The New-York Weekly Magazine, or Miscellaneous Repository Part 154

Achilles is the Greek whom fate decreed, Without whose aid old Greece should ne'er succeed: Delphos the G.o.d of Music's birth does claim, And Rhadamanthus judged h.e.l.l's domain.

The Iris designates the ceasing storm, And Freedom in America was born.

Newton the works of Nature brought to light; The crescent moon does oft illume the night: Echo's the nymph who rides upon the air, Whose voice responds to joy or fell despair.

War despots do oppose to Reason's laws; Ida's the mount where Venus gain'd her cause.

Night is the time when Nature does repose, And in Trophonius' cave smiles never glows.

Elijah was translated to the skies; Reason, Columbia's sons do greatly prize: A tempest o'erclouds the orb of sight: The Owl's a bird peculiar to the night.

New-York's the City where such worth doth s.h.i.+ne!

Whose Laws are fram'd on principles divine.

Blanchard's the aeronaut, of skill and fame; And Rome once mistress of the world did reign.

Ovid did sing the various arts of love; And through their orbs the planets yearly move: Kissing, a mutual pleasure does impart, And sympathy does warm each feeling heart.

The initials when we rightly thus combine, Miss ADRIANCE WINTERTON and BROOKS define.

THE AMERICAN SOLDIER.

A Picture from the Life.

Deep in a vail, a stranger now to arms, Too poor to s.h.i.+ne in courts, too proud to beg; He, who once warr'd on SARATOGA's plains Sits musing o'er his scars, and wooden leg.

Remembering still the toils of former days, To other hands he sees his earnings paid; _They_ share the due reward--_he_ feeds on praise, Lost in the abyss of want, misfortune's shade.

Far, far from domes where splendid tapers glare, 'Tis his from dear-bought PEACE no wealth to win; Remov'd alike from courtly cringing squires, The great man's levee, and the proud man's grin.

Sold are those arms that once on Britons blar'd, When flush'd with conquest to the charge they came; That power repell'd, and FREEDOM's fabric rais'd, She leaves her soldier--FAMINE and a NAME.

AN ADDRESS TO THE VOTARIES OF POESY.

+By James De-La-Cour.+

(Continued.)

Hence to the garden should your fancy fly, Let the tall tulip with your Iris vie; With a mixt glory crown its radiant head, The brightest yellow, ting'd with streams of red: Next let the lilly in your numbers blow, And o'er its sweetness shake the downy snow; In the white garb of Virtue let it rise, And wave in verse before the Virgin's eyes: On tuneful feet let languid ivy crawl, And in poetic measure scale the wall, While the sharp sheers return a clipping sound, And the green leaves fall quiv'ring to the ground.

Here in the bow'r of beauty newly shorn, Let Fancy sit, and sing how Love was born; Wrapt up in roses, Zephyr found the child, In Flora's cheek when first the G.o.ddess smil'd; Nurs'd on the bosom of the beauteous spring, O'er her white breast he spread his purple wing, On kisses fed, and silver drops of dew, The little wanton into Cupid grew; Then arm'd his hand with glitt'ring sparks of fire, And tipt his s.h.i.+ning arrows with desire: Hence joy arose upon the wings of wind, And hope presents the lover always kind; Despair creates a rival for our fears, And tender pity softens into tears.

Your sounds in softer notes must learn to more, And melting music rise the voice of Love!

Let Fubal's lute in skilful hands appear, And pour new numbers on the list'ning ear; With the full organ let them sweetly swell, With the loud trumpet languis.h.i.+ngly shrill; Or in soft concord let the concert suit, The sprightly clarion with the Dorian flute: Then wake to vocal airs the warbling wire, Let the strings run beneath the poet's fire; While sorrow sighs, ah! never let them cool, But melt melodious on the soften'd soul: So may the pa.s.sions wait upon your hand, Move as you move, and act as you command: I've laid down precepts, to guide your vocal strains, Resume your lays, for hark, the Muse complains.

[[Source:

t.i.tle: "A Prospect of Poetry: address'd to the Right Honourable John, Earl of Orrery".

Author: "James De-La-Cour" or Dalacourt 1709-1781.

Changes: Opening stanzas omitted; two stanzas skipped before "Your sounds in softer notes..."; last two lines not in original.]]

EPIGRAM.

Translated from the French, by the Late Dr. Cooper.

To Love should Beauty not submit, In vain its power it tries, Love has a dart, if Beauty fights, And wings, if Beauty flies.

_NEW-YORK: +Printed by JOHN TIEBOUT, No. 358, Pearl-Street, for THOMAS BURLING, Jun. & Co.+ +Subscriptions+ for this +Magazine+ (at 6s. per quarter) are taken in at the Printing-Office, and at the Circulating Library of Mr. J. FELLOWS, No. 60, Wall-Street._

THE NEW-YORK WEEKLY MAGAZINE; or, Miscellaneous Repository.

+Vol. II.+] +Wednesday, April 12, 1797.+ [+No. 93.+

_For the +New-York Weekly Magazine+._

A FUGITIVE THOUGHT.

Musing the other day in a pensive att.i.tude, my head reclining on my hand, and my elbow resting on the table--methought--Why is the mind either incessantly haunted with gloom, or wrapt in extacy? Why is man generally peevish, morose, sullen, fretful or pa.s.sionate, and seldom enjoying that beautiful equilibrium of temper that alone can produce happiness to himself and others? The object of all (said I to myself) is to acquire comfort and happiness; but how wide do they steer of the mark, that give way to hateful pa.s.sions. I recollected how trivial faults of persons in my employ made me impatient--that I sometimes was subject to those disagreeable emotions, and that I thereby made those and myself unhappy: I bethought myself of recent trials, which, though afflictive, should not have excited discontent; and I put up a fervent pet.i.tion to heaven, to a.s.sist me in a resolution I then formed of never giving way to chagrin, but of always endeavouring to possess, at least, a pleasing equanimity. I am no enemy to transports of joy, when not carried to excess: I fancy, that for this end are the pa.s.sions given us; but we have perverted into a source of uneasiness what was designed to increase our pleasure, and to make this life of probation less burthensome.

I will, continued I, from this, endeavour to be as happy myself as possible, and it shall be my care to cause those around me, as far as lies in my power, to partic.i.p.ate in my bliss. My domestics, and all under my care, shall be but gently reproved when they err; or rather, I will acquaint them merely with their faults, and if they are wise they surely will improve. My children I will advise with the utmost tenderness, and use every art to allure them into the paths of virtue; good shall be represented to them in the most glowing and fascinating colours, and vice shall be depicted with the most frightful, hideous and forbidding appearance. My wife, the partner of my joys, must be the partaker of my happiness--hand in hand shall we go on in this blissful path--no jar shall disturb our harmony, nor shall discontent or anger ever wrinkle our brows: then shall we fulfil the design of our Maker in sending us into the world, and shall pa.s.s through its variegated scenes with as much comfort and content as can possibly be enjoyed here below by mortals.

N. L.

DISCONTENT.

In the humble and seemingly-quiet shade of private life, as well as among the great and mighty, discontent broods over its imaginary sorrows; preys upon the citizen no less than the courtier, and often nourishes pa.s.sions equally malignant in the cottage and in the palace.

Having once seized the mind, it spreads its own gloom over every surrounding object; it every where searches out materials for itself; and in no direction more frequently employs its unhappy activity, than in creating divisions among mankind, and in magnifying slight provocations into mortal injuries.

In situations where much comfort might be enjoyed, this man's superiority and that man's neglect, our jealousy of a friend, our hatred of a rival, an imagined affront, or a mistaken point of honour, allow us no repose. Hence discord in families, animosities among friends, and wars among nations! Look around us! every where we find a busy mult.i.tude. Restless and uneasy in their present situation, they are incessantly employed in accomplis.h.i.+ng a change of it; and as soon as their wish is fulfilled, we discern, by their behaviour, that they are as dissatisfied as they were before. Where they expected to have found a paradise, they find a desert.

The man of business pines for leisure; the leisure for which he had longed proves an irksome gloom, and, through want of employment, he languishes, sickens, and dies.

The man of retirement fancies no state so happy as that of active life; but he has not engaged long in the tumults and contests of the world, until he finds cause to look back with regret on the calm hours of his former privacy and retreat.