THE GARDEN.

85

Much that I love, and more that I admire,
And all that I abhor; thou freckled fair,
That pleasest and yet shock’st me! I can laugh,
And I can weep, can hope and can despond,
Peel wrath and pity, when I think on thee !
Ten righteous would have sav'd a city once,
And thou hast many righteous.-Well for thee-
That salt preserves thee ; moro corrupted else,
And therefore more obnoxious, at this hour,
Than Sodom in her day had pow'r to be,
For whom God heard his Abr’ham plead in vain.

THE WINTER EVENING..

ARGUMENT OF THE FOURTH BOOK.

The post comes in-The newspaper is read the World

contemplated at a distance-Address to Winter The rural amusements of a winter evening compared with the fashionable ones—Address to evening -a brown study-Fall of snow in the eveningThe wagoner-A poor family piece-The rural thief -Publick houses-the multitude of them censured The farmer's daughter: what she was,-what she is—The simplicity of country manners almost lost -Causes of the change-Desertion of the country by the rich--Neglect of the magistrates—The militia princpally in fault--The new recruit and his transformation -Reflection on bodies corporate-The love of rural objects natural to all, and never to be totally extinguished.

THE TASK.

BOOK IV,

THE WINTER EVENING.

Hark! 'tis the twanging horn o'er yonder bridge,
That with its wearisome but needful length
Bestrides the wintry flood ; in which the moon
Sees her unwrinkled face reflected, bright :-
He coines, the herald of a noisy world,
with spatter'd boots, strapp'd waist, and frozen locks,
News from all natjons lumb'ring at his back.
True to his charge, the close.pack'd load behind,
Yet careless what he brings, bis one concern
Is to conduct it to the destin'd inn;
And having dropp'd th' expected bag, pass on.
He whistles as he goes, light-hearted wretch.
Cold and yet cheerful : messenger of grier
Perhaps to thousands, and of joy to some ;
To him indiff'rent whether grief or joy.
Houses in ashes, and the fall of stocks,