IV.
Thou too, thou dread and awful shade
Of dear departed WILL WHITEHEAD,
Look through the blue ætherial skies,
And view me with propitious eyes!
Whether thou most delight’st to loll
On Sion’s top, or near the Pole!
Bend from thy mountains, and remember still
The wants and wishes of a lesser Hill!
Then, like Elijah, fled to realms above,
To me, thy friend, bequeath my hallow’d cloak,
And by its virtue Richard may improve,
And in thy habit preach, and pun, and joke!
The Lord doth give—The Lord doth take away.—
Then good Lord Sal’sbury attend to me—
Banish these sons of Belial in dismay;
And give the praise to a true Pharisee:
For sure of all the scribes that Israel curst,
These scribes poetic are by far the worst.
To thee, my Samson, unto thee I call——
Exert thy jaw—and straight disperse them all—
So, as in former times, the Philistines shall fall!
Then as ’twas th’ beginning,
So to th’ end ’t shall be;
My Muse will ne’er leave singing
The LORD of SAL’SBURY!!!
NUMBER V.
DUAN, IN THE TRUE OSSIAN SUBLIMITY,
By MR. MACPHERSON.
Does the wind touch thee, O HARP?
Or is it some passing Ghost?
Is is thy hand,
Spirit of the departed Scrutiny?
Bring me the harp, pride of CHATHAM!
Snow is on thy bosom,
Maid of the modest eye!
A song shall rise!
Every soul shall depart at the sound!!!
The wither’d thistle shall crown my head!!!
I behold thee, O King!
I behold thee sitting on mist!!!
Thy form is like a watery cloud,
Singing in the deep like an oyster!!!!
Thy face is like the beams of the setting moon!
Thy eyes are of two decaying flames!
Thy nose is like the spear of ROLLO!!!
Thy ears are like three bossy shields!!!
Strangers shall rejoice at thy chin!
The ghosts of dead Tories shall hear me
In their airy hall!
The wither’d thistle shall crown my head!
Bring me the Harp,
Son of CHATHAM!
But thou, O King! give me the Laurel!
NUMBER VI.
[Though the following Ossianade does not immediately come under the description of a Probationary Ode, yet as it appertains to the nomination of the Laureat, we class it under the same head. We must at the same time compliment Mr. Macpherson for his spirited address to Lord Salisbury on the subject. The following is a copy of his letter:]