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But, o merciful God, I beseech thee, that thou wilt not consider nor weigh what is due to our defervings, but, rather what becometh thy mercy. Have mercy upon us, O God, after thy great goodness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies vouchsafe to deliver us, for the fake of thy dear Son our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

" But, O Lord, what can we plead to avert thy judgments, who are as far from penitence as innocence ? Or how can we pray against that vengeance, which we make it our business to pull down.

“ Blessed Lord, there is but one mercy we are capable of; and that is the melting of our kearts: and if that cannot be done but by severe infli&tions, I beseech thee to dispense to us what thou seest most apt to reduce us. If a greater degree of outward milery will tend to the curing of our inward evil; Lord spare not thy rod, but strike it yet more fharply - awaken us, though it be with thunder; and let us rather feel thy terrors, than not feel our lins. But yet, Lord, if thy gentler methods may have any effect, be pleased to continue thy long suffering towards us ; and though we have no pretence to mercy, yet do thou assert thine own work; be merciful, because thou hast been lo.

6 Suffer us not to destroy what thou hast so gracioufly preserved: but rather by thy sharper or by thy gentler methods, bring us home to thyself.

Lord, thou hast in all ages strangely condescended to the intercessions of thy servants-Bow the Heavens again, and come down and hear the prayers of those who desire to fear thy Name: and let them not only deliver their own souls, but obtain mercy also for this perverse generation ; even such a mighty grace as may yet

reduce us. Thou who didst at first call a soul of darkness into thy marvellous light, recall us, we beseech thee, from that worse darkness wherein we have involved, ourselves. Put thy laws into our hearts, and write them in our minds; and after so many years of being called Christians, let us be so indeed. Revive that primitive zeal and fan&ity which may purify, as to thyself, a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And, oh! thou blessed Mediator, who prayed for thy first crucifiers, intercede also for us, who have cruci. fied thee afresh; and though we have nothing to say for ourselves, yet let thy wounds and death, thy cross and paflion, plead for us, and obtain whatever our wretched state is in need of. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive, consider and do it, if not for ours, yet for thy name's

fake. Thou art Jesus, a Saviour: Oh save thy people from their fins. Grant us true repentance unto life, not to be repented of. Turn us from all our evil ways, that iniquity may not be our ruin. Deny us not a broken heart and contrite; and grant we may bring forth fruits of repentance in a fincere and speedy amendment of our lives. Then, Oh Lord, we shall see thy hand is not so fhortened that it cannot save; when thou haft delivered us from our sins, thou wilt deliver us from troubles. Shew as thy mercy, and that soon, and grant us thy falvation ; that we being delivered both in body and soul, may serve thee with both in a chearful obedience, and praise the name of our God, who hath dealt so wonderfully with us Amen."

I hope, Gentlemen, the prayer I have transcribed will meet with your approbation, and be considered proper for general circulation. You will no doubt think it proper to add a petition for our beloved Sovereign, and for wisdom to be given to his ministers at the prefent awful, eventful, crifis.

March 6, 1801

a

TO

TO THE EDITOR,
SIR,

Sutton, near Ely. THE word Vates was originally applied to the Poet, as well as to the

*

both its acceptations, and to have been inspired with a foresight of that le-
velling giant equality, which has made his ar pearance at the close of the
18th century; the Poet has entered his protest against him in the Second
Canto of the Fifth Book of his Fairy Queen, ftanza 29th, to the end ; as
from the affected obsoleteness of his linguage, and the peculiar structure of
his stanza, Spenser is not fo generally read as the sublimity of his poetry
and the morality of his matter deferve; and as I wish the opinion of fo ex-
cellent a judge on a subject to important to fociety should be diffused as
wide as poflible, I have ient you the pallage alluded to in more familiar and
modern diction and metre, which, ihough I am convinced it will fall very
short of the original, yet may be more intelligible to the mass of readers.
I am, Sir, your constant reader and obedient fervant,

SERSPEN,
They travel long, at length they view the coast,
Where stands assembled a prodigious hoft,
They haften on to know the cause allign’d,
In what request so many nations join'd.

Upon a rock, high rais'd above the flood,
With monstrous scales a mighty giant ftood,
Who boasted with a vain and empty noise
That in one scale he all the world would poise.
If, for the other, he could matter find;
For want of which, with trifles light as wind,
And vanity, his balance. huge he hilled,
Which pleas'd all fools, each woman and each child.
He boasted he'd take up the ocean's tide,
And from the solid earth the waves divide,
That, to one balance should the fire repair,
The other, without wind should hold the air,
Together then he'd balance heav'n and hell,
Each particle and all in each who dwell ;
Nor would he miss a feather of their weight,
And what remain'd of surplus would tranflate
Into its proper scale, for all, he said,
Unequal, now each other's right invade.
View the rough sea the mould'ring earth impair,
And fire encroach

upon the passive air ;
The elements had all got out of place,
And nations now this rule of wrong embrace,
All which he'd bring to their just shape and size,
And all things in the world would equalize.

The multitudes around large circles made
And listen'd to his vain rhodomontade.

* Sir Arthegall and Talus his iron page

(As round an honey-pot, flies simple throng;)
They think 'tis he that muft redrels each wrong,
And give them freedom uncontroll'd. The Knight
Who saw that he deceiv'd the people's fight,
Accosts him without fear; “ O, you who dare
To weigh the world, proportioning each share,
You (hew an arrogance that's much to blame,
And, at what's far beyond your reach you aim,
You, who the limits of each part would scan,
Should know the poise of each when each began;
'Tis by that standard you can only know
Where things have fail'd, and where they overflow.
All things came forth, in goodly measure plann's,
At their creation, from their Maker's hand,
And all were weigh'd in such an equal scale,
That not a drachm were wanting to the tale.
Fix'd in the centre was this earthly ball,
While seas surround it as a liquid wall,
These are confin'd by air, no drop can waste,
And all is by the ambient Heav'n embrac’d,
Which keeps them in their course with justice true,
All know their bounds, their courses all pursue,
All these for centuries have thus remain'd,
Nor any changes have their order stain'd.
Were they now weigh'd in your new-fangl'd scale,
Say can you prove such order would not fail ;
Peril attends on change, unfound in chance,
No longer then such dang'rous schemes advance;
Nor change a system prov'd so good, for worse,
Uncertain if they'd still retain their course.”

“ You foolish elfey how weak you state the point !"
The Giant says, " All things are out of joint,
All order's lost; can'st fee without reproach
Beneath thy feet the sea on land encroach;
See how the earth accumulates each day,
From heaps of dead which in its womb they lay;
Sure it were fit fuch wrong should be redress’d,
Curtail th' exubérant, add into the least.
Wherefore thele lofty mountains down I'll throw,
And make thein level with the plain below;
These rocks, which now their arduous stations keep,
I'll plunge into the bottom of the deep,
There let them find their level, as at first;
Despots I'll next suppress, and tyrants curst,
The mass of men no more shall lorulings (way,
The rich man's wealth I'll to the poor convey."
" Since,” lay's Sir Arthegall, "of what you fie

"
So fraught with error is your vain decree,
How can your vanity a rule apply
To what's invisible to mortal eye?
The seas assault the earth with frequent charge,

Yet do they not their boundaries enlarge,
APPENDIX, VOL, VIII,

O

Nor is the earth diminish'd, all the mould,
Which by rude waves has from its bafe been roll’d
Is by the tide to other parts convey'd,
And may be found, if lought, not lot, though Atray'd.
Nor does the earth receive increale from thole
Who sink in death, and in her womb repose,
Form'd of the duft; to dust shall alt unite,
However green the blade, the bloffom bright,

Then when man dies, fay is it not most just
He turn again to his primæval du?
All creatures lie in their Creator's hands,
All must submit to what his will commands;
At his command all into being spring,
All cease to be, as wills th’ Almighty King,
None ask why such things are. The lowly dale
Repinęs not that the hills the skies affail,
Nor do the hills the lowly dales disdain.
With pow'r, from God deriv'd, Kings hold their reign,
He makes their subjects faithful to the Crown ;
Some he exalıs, and some he tumbles down;
To some he gives, from others takes away,
All, all is his, all own his.pozent fway;
He does whate'er is done, bis sovereign will
None may withstand, all must his law fulfil;
What he has bound, What.creature can unbind?
Whence then this empty arrogance of mind?
To call him to account, bis works weigh o'er,
Whose counsel far above thy knowlege foar?
Since, of the objects obvious to thy light,
Vain man, thy judgement cannot deem aright.
Say, canst thou in thy idle balance find
A way, with truth, to poife the pailing wind,
Or weigh the light that issues from the East,
Or the thought paising from the human breast?
Is this too much? Then let thine art essay
A single word from human lips to weigh ;
If to such trivial arts you've no pretence,
How can you scan the ways of Providence ?
How can he matters of importance rule,
Who, in the smallest, stands confert a fool ?"

The Giant, half abalh'd, in folly caught,
Reply'd, of little things he little thought ;
But he engag'd, the least word could be laid
Within his balance should be justly weigh'd.

Then thus the Knight—" In thy nice-judging scale, Doth right or wrong, or false or true, prevail ?

He faid th' experiment he'd instant try, But the wing'd words from out his balance fly. Enrag'd he swore the texture was too thin, Nor could he words confine his scales within ; That he could weigh substantial right and wrong, He said he could bring proof both clear and strong

4 Well then,” said Arthegall, “ to proof proceed, First, in one balance let the true be laid.”

Agreed: but when the false he would have try'd,
From th' other scale the falfe would ever slide,
No force could its elaftic pow'r subdue,
For never will the false be weigh’d with true.

“ Now take the right,” says Arthegall," and see With so much wrong

if
your

fam'd icales agree?" In

goes the right, and now the Giant long
Attempts to load the other scale with wrong;
But all his art and strength could not avail,
With wrong heap'd thick on wrong, to turn the scale:
He sweats and labours with his utmost might,
A ton of wrong can't poise one ounce of right.

And now, incens’d, his balance he'd have spoild,
But him the Knight accosts with accent mild,
“ Not to your scales," said he, “ the crime belongs,
They can't discriminate 'twixt rights and wrongs,
A just criterion do you wish to find ?
Their weight must be adjusted by the mind;
And would you have the truth of words appear,
Or know their falsehood, weigh them in the ear;
Set truth and right a moment out of sight,
For they with wrong and faliehood ne'er unite;
And put two wrongs or falfes in each scale,
Of those the weight your balance shall detail,
For truth is uncompounded, simple, one,
And right's derived from itself alone.”

Then wrongs and falles in each fčale he throws,
The balance foon the ailproportion fhews;
But quickly right ascended to her throre,
The middle of the beam, and fate alone.
But right from thence he labour'd to displace,
For never in his

eyes

did right find grace.
Extremities ’t was his delight to weigh,
To this to add, from that to take away,
For never was his wicked balance leen
Pois’d with the equitable golden mean.

When Talus saw him thus, with skill profanie
Spread error wide, his bulk into the rain
He thoves ; receiv'd into the dep profound
The giant struggles, finks, at length is drown'!.

As when a fhip, with batter'd sides, has struck,
By cruel tempelt driv'ı), against a rock,
Into a thouland pieces she divides,
Misfortune's

pry,

the
por!

of wind and tides,
So, from the clift is this huge giant thrown,
bruis'd is his carci ., broken ev'ry bone,
His batter'd balance is in pieces rent;
So falls the proud, to headlong ruin ieni.

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