POETRY. Offenfive to love and to me! "If e'er I, by luft or by wealth led afide, God grant, that, to punish my falsehood and pride, Your ghoft at the marriage may fit by my fide, May tax me with perjury, claim me as bride, A baron, all cover'd with jewels and gold, His vizor was clos'd, and gigantic his height; All pleasure and laughter were hufh'd at his The dogs, as they ey'd him, drew back in affright; The lights in the chamber burn'd blue ! At length fpoke the bride, while fhe trem- His vizor he flowly unclos'd: Oh, God! what a fight met Fair Imogine's eyes! What words can exprefs her difmay and furprife, When a fkeleton's head was expos'd! All present then utter'd a terrified fhout, All turn'd with difguft from the scene; The worms they crept in, and the worms they crept out, And fported his eyes and his temples about, Remember Alonzo the Brave! God grants, that, to punish thy falfebood and My ghoft at thy marriage fhould fit by thy fide, Thus faying, his arms round the lady he While loudly fhe fhrick'd in dismay; Then funk with his prey through the wideyawning ground! His treasure, his prefents, his fpacious do- Nor ever again was Fair Imogine found, Or the fpectre who bore her away. To inhabit the caftle prefume; And now had the marriage been bleft by the There Imogine fuffers the pain of her crime, And mourns her deplorable doom. At midnight four times in each year does her fpright, 2 When mortals in fluniber are bound, Array'd in her bridal apparel of white, Appear in the hall with the skeleton knight, And fhrick, as he whirls her round! While they drink out of fkulis newly tor from the grave, .Dancing round then the fpectres are feen! Their liquor is blood, and this horrible stave They howl-" To the health of Alonzo the Brave, And his confort, the False Imogine!" ΤΟ TO SUSAN. FROM POEMS BY T. S. NORGATÉ. AH, Sufan! guard thy tender heart Unheeded from an artlefs tongue, With quiet and with plenty bleft, And welcome ev'ry wand'ring guest. There would I nurse thine aching head, When old and feeble thou art grown; And when thy beauty shall have fled, Would love thee for thy worth alone. Then Sufan, calm this brow of care, Nor let me thus in forrow pine; thou wilt never share Believe me, That is the fury of the pamper'd hound, Which envy, anger, or the whip awakes. And for a tyrant's fake to seek a jaunt To hell's a death which only hell enjoys: Where fuch a hero falls--the gibbet plant A murderer's trophy, and a plunderer's prize. VOL. LVIII DOWN in yon glade, befide that glaffy hill, There ftands, and long has stood, the village fchool; Hark! the gay murm'rings of the sportive train, Freed from reftraint, that gambol o'er the plain; Lift their shrill voices, and their bursts of glee! Will future years recal their ecstasy? Perchance, fome one, hereafter, of the band, From the brown fummit of that jutting land, Shall eye the well-known spot, the self-fame fcene, And the thin fpire that peeps thofe groves between ; Shall mark the peasant plodding as before, And the trim housewife at the cottage door; Shall hear the pausing bell's pathetic toll, Borne on the gale, announce the parting foul Of fome old friend, who to his childhood kind, Prepar'd the kite, and stream'd it to the wind; Some bufy dame, for cakes and custards known, Who gave him credit when his pence were gone; Some truant ploughboy, who, neglecting toil, Join'd him to feize the tempting orchard's fpoil; Or, in defpite of peril, fpread the fnare, The buxom lafs, who late fecure from With gay importance bustled through the farm; Tended her dairy at the break of dawn, Who in the hay-time met the lufty throng, The mile of virtue and the blush of shame; Will 5 F Will the not oft regret the chearful day, When fport and freedom hail'd th' approach of May, And many a rural pair beguil'd the hour, With ev'ning dance beneath the moon-light bow'r? Or to her fad fate left, condemn'd to rove INFLUENCE OF LOCAL ATTACHMENT ON VULGAR MINDS *. WHERE rich Devonia boafts her greener hills, And clifts that redden o'er the billow's fwell, And vallies water'd by a thousand rills, While vainly flames pale Sirius, could I tell The homely bleffings that endear the dell; Such as attach'd a fimple peasant, frore With age, whose features I remember well Bending with fragrant pipe, on lime-afh'd floor, To crackling afhen blaze, and full of abbeylore. Yes! he could trace, on Buckfaft's facred ground, While his low chimney from an ivied nook Curl'd its grey cloud, the abbey's heary bound, Fills, widely-branching, the wet-fhadow'd lane, As whistling ruftics rude the genial spot profane. Happy old man! tho' ftranger to the town Whence, dully folemn, the flow curfew toll'd, Yet, from his fhelter'd combe and upland down, He wifely read the feafons as they roll'd; Whether his hazel-hedges 'gan unfold The first sweet promife of the purple year, Or his green fummer meads were fprent with gold, *From the Influence of Local Attackment," a Poem. Or autumn choak'd with elmy foliage fear His brook, or dropt the caves to winter breath auftere. Nor idly on his cot the fun-beams fall He fees the hours in dancing radiance play; And by the morn's first trembling luftre grey Roufes the fnoring ploughboy to his task ; And loves, as the deep shadow marks noon day, With legendary looks that audience afk, Here, as his thin locks glitter to the fun, And coolness to the fervid air difpenfe, Where gleam beneath the casement his trim hives; Nor need the humming labourers wander hence, To wafte on diftant flowers their little lives; Here spreads pale rofmarine, and there the thyme-bank thrives. Oft would he cry: "That walnut waving I wild, My grandfire planted by the torrent's foam ground; And bade on the heap'd floor the flail reAnd met the jocund hinds at harvest-home; found, And prefs'd my orchard fruit within the reeking pound.". Tho' now he droop with age, his friendly ftaff Aids him to climb yon hillock, and inhale The breeze of health, and fresh returning, quaff Still whole at heart, his cup of fpiced ale, When, as his children's children round him And on his wholesome fallads ftill regale; lifp, Of Mab the fairy, or of Will-o-wifp, NEW NEW PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. Sept. 27. After the two Houfes had met, and the ufual forms were gone through, the Lord Chancellor addreffed them nearly as follows: 66 My Lords and Gentlemen of the Houfe of Commons, "We are commiffioned by his Majefty to inform, that he defers acquainting you with the weighty and important matters, which at the prefent moment have induced him to call his Parliament together, till fuch time as you, Gentlemen, fhall have chofen for yourselves a Speaker. You will therefore, Gentle men, be pleased to retire to the place where you are to fit, and there, without delay, proceed to the choice of a proper perfon to officiate for you in that important ftation, and, having done fo, you will be further pleased to return to this Houfe to-morrow at twelve o'clock, with the perfon fo chofen, in order to prefent him to this Commiffion for his Majefty's approbation." Oct. 6. His Majefty having fent a meffage to the Commons, commanding their attendance, and the Commons having accordingly come to the Bar, his Majefty made the following moft gracious Speech from the Throne : 66. My Lords and Gentlemen, "IT is a peculiar fatisfaction to me, in the prefent conjuncture of affairs, to recur to your advice, after the recent opportunity which has been given for collecting the fenfe of my people, engaged in a difficult and arduous conteft, for the prefervation of all that can be moft dear to us. "I have omitted no endeavours for fetting on foot negociations to reftore peace to Europe, and to fecure for the future the general tranquillity. The steps which I have taken for this purpose have at length opened the way to an immediate and direct negociation, the iffue of which muft either produce the defirable end of a juft, honourable, and folid peace for us, and for our Allies, or must prove, beyond dispute, to what cause alone the prolongation of the calamities of war must be ascribed. “I will immediately send a person to Paris with full powers to treat for this object, and it is my anxious wifh, that this measure may lead to the refto ration of general peace: but you must be fenfible that nothing can fo much contribute to give effect to this defire, as your manifefting that we poffefs both the determination and the resources to oppose, with increased activity and energy the further efforts of those with whom we may have to contend. "You will feel this peculiarly neceffary at a moment when the enemy has openly manifefted the intention of attempting a defcent on these kingdoms. It cannot be doubted what would be the iffue of fuch an enterprize; but it befits your wifdom to neglect no precautions that may either preclude the attempt, or fecure the speedieft means of turning it to the confufion and ruin of the enemy. "In reviewing the events of the year, you will have obferved that by the skill and exertions of my navy, our extenfive and increafing commerce has been protected to a degree almoft beyond example, and the fleets of the enemy have for the greatest part of the year been blocked up in their own ports. "The operations in the East and Weft Indies have been highly honourable to the British arms, and productive of great national advantage; and the valour and good conduct of my forces, both by fea and land, have been eminently confpicuous. "The fortune of war on the Continent has been more various, and the progress of the French armies threatened, at one period, the utmost danger to all Europe but from the honourable and dignified perfeverance of my ally the Emperor, and from the intrepidity, difcipline, and invincible fpirit of the Auftrian forces, under the aufpicious conduct of the Archduke Charles, fuch a turn has lately been given to the courfe of the war, as may infpire a well-grounded confidence, that the final result of the campaign will prove more difaftrous to the enemy, than its commencement and progrefs for a time were favourable to their hopes. "The apparently hoftile difpofitions and conduct of the Court of Madrid, have led to difcuffions of which I am not yet enabled to acquaint you with the final refult; but I am confident, that whatever may be their iffue, I fhall have given to Europe a further proof of my 5 F 2 moderation and forbearance; and I can have no doubt of your determination to defend, against every aggreffion, the dignity, rights, and interefts of the British empire. 4 "Gentlemen of the House of Commons, "I rely on your zeal and public spirit for fuch fupplies as you may think neceffary for the service of the year. It is a great fatisfaction to me to obferve, that, notwithstanding the temporary embarraffements which have been experienced, the ftate of the commerce, manufactures, and revenue of the country, proves the real extent and folidity of our refources, and furnishes you fuch means as must be equal to any exertions which the prefent crifis may require. "My Lords and Gentlemen, "The diftreffes which were in the faft year experienced from the scarcity of corn, are now, by the bleffing of God, happily removed, and an abundant harveft affords the pleafing profpect of relief in that important article to the labouring claffes of the community. Our internal tranquillity has alfo continued undisturbed: the general attachment of my people to the British Conftitution has appeared on every occafion, and the endeavours of thofe who wished to introduce anarchy and confufion into this country, have been repreffed by the energy and wifdom of the laws. he joined administration on this principle" that he thought the war a juft and a neceffary one," and that it was ftated to him, the measure of hoftility againft France, was commenced and pursued for the purpose of restoring monarchy to France, as the only means of establishing the balance of power, and preferving the real rights and liberties of Europe. The prefent addrefs, which, as ufual, was the echo of the speech, departed from that principle, and feemed to indicate that government were will ing to acknowledge the French republic, and in fo doing, to depart from that very principle on which all their arguments at the commencement of the war refted. He acknowledged the splendid victories of the Archduke Charles, and he ac quiefced in the idea, that we fhould not depart from fupporting our beft ally; but he wished to know, if on a peace being patched up with the French Directory, whether Minifters were prepared to meet the adoption of the French National Cockade in this country-whether they were prepared to meet the thoufands of French incendiaries that would land here to teach the English how to plant the Tree of Liberty? Whether they were prepared to meet the confequences of difmantling our navy, the grand bulwark of the nation?-And whether they were prepared to meet, what, from the reduction of our land forces, might be the consequences of a peace acknowledged on the bafis of a French Republic? We could place no reliance, his Lordship contended, where eternal changes made conftantly new fyftems. It was our business first to see that their government was an established one, before we entered into any treaty. This was the original idea of ministry, and he was forry to find they had departed from it. "To defeat all the designs of our enemies, to restore to my people the bleffings of a fecure and honourable Peace, to maintain inviolate their religion, laws, and liberty, and to deliver down unimpared to the lateft pofterity the glory and happiness of these king. doms, is the conftant wifh of my heart, and the uniform end of all my actions. -In every measure that can conduce to thefe objects, I am confident of receiving the firm, zealous, and affection. ate fupport of my Parliament."' The Commons having retired, and his Majefty having quitted the Throne, Lord Bathurst, after a long encomium on the fpeech, and recapitulating the principal points, moved an addrefs, which, as ufual, was the echo of the fpeech. Lord Offory feconded the Addrefs. Earl Fitzwilliam rofe to object to the address, or rather to propofe an amend ment. The noble Earl's idea of oppofition was founded on what made the fubftance of his fpeech at the opening of the laft feflion of Parliament. He faid, Earl Guildford thought otherwise, and as peace was the object, the Address had his moft hearty concurrence. Lord Grenville infifted, that neither the Houfe, nor miniftry ftood pledged to any fuch agreement and though nothing fhort of monarchy could secure permanent happiness to France, yet we were not to continue the war on that account. Peace was the grand object at prefent, and if it could not be ob.. tained on honourable terms, the war muft continue. At half paft feyen the Houfe adjourned. HOUSE |