ARGUMEN T.

The fubject propofed. Addreffed to Mr. Onflow. A profpect of the fields ready for harveft. Reflections in praise of industry raised by that view, Reaping. A tale relative to it. A harvest-storm. Shooting and hunting, their barbarity. A ludicrous account of fox-hunting. A view of an orchard. Wall-fruit. A vineyard. A description of fogs, frequent in the latter part of Autumn: whence a digreffion, enquiring into the rife of fountains and rivers. Birds of feafon confidered, that now fhift their habitation. The prodigious number of them that cover the northern and western ifles of Scotland. Hence a view of the country. A profpect of the discoloured, fading woods. After a gentle dufky day, moon-light. Autumnal meteors. Morning: to which fucceeds a calm, pure, fun-fhiny day, fuch as ufually shuts up the feafon. The harveft being gathered-in, the country diffolved in joy. The whole concludes with a panegyric on a philofophical country life.

CROWN

AUTUMN.

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ROWN'D with the fickle and the wheaten fheaf,
While Autumn, nodding o'er the yellow plain,
Comes jovial on: the Doric reed once more,
Well pleas'd, I tune. Whate'er the Wintery froft
Nitrous prepar'd; the various-bloffom'd Spring
Put in white promise forth; and Summer funs
Concocted strong, rush boundless now to view,
Full, perfect all, and swell my glorious theme.
Onflow the Mufe, ambitious of thy name,
To grace, infpire, and dignify her fong,
Would from the Public Voice thy gentle ear
A while engage. Thy noble care she knows,
The patriot virtues that diftend thy thought,
Spread on thy front, and in thy bofom glow;
While liftening fenates hang upon thy tongue,
Devolving through the maze of eloquence
A roll of periods fweeter than her fong.
But he too pants for public virtue; she
Though weak of power, yet ftrong in ardent will,
Whene'er her country rushes on her heart,
Affumes a bolder note, and fondly tries

To mix the patriot's with the poet's flame.
When the bright Virgin gives the beauteous days,

And Libra weighs in equal scales the year;

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From

From heaven's high cope the fierce effulgence fhook 25 Of parting fummer, a ferener blue,

With golden light enliven'd, wide invests

The happy world. Attemper'd funs arife,
Sweet-beam'd, and fhedding oft through lucid clouds
A pleafing calm; while broad, and brown, below 30
Extenfive harvest hang the heavy head.

Rich, filent, deep, they stand; for not a gale
Rolls its light billows o'er the bending plain :

A calm of plenty! till the ruffled air

Falls from its poife, and gives the breeze to blow. 35
Rent is the fleecy mantle of the sky;

The clouds fly different; and the fudden fun
By fits effulgent gilds th' illumin'd field,
And black by fits the fhadows fweep along.
A gaily-checker'd heart-expanding view,
Far as the circling eye can fhoot around,
Unbounded toffing in a flood of corn.

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These are thy bleffings, Industry! rough power;

Whom labour still attends, and sweat, and pain;

Yet the kind fource of every gentle art,

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And all the foft civility of life:

Raifer of human-kind! by Nature cast,
Naked, and helpless, out amid the woods
And wilds, to rude inclement elements;
With various feeds of art deep in the mind
Implanted, and profufely pour'd around
Materials infinite; but idle all.

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Still unexerted, in th' unconscious breast,

Slept the lethargic powers; corruption still,

Voracious, fwallow'd what the liberal hand
Of bounty fcatter'd o'er the savage year:
And still the fad barbarian, roving, mix'd
With beasts of prey; or for his acorn-meal
Fought the fierce tusky boar; a shivering wretch!
Aghaft, and comfortless, when the bleak north,
With winter charg'd, let the mix'd tempeft fly,
Hail, rain, and fnow, and bitter-breathing froft:
Then to the shelter of the hut he fled;
And the wild feason, fordid, pin'd away.
For home he had not; home is the resort
Of love, of joy, of peace and plenty, where,
Supported and fupported, polifh'd friends,
And dear relations mingle into blifs.
But this the rugged favage never felt,
Ev'n defolate in crowds; and thus his days
Roll'd heavy, dark, and unenjoy'd along :
A waste of time! till Industry approach'd,
And rous'd him from his miferable floth:
His faculties unfolded; pointed out
Where lavish Nature the directing hand
Of Art demanded; fhew'd him how to raise
His feeble force by the mechanic powers,
To dig the mineral from the vaulted earth,
On what to turn the piercing rage of fire,
On what the torrent, and the gather'd blast;
Gave the tall ancient foreft to his axe;
Taught him to chip the wood, and hew the ftone,
Till by degrees the finifh'd fabric rofe;

Tore from his limbs the blood-polluted fur,

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And

And wrapt them in the woolly vestment warm,
Or bright in gloffy filk, and flowing lawn;
With wholesome viands fill'd his table, pour'd
The generous glafs around, infpir'd to wake
The life-refining foul of decent wit:
Nor stop'd at barren bare neceffity;
But, ftill advancing bolder, led him on
To pomp, to pleasure, elegance, and grace;

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And, breathing high ambition through his soul,
Set fcience, wisdom, glory, in his view,

And bade him be the Lord of all below.

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Then gathering men their natural powers combin'd,
And form'd a Publick; to the general good
Submitting, aiming, and conducting all.
For this the Patriot-Council met, the full,
The free, and fairly represented whole;
For this they plann'd the holy guardian laws,
Diftinguish'd orders, animated arts,

And, with joint force Oppreffion chaining, fet
Imperial Justice at the helm; yet fill
To them accountable; nor, flavish dream'd
That toiling millions muft refign their weal,
And all the honey of their search, to fuch
As for themselves alone themselves have rais'd.
Hence every form of cultivated life
In order fet, protected, and inspir'd,
Into perfection wrought. Uniting all
Society grew numerous, high, polite,
And happy. Nurfe of art! the city rear'd
In beauteous pride her tower-encircled head;

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114 And,