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Her aweful face: The dauntless Child

Stretch'd forth his little arms, and fmil'd.

This pencil take (fhe faid) whofe colours clear
Richly paint the vernal year:

Thine too these golden keys, immortal Boy!
This can unlock the gates of Joy;

Of Horrour that, and thrilling Fears,

Or ope the facred fource of fympathetic Tears.

III. 2.

Nor fecond He *, that rode fublime

Upon the feraph-wings of Extafy,

The fecrets of th' Abyss to spy.

He pafs'd the flaming bounds of Place and

Time :

The living Throne, the fapphire-blaze,

Where Angels tremble, while they gaze,

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For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels-And above the firmament, that was over

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He faw; but blafted with excess of light, *Closed his eyes in endless night.

Behold, where Dryden's lefs prefumptuous car,

Wide o'er the fields of Glory bear

+ Two Courfers of ethereal race,

With necks in thunder cloath'd, and long-re founding pace.

Hark,

their heads, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire-ftone.-This was the appearance of the glory of the Lord.

Ezekiel i. 20, 26, 28.

* Οφθαλμῶν μὲν ἄμερσε· δίδου δ' ἡδεῖαν αοιδήν.

Homer. Od.

Meant to exprefs the ftately march and found

ing energy of Dryden's rhimes.

Haft thou cloathed his neck with thunder ?

Job.

III. 3.

Hark, his hands the lyre explore!

Bright-ey'd Fancy hovering o'er

Scatters from her pictur'd urn

*Thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.

+ But ah! 'tis heard no more

Oh! Lyre divine, what daring Spirit

Wakes thee now? tho' he inherit

Nor

* Words that weep, and tears that speak.

Cowley.

+ We have had in our language no other odes of the fublime kind, than that of Dryden on St. Cecilia's day: for Cowley (who had his merit) yet wanted judgment, ftyle, and harmony, for fuch a task. That of Pope is not worthy of fo great a man. Mr. Mafon indeed of late days has touched the true chords, and with a masterly hand, in fome of his Choru fes-above all, in the laft of Caractacus,

Hark! heard ye not yon footstep dread? &c.

Nor the pride, nor ample pinion,

That the Theban Eagle bear

Sailing with fupreme dominion

Thro' the azure deep of air :

Yet oft before his infant eyes would run Such forms, as glitter in the Muse's ray

With orient hues, unborrow'd of the Sun: Yet fhall he mount, and keep his distant way Beyond the limits of a vulgar fate,

Beneath the Good how far

but far above the

Great.

THE

* Διὸς πρὸς ἔρνιχα θεῖον. Olymp. 2.

Pindar com

pares himself to that bird, and his enemies to ravens that croak and clamour in vain below, while it purfues its flight, regardless of their noife.

THE

BARD,

A PINDARIC ODE.

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