Hear'st thou that dreadful crack? that sound which

broke

Like peals of thunder, and the centre shook?
What wonders must that groan of nature tell?
Olympus there, and mightier Atlas, fell;
Which seem'd above the reach of fate to stand,
A tow'ring monument of God's right hand;
Now dust and smoke, whose brow, so lately, spread
O'er shelter'd countries its diffusive shade.

Shew me that celebrated spot, where all
The various rulers of the sever'd ball

Have humbly sought wealth, honour, and redress,
That land which heav'n seem'd diligent to bless,
Once call'd Britannia: Can her glories end?
And can't surrounding seas her realms defend?
Alas! in flames behold surrounding seas!
Like oil, their waters but augment the blaze.

Some angel say, Where ran proud Asia's bound?
Or where with fruits was fair Europa crown'd?
Where stretch'd waste Lybia? Where did India's
shore

Sparkle in diamonds, and her golden ore?

Each lost in each, their mingling kingdoms glow,
And all dissolv'd, one fiery deluge flow:

Thus earth's contending monarchies are join'd,
And a full period of ambition find.

And now whate'er or swims, or walks, or flies,
Inhabitants of sea, or earth, or skies;

All on whom ADAM's wisdom fix'd a name,

All plunge, and perish in the conqu'ring flame.

This globe alone would but defraud the fire,
Starve its devouring rage: the flakes aspire,
And catch the clouds, and make the heav'n's their
The sun, the moon, the stars, all melt away;
All, all is lost; no monument, no sign,
Where once so proudly blaz'd the gay machine.
So bubbles on the foaming stream expire,
So sparks that scatter from the kindling fire
The devastations of one dreadful hour
The Great Creator's Six day's work devour.
A mighty, mighty ruin! yet One soul

Has more to boast, and far outweighs the whole;
Exalted in superior excellence,

prey;

Cast down to nothing, such a vast expence.
Have you not seen th' eternal mountains nod,
An earth dissolving, a descending God?
What strange surprizes through all nature ran?
For whom these revolutions, but for Man?
For him, Omnipotence new measures takes,
For him, through all eternity, awakes;
Pours on him gifts sufficient to supply
Heav'n's loss, and with fresh glories fill the sky.
Think deeply then, O Man, how great thou art ;
Pay thyself homage with a trembling heart;
What angels guard, no longer dare neglect,
Slighting thyself, affront not God's respect.
Enter the sacred temple of thy breast,

And gaze, and wander there, a ravish'd guest;
Gaze on those hidden treasures thou shalt find,
Wander thro' all the glories of thy mind.

1

Of perfect knowledge, see, the dawning light
Foretells a noon most exquisitely bright!
Here, springs of endless joy are breaking forth!
There, buds the promise of celestial worth!
Worth, which must ripen in a happier clime,
And brighter Sun, beyond the bounds of time.
Thou, Minor, canst not guess thy vast estate,
What stores, on foreign coasts, thy landing wait:
Lose not thy claim, let virtue's path be trod;
Thus glad all heav'n, and please that bounteous God,
Who, to light thee to pleasures, hung on high
Yon radiant orb, proud regent of the sky:
That service done, its beams shall fade away,
And God shine forth in one Eternal DAY.