A vicious ohject ftill is worse,

Successful there, he wins a curse ;

But he, whom ev'n in life's last stage
Endeavours laudable engage,
Is paid, at least in peace of mind,
And fenfe of having well defign'd;
And if, e'er he attain his end,
His fun precipitate descend,

A brighter prize than that he meant
Shall recompenfe his mere intent.
No virtuous wifh can bear a date

Either too early or too late.

COWPER.

CHA P. XXII.

THE FAITHFUL FRIEND.

THE green-house is my fummer feat ;

My fhrubs difplac'd from that retreat
Enjoy'd the open air ;

Two goldfinches, whose sprightly fong
Had been their mutual folace long,
Liv'd happy there.

They fang, as blithe as finches fing
That flutter loose on golden wing,
And frolic where they lift;

Strangers to liberty, 'tis true,

But that delight they never knew,
And, therefore, never mifs'd.

But

But Nature works in ev'ry breast ;
Inftinct is never quite fupprefs'd;

And Dick felt fome defires,
Which, after many an effort vain,
Inftructed him at length to gain
A pass between his wires.

The open windows feem'd to invite
The freeman to a farewel flight ;

But Tom was still confin'd;

And Dick, although his way was clear,
Was much too gen'rous and fincere
To leave his friend behind.

For fettling on his grated roof,

He chirp'd and kifs'd him, giving proof
That he defir'd no more ;

Nor would forfake his cage at last,
'Till gently feiz'd, I shut him faft,
A pris'ner as before.

Oh ye, who never knew the joys
Of Friendship, fatisfied with noife,
Fandango, ball and rout!
Blush, when I tell you how a bird,
A prison, with a friend, preferr'd
To liberty without.

COWPER.

CHAP.

CHA P. XXIII.

PAIRING TIME ANTICIPATED.

A FABLE.

*If birds confabulate or no;

Shall not ask Jean Jacques Rouffeau,

'Tis clear that they were always able
To hold discourse, at least, in fable;
And ev❜n the child, who knows no better,
Than to interpret by the letter,

A ftory of a cock and bull,

Must have a most uncommon skull,

It chanc'd then, ona winter's day, But warm and bright, and calm as May, The birds conceiving a defign,

To foreftal fweet St. Valentine;

In many an orchard, copse and grove,
Affembled on affairs of love,

And with much twitter and much chatter,
Began to agitate the matter.

At length a Bulfinch, who could boaft,
More years and wisdom than the most,
Entreated, op'ning wide his beak,
A moment's liberty to speak ;
And, filence publicly enjoin'd,
Deliver'd briefly thus his mind.

*It was one of the whimsical fpeculations of this philofopher that all fables which afcribe reafon and speech to animals fhould be witheld from children, as being only vehicles of deception. But what child was ever deceived by them, or can be, against the evidence of his fenfes ?

My

My friends! be cautious how ye treat The subject upon which we meet ;

I fear we fhall have winter yet.

A Finch, whofe tongue knew no controul,
With golden wing and fattin pole,

A laft year's bird, who ne'er had tried
What marriage means, thus pert replied.
Methinks the gentleman, quoth she,
Opposite in the apple-tree,

By his good will, would keep us fingle
'Till yonder heav'n and earth shall mingle,
Or, (which is likelier to befall)

'Till death exterminate us all.

I

marry without more ado,

My dear Dick Redcap, what say you?

Dick heard, and tweedling, ogling, bridling, Turning fhort round, ftrutting and fideling, Attested, glad, his approbation

Of an immediate conjugation.

Their fentiment fo well exprefs'd,

Influenced mightily the reft,

All pair'd, and each pair built a neft.

But though the birds were thus in haste,
The leaves came on not quite fo faft,
And deftiny, that fometimes bears
An afpect ftern on man's affairs,
Not altogether fmil'd on theirs.
The wind, of late breath'd gently forth,
Now fhifted east and east by north;
Bare trees and shrubs but ill, you know,
Could fhelter them from rain or fnow,

}

}

}

Stepping

Stepping into their neft, they paddled,

Themselves were chill'd their eggs were addled;

Soon ev'ry father bird and mother

Grew quarrelfome, and peck'd each other,

Parted without the least regret,

Except that they had ever met,
And learn'd, in future, to be wiser,

Than to neglect a good adviser.

HERE is a field through which 1 often pass,

T Thick overfpread with mofs and filky grass,

Adjoining close to Kilwick's echoing wood,
Where oft the bitch-fox hides her hapless brood,
Referv'd to folace many a neighb'ring 'fquire,
That he may follow them through brake and briar,
Contufion hazarding of neck or spine,
Which rural gentlemen call sport divine.
A narrow brook, by rufhy banks conceal'd,
Runs in a bottom, and divides the field ;
Oaks intersperse it, that had once a head,
But now wear crefts of oven-wood instead ;

An