The reft, no portion left That may difgrace his art, or disappoint Large expectation, he difpofes neat At measur'd diftances, that air and fun, Admitted freely, may afford their aid, And ventilate and warm the swelling buds. Hence fummer has her riches, autumn hence, And hence ev'n winter fills his wither'd hand With blushing frui's, and plenty, not his own Fair recompenfe of labour well bestow'd, And wife precaution; which a clime fo rude Makes needful ftill, whofe pring is but the child Of churlish winter, in her froward moods Discovering much the temper of her fire. For oft, as if in her the fiream of mild Maternal nature had revers'd its courfe, She brings her infants forth with many smiles; But, once deliver'd, kills them with a frown. He, therefore, timely warn'd, himself supplies Her want of care, fcreening and keeping warm The plenteous bloom, that no rough blast may sweep His garlands from the boughs Again, as oft
As the fun peeps and vernal airs breathe mild,
* Miraturque novos fructus et non fua poma. Virg.
The fence withdrawn, he gives them ev'ry beam,
And spreads his hopes before the blaze of day.
To raise the prickly and green-coated gourd,
So grateful to the palate, and when rare
So coveted, elfe bafe and difefteem'd-
Food for the vulgar merely-is an art
That toiling ages have but just matur'd,
And at this moment unaffay'd in song.
Yet gnats have had, and frogs and mice, long fince,
Their eulogy; those sang the Mantuan bard,
And these the Grecian, in ennobling strains;
And in thy numbers, Phillips, fhines for aye
The folitary fhilling. Pardon then,
Ye fage difpenfers of poetic fame,
Th' ambition of one, meaner far, whose pow'rs,
Prefuming an attempt not less fublime,
Pant for the praise of dreffing to the taste
Of critic appetite, no fordid fare,
A cucumber, while costly yet and scarce.
The ftable yields a ftercoraceous heap,
Impregnated with quick fermenting falts,
And potent to refift the freezing blast:
For, ere the beech and elm have caft their leaf
Deciduous, when now November dark
Checks vegetation in the torpid plant
Expos'd to his cold breath, the task begins.
Warily, therefore, and with prudent heed,
He seeks a favour'd spot; that where he builds
Th' agglomerated pile his frame may front
The fun's meridian disk, and at the back
Enjoy close shelter, wall,
Impervious to the wind.
Dry fern or litter'd hay,
or reeds, or hedge First he bids spread that may imbibe
Th' afcending damps; then leisurely impose,
And lightly, shaking it with agile hand
From the full fork, the faturated ftraw.
What longest binds the closest forms fecure
The shapely fide, that as it rifes takes,
By juft degrees, an overhanging breadth,
Shelt'ring the base with its projected eaves;
Th' uplifted frame, compact at ev'ry joint,
And overlaid with clear translucent glafs,
He fettles next upon the floping mount,
Whose sharp declivity fhoots off secure
From the dash'd pane the deluge as it falls.
He shuts it clofe, and the firft labour ends.
Thrice muft the voluble and reftlefs earth
Spin round upon her axle, ere the warmth,
Slow gathering in the midft, through the square mafs
Diffus'd, attain the furface: when, behold!
A peftilent and moft corrofive ftream,
Like a grofs fog Baotian, rifing fast,
And faft condens'd upon the dewy fash,
Afks egrefs; which obtain'd, the overcharg'd
And drench'd confervatory breathes abroad,
In volumes wheeling flow, the vapour dank;
And, purified, rejoices to have lost
Its foul inhabitant. But to affuage
Th' impatient fervour which at first conceives
Within its reeking bofom, threat'ning death
To his young hopes, requires difcreet delay.
Experience, -flow preceptrefs, teaching oft
The way to glory by miscarriage foul,
Must prompt him, and admonish how to catch
Th' aufpicious moment, when the temper'd heat,
Friendly to vital motion, may afford
Soft fomentation, and invite the feed.
The feed, felected wifely, plump, and smooth,
And gloffy, he commits to pots of fize
Diminutive, well fill'd with well-prepar'd
And fruitful foil, that has been treasur'd long,
And drank no moisture from the dripping clouds:
These on the warm and genial earth, that hides
The fmoking manure and o'erfpreads it all,
He places lightly, and, as time fubdues
The rage of fermentation, plunges deep
In the foft medium, till they stand immers'd.
Then rife the tender germs, upstarting quick,
And fpreading wide their spongy lobes; at first
Pale, wan, and livid; but affuming foon,
If fann'd by balmy and nutritious air,
Strain'd through the friendly mats, a vivid green.
Two leaves produc'd, two rough indented leaves,
Cautious he pinches from the fecond stalk
A pimple, that portends a future sprout,
And interdicts its growth. Thence ftraight fucceed
The branches, sturdy to his utmost wish;
Prolific all, and harbingers of more.
The crowded roots demand enlargment now,
And transplantation in an ampler space.
Indulg'd in what they wish, they foon supply
Large foliage, overshadowing golden flow'rs,
Blown on the fummit of th' apparent fruit.
These have their fexes! and, when fummer fhines,
The bee transports the fertilizing meal
From flow'r to flow'r, and e'en the breathing air
Wafts the rich prize to its appointed use.
Not fo when winter fcowls.
Then acts in nature's office, brings to pafs
The glad efpoufals, and enfures the crop.
Grudge not, ye rich, (fince luxury must have His dainties, and the world's more num'rous half
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