Eternal glory Him therefore betide! Let every generous youth his praise proclaim! Who, wand'ring through the world's rude foreft wide, By him hath been y-taught his course to frame To Virtue's fweet abodes, and heav'n-afpiring Fame! IX. For this the FAIRY KNIGHT with anxious thought, His guidance to vouchsafe and friendly aid; And now forth-pacing with his blooming heir, His little train before he flow did ride. m Him eke behind a gentle Squire enfues, With his young lord aye marching fide by fide, n His counsellour and guard, in goodly thews, Who well had been brought up, and nurs'd by every Mufé, XI. Thus as their pleafing journey they pursued, XII. Right good, I ween, and bounteous was the foil, With tenfold ufury the peasant's toil. Untill'd the garden and the fallow lay, The sheep-fhorne down with barren » brakes o'ergrown The whiles the merry peasants sport and play, All as the publick evil were unknown, Or every publick care from every breaft was flown. 'Aftonish'd at a scene at once fo fair And fo deform'd; with wonder and delight • Fain, earnest, eager. P Brakes, briars. Bent a Bent on that goodly lond his eager fight: b What towns and castles there-in were empight; For towns him seem'd, and castles he did spy, As to th' horizon round he stretch'd his roaming eye. Nor long way had they travell'd, ere they came A birchen grove that waving from the shore, And with its bitter juice empoison'd all the flood. Right in the centre of the vale empight, Not distant far a forked mountain rose; In outward form prefenting to the fight That fam'd Parnaffian hill, on whose fair brows Lift'ning to sweet Caftalia's founding stream, Which through the plains of Cirrha murm'ring flows, Ne fitting haunt for gods, ne worthy man's esteem. XVI. For this nor founded deep, nor fpredden wide с By toiling art through tedious years applied, e In figur'd plots with leafy walls inclos'd, That plot to plot ftill answer'd, fhade to fhade; There likewife mote be feen on every fide To various beafts and birds of fundry quill Alfe other wonders of the sportive shears In living box by cunning artists trac'd ; But by their roots there ever anchor'd fast, All were their bellying fails out-fpread to every blast. XX. O'er all appear'd the mountain's forked brows With terraffes on terraffes up-thrown ; And all along arrang❜d in order'd rows, They shrunk and languish'd in a foreign mold, By changeful fummers ftarv'd, and pinch'd by winter's cold. * Emprize, enterprize, attempt. All, ufed frequently by the old English poets for all-though B 2 XXI. Amid |