Dear as the faith thy loyal heart hath sworn
Tranfmit this piece to ages yet unborn :
This fight fhall damp the raging ruffian's breast,
The poison spill, and half drawn sword arrest,
To foft compaffion stubborn traitors bend,
And one deftroy'd a thousand kings defend.

A FRAGMENT

OF A POEM ON HUNTING.

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66 Dona cano divum, lætas venantibus artes,
66 Aufpicio, Diana, tuo-

GRATIUS.

HORSES and hounds, their care, their various race,
The num'rous beafts that range the rural chase,
'The huntsman's chosen scenes, his friendly stars,
The laws and glory of the fylvan wars,
I first in British verfe prefume to raise,
A vent'rous rival of the Roman praise.

ΙΟ

Let me, chafte queen of Woods! thy aid obtain,
Bring here thy lightfoot nymphs and sprightly train.
If oft' o'er lawns thy care prevents the day
To rouse the foe and prefs the bounding prey,
Woo thine own Phoebus in the task to join,
And grant me genius for the bold design.
In this soft shade O footh the warriour's fire,
And fit his bowstring to the trembling lyre,

And teach while thus their arts and arms we fing 15 The groves to echo and the vales to ring!

20

Thy care be first the various gifts to trace,
The minds and genius, of the latrant race.
In pow'rs diftin&t the diff'rent clans excel,
In fight, or swiftness, or fagacious smell.
By wiles ungen'rous fome surprise the prey,
And some by courage win the doubtful day.
Seeft thou the gazehound how with glance fevere
From the close herd he marks the deftin'd deer; ..
How ev'ry nerve the greyhound's fretch displays, 25
The hare preventing in her airy maze;

The lucklefs prey how treach'rous tumblers gain,
And dauntless wolfdogs thake the lion's mane:
O'er all the bloodhound boasts fuperiour skill

To scent, to view, to turn, and boldly kill,

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His fellows' vain alarms rejects with fcorn,
True to the master's voice and learned horn:
His noftrils oft', if ancient fame fing true,

Trace the fly felon thro' the tainted dew;
Once fnuff'd he follows with unalter'd aim,
Nor odours lure him from the chofen game;
Deepmouth'd he thunders, and inflam'd he views,
Springs on relentless, and to death pursues.

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Some hounds of manners vile, (nor lefs we find Of fops in hounds than in the reas'ning kind)

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Puff'd with conceit run gadding o'er the plain,
And from the scent divert the wiser train,
For the foe's footsteps fondly fnuff their own,
And mar the mufick with their fenfelefs tone,
Start at the starting prey or ruftling wind,
And hot at firft inglorious lag behind;

A faunt'ring tribe! may fuch my foes difgrace!
Give me, ye Gods! to breed the nobler race;
Nor grieve thou to attend while truths unknown
I fing, and make Athenian arts our own.

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Doft thou in hounds aspire to deathless fame? Learn well their lineage and their ancient stem. Each tribe with joy old ruftick heralds trace, And fing the chofen worthies of their race; How his fire's features in the fon were spy'd When Di was made the vig'rous Ringwood's bride. Lefs fure thick lips the fate of Austria doom, Or eagle noses rul'd almighty Rome.

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Good fhape to various kinds old bards confine;
Some praise the Greek and fome the Roman line: 60
And dogs to beauty make as diff'ring claims
As Albion's nymphs and India's jetty dames.
Immenfe to name their lands, to mark their bounds,
And paint the thousand families of hounds!

First count the fands, thedrops where oceans flow,
Or Gauls by Marlb'rough sent to fhades below. 66
The task be mine to teach Britannia's fwains,
My much lov'd country and my nativeplains.

Such be the dog I charge thou meanst to train; His back is crooked and his belly plain,

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Of fillet ftretch'd, and huge of haunch behind,
A tap'ring tail that nimbly cuts the wind,
Trufs thigh'd,ftraight hamm'd, and fox like form'd his
Large legg'd, dry fol'd, and of protended claw; [paw,
His flat wide noftrils fnuff the fav'ry steam,
And from his eyes he shoots pernicious gleam;
Middling his head, and prone to earth his view,
With ears and cheft that dash the morning dew:
He beft to fem the flood, to leap the bound,
And charm the Dryads with his voice profound, 80
To pay large tribute to his weary lord,
And crown the fylvan hero's plenteous board.

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The matron bitch whose womb fhall beft produce The hopes and fortune of th' illustrious houfe, Deriv'd from noble but from foreign feed, For various nature loathes inceft'ous breed, Is like the fire throughout; nor yet difplease Large flanks and ribs, to give the teemer ease. In fpring let loose thy pairs; then all things prove The ftings of pleasure and the pangs of love; Ethereal Jove then glads with genial show'rs Earth's mightywomb,and ftrews her lap with flow'rs; Hence juices mount, and buds embolden'd try More kindly breezes and a fofter sky. Kind Venus revels. Hark! on ev'ry bough

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In lulling ftrains the feather'd warblers woo;

Fell tigers foften in th' infectious flames,
And lions fawning court their brinded dames.

Great Love pervades the deep; to please his mate
The whale in gambols moves his monstrous weight;
Heav'd by his wayward mirth old Ocean roars, IOI
And scatter'd navies bulge on diftant shores.

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All Nature fmiles. Come now, nor fear, my Love! To tafle the odours of the woodbine grove, To pafs the ev'ning glooms in harmless play, And sweetly fwearing languish life away. An altar bound with recent flow'rs I rear To thee, best season of the various year! All hail! fuch days in beauteous order ran So fwift, fo fweet, when first the world began, In Eden's bow'rs when man's great fire aflign'd The names and natures of the brutal kind; Then lamb and lion friendly walk'd their round, And hares undaunted lick'd the fondling hound; Wondrous to tell! but when with luckiefs hand 115 Our daring mother broke the fole command, Then Want and Envy brought their meagre train, Then Wrath came down and Death had leave to reign; Hence foxes earth'd, and wolves abhorr'd the day, And hungry churls enfnar'd the nightly prey; Rude arts at first, but witty Want refin'd

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The huntfman's wiles, and Famine form'd the mind. Bold Nimrod firft the lion's trophies wore,

The panther bound, and lane'd the brifling boar: