APPLICATION OF THE WORD « ROMANTIC." Yes! I will woo thee to my breast, Where thou may'st aye securely dwell! I fear thee not, romantic guest, So throw around my heart thy spell : Were I thy influence to define, I'd say thou did'st exalt — refine, The soul to love whatever is divine! The envious little mind I do beshrew, Which what it understands not, will deride; And with less mercy, on the exalted few W T ho * differ from the many, will decide- Yet as we value most, That which is truly rare, To differ from the throng should be our boast. And to be singularly good our care. * Madame CJenlis makes the following beautiful remark on this subject. " There are to be found a few generous and exalted cha- racters, who are usually called in derision romantic. Such persons may sometimes judge erroneously, because they love with fervour whatever is most dignified on earth — the sublime in sentiment and virtue, and expect in reality to find it in others. This superiority of thinking is doubtless extremely rare, but it is not ideal ; and happy are they who preserve the noble illusion which excites it, or the hope «f discovering it ! 48 POEMS AND Be mine th'illusion, were it nothing more, To cherish the bright hope, unfelt before; Or form expectancies which may deceive, Rather than think I never must believe. " Ro??iantic" let me still appear, No higher title do I seek; 'lis trae'd through Pity's lucid tear, Tis wrote on Virtue's glowing cheek. Tis the bright sun which gilds life's early day, And when we view its last departing ray; What can succeed, but cold suspicious care, Or save the feeling mind from black despair? SONNET. TRANSLATED FROM PETRARCH. Ah, vain desires! w T hy lead my soul astray, To follow her, who flies as I pursue ? O'er whose cold bosom love can boast no sway, Whom neither tears nor suff 'rings can subdue! MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 4Q Whene'er we meet, she shuns my ardent gaze, Insensible she hears my broken sighs ; And if to plead my suit, my tongue essays, The less she listens, or the swifter flies ! In vain for me the laurel crown is spread! Like unripe fruit, which withers if it fall, The sickly branches droop around my head; — For she who could alone their bloom recal, Has blighted ev'ry youthful hope with care, And bids me die — the victim of despair ! EPIGRAM. TRANSLATED FROM BO ILEA U. Ever since I have seen you, Clemene, My soul has been tortur'd with care; For I love! — and how great is that pain,, Inflicted by doubt, and despair ! You frown! — yet how can it displease, That an object so dear I pursue? But perhaps you m^take — be at ease, For the fair one I love — Is not you, E 50 POEMS A Mi SONG, ON THE TOWN AND THE COUNTRY, WRITTEN BY CAPTAIN MORRIS. In London I never know what to be at, Enraptur'd with this, and enchanted with that; I am wild with the sweets of Variety's plan, And life seems a blessing too happy for man. But the Country, Lord help me! sets all matters right, So calm and composing from morning 'till night; Oh! it settles the spirits, though nothing is seen, But an ass on a common, or goose on a green! Iu Town, if it rain, why it bars not our hope, The eye has its range, and the fancy its scope; Still the same, though it pour all night and all day. It spoils not our prospects, it stops not our way. In the Country how blcss'd! when it rains, in the fields To feast on the transports which shuttle-coek yields ; Or go crawling from window to window to see, A hog on a dunghill, or crow on a tree! MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS, 51 In London how easy we visit and meet, Cay pleasure's the theme, and sweet smiles are our treat; Our mornings a round of good humour, delight, And we rattle in comfort to pleasure at night. In the Country how charming your visits to make, Through ten miles of mud, for formality's sake ; With the coachman quite drunk, and the moon in a fog, And no thoughts in your head, but a ditch or a bog. Jn London, if folks ill together are put, A beau may be drop'd, or a quiz may be cut ; We change without end, and if happy or ill, Our wants are at hand, and our wishes at will. In the Country you're nail'd like a pale in your park, To some stick of a neighbour, as old as the ark; And if you are sick, or in fits tumble down, You meet Death, ere the doctor can reaoh you from, Town. 'Tis true, if in fishing you take much delight, In a boat you may shiver, from morning till night ; But though bless'd with the patience which Job had of old, The devil of a thing can you catch—- but a coldl e 2 62 poems, 8$e. Then how often you're screw' d to your chairs fist to fist, All stupidly yawning, o'er sixpenny whist; And although you may lose, 'tis no less true than strange, You have nothing to pay! — the good folks have no, change. I've oft heard that love in a cottage is sweet, When two hearts in one link of soft sympathy meet; I know not of that, for alas! I'm a swain, Who require, I own it, more links to my chain. Your jays and your magpies may chatter in trees, And whisper soft nonsense in groves, if they please; But a house is much more to my mind than a tree, And for groves ! oh ! a sweet grove of chimnies for me! Then in Town let me live, and in Town let me die. For I own I can't relish the Country, not I. If I must have a villa in Summer to dwell, Oh! give me the sweet shady side of Pall-Mall' ESS^l YJ$. ESSAY. ON THE CULTIVATION OF THE SUGAR MAPLE, THE ACER SACCHARINUM, IN ENGLAND. It is rather extraordinary, when we consider the high degree of estimation in which the Maple was held by the antients, their care in its cultivation, and the adaption of its wood to their most costly furniture, that its abundant sap, so richly impreg- nated with saccharine juice, should have escaped notice; or if known, that it should not have been employed in domestic economy. It is true, that the Acer Campestres, or Common Maple, is the one so highly spoken of by Pliny; but Mr. Millar asserts, that Sugar may be extracted from every species of the Maple; and Dr. Lyster, and Mr. Kay actually obtained it from the Acer Pseudo Platanus, or Sycamore Tree. The Highlanders of Scotland have long converted the sap of the Syca- more into a pleasant beverage; and in the Philo- sophical Transactions, vol. IV. p. 8 17, Dr. Tongue asserts from his own experience, that one bushel of malt, brewed with the sap from tiiis tree, yielded as large a quantity of good ale, as three bushels would have done with common water. 56 POEMS AND The extravagant fondness of the Romans for the wood of the Maple almost exceeds credibility; and were it not so circumstantially related by Pliny, we might be tempted to doubt the excess to which it was carried. He describes it thus: — " The Maple " is scarcely inferior to the Citron in the elegance " and fineness of its wood. There are several " species of it most wonderfully beautiful*, espe- " cially the White, or French Maple, which grows " in Italy, by the side of the Po, beyond the Alps. *' One sort, the Acer Campestre, has a grain so " curiously knotted and maculated, that from its • resemblance it is called the Peacock's-tail Maple. " The Bruscum, or Knur, is exquisitely beautiful; *'■ but the Molluscum is much more precious. Most " of them are produced by knots in the trees, " which are most intricately curled, and marked " with a variety of forms. Could trees large enough ' ; to be sawed into planks be procured, they would " be infinitely more valuable than the Citron." In fact, imagination converted these lines and knots, occasioned most probably from some puncture or blow the tree had received, into figures of birds, beasts, &c. and in proportion to the number, and correctness of these delineations, arose the value of the wood. Cicero possessed a table which cost him ten thousand sesterces; and one which had be- longed to King Juba, sold for fifteen thousand ses- terces. Mauritanius Ptolemaeus was the envied pos- * I have been informed by an intelligent friend, an ofiicer who re- sided some years in Canada, thai these Maples abound in (lie Woods there. The name they give to an inconceivably beautiful sort, is the Bird's-Eye Maple; probably the Peacock Maple of the Romans. MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 5? sessor of one still more valuable. This table mea- sured four feet and a half in diameter, was three inches thick, and sold for its weight in gold ! This expensive taste for tables made of the wood of the Maple, presents us with an explanation of a sentence often repeated, without its origin being known; for according to Pliny, when these luxuri- ous Romans used to reproach their wives for ex- travagance in dress or jewels, they are used to re- tort, and " turn the tables upon tke?n" The Maple is of the order and class Polygamia Moneocia, and there are ten species of it. 1st. Acer Pseudo Platanus, or Sycamore Tree, a native of Germany, and cultivated in Great Bri- tain chiefly for its handsome appearance in plantations. It is of quick growth, and thrives luxuriantly in most soils. During the months of February and March, the sap rises so abundantly, that if an incision be made in the trunk, it will pro- duce several quarts of sweet juice daily, which, as Dr. Willich informs us, when evaporated and clari- fied, yields a fine Sugar, in the proportion of one pound from sixteen quarts of the sap. 2nd. The Acer Campestre, or Common Maple. This is the species on which Pliny bestows such high encomiums, and in the wood of which the an- tients so anxiously sought for the Bruscum, which contained the representation of birds and animals. Surely the caprice of modern taste has never equalled the folly the Romans were guilty of, in their excessive fondness for these figures, and the ■value they set upon them! 3rd. The Acer Regundo, or the Virginian Ash- leaved Maple. 58 POEMS AKD 4th. The Acer Phalanades, or the Norway Ma- ple. 5th. The Acer Rubrum, or the Scarlet Flower- ing Maple. This tree grows plentifully in Pensyl- vania, and delights in a swampy soil. The wood is esteemed excellent for various purposes; and wool- len receives a deep blue from the bark, which also makes beautiful black ink. The Canadians have long- converted the sap of this tree into Sugar; and Millar particularly mentions that he had observed a sweet juice to flow from it in great abundance, whenever an incision had been made in the bark. The blossoms, which appear early in spring', are of a fine scarlet colour, which alone renders it worthy of a place in shrubberies and plantations. 6th. The Acer Pensylvacum, or Mountain Maple. 7th. Acer Tartaricum, or Tartarian Maple. 8th. Acer Monspassulanum, or Montpelier Ma- ple. 9th. Acer Creticurn, or the Cretan Maple. 10th. The Acer Saccharinum, by far the most valuable of all the species, and denominated in America the Sugar Maple, from the rich sweetness of its sap, which is easily converted into Sugar. This tree is a native of North America, where, although it may justly contend with the Sugar Cane for superiority, its virtues remained long* un- discovered. It appears that when the Canadians first procured Sugar from the sap, that part of it was usually scut to Rouen, in Normandy, to be re- fined. Millar gives directions how to raise plants from the Acer Saccharinum, which, he says, are very hardy, and require no further care than to MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS, 5<) protect them, whilst young", from the depredations of insects, to which the peculiar sweetness of the young shoots no doubt exposes them. The growth and size of the trees must probably determine the time for the extraction of the sap; but there is no reason to believe that they require many years be- fore they beg-in to produce it; and as their growth continues for two hundred years, and they attain the venerable age oifour centuries, neither the renewal of labour, or expence, will deduct from the profit. The late Dr. Rush, who published a short account of this tree in America, with a view to promote its cultivation, says, that so far from its being injured by being punctured, or as they term it, tapping, the more frequent the incisions have been made, the more abundant and rich is the sap. A tree has been known to nourish well, after forty-two years of successive tappings. He adds, that they usually begin on the south side, and when the sap ceases to flow, perforin the same operation on the north side, where it is equally abundant. He is of opi- nion that cultivation may improve both the quan- tity and quality of the sap, and gives one fact within his own knowledge. A farmer in the pro- vince of Pensylvania, from some trees of a mo- derate size, which he had cultivated in a meadow, obtained from three gallons of the sap every year, one pound of Sugar, whereas from those trees which grew wild in the woods, four or five gallons of the sap was requisite to produce the same quan- tity of Sugar. Plants of the Sugar Maple may now be procured from the Nursery Gardens about Lon- don. It has been cultivated for some years in the Botanic Garden at Liverpool.^ 60 POEMS AND This tree may almost be termed the weed of the soil of North America, for if over-runs that con- tinent from Canada to Virginia, containing no less than fifteen degrees of latitude; in which Length the temperature of the seasons, as well us the na- ture of the soil, must materially differ. It has been asserted by an American author, that no less than three millions of these trees are an- nually destroyed in clearing the lands in the State of New York alone, and it is surprising that so va- luable an article of commerce should have escaped the observation of the American settlers for so long a time. The Sugar produced in three of the Ame- rican States only, has for some years past amounted annually to seven millions of pounds. These three States are, Ohio, Kentucky, and Vermont. Those humane advocates for the suppression of the Slave Trade, the Quakers, instituted a society some years ago for the sole purpose of bringing this most ex- cellent, and long neglected production of the earth to perfection ; and it is undoubtedly owing to their efforts that we are at the present moment able to appreciate its value. The infinite labour with which the Sugar Cane is propagated, the barbarous traffic it occasions, and its being liable to receive injury from insects, and unfavourable seasons, all point out the superiority of the Maple, which is procured almost without culture, flourishes for four centuries, and requires no preparatory care before the sap rises. Each tree, without injury to itself, yields upwards of twenty gallons of juice, which, according to later calcula- tions than Dr. Rush's, may produce seven or eight pounds of Sugar. The sap has the additional ad- MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 6l vantage of being- produced in the months of Fe- bruary and March, when there certainly is a cessa- tion from the more important occupations of rural industry. Some few years ago, a Mr. Drinkur, of Philadel- phia, made sixty barrels of Maple Sugar on his own estate on the Delaware. He published a Treatise on the best manner of manufacturing* it ; and a Mr, Pennington, who had been an eminent refiner m the West Indies, declared this Sugar to be equal in all respects to that produced from the Sugar Cane. Several of these facts are to be found in Brissof s Tour through the United States of America; who, be- fore he engaged in the sanguinary politics of France, which finally led to his disgrace and death, had devoted himself to those pursuits which promoted the interest and happiness of his fellow-creatures 3 and entitled him to the name of a philanthropist Speaking of the Sugar Maple he thus expresses himself. " Whenever there shall be found from " the north to the south an ardent emulation to ■" multiply this divine tree, and especially when it " shall become a sort of impiety to destroy it, not " only may America supply herself, but she may " also fill the markets of Europe with a Sugar, the " low price of which would 'ruin the trade of the " West-India Islands, in a produce washed with the " blood and tears of slaves! What an extensive £' effect would it besides have, were this tree to be *' naturalized throughout ail Europe!" • There can be no doubt of its flourishing well in most soils in England. It might be planted in gardens or orchards, so as not to injure the growth Ci POEMS AND ' way. In America they collect the sap in wooden vessels, and boil it as last as they can col- lect it in sufficient quantities until it is reduced by evaporation to the consistence of Sugar. Perhaps a more expeditions, and consequently a better pro- cess than this might be found out in this country, and the Sugar might even be refined by the same operation which would separate it. It may be alleged that by naturalizing this tree in England, we should destroy a branch of com- merce with the West-India Islands, which depend upon us for the consumption of their produce, and which in fact, by the heavy duties imposed upon it, affords a prodigious increase of revenue to this country. Let it, however, be remembered, that the period may not be very far distant when these Islands may become appendages to other States, and that it may then be of importance to this na- tion to possess within itself a produce for which immense sums must otherwise revert into foreign hands. It has been predicted, and nothing seems more likely that whenever America becomes a maritime power, which in process of time may probably be the case, her first conquests will be the Islands so immediately bordering on her own Continent. And should the resolutions of the Americans for the suppression of the Slave Trade continue to be enforced, this country would even- tually have to depend upon the produce of the Su- gar Maple cultivated in America. None will think these conjectures improbable or extravagant, who have heard of the deprivations the French have endured for the want of that first MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 65 of domestic luxuries, Sugar, or the premiums which their government have offered for the discovery of asuccedaneum among any of their own productions. Could Brissot — could any one have believed before the French revolution, that it was possible for them to be cut off so effectually from this article of co- lonial produce? When Brissot recommended the cultivation of the Sugar Maple in France, he had in view the advantage of his country, with respect to its revenue — not the possibility of its wants; and had his ideas at that period been adopted, and the Sugar Maple then been introduced into France, the trees, which are large enough for the extraction of sap, in less than twenty years, would by this time have afforded them what they have vainly been endeavouring to obtain from the Beet-root (i. e. Mangel Wurtzel), their raisins, &c. &c. Were the experiment to be made in England, it would always be in the power of government to check its progress, or turn it to advantage, as the exigencies of the times required. But it is possible that the sap of the Maple might even be converted to a more valuable purpose than extracting Sugar from it. Why may not a liquid, so richly impreg- nated with a saccharine substance, form the basis of an excellent wine? On the authority of Dr. Tongue, we see that ale has been prepared from the common Sycamore *, and Dr. Willich informs us in his most excellent work, the Domestic Enyclopae- * A curious fact has been communicated to me by a person on whose information I can rely. Observing the abundance of sap which was produced in the Sycamore Tree, he was tempted, by way of experi- ment, to ingraft an Apple Scion upon it. The effect exceeded his ex- pectations, for the fruit was not only very large, and of a very finefia. F 6G poems, 8$c. di;i, that the Highlanders of Scotland make a wholesome and pleasant beverage from it. The sap of the Sugar Maple, with the addition of the juice of the grape, or some other of our fruits, might form a liquor very different, and less excepti- onable in point of fermentation, than the wines which have hitherto been made in England. There would be little difficulty in procuring- plants of the .Sugar Maple from America ; ships frequently arrive from thence at Liverpool, in three weeks : a shorter pe- riod than plants can be procured from the nurseries about London, in some of the remote counties in England. If so laudable a motive as the opening a new source of wealth to this country, cannot stimulate those who have sufficient influence to accomplish it ; individuals, to whom in fact we generally owe the introduction of our most valuable acquisitions, may be tempted to possess themselves of a do- mestic luxury, the use of which is at present asso- ciated with reflections which are revolting to hu- manity, and the finer sympathies of our nature *. tout, but the young tree also grew so rapidly, as to surprise every one who saw it. As there are some Counties in England where the Apple Tree cannot be made to flourish, this circumstance may suggest a very useful and valuable process, for the Sycamore will grow in any soil. * The present high price of Sugar, whether occasioned by real scar- city, monopoly, or our disagreement with America, adds another for- cible inducement for the culture of the Sugar Maple in England; as it proves that it is possible for us to be deprived of this luxury, unless pro- cured at an enormous expense. ESSAY. ON THE ANTIftUITY OF STONEHENGE. At a time when science is throwing light over the obscurity of past ages, and the traveller and the antiquary are exploring distant countries to bring forward to our view those monuments, " the re- cords of former times," which the labour and inge- nuity of man has raised to perpetuate the grandeur of nations whose very names are nearly forgotten, it is to be regretted that a structure which is found on our own island*, more curious perhaps in its design, and claiming an equal degree of antiquity, should no longer excite attention, or be thought worthy of investigation. The superstitious history which Geoffry of Monmouth gave of Stonehenge, and the no less fabulous accounts of some succeed- ing authors, have been no farther improved upon than by conjectures on the derivation of the name. By the antient Britons it was called " Choir Gour," or the Giant's Dance, a proof that no tradition of its origin remained at that time, although ascribed by some writers to their Druids; and that the * This Essay was prepared for the Press before the Author of it had seen or heard of Sir Richard Colt Hoare's learned Work on the Anti- quities of Wiltshire. Had his design been known before the publica- tion of it, this Tract would have been deposited in his hands, as the- most secure place for candid investigation and elucidation. F 2 CS POEMS AND structure was then thought so wonderful, that it could only have been raised by supernatural means. The present name, Stonehenge, is admitted to be of Saxon origin, and signifies a stone gallows, which defeats the assertions of those authors who say it was built by Hengist; as the idea evidently arose from the resemblance the transverse stones have to a gallows, and he would unquestionably have given it a name more appropriate to the pur- pose for which it was built. Here then is another proof that at that period no tradition had been pre- served of the use, or age of this extraordinary structure. Had Stonehenge been used as a temple for religious rites, or remained in a perfect state at the time the Romans first visited Britain, some ac- count would have been given of it by their writers; nor would the mechanical skill of the people who could move such prodigious bodies and elevate them so as to fix them where they now rest, have escaped their attention, or commendation. At that time it was probably in its present state, neg- lected by the inhabitants, and not pointed out by them to the invaders as an object of curiosity or use. Stability in their buildings seems to have been the essential feature in remote ages*; and we cannot but reflect how many centuries must have elapsed to bring such a structure as this to decay, and how many more to involve it in * Dcnon, in his Description of the Egyptian Edifices, remarks that the most stupendous monuments he saw were all raised by the antient Egyptians; and adds — " The vanity of creeling- colossal edifices was " the first consideration of opulence, before the Arts had arisen to per- " fection. Their ruins give a striking picture of the eternity which " they wished to give to their architecture." MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS, 69 oblivion ! But in whatever age Stonehenge was erected, the island must have been populous and flourishing-, and the natives in some measure ac- quainted with the arts. A nation must have arisen far above the stages of barbarism, before they could be- gin to construct monuments for posterity, or under* stand how to erect buildings which may resist the elements, or defeat the ravages of time. From this rank as a nation, the Britons must have fallen long before the Romans visited the island. Such is the fate of empires! Such the mutable progression from ages of darkness to splendour — from know- ledge and refinement, to ignorance and oblivion! The late Mr. Warltire, who travelled over this kingdom some few years past, and read Lectures on Astronomy and Mechanics, had devoted much of his time and attention to the study of Stonehenge, for he was a man of classical taste as well as uni- versal knowledge. His Lecture upon Stonehenge can never be effaced from the memory of those who heard it. It was original, impressive, and too in- teresting to be forgotten ■ He exhibited two models of Stonehenge ; one as the structure now appears, and the other as it stood when it was first erected: and to shew the latter, he had nothing more to do than to raise those stones which have fallen down, and place them in his model as they originally stood. He believed Stonehenge to have been intended not merely as a temple for religious rites, but as a place of grand assemblage for the chiefs of the nation on extraordinary occasions; and that the two outward circles were designed to divide the f 3 70 rOEMS AND multitude according to their different degrees in tlie order of society; for he found the innermost circle so singularly constructed for speakings that a per- son who placed himself against one of the stones, (I believe that which was designed for the altar) could be heard distinctly on theinside of the circle, whilst not one word could be distinguished by those who surrounded it ; each pillar, or more properly speaking-, stone, being- so placed, that the sounds reverberated back, and produced all the effect of a solid building-. But the most curious circumstance in this gigantic structure, and which seems to have escaped the notice of all former observers, is, its having- been designed also for astronomical pur- poses, and being so constructed that it is a per- petual calendar of the motions of the Heavenly bodies. Not a single stone is without its use at this day, and so will ever remain, allowing- for the change in the situation of the constellations by the procession of the equinoxes! In the approach to the building, which forms a sort of avenue, there is an immense stone in an inclined position, gene-r rally supposed to have sunk into the ground, and to have lost its perpendicular line from accident, or time. This is not the case, for the stone was so placed for the purpose of making Lunar observa- tions, and more than one half of it, immense as it is, is sunk into the ground, to preserve it in its present position. Mr. Warltire examined the whole of the adjacent country, to ascertain, if possible, the place from whence these ponderous stones were brought, and discovered similar ones at the distance of about fifteen miles. His search was rewarded^ MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. 'Jl and his conjectures confirmed, by finding a broken one in a direct line between the two places, lying- in a small rivulet, where it has ever since remained, and probably ever will remain, as no power we now make use of could remove it. This fragment is cut in the proper shape for the place intended for it. The identical stone which was afterwards taken to Stonehenge to supply its place, he readily found out by comparing the measure with the one he saw in the stream. As we know of no mechanical power equal to that of the lever, may it not be an allowable con- jecture that a combined and multiplied use of it, by some contrivance now unknown, aided by a com- bination of human strength also, were the means employed to raise such enormous masses as are found in the antient Egyptian edifices, and Stone- henge. It is much more probable that some mode in which the lever was employed, should have been lost in the lapse of ages, than that any simple power so wonderful in its operations, should have been forgotten. Perhaps the cause might be as- cribed to the increasing value of labour, which might render the expense too enormous to continue the practice of such a style of building. If these suppositions are admitted, what an infinite number of hands must have been employed to remove the immense bodies which are found at Stonehenge ! — And how nicely adapted to each other must every movement have been. Imagination can scarcely do justice to such a scene! The surrounding plains must have been covered with people, all busied, and their operations directed to a given point! The f 4 72 POEMS A\n means of collecting such a force, cannot but strike us with surprise, if we reflect that Edward the Third, when he was building Windsor Castle, could not procure a sufficient number of workmen to finish it, and was under the necessity of issuing impress warrants in several distant counties, in order to procure them. Mr. Warltire said, that the age of Stonehengo might be accurately known, by calculating the de- viation of the altar from due east, to which it had unquestionably pointed, when the pile was erected, as the number of degrees * it now varied from that point, would give the number of years it had been constructed. He said these were circumstances which induced to the belief that this island had formerly * The discovery of the method of calculating the Chronology of Time was left for the comprehensive mind of Sir Isaac Newton : Astro- nomical observations seem to have conducted him to this sublime study. The Antients had observed some change in the constellations, with respect to the Equinoxes ; but they were no less mistaken in their astronomical calculations, than they were in that of their system of Natural Philosophy. Sir Isaac Newton, by determining the figure of the Earth, explained the cause of the revolution of the Equinoxes^ and it is now known, that besides its annual and diurnal motion, the Earth has also a third revolution, that of its Poles having a very slow retrograde motion from east to west, whence it happens that their posi- tion does not every day exactly correspond with the same point in the Heavens. The entire revolution of the Poles is performed in twenty- five thousand nine hundred years. Now, as every sign of the Zodiac contains thirty degrees, and every degree is equivalent to seventy-two years, the only thing necessary to settle this Chronology is to observe through what star the eolure of the Equinox passes, and where it in- tersects, at this time, the Ecliptic in the Spring; and then to discover in any antient Writer, in what point the Ecliptic was intersected in his time by the same eolure of the Equinoxes. Should the Altar at Stonelienge be found to have deviated forty-five degrees from what is now due east, in that case, according to the foregoing calculation, the structure must have been raised three thousand two hundred and forty years ago. MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS. f3 been colonized from, or had an intercourse with, the Eastern World; as in some of the Indian ma- nuscripts, published by Sir William Jones, in his Asiatic Miscellanies, there were observations on the eclipses of the moon, which could have been made from no other spot on the earth than Stonehenge. After these extraordinary, and in appearance, well- founded suggestions, it may not be thought too ex- travagant an idea to place the erection of Stone- henge to that era when the Egyptians are supposed to have raised the almost indestructible monuments of their glory, The moving and elevating large bodies must have been well understood by them 5 and it is singular that this principle in mechanics should be lost to them, as well as to us. Denon, speaking of the portico of Hermopolis, exclaims with the energy of those feelings which the sight of it inspired, " That the present race of men might " believe it to be the work of a God * !" The first account we have of any intercourse between the natives of this island, and any distant nations, is that of the Phoenicians and Tyrians hav- ing traded to the coast of Cornwall for tin ; but it does not follow that they were the first people who * Monsieur A. F. Saint Fond, in his Tour through England to the Island of Staffor, in the Hebrides, remarks that in the antient City of Sterling, where the Scottish Kings resided formerly, he saw singular antique Basso-relievos in stone, fixed in old walls, and that these pieces of sculpture had the appearance of sepulchral monuments, resembling those of Egypt, as they consisted of figures wrapped up in a covering like the swathing of mummies, and that they have an evident resem- blance to tho:»e in Malta, which are believed to have had an Egyptian origin. The same interesting Author mentions a circle of immense stones which they saw on the road, but which, supposing it to be merely a Druidical Temple, they unfortunately quitted without exami* nation. Farther on, however, at Aehnacregs, they came to a very /4 POEMS .USD discovered it. Their skill in navigation if has been- said did not much extend beyond that of coasting, and it is therefore improbable that they should first have traversed the Mediterranean and British seas in search of articles of commerce. The fame of the island, and the mines it contained, must have . reached them before they would venture upon such a voyage. The first great maritime power that is known to have existed, were the Malayans. The inhabitants of this peninsula, according- to Eastern records, once possessed the sovereignty of the seas r and it is an extraordinary proof how long- national characteristics prevail, that to this day the Malaya seamen are preferred to all others in the East. If the having sailed round the Cape be denied them, they might have penetrated into Egypt, and from- thence have navigated the Mediterranean and Bri- tish seas, for the purpose of making- discoveries. This is better suited to the genius of such a bold and adventurous people as they are then repre- sented to have been, than to the Tyrians and Phoe- nicians; and as the Sciences are said to have tra- velled westward, they might have introduced into those countries which they visited, a knowledge of large single column, lying flat on the ground, and broken in the mid- dle; on measuring it, they found it to be twenty-two feet long. He says their guide ascribed its erection to Ossian. " Never was there a " person," said he, " who could move this vast stone except Ossian, " and new thai an earthquake has laid it flat, no one in the World can "set it up again!" Between Kirdally and Kingshorn he also saw three upright rude pillars, measuring fifteen feet above the ground, and of considerable thickness; he thinks them of the most remote an- tiquity, and urges the Society of Antiquarians in Edinburgh, to engage in an investigation of them. What would such an acute observer have said if he had beheld Stoueheuge i MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS, f5 Astronomy and the Arts. Conjectures like these ought not to be ridiculed as absurdities when they are supported by customs and buildings in the East, which bear a strict analogy to those within these kingdoms. The custom of trying criminals by the ordeal of fire and water, as was practised by our Saxon an- cestors, prevails amongst the Malayans to this day. Lord Valentia found at Bhaugalpore two round towers, so perfectly resembling those in Ireland, which have so much engaged the attention of the curious as to place it beyond a doubt that they were constructed for the same purpose, whatever that might have been, although there does not exist in either country any tradition concerning them: and at Benares he says the Hindoos cele- brate the return of the vernal equinox, by an amusement similar to what is termed in England making April fools. Lord Valentia remarks, that as the periods for celebration so nearly coincide, for their festivals are always at the same season, he thinks it points out a remarkable connection be- tween the antient religion of Europe and that of the peninsula. Certainly these curious facts may be admitted in support of the opinion that an inter- course must have existed at some very remote pe- riod, between these distant nations:- — but stronger than all is Mr. Warltire's assertion with respect to the eclipses. If so powerful a nation as the antient Malayans, who inhabited a fine country and climate, and were surrounded by rich islands, whose produce they could command by their superior skill in naviga- tion, should have sunk into insignificance, we can- 76 POEMS, §■*. not wonder that Britain should have fallen into similar obscurity for a time. Whatever we view in the natural world, is in a constant progressive state — first, towards perfection, and next to decay; and thus in the moral world, the torch of Science may have been lighted — extinguished — and re-illu- mined 1— To those who are disinclined to admit of conjee- ture, when the page of History is blank, and the obscurity of past ages impenetrable, this imperfect Essay may at least afford cause for enquiries, from which proofs may be obtained, The Astronomer may satisfy himself and the world with respect to the eclipses mentioned in the Asiatic Researches, as well as that of the structure having been de- signed to point out the motion of the heavenly bo- dies, and form a perpetual calendar ; and he may, according to the rule given, if he is not too scepti- cal to allow that the altar must have pointed due east at its erection, calculate the age of this won- derful pile! — The Antiquarian may also search for the broken fragment which lies in the little rivulet, and ascertain the truth of the other observations. Stonehenge ought certainly to excite our strong- est interest. It is the only national monument of remote antiquity of which we can boast; — the only feature by which we can judge of the skill, popula- tion, and political importance of our ancestors. If we can trace its origin to such a distant period as the preceding account is intended to establish, Britain must have held a high rank formerly in the scale of nations; and have only arisen from ob- scurity to renewed splendour. ESSAY. SOME ACCOUNT OF AN ANTIENT CAVERN, LATELY DISCOVERED AT BURCOTT, NEAR BRIDGNORTH, AND SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN A TEMPLE CONSE- CRATED TO THE PURPOSE OF OFFERING HUMAN SACRIFICES TO THE DEITY. Adjoining to the spot where this Cavern has re^ cently been discovered, is a common, called Soudley, on which some vestiges of encampments, or very antient buildings are to be traced. Mr. Hardwiek of Burcott, having employed some workmen to remove soil from the side of a hill, they came to a cavern of some extent, which has, however, more the appearance of a natural cavity in the rock, than to have been formed by art. The rock is composed of red-sand stone, with strata of white marl run- ning- across it. Here they found several human skeletons, as well as those of various other animals. The human bones were scattered about, and those which lay on a stratum of the white marl, were in perfect preservation, especially the teeth, which had not lost their enamel. It is a most extraordinary fact, that in each of the human heads, the lower jaw-bones were wanting; and from the upper jaw some of the front teeth had invariably been re- moved. That the latter circumstance had not been occasioned by accident, or decay, was sufficiently 7^ POEMS AND evident, as one of the subjects was young, flic hindermost teeth, or as they arc commonly called, the wise teeth, having but just began to appear. One skull was found forced into a crevice of the rock. It lay on the marly stratum, and was tilled with marl and the shells of snails. The teeth were in the highest degree of preservation, with the ex- ception of two of them having been taken from the front, as had been observed in the other skulls. — The lower jaw-bone was also wanting. An hearth, on which fire had been burned, was very visible, and on it were found two flints, and some pieces of charcoal made from the wood of the oak. The bones of the animals were those of the deer, a pig, a sheep, and two dogs. That the opening to this Cavern has been filled up with soil, either by accident, or for the purposes of concealment, is evident ; and that it could not have been a human habitation is equally apparent. Had it been such, and the entrance suddenly closed by the falling in of part of it, there would have been some appearance of broken culinary utensil's, or furniture, none of which were discovered. The skeletons also would have been found entire, the bones have lain regularly, and no part of them, such as the teeth and under jaw-bones have been missing. Although the accounts we have of the manner of offering up human sacrifices in the ages of super- stition are very obscure, yet some authors have re- lated, that the unfortunate objects so immolated, were frequently deprived of part of their limbs; and that it was customary to sacrifice different ani- Miscellaneous essays, 79 snals at the same time. No such sacrifices, how- ever, have taken place in this island for near twenty •centuries past. The Druids, we are told, always chose retired places for their mysterious and barbarous ceremo- nies ; but a Cavern like this, could not have been a temple of regular resort. As vestiges of an en- campment are visible near to it, it is more probable that it was used as a temporary altar, and that the skeletons found were those of victims offered up for the success of a depending- battle, or as a mark of horrible exultation over a fallen enemy! And probably when it was no longer used, the cavity might have been closed up to conceal the rites which had been performed. It is known that near to this spot some memo- rable battles have been fought. A fordable pass across the Worfe, not far distant, retains the name of Hallon's Ford to this day, in remembrance of a British prince of that name who is said to have fallen there. About twenty years ago some men were employed to drain a meadow on the banks of the Worfe, who found about eight feet below the surface of the earth, a thong of the skin of some animal, on which there were hung small round pieces of gold, with suns, moons, battle axes, and chariot wheels, rudely delineated upon them. The man took it to Mr. Bromwich, at that time vicar of Worfiekl, who, not being an Antiquarian, after having examined it, gave back this curious record of former ages to the workmen. His parochial du- ties calling him soon afterwards to Lichfield, he mentioned the circumstance to Dr. Green, the ce- 80 POEMS, 8fC. lebrated collector of antiquities, and learnt to his great chagrin that it was a belt of memory, which would have been invaluable in the entire state in which he described it. These belts, or girdles, were worn by persons of distinction previous to the knowledge of printing or writing, to preserve the remembrance of remarkable events; the figure of the sun having been designed to denote the year, the moon that of the months ; and the intervening signs of battle-axes, wheels, &c. pointed out the occurrences which had taken place between those periods. As Prince Hallon was the chief person who fell in this battle, it is probable that it be- longed to him. Dr. Green besought Mr. Bromwich to spare neither trouble nor expence in recovering the whole, or any part of so precious a relic of an- tiquity, and in this search the writer of this Essay assisted him ; but all enquiries were fruitless. The workmen judging of the value of it from the little attention paid to it by Mr. Bromwich, had given these small ornaments to the children of the cotta- gers where they lodged, as play-things, and not one of them could be found. The bones, and other curiosities found in the Cavern at Burcott, are carefully preserved by Mr. Hardwick for the inspection of the curious. FINIS. NORBURY, PRINTER, BRENTFORD. Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: April 2009