He trembles, he glows, Amidst Rhodope's snows: See, wild as the winds, o'er the desert he flies; Hark! Hamus resounds with the Bacchanals' cries Ah see, he dies! Yet even in death Eurydice he sung, Eurydice the floods, Eurydice the rocks, and hollow mountains rung. Music the fiercest grief can charm, And make despair and madness please: And antedate the bliss above. This the divine Cecilia found, And to her Maker's praise confin'd the sound, Her's lift the soul to Heav'n. CHAPTER XXXIII. ALEXANDER'S FEAST. 'Twas at the royal feast, for Persia won, By Philip's warlike son: Aloft in awful state The god-like hero sate On his imperial throne; His valiant peers were plac'd around ; Their brows with roses and with myrtle bound; The lovely Thais by his side None but the brave, None but the brave deserves the fair. Timotheus, plac'd on high Amid the tuneful quire, With flying fingers touch'd the lyre : The song began from Jove, Who left his blissful seats above, When he to fair Olympia press'd, And stamp'd an image of himself, a sov'reign of the world The list'ning crowd admire the fofty sound; A present deity they shout around, A present deity, the vaulted roofs rebound: With ravish'd earstool dez an Assumes the god, Affects to nod, And seems to shake the spheres. A The praise of Bacchus then the sweet musician sung;209 IT' OF Bacchus ever fair, and ever young: #949 The jolly god in triumph comes;! Sound the trumpets, beat the drums ; He shows his honest face. Now give the hautboys breath; he comes! he comes R 3 Bacchus, ever fair and young, Sweet the pleasure ; Sweet is pleasure after pain. Sooth'd with the sound, the king grew vain; Fought all his battles o'er again; And thrice he routed all his foes; and thrice he slew the slain. The master saw the madness rise; His glowing cheeks, his ardent eyes; Soft pity to infuse: Ile sung Darius great and good, Fall'n, fall'n, fall'n, fall'n, On the bare earth expos'd he lies, With not a friend to close his eyes.my With downcast look the joyless victor sate, Revolving in his alter'd soul The various turns of fate below; And now and then a sigh he stale, The mighty master smil❜d to seen ita adoo Never ending, still beginning, Fighting still, and still destroying: If the world be worth thy winning, Take the good the gods provide thee. Who caus'd his care, And sigh'd and look'd, and sigh'd and look'd, At length with love and wine at once oppress'd, Now strike the golden lyre again; And rouse him like a rattling peal of thunder. Has rais'd up his head; As awak'd from the dead,.. And amaz'd, he stares around. Revenge, revenge, Timotheus cries, See the furies arise, See the snakes that they rear, How they hiss in the air, And the sparkles that flash from their eyes! 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 Behold how they toss their torches on high, And glitt'ring 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, Timotheus to his breathing flute Could swell the soul to rage, or kindle soft desire. The sweet enthusiast, from her saered store, And added length to solemn sounds, With Nature's mother-wit, and arts unknown before Or both divide the crown; CHAPTER XXXIV. THE CURATE. A FRAGMENT. O'ER the pale embers of a dying fire, "Twas Sunday's eve, meet season to prepare No day of rest to him, but day of care, DRYDEN |