Thirst of pre-eminence. See, how the cause With winning rhetoric, and well-argu'd law ! 20 Meanwhile, although the Maffic grape delights, Lord Harcourt died July 29, 1727, aged 67, and was buried at Stanton Harcourt. He had three wives: by his firft wife, Rebecca, daughter of Thomas Clarke, Efq. and widow of Sir Samuel Aftry, of Henbury in Gloucestershire, Kt. he had iffue, Simon above mentioned; and two daughters, Anne, married to John Barlow, Efq. of Stebeck, in Pembrokeshire; and Arabella, to Harcourt Aubery, Efq. of Clehonger in Herefordshire. Lord Harcourt was the friend of Pope, Swift, and the wits of that period. He was the zealous patron of our author during his life; and teftified his regard for him, when dead, by erecting a monument in Westminster Abbey to his memory. 18. See, how the caufe Of widows and of orphans be afferts, With winning rhetoric, and well argu'd law!] A ftrong atteftation of Lord Harcourt's great eloquence and legal knowledge may be adduced from the preamble to the patent, by which he was at first advanced to the Peerage. Having recited the antiquity and warlike actions of his family, it says; "Nor is there one of all that race, defcended from fuch noble ancestors, who has not been eminent "for his love to his country, and loyalty to his Prince. He fuffered, in"deed, in his paternal inheritance, which was diminished by the fury of "the civil wars; but not in his glory, which, being acquired by military valour, he, as a lawyer, has advanced by the force of his wit and eloquence; for we have understood, that his faculty in fpeaking is fo "full of variety, that many doubt, whether he is fitter to manage causes "in the lower court, or to speak before a full parliament; but it is con"feffed by all, that AMONG THE LAWYERS HE IS THE MOST ELOQUENT ORATOR; AND AMONG THE ORATORS, THE MOST ABLE "LAWYER." 23. although the Maffic grape delights, Pregnant of racy juice, and Formian hills Temper thy cups,] The mountain Gaurus, or Maficus, made a part of the Ager Falernus, and probably produced the choiceft wine of that district; as the CIDER. BOOK II. Thy native liquors. Lo! for thee my mill Thus far of trees; the pleasing task remains the best Falernian wine feems to have been frequently called Maffic Sir Edward Barry, in his very ingenious and claffical Obfervations on the Wines of the Ancients, fays that all the wines which were made from any part of the Ager Falernus, were frequently included in the general denomination of Maffic or Falernian. Which being admitted; the whole of the above paffage becomes a close translation of the concluding lines of an Ode of Horace to Mæcænas. 27° mea nec FALERNÆ TEMPERANT VITES, NEQUE FORMIANI POCULA COLLES. the British vats O'erflow with generous Cider L. I. Ode 20. This is from a part of Virgil's invocation of Bacchus, GEORGIC. ii. 6. Huc pater O Lenæe, (tuis hæc omnia plena Great father Bacchus! to my fong repair; 30. Thus far of trees;] Thus Virgil opens his fecond GEORGIC. HACTENUS ARVORUM, &c. DRYDEN. To fing of Wines, and Autumn's bleft increase. Disastrous flies, foon as the hind, fatigu❜d, 34. Oft, notwithstanding all thy care To help thy plants, when the fmall fruitery feems One of the earliest hypothefes, refpecting Blights, was, that they are ufually produced by an Eafterly Wind, bringing quantities of infects eggs along with it from fome diftant place, which, being lodged on the furface of the leaves and flowers of fruit trees, cause them to fhrivel up and perish But later Enquirers have, from repeated obfervations and experiments, concluded them to arife from different causes. A principal one is a continued dry easterly Wind for feveral days together, without the intervention of fhowers or any morning dew, by which the perspiration in the tender bloffoms is ftopped, fo that in a fhort time they wither and decay. But the most destructive species of blight, and one for which, it is faid, there is no prevention or remedy, is what is called a Fire-blaft, which is fuppofed to be effected by volumes of transparent flying vapors, that revolve into fuch forms, as make the rays of the fun converge enough to fcorch the plants or trees they fall upon. 4 Unyokes his team The Roman Poets have thus mark'd the evening. Adfpice, ARATRA JUGO REFERUNT SUSPENSA JUVENCI; Sol ubi montium Virg. EcL. ii. 66. Mutaret umbras, et JUGA DEMERET BOBUS FATIGATIS Hor. L. iii. Ode 6. And Milton, in his Comus, V. 291. has the fame rural description of Evening: Two fuch I faw, what time the labor'd ox To gentle colds, infenfibly confirm ipening labors. Autumn to the fruits n's various lap produces vigor gives, 1, intenerating; milky grain, es, and fky-dy'd plums, and what in coat earth's various lap-] 50 s is poffibly taken from Spenfer's Faery Queen, B. ii. C. 6. S. 15. While, nothing envious, NATURE then forth throws Out of her FRUITFUL LAP ton, alfo, in his moft beautiful defcription of the Garden of Eden, of 13. the FLOWERY LAP Of fome irriguous valley P. L. iv. 254 fky-dy'd plums, and what in coat Rough, or Joft rind, or bearded bufk, or shell;] ROUGH, OR SMOOTH RIND, OR BEARDED HUSK, OR SHELL; -dy'd may have been taken from Milton's fky-tinctur'd, V. 285. fame book. Rough, Rough, or soft rind, or bearded husk, or shell 60 And the pine's tasteful apple: Autumn paints 58. pomaceous barvest- -1 65 I have fomewhere feen MUSTUM POMACEUM written as Latin for Cider. But there is really no fuch Latin word as pomaceus. 59. - when the kind early dew Unlocks embofom'd odors,] Among the groves, the fountains, and the flowers, THAT OPEN NOW THEIR CHOICEST BOSOM'D SMELLS. Milton, P. L. v. V. 126. 62. Diffufe ambrofial fteams, than myrrh or nard More grateful, Here are two beautiful paffages of Milton blended together. in her hand A bough of faireft fruit that downy smil'd, New gather'd, and AMBROSIAL SMELL DIFFUS'D. Into the blissful field, through GROVES OF MYRRH AND FLOWERING ODORS, CASSIA, NARD, AND BALM, P. L. v V. 292. Ambrofial team might be fuggested by ambrofial night EXHALING from the mount of God. P. L. v. V. 642. 64. Soft-whispering airs, and the lark's matin fong,] The epithet Soft-whispering may have been taken from the following moft beautiful paffage of Milton, P. L. iv. 325. Under |