Von dem oben (B. L. S. 449.) vorgekommenen Schäfer dichter Ambrose Philips ist der, vornehmlich in der Lehrgatz tung berühmte, englische Dichter John Philips zu unters scheiden, der von 1676 bis 1708 lebte. Auch von ihm hat man nur wenige Gedichte, unter welchen die komische Parodie der Miltonschen Schreibart, The Splendid Shilling, und das Lehrgedicht, The Cyder, oder von der Bereitung des Aes pfelmostes, die berühmtesten sind. Dieß lestre ist Nachahmung des Virgilischen Gedichts vom Landbau, und hat, außer dem poetischen Verdienste, auch noch den Vorzug vôle liger Wahrheit und Richtigkeit der darin ertheilten Anweis fungen. Der auch unter uns berühmte Botanist und Garz -tenkenner Miller äußerte darüber gegen Dr. Johnson vas Urtheil, es gebe manche Bücher in Prose über die namliche Materie, die nicht so viel Wahres enthielten, als dieses Gedicht, welches sich auch durch die geschickte Anlegung des Plans, und durch eine wirklich Virgilische Verflechtung des Angenehmen und Gefühlvollen mit dem Nüglichen und Unterrichtenden empfiehlt. Vou minder ssrtheilhafter Wirkung ist, der, den Engländern sonst in Lehrgedichten nie gewöhnliche, Gebrauch reimloser Verse, den auch Dr. John's son tadelt, weil diese Versart zu sehr an den feierlichen Gang des Heldengedichts erinnert, and leicht den poetischen Ausdruck über die hier weit engern Gränzen hinaus führt.S. auch Dusch's Briefe, I. 9.
A thoufand accidents the farmer's hopes
Subvert, or check; uncertain all his toil,
'Till lufty autumn's luke warm days allay'd
With gentle colds, infenfibly confirm
His ripening labours: autumn to the fruits
Earth's various lap produces, vigour gives
Equal, intenerating milky grain,
John Berries, and fky-dy'd Plumbs, and what in coat Rough, or foft rind, or bearded hufk, or shell; Fat Olives, and Pifacio's fragrant nut,
And the Pine's tasteful Apple: autumn paints
Aufonian hills with Grapes, whilft English
plains
Blufh with pomaceous harvefts, breathing iweets.
O let me now, when the kind early dew
Unlocks th' embofom'd odors, walk among
The well-rang'd files of trees, whofe full ag'd
ftore
Diffuse Ambrofial fteams, than Myrrh, or Nard
More grateful, or perfuming flow'ry Bean!
Soft whifp'ring airs, and the lark's matin fong
Then woo to mufing, and becalm the mind
Perplex'd with irkfome thoughts.
Thrice happy
Beft portion of the various year, in which
Nature rejoiceth, fmiling on her works
Lovely, to fuil perfection wrought! but ah,
Short are our joys, and neighb'ring griefs di-
fturb
Our pleasant hours. Inclement winter dwells
Contiguous; forthwith frofty blafts deface
The blithfome year: trees of their fhriveľ'd
fruits
Are widow'd, dreary ftorms o'er all prevail.
Now, now's the time; ere hafty funs forbid
To work, difburden thou thy faplefs wood
Of its rich progeny; the turgid fruit
Abounds with mellow liquor; now exhort
Thy hinds to exercife the pointed steel
On the hard rock, and give a wheely form
To the expected grinder: now prepare
Materials for thy mill, a fturdy poft
Cylindric, to fupport the grinder's weight
Exceflive, and a flexile fallow' entrench'd,
Rounding, capacious of the juicy hord.
Nor must thou not be mindful of thy prefs
Long ere the vintage; but with timely care
Shave the goat's fhaggy beard, left thou too late
In vain fhould'ft feek a ftrainer to difpart
The hufky, terrene dregs, fròm purer Muft.
Be cautious next a proper fteed to find
Whofe prime is paft; the vigorous horse difdains
Such fervile labours, or, if forc'd, forgets
His paft atchievements, and victorious palms.
Blind Bayard rather, worn with work, and
years,
Shall roll th' unwieldly ftone, with fober pace
He'll tread the circling path 'till dewy eve,
From early day.fpring, pleas'd to find his age
Declining, not unufeful to his lord.
Some, when the prefs, by utmost vigour
fcrew'd,
Has drain'd the pulpous mafs,
mafs, regale their
With the dry refufe; thou, more wife, fhalt
steep
Thy hufks in water, and again employ
The pondrous engine. Water will imbibe
The fmall remains of fpirit, and acquire
A vinous flavour; this the peafants blithe
Will quaff, and whistle, as thy tinkling team
They drive, and fing of Fulca's radiant eyes,
Pleas'd with the medly draught. Nor fhalt thou
Reject the Apple-Cheefe, tho' quite exhaust;
Ev'n now 'twill cherifh, and improve the roots
Of fickly plants; new vigour hence convey'd
Will yield an harvest of unusual growth.
Such profit fprings from hufks difcreetly us'd!
The tender apples, from their parents rent
By ftormy fhocks, muft not neglected lie,
The prey of worms: A frugal man I knew,
Rich in one barren acre, which, fubdu'd
By endless culture, with fufficient Muft
His cafks replenifh'd yearly: He no more
Defir'd, nor wanted, diligent to learn
The various feafons, and by skill repel
Invading pefts, fuccesful in his cares,
Till the damp Libyan wind, with tempefts arm'd,
Outragious, blufter'd horrible amidst
His Cyder-grove: O'erturn'd by furious blafts,
The fightly ranks fall proftrate, and around
Their fruitage fcatter'd, from the genial boughs
Stript immature: Yet did he not repine,
Nor curfe his ftars; but prudent, his fall'n heaps
Collecting, cherish'd with the tepid wreaths
Of tedded grafs, and the fun's mellowing beams
Rival'd with artful heats, and thence procur'd
A coftly liquor, by improving time
Equal'd with what the happieft vintage bears..
No heterogeneous mixtures ufe, as fome
With watry Turnips have debas'd their wines,
Too frugal; nor let the crude humours dance
In heated brafs, fteaming with fire intense;
Altho' Devonia much commends the use
Of ftrengthning Vulcan; with
Thy wines fufficient, other aid refuse;
And, when th' allotted orb of time's compleat,
Are more commended than the labour'd drinks.
Nor let thy avarice tempt thee to with
The priest's appointed fhare; with chearful heart
The tenth of thy increafe beftow, and own
Heav'n's bounteous goodness, that will fure re-
pay
Thy grateful duty: This neglected, fear
Signal avengeance, fuch as over-took
A mifer, that unjustly once with held
The clergy's due, relying on himself,
His fields he tended, with fuccefslefs care,
Early, and late, when, or unwifh'd-for rain
Defcended, or unfeafonable frofts
Curb'd his increafing hopes, or when around
The clouds dropt fatnels, in the middle fky
The dew fufpended ftaid, and left unmoift
His execrable glebe: Recording this,
Be juft, and wife and tremble to transgrefs.
|