Ere Hymen gives her to his longing arms!
But when he leads her to his homely cot,
And friends attendant greet the lovely pair,
With warmeft wishes that they both may find
The marriage-ftate a ftate of happiness,
Oh! who can speak his blifs? Let Fancy guess;
For fure no pen, no pencil, can defcribe
His joyous features: every look is love

Nor lefs the fair-with equal flame she burns,
And feels an equal joy. Replete with love
Her beauteous orbs appear, whether she beams
Their radiant lights around her chearful friends,
Or flily glances on the blifsful fwain,

With looks of cordial Love and Friendship fir'd.

O, Anna! think not this the rapt'rous strain
Of thoughtless youth, by Reafon unmatur'd;
But rather view it as th' anticipation

Of our too tardy, but approaching union:
A union strict, which Death can fcarce divide,

Nor power inferior move.

Ere twelve fhort months are pafs'd-for time with them

Glides fwift along-their mutual loves receive

A tender pledge: the greateft gift that God
On earth can give, or they on earth receive.
O then what rapture fills the parents hearts!
Such blifs their offspring brings, as nothing lefs
Than parents know, and they cannot defcribe.

The happy pair each day with joy behold
Some new-born beauty in their lovely babe:
The mother views the father's manly mien
Strong on the infant; while the doating fire
Fondly imagines he can well perceive
The mother's foftnefs in his darling's fmiles,
And both their virtues in it's winning ways.

Each

Each year produces fuch.another guest,
With equal beauty, and with equal love :
Nor fear the foft'ring parents to provide,
(Tho' fmall the pittance Fortune has beflow'd)
Sufficient nurture for their lovely babes ;

For well they know the Heav'nly Father fends,
For all His children ev'ry thing they need;
And foon they learn their little hands to raise
Devout, to bow the fupplicating knee,
And lifp their ev'ry want to Him who fees
The heart fincere, and grants them all they ask.
Content, that never leaves the happy pair,
Smiling receives what bounteous Heav'n beftows,
And never murmurs at the homely fare,

But genuine thanks with grateful heart returns,
Nor thinks the can do lefs.Not fo the great:
Tho' both the Indies roll their choiceft ftores

Of fruits and fpices grateful to the tafle,

Made richer ftill by art, to give them food;

And tho' the purple grape, from France, from Spain,
And fair Italia's fhore, is frequent prefs'd,
To fill their mantling bowl with bev'rage rare;
No God they thank, or own--but think it due
To their diftinction; favour, deem it none.

O, may the pair my Mufe would fain defcribe,
Ne'er wish to taste the dainties of the great!
Nor other food receive without due thanks,
(If mortal man can give to God due thanks;)
At least, fuch as they ought, and He requires !
Their pamp'ring viands, and their madd'ning drink,
Surcharge the fireams of life, and make them flow
In groffer channels: whence the tort'ring gout,
And other various illnefs, take their rise;
With thofe unknown, or very rarely found,
Where Temperance with ceafelefs care prefides.

Proceed, my Mufe; and fear not to defcribe
Sufficient joys in wedlock's blifsful ftate,
To prove it far fuperior to the life

Of those who fpurn at Hymen's facred laws!

Soon as their tender offspring can difcern
'Twixt right and wrong, the careful parents train
Their early minds to knowledge of the world:
Teach them to fhun the specious fnares of vice
With ftudious care, tho' Pleafure leads the way;
And follow Virtue thro' the path of life,
Rugged at firft, but pleafant in the end.
This leads to certain honour and renown;
While that a doubtful fame can only give,
At moft, which muft in final ruin end!

What pleasure to behold their godlike minds
Receive the flame of facred Liberty!

Oh! how their bosoms burn, to hear the fire
Recount the various deeds perform'd of old

By their renown'd ancestors; whofe great names
Are found recorded in th' hiftorick page,
As firm protectors of their country's rights,
When defpots would have made a heavy yoke,
And bow'd them to the earth!

He then inftructs them rightly to difcern
'Twixt thofe who make their country's love pretext
To introduce diforder and confufion,

That they may ravage on the various spoil;
And those who strive, at peril of their lives,
To curb tyrannick fway, when princes feek
To rob the people of their legal rights:
The firft-what punishmenent can be devis'd
Sufficiently fevere! who bafely plunge
A nation into war, (nay, civil war ;
Where father-brother-fon-together ftrive,
And feek to flay each other) that they may
Feed their curs'd ambition, never fatiate?

The

The laft (but O how feldom thefe engage
In war, reluctant when they must!) what gift
Is equal to their merit?-Heav'n alone
Can give them juft reward, as hell the other.
Next he recites, why first fociety

Was form'd among mankind; that each degree
Might give affiftance to the other parts,
By mutual in t'reft, mutual duty bound.
Nor lefs the monarch to his people owes
Protection of their property and lives,
And what is dearer far-their Liberties;
Than they to him allegiance just and true,
With chearful contributions for his aid,

When he requires, and whom themselves have chofe
His requifitions reasonable deem,

Pointing the way in which they may be rais'd
With greater eafe by their conftituents,

Themfelves likewife affifting.

Nor does the parent fond forget to teach
His children dear the duty which they owe
(Far, far, above what mortal man can claim)
To God in heaven above.

For foon, with pious care, he them informs,
Why man was first created-how he fell-
And "who feduced him to the foul revolt."
Thence he explains the nature and the cause
Offin original; by means of which
The babe of neweft birth is guilty found
In God's all-pure and penetrating eye;
And lays them down a plain confiftent scheme
Of true religion, all from Scripture drawn ;
Wherein he fhews the wond'rous works that God
Has wrought for man, in ev'ry age and place;
Then tells how Chrift, his dear-beloved Son,
In mercy to mankind, from heav'n came down,
(When nothing else could have appeas'd his wrath,

By

By various crimes of mortal man incurr'd)
And fatisfied th' Almighty, by his death,
For all the fins of those who Him believe,
And trust not in their own unhallow'd works,
But on his merits only place their hopes
With fedfast faith; no others will he fave.
With keeneft locks the zealous parent eyes
His children dear, while he to them recounts
The Son of God's unbounded love to man;
And fees their rifing doubts, and heals them as they rife.
Meanwhile the fair, with mute attention fits,

And hears her little family receive

The feeds of virtue and of fcience mix'd,
Inftructive, by the fkilful father's care;

Who gains new love from her admiring heart,
As he reflects, how justly doth accord
Each virtuous precept that he recommends,
With what the practice of his life displays :
Not like thofe teachers who point out the fteep
Where Virtue's temple ftands, commending much
The fituation, and the joys of those

Who reach the happy place;

But never let the wond'ring pupil fee

Themfelves advance to gain the blissful fpot,
Tho' cafy of afcent, as they relate.

Nor doth herself neglect to give advice,
Such as fhe can, to form their youthful minds;
And clofe within her mem'ry has fhe kept
A pleafing ftore of ufeful precepts,
Which the fondly blends with kind embraces,
Frequently beftow'd of overflowing love.

The daughters hear, from her inftru&tive lips,
Of chafte Lucretia's and of Portia's fame; '
With other females, who in Virtue's path
Undeviating trod, devoid of fear

From aught of pain could be on earth beflow'd,

So