Her Thamis (on his golded urn he lean'd)
Saluted with this hymeneal song,

And hail'd her safe. Full silent was the wind,
The river glided gently-soft along,

Ne4 whispered the breeze the leaves emong,
Ne love-learn'd Philomel out-trill'd her lay;
A stilness on the waves attentive hung,
A brighter gladness blest the face of day, [May.
All nature gan to smile, her smiles diffus'd the

"Ah sacred ship, to Albion wafting good,
Our wish, our hope, our joy! who safe convey'd
This beauty's paragon, this royal maid,
Through perilous sea, from Ila's little flood,
Isprung, iwist, of high empyreal seed;
The child of Heav'n, the daughter of Delight,
Nurst by a Grace, with milk and honey fed!
Oh Frederick! oh, certes, blessed wight, [hight6.
To whom the Gods consign the nymph Augusta

"Ah sacred ship! may favourable gales, The kindest breath of Heav'n attend thy way, And swell the winged canvass of thy sails: May calmness be thy path, and pleausance lay On the soft bosom of the yielding sea, Where-e'er thou wind; or to the spicy shore Of Araby the blest, or India's bay, Where diamonds kindle, and the golden ore Flames into purity, to deck Augusta more!

But dreams of thee long, livelong nights and days, By Beauty led through all Love's rosy-thorny

ways.

"To heal his pains soft music does divide Most heavenly melody in soothing strains; Nor heavenly melody, nor aught beside, Save thee, ah dearest Dread! can heal his pains. Thy form too deeply in his breast remains. So ever and anon he chides the gales, That slowly seem to brush the liquid plains; Oh! fly on all the wings of Heav'n, ye sails, Oh fly! he crys; and lo! a lover's pray'r prevails.

"Now cease thy sighs. She comes, (oh blessed day!)

She comes, by all the Loves and Graces drest,
In proud humility. See, Hymen play,
With saffron robe and flame-embroider'd vest,
(Such colours, sikerly7, suit Hymen best.)
And Cupid catches rosy wafts of air

To stretch the sails and fan the royal guest.
Nor Chastity, meek-ey'd, is wanting there,

"O blessed youth! receive thy bonnibel', Eternal fount of virtue, love and grace! O kneel to all the gods and pray to all, Who sparkle so divinely in her face, And with celestial fires her bosom bless. So shines Aurora in her rich attire, When she Hyperion wou'd fain caress: Gaze all the host of stars, and all admire, Then twinkle in their urns, and into night retire.

"O blessed maid! receive thy belamour3, With glee receive him and o'erflowing heart: Ne in high monarch's court, ne lady's bow'r, A youth so form'd by Nature and by Art, Conspiring both, e'er cherish'd Cupid's dart. So Phoebus, lusty bridegroom of the sky, With native splendours shines on every part; From east to west his pointed glories fly, He warmeth every heart, he dazzleth every eye.”

Here Thamis ended. Now the goodly train Of all the Naïds, in most comely wise, A present make of myrtle-girland green,

The Graces eke, with laughter-swelling eyes, A rosy-chaplet, steep'd in nectar bring, (The roses gather'd in the morning skies) Then, joining with the Naids, form a ring, And round them deftly daunce, and round them blithly sing.

"As roses and as myrtles kindly weave Their sweets in one, much sweeter as they blend; Emblem of marriage-love! So you, receive Sweets interchang'd, and to each other lend; Then, in a blest perfume, to Heav'n ascend, And mingle with the gods! While here below, New myrtles, roses new, withouten end, From your luxurious stock, full plenteous, grow, And with their parent-sweets, and parent-beauty glow."

Next Albion's Genius came, bedite in gold, An oaken chaplet nodded on his head; The crown he held was glorious to behold, And royally he taught his feet to tread. Soon as he spy'd the prince's goodly head, He pointed to the crown, and rais'd his voice To hail the royal pair and bless their bed: The jolly Chorus catch the grateful noise, Echo the woods and vales, and Heav'n and Earth rejoice.

Next Liberty, the fairest nymph on ground;
The flowing plenty of her golden hair
Diffusing lavishly ambrosia round;
Her hands a flow'ry cornucopia bear,
Which scatters joy and pleasaunce through the air.
Earth smil'd, and Gladness danc'd along the sky;
Before her vanish'd Grief and pale-ey'd Care,
And eft, in courteous guise, she cast her eye
On that same gentle twain, her glory and her joy.

And these beside, a sacred pers'nage came,
Immaculate and sweet as Sharon-rose:
Upon her breast a bloody cross did flame,
Aumail'd with gold and gems in goodly rows:
A pall of lawn adown her shoulders flows:

2 Beautiful virgin. 3 Charming lover. Often.

Yclep'd Eusebia. She pray'd aloud,
Then, blessing both, for her defenders chose,
And sphear'd her glories in a purple cloud:
Softly Augusta smil'd, full lowly Fredric bow'd.

Fair Fame behind a silver trumpet blew,
Sweet to the Earth, and fragrant to the sky!
Her mantle of a many-colour'd hue,

Her rain-bow wings pouder'd with many an eye,
And near her Honour, Pow'r and Courtesy:
Honour of open front, and steady grace;
Pow'r, clad in steel, a faulchion brandish'd high;
Courtesy drest in smiles her bounteous face:
When these attend a prince, thrice happy sub-
jects case!

The Muses clos'd this intellectual scene From Helicon; who knows not Helicon? Gold were their lyres, their laurels ever-green. Soon Clio to the prince a starry crown Presents, another to his bellibone❝. Then all in lofty chorus swell the song, Big with their happy loves and great renown. Prophetic numbers float the woods emong, For shepherd-lad too high, for memory too long.

Nathless thy tuneful sons, O Oxford dear! By Muses visited, may catch the lays, Sweet-pouring streams of nectar on the ear, And from their lips, in vision, learn to raise Their loves and fame, to brighten future days. Thee fits not, Thomalin, a simple swain, High deeds to sing, but gentle roundelays: Go feed thy flock, renew the rural strain

And, as th' harmonious charmer sings,
In triumph points his darts, and waves his wings,
Th' harmonious charmer paus'd to see

A list'ning, wond'ring deity;

While Silence softly chain'd her tongue,
The god responsive rais'd the song,
In strains like these, if strains can be
Rais'd to the raptures of a deity,
The raptures of a wond'ring deity!

AIR III.

Beauty, sacred beauty sing, Flowing from the wond'rous spring Of uncreated and primeval light!

Beauty the first best work of God, Spoke into being in his high abode, And next his own eternal essence bright!

AIR IV.

With Beauty Music join,
The breath of Heav'n

To mortals given

To swell their bliss to bliss divine! With Beauty Music join.

CHORUS.

Beauty, silent Harmony!
Softly stealing through the eye

Smiles into the breast a dart. Music, fine proportion'd sounds! Pours balm upon the lover's wounds Through the ear into the heart. RECITATIVE.

To fire with sacred rage her soul, Touch'd into voice the sprightly strings, And bade the silver tides of music roll. An angel, list'ning to her lyre, To lift the modulations higher, Apply'd the aiding graces of his tongue; And while the virgin play'd, the seraph sung.

AIR V.

Sweetest mortal, to befriend thee,

Angels from their quires attend thee,
Angels leave their thrones to hear
Music with devotion glowing,
Music heavenly joys bestowing,
Worthy a seraphic ear!

RECITATIVE.

Again she trembles o'er the silver strings,
The silver strings, exulting to her hand,
Obey the sweet command,

And thus again the angel sings:
(While Silence wav'd her downy wings around,
And Gladness smil'd along the purple skies;
All nature soft'ned at their fiows of sound,
And bright'ned at the radiance of their eyes:)

AIR VI.

Harmony, the soul retining!
Beauty, sense, and virtue joining
In a form and mind like thine,
Nobly raise a mortal creature
To a more exalted nature;
We alone are more divine!