With fight of animals enjoying life,

Nor feels their happiness augment his own.

The bounding fawn, that darts across the glade

When none pursues,through mere delight of heart,
And spirits buoyant with excefs of glee;

The horse as wanton, and almost as fleet,

That skims the fpacious meadow at full speed,

Then stops and fnorts, and, throwing high his heels, Starts to the voluntary race again;

The very

kine that gambol at high noon,

The total herd receiving firft from one

That leads the dance a fummons to be gay,

Though wild their strange vagaries, and uncouth

Their efforts, yet refolv'd with one confent

To give fuch act and utt'rance as they may
To extafy too big to be fupprefs'd-

These, and a thoufand images of blifs,

With which kind nature graces ev'ry scene,
Where cruel man defeats not her defign,

Impart to the benevolent, who wish

All

All that are capable of pleasure, pleas'd,

A far fuperior happiness to theirs,

The comfort of a reasonable joy.

Man scarce had ris'n, obedient to his call
Who form'd him from the dust, his future grave,
When he was crown'd as never king was fince.
God fet the diadem upon his head,

And angel choirs attended. Wond'ring stood
The new-made monarch, while before him pafs'd,
All happy, and all perfect in their kind,

The creatures, fummon'd from their various haunts
To fee their fov'reign, and confefs his fway:
Vaft was his empire, abfolute his pow'r,

Or bounded only by a law whofe force
'Twas his fublimeft privilege to feel

And own, the law of univerfal love.

He rul'd with meekness, they obey'd with joy;

No cruel purpose lurk'd within his heart,

And no diftruft of his intent in theirs.

So

So Eden was a scene of harmless sport,

Where kindness on his part who rul'd the whole
Begat a tranquil confidence in all,

And fear as yet was not, nor cause for fear.
But fin marr'd all; and the revolt of man,

That fource of evils, not exhausted yet,
Was punifh'd with revolt of his from him.
Garden of God, how terrible the change

Thy groves and lawns then witness'd! ev'ry heart,
Each animal of ev'ry name, conceiv'd

A jealoufy and an instinctive fear,

And, confcious of fome danger, either fled

Precipitate the loath'd abode of man,

Or growl'd defiance in fuch angry fort,

As taught him too to tremble in his turn.
Thus harmony and family accord

Were driv'n from Paradife; and in that hour
The feeds of cruelty, that fince have swell'd
To fuch gigantic and enormous growth,
Were fown in human nature's fruitful foil.

Hence

Hence date the perfecution and the pain

That man inflicts on all inferior kinds,

Regardless of their plaints. To make him sport,

To gratify the frenzy of his wrath,

Or his base gluttony, are causes good

And juft, in his account, why bird and beast
Should fuffer torture, and the streams be dy'd
With blood of their inhabitants impal'd.
Earth groans beneath the burden of a war
Wag'd with defenceless innocence, while he,
Not fatisfied to prey on all around,

Adds tenfold bitterness to death, by pangs
Needless, and first torments ere he devours.
Now happiest they that occupy the scenes
The most remote from his abhorr'd refort,
Whom once, as delegate of God on earth,
They fear'd, and, as his perfect image, lov’d.
The wilderness is theirs, with all its caves,
Its hollow glenns, its thickets, and its plains.
Unvifited by man.
There they are free,

And

And howl and roar as likes them, uncontroul'd,

Nor afk his leave to flumber or to play.

Woe to the tyrant, if he dare intrude

Within the confines of their wild domain :
The lion tells him-I am monarch here-
And if he spare him, spares him on the terms
Of royal mercy, and through gen'rous fcorn
To rend a victim trembling at his foot.
In measure, as by force of instinct drawn,
Or by neceffity conftrain'd, they live

Dependent upon man; thofe in his fields,

These at his crib, and some beneath his roof;

They prove too often at how dear a rate

He fells protection. Witnefs, at his foot
The fpaniel dying for fome venial fault,
Under diffection of the knotted fcourge;
Witnefs, the patient ox, with ftripes and yells
Driv'n to the flaughter, goaded, as he runs,
To madness, while the favage at his heels
Laughs at the frantic fuff'rer's fury spent

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