(seq. 79)

74

The dear sensation off, when once impressd,

With pleasure joind & joind with interest,

On hearts like mind, which wanton in the blaze

Of sparkling gems & smile on festal days ~

You preach of solemn truths & dreadful fate,

From him, that fills all Heav'n with awful state,

Whose sove'reign sway, sweeps heav'n & earth away

And sinks in darkness thick the brightest day,

O! once my dearest friend, with instant haste,

You once could lay my better judgment waste,

Nor was my all too dear a sacrifice,

To gain the smile that sparkled in your eyes,

Or meet those accents soft when'er you spoke,

That in pathetic language smiling broke,

Which would at once entrance my softest part,

And meet a kind reception in my heart ~

Is all a dream, or do I hear thee speak,

With all the burst of thot that e'er could break