Now night's dim fhades again involve the sky;
Again the wand'rers want a place to lye,
Again they fearch, and find a lodging nigh.
The foil improv❜d around, the manfion neat,
And neither poorly low, nor idly great:
It seem'd to speak its master's turn of mind,
Content, and not for praise, but virtue kind.

}

Hither the walkers turn with weary feet, Then bless the mansion, and the mafter greet: Their greeting fair, bestow'd with modeft guife, The courteous master hears, and thus replies: Without a vain, without a grudging heart, To him who gives us all, I yield a part; From him you come, for him accept it here, A frank and fober, more than costly cheer. He spoke, and bid the welcome table spread, Then talk'd of virtue till the time of bed, When the grave houfhold round his hall repair, Warn'd by a bell, and close the hours with pray'r. At length the world renew'd by calm repofe Was strong for toil, the dapled morn arofe; Before the pilgrims part, the younger crept, Near the clos'd cradle where an infant flept, And writh'd his neck: the landlord's little pride, Ostrange return! grew black, and gasp'd, and dy’d. Horror of horrors! what! his only son !

How look'd our Hermit when the fact was done?

Not hell, tho' hell's black jaws in funder part,
And breathe blue fire, cou'd more affault his heart.

Confus'd, and ftruck with filence at the deed,
He flies, but trembling fails to fly with speed.
His steps the youth purfues; the country lay
Perplex'd with roads, a fervant show'd the way:
A river crofs'd the path; the paffage o'er
Was nice to find, the fervant trod before;
Long arms of oaks an open bridge supply'd,
And deep the waves beneath the bending glide.
The youth, who feem'd to watch a time to fin,
Approach'd the careless guide, and thrust him in;
Plunging he falls, and rifing lifts his head,
Then flashing turns, and finks among the dead.

Wild, fparkling rage inflames the father's eyes, He burfts the bands of fear, and madly cries, Detefted wretch but scarce his speech began, When the ftrange partner feem'd no longer man: His youthful face grew more ferenely fweet; His robe turn'd white, and flow'd upon his feet; Fair rounds of radiant points invest his hair; Celestial odours breathe thro' purpled air; And wings, whofe colours glitter'd on the day, Wide at his back their gradual plumes difplay. The form etherial bursts upon his fight, And moves in all the majefty of light.

Tho' loud at first the pilgrim's paffion grew, Sudden he gaz'd, and wist not what to do;

Surprize in fecret chains his word fufpends,
And in a calm his fettling temper ends.
But filence here the beauteous angel broke,
(The voice of music ravish'd as he spoke.)

Thy pray'r, thy praife, thy life to vice unknown,
In fweet memorial rife before the throne:
These charms, fuccefs in our bright region find,
And force an angel down, to calm thy mind;
For this commiffion'd, I forfook the sky:
Nay, ceafe to kneel-thy fellow fervant I.

Then know the truth of government divine,
And let thefe fcruples be no longer thine.
The Maker juftly claims that world he made,
In this the right of providence is laid;
Its facred majefty thro' all depends
On ufing second means to work his ends:

'Tis thus, withdrawn in state from human eye,
The Pow'r exerts his attributes on high,
Your actions uses, nor controuls your will,

And bids the doubting fons of men be still.

What strange events can ftrike with more furprize, Than those which lately ftrook thy wond'ring eyes? Yet taught by thefe, confefs th' Almighty juft, And where you can't unriddle, learn to trust!

The Great, Vain Man, who far'd on costly food, Whofe life was too luxurious to be good; Who made his iv'ry stands with goblets shine, And forc'd his guests to morning draughts of Wine,

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Has, with the cup, the graceless custom loft,

And ftill he welcomes, but with lefs of cuft.

The mean, fufpicious Wretch, whofe bolted door, Ne'er mov'd in duty to the wand'ring poor; With him I left the cup, to teach his mind That Heav'n can blefs, if mortals will be kind. Confeious of wanting worth, he views the bowl, And feels compaffion touch his grateful foul. Thus artifts melt the fullen oar of lead, With heaping coals of fire upon its head; In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow, And loofe from drofs, the filver runs below.

Long had our pious Friend in virtue trod,
But now the child half-wean'd his heart from God;
(Child of his age) for him he liv'd in pain,
And meafur'd back his fteps to earth again.
To what exceffes had his dotage run?
But God, to fave the father, took the fon.
To all but thee, in fits he seem'd to go,
(And 'twas my ministry to deal the blow.)
The poor fond parent humbled in the dust,
Now owns in tears the punishment was just.

But now had all his fortune felt a wrack,
Had that false fervant sped in safety back?
This night his treasur'd heaps he meant to steal,
And what a fund of charity wou'd fail!

Thus Heav'n instructs thy mind: this trial o'er Depart in peace, resign, and fin no more.

On founding pinions here the youth withdrew, The fage ftood wond'ring as the feraph flew. Thus look'd Elisha, when to mount on high His master took the chariot of the sky; The fiery pomp afcending left the view; The prophet gaz'd, and wish'd to follow too. The bending Hermit here a pray'r begun, "Lord! as in heav'n, on earth thy will be done." Then gladly turning, fought his antient place, And pass'd a life of piety and peace.