Amid the tuneful choir,

With flying fingers touch'd the lyre:
The trembling notes ascend the sky,
And heavenly joys inspire.

The song began from Jove,
Who left his blissful seats above;
(Such is the power of mighty love!)
A dragon's fiery form bely'd the god;
Sublime on radiant spheres he rode,

When he to fair Olympia press'd,

And stamp'd an image of himself, a severeign of the world. The list'ning crowd admire the lofty sound;

A present deity, they shout around;

A present deity the vaulted roofs rebound.
With ravish'd ears the monarch hears,
Assumes the god, affects to nod,

And seems to shake the spheres.

The praise of Bacchus, then, the sweet musician sung;
Of Bacchus, ever fair and ever young.
The jolly god in triumph comes !

Sound the trumpet; beat the drums ;
Flush'd with a purple grace,

He shows his honest face:

Now give the hautboys breath-he comes! he comes !

Bacchus ever fair and young,

Drinking joys did first ordain:

Bacchus' blessings are a treasure!

Drinking is the soldier's pleasure:

Rich the treasure;

Sweet the pleasure;

Sweet is pleasure after pain.

Sooth'd with the sound. the king grew vain ;

Fought all his battles o'er again;

['slain.

And thrice he routed all his foes, and thrice he slew the

The master saw the madness rise;

His glowing cheeks, his ardent eyes;
And, while he heaven and earth-defy'd,
Chang'd his hand and check'd his pride.
He chose a mournful muse,

Soft pity to infusé:

He sung Darius, great and good,
By too severe a fate,

Fallin, fall'n, fall'n, fail'n,
Fata from his high estates

And welt'ring in his blood:
Deserted at his utmost need
By those his former bounty fed,
On the bare earth expos'd he lies,
With not a friend to close his eyes.

With downeast look the joyless victor sat, Revolving, in his alter'd soul,

The various turns of fate below;
And now and then a sigh he stole,
And tears began to flow.

The mighty master smil'd to see
That love was in the next degree;
'Twas but a kindred sound to move;
For pity ielts the mind to love.

Softly sweet, in Lydian measures,
Soon he sooth'd his soul to pleasures,
War, he sung, is toil and trouble;
Honor but an empty bubble!

Never ending, still beginning,
Fighting still and still destroying.
If the world be worth thy winning,
Think, think it worth enjoying;
Lovely Thais sits beside thee:

Take the good the gods provide thee..

The many rend the skies with loud applause,
So love was crown'd; but musie won the cause.
The prince, unable to conceal his pain,
Gaz'd on the fair,

Who caus'd his care;

And sigh'd and look'd, sigh'd and look'd,
Sigh'd and look'd, and sigh'd again:
At length, with love and wine at once oppress'd,
The vanquish'd victor-sunk upon her breast.
Now strike the golden lyre again;

A louder yet, and yet a louder strain:
Break his bands of sleep asunder,

And rouse him like a rattling peal of thunder.
Hark! hark! the horrid sound

Has rais'd up his head,

As awak'd from the dead;

And, amaz'd, he stares around.

Revenge! revenge! Timetheus cries-

See the furies arise;

See the snakes that they rear,

How they hiss in their hair,

And the sparkles that flash from their eyes!
Behold a ghastly band,

Each a torch in his hand!

These are Grecian ghosts, that in battle were slain,
And, unbury'd remain
Inglorious on the plain.

Give the vengeance due to the valiant erew.
Behold! how they toss their torches on high,
How they point to the Persain abodes,
And glittering temples of their hostile gods!
The princes applaud, with a furious joy!
And the king seiz'd a flambeau, with zeal to destroy:
Thais led the way,

To light him to his prey;

And, like another Helen-fir'd another Troy.
Thus long ago,

Ere heaving bellows learn'd to blow,
While organs yet were mute;

Timotheus to his breathing flute

And sounding lyre,

Could swell the soul to rage, or kindle soft desire.
At last divine Cecilia came,

Inventress of the vocal frame.
The sweet enthusiast, from her sacred store,
Enlarg'd the former narrow bounds,

And added length to solemn sounds,

With nature's mother wit, and arts unknown before Let old Timotheus yield the prize,

Or both divide the crown:

He rais'd a mortal to the skies;
She drew an angel down.

LESSONS IN SPEAKING,

T

SECTION I.

ELOQUENCE OF THE PULPIT.

I-On Truth and Integrity.-TILLOTSON.

RUTH and integrity have all the advantages of ap pearance, and many more. If the show of any thing be good for any thing, I am sure the reality is better; for why does any man dissemble, or seem to be that which be is not, but because he thinks it good to have the qualities he pretends to ? For, to counterfeit and dissemble, is to put on the appearance of some real excellency. Now, the best way for a man to seem to be any thing, is really to be what he would seem to be. Besides, it is often as troub lesome to support the pretence of a good quality, as to have it; and if a man have it not, it is most likely he will be discovered to want it; and then all his labor to seem to have it, is lost. There is something unnatural in painting, which a skilful eye will easily discern from native beauty and complexion.

It is hard to personate and act a part long; for where truth is not at the bottom, nature will always be endeav oring to return, and will betray herself at one time or other. Therefore, if any man think it convenient to seem good, let him be so indeed; and then his goodness will appear to every one's satisfaction; for truth is convincing, and carries its own light and evidence along with it; and will not only commend us to every mau's conscience; but, which is much more, to Ged, who searcheth our hearts: so that, upon all accounts, sincerity is true wisdom. Particularly as to the affairs of this world, integrity hath many advantages over all the artificial modes of dissimulation and deceit. It is much the plainer and easier, much the safer and more secure way of dealing in the world; it hath less of trouble and difficulty, of entanglement and

perplexity, of danger and hazard in it; it is the shortest. and nearest way to our end, carrying us thither in a straight line; and will hold out and last longest. The arts of deceit and cunning continually grow weaker, and less effectual and serviceable to those that practice them; whereas integrity gains strength by use; and the more and longer any man practiseth it, the greater service it does him, by confirming his reputation, and encouraging those with whom he hath to do to repose the greatest confidence in him; which is an unspeakable advantage in business and the affairs of life.

A dissembler must be always upon his guard, and watch himself carefully that he do not contradict his own pretensions; for he acts an unnatural part, and therefore, must put a continual force and restraint upon himself; whereas, he that acts sincerely, hath the easiest task in the world because he follows nature. and so is put to no trouble and care about his words and actions; he needs not invent any pretence beforehand, nor make excuses afterwards, for any thing he hath said or done.

But insincerity is very troublesome to manage. ocrite hath so many things to attend to as make his life a A hypvery perplexed and intricate thing. A liar hath need of a good memory, lest he contradict at one time, what he said at another. But truth is always consistent with itself. and needs nothing to help it out; it is always near t hand, and sits upon our lips, and is ready to drop ont be fore we are aware; whereas a lie is troublesome, and one trick needs a great many more to make it good.

Add to all this, that sincerity is the most compendious wisdom, and an excellent instrument for the speedy dispatch of business. It creates confidence in those we have to deal with, saves the labor of many inquiries, and brings things to an issue in a few words. It is like travelling in a plain beaten road, which commonly brings a man sooner to his journey's end, than by ways in which men often lose themselves. In a word, whatever convenience may be thought to be in falsehood and dissimulation, it is soon over; but the inconvenience of it is perpetual, because it brings a man under an everlasting jealousy and suspicion, so that he is not believed when he speaks the truth nor trusted when perhaps he means honestly. When a man hath once forfeited the reputation of bis integrity, nothing will then serve bis turn, neither truth nor falsehood.