Classic Poem

I SING the Natives of the boundless Main,
And tell what Kinds the wat'ry Depths contain.
Thou, Mighty Prince , whom farthest Shores obey,
Favour the Bard, and hear the humble Lay;
While the Muse shows the liquid Worlds below,
Where throng'd with busie Shoals the Waters flow;
Their diff'ring Forms and Ways of Life relates;
And sings their constant Loves, and constant Hates;
What various Arts the finny Herds beguile,
And each cold Secret of the Fisher's Toil.
Intrepid Souls! who pleasing Rest despise,
To whirl in Eddies, and on Floods to rise;
Who scorn the Safety of the calmer Shore,
Drive thro' the working Foam, and ply the lab'ring Oar.
Th' Abyss they fathom, search the doubtful Way,
And through obscuring Depths pursue the Prey.
Thro' wild'ring Forrests, and thro' thorny Brakes,
The Huntsman's Toil the chasing Boar o'ertakes.
Hardy he meets the bristly tusked Foe.
And distant darts, or strikes the nearer Blow.
But on himself he not depends alone;
Assisting Dogs first run the Monster down.
They to the secret Dens unerring guide,
And op'ning tell where the fierce Sylvans hide.
On the firm Continent th' Assailants meet,
And unmov'd Earth supports their steady Feet.
From Winter's Snow, and from Autumnal Heat
The weary'd Hunter has a kind Retreat.
In mossy Caves beneath entwining Trees
He mocks the coming Storm, and sits at ease.
Fresh Fountains here with silver Current glide,
Rush from the Hills, and murmur at his Side.
Stretcht on the Grass, he quaffs the cooling Streams,
Or acts his Pleasures o'er in painted Dreams.
The choicest Dainties unmixt Nature yields,
Bend from the Trees, or flourish from the Fields.
While Fruits the Woods, and Herbs enrich the Soil,
The Huntsman's Pleasure must exceed his Toil.
And Those, whose Arts the feather'd World ensnare,
Nor mighty Pain endure, nor pensive Care.
The Birds, when out of Reach, are yet in Sight,
And hope in vain their Safety from their Flight.
Oft they are seiz'd unthinking as they rest
In harmless Dreams, and Slumber in their Nest.
Oft make a treach'rous Twig their fatal Seat,
While viscous Lime retains the captive Feet.
To the drawn Net they hast, and court their Fate,
Till in the Snare enclos'd they flutt'ring grieve too late.
But ah! continu'd Doubts, returning Pains,
And num'rous Dangers wait the Fishing Swains.
Fond Hope with Dreams of fancy'd Gain delights,
And to new Toils their restless Minds invites.
The Fishers labour not on certain Ground,
But in a leaky Boat are tost around.
Here fierce succeeding Waves tumultuous beat,
Roar by their Sides, and swift Destruction threat.
Now murmu'ring Winds disturb the careful Wight,
Now black'ning Clouds, and gath'ring Storms affright.
They tremble, who secure from Land behold
Contending Waves in angry Conflict roll'd.
No shelt'ring Coverts here the Swain befriend,
When Clouds condens'd in noisy Streams descend.
No Tree from cold bleak Winds, or falling Sleet,
Nor Shade secures from Autumn's sickly Heat.
Here to the scented Game no Dog can guide;
Their native Fish the circling Eddies hide,
And thro' the trackless Deep unseen they sportive glide.
Besides loud threat'ning Storms, and sudden Winds,
He meets vast Whales, and monstrous nameless Kinds.
The slender-woven Net, vimineous Weel,
The taper Angle, Line, and barbed Steel,
Are all the Tools his constant Toil employs;
On Arms like these the Fishing Swain relies.
But Fishers live altho' expos'd to Harms,
They have their Pleasures, and the Sea it's Charms.
Long will the Princely Entertainment please,
When on smooth Ponds, and artificial Seas
The Royal Pinnace borne at leisure rides;
Some skillful Chief the stately Fabrick guides,
While she her Streamers spreads, and in her Owner prides.
Here various Kinds of dainty Fish are bred,
With constant Meals in gen'rous Plenty fed,
For an Imperial Treat, or choice Repast,
Such as the Royal Pair may deign to tast.
Here you, Dread Prince , the Waters most approve
That bear a sullen Gloom, and slowly move.
Thither the thronging Boats with Pleasure hast;
You in the central Depth the Plummet cast.
The willing Fish around ambitious wait,
Fly to the Line, and fasten on the Bait.
While You with Joy the grateful Prey receive,
And from the wounding Steel his Jaw relieve.
Well pleas'd You see him gasp, and lab'ring breath,
And long in sportive Pain his struggling Body wreath.
Great Neptune , whose Commands controll the Seas,
Can curb the Tempests, and the Waves appease,
And all ye Ocean-Gods , that peaceful reign
Low in the Depths of the unfathom'd Main,
Permit the Muse to tell, what Kinds obey
Your wat'ry Pow'rs, and cut the liquid Way.
May the calm Sea smile on the distant Shore,
While I discover all the hidden Store.
And Thou, O Goddess , tune my artless Tongue,
To please the Sov'reign Pair , and form the grateful Song.
But ah! how great the Task! for who can know
What Creatures swim in secret Depths below?
Unnumber'd Shoals glide thro' the cold Abyss
Unseen, and wanton in unenvy'd Bliss.
For who with all his Skill can certain teach,
How deep the Sea, how far the Waters reach?
Foolish th' Attempt; none can the Space define,
The Depth retires beneath, and mocks the sinking Line.
Three hundred Fathoms sounded are the most;
Such is the Knowledge which our Labours boast.
To comprehend the Whole we fruitless seek;
Our Souls are finite, and our Reason weak.
And yet we guess the Wat'ry World exceeds
In num'rous Offspring, and in various Breeds.
More Kinds may roll beneath in briny Floods
Than graze the verdant Fields, or range the Woods.
But whether Earth or Seas in Kinds excell,
The Gods, and sure the Gods alone, can tell.
For human Reach has certain Limits set;
Men, who too curious search, themselves forget.
We ought to know our Bounds, nor grasp at All,
But curb the Wish, and the mad Thought recall.
Fish have no common Rule of Life assign'd,
Not to one Place, or to one Choice confin'd.
The sev'ral Kinds pursue their proper Good,
Diff'rent their Dwellings, and unlike their Food.
Some near the Shore in humble Pleasures blest
Approve the Sands, and on the Product feast.
The flouncing Horse here restiff drives his Way,
And Soles on Sands their softer Bellies lay.
Sea-Roach in ruddy Shoals frequent the Land,
And puny Black-Tails range the shelving Strand.
The clouded Mackrels choose the sandy Ground,
And with their speckled Train the Beach surround.
Flat Folio's here stretch on the shaded Seas,
Here spiny Scads and fruitful Carps encrease.
The Broad-Tail here, and dainty Mullet feed,
Frisk on the Sands, or batten on the Weed.
Close to the shore soft slender Swaths reside,
And the gay Mormyl shows his spotted Pride.
But what these love the slimy Offspring hate:
The Cod , and Whiting Kinds, the prickly Skate ,
The Thornback-Ray an arm'd, and hardy Race,
The pois'nous Fire-Flaire , and the smoother Plaise
Stretch on soft Slime; in Slime the Sea-Cow hides,
And on the yielding Bed reclines her Sides.
The Cramp-Fish rightly nam'd from numming Pain,
And wide-mouth'd Lizards sandy Heaps disdain.
In grosser Filth they pass their wanton Days,
Search the rich Mud, and wreath thro' hidden Ways.
Close to green Shores the wat'ry Natives feed,
That hide in Wrack, and bite the spiry Weed.
Such Food the Cackrels and the Goats approve,
Sea-Wolves , and all the prickly Species love.
The Ox-ey'd Race the slimy Coverts haunt,
Where silent Waters wash the growing Plant.
Barbels of fresher Channels are inclin'd,
Barbels the justest of the scaly Kind.
The slimy Conger , and bold Amies known
In hardy Fight the briny Floods disown;
Near Rivers stay, and shun the distant Seas;
The brackish Tast and pungent Salts displease.
With them the Grunter seeks the fresher Flood;
Mean are his Pleasures, and unclean his Food.
Sweet Streams the Tunnie's Young , and Sea-Wolf crave,
And to the Deep prefer the mingled Wave.
Where wide-mouth'd Rivers force their rapid Way,
And their full Tribute to the Ocean pay;
Here with sweet Draughts the joyful Tribes are blest,
And the Land-Floods bring down a grateful Feast.
Wash'd from each Bank rich Spoils are borne away;
The Fishes wait, and seize the floating Prey.
Sea-Wolves within the River's Channels keep,
Affect no Change, nor venture on the Deep.
Or if they chance to roam, return again
With frighted Hast, and fly the hated Main.
Diff'rent the Conduct of the restless Eel ;
He from his wonted Hole will slily Steal;
The fresher Streams, his native Home, forsake,
Despise the little Brook, or standing Lake.
Curious to sport in Depths unknown before,
And search the Hollows of the crooked shore,
Thro' secret Tracks he glides, and slimy Ways.
And wreaths his snaky Length thro' ev'ry winding Maze.
Those dreadful Rocks, that rising Tides restrain,
And mock the foamy Anger of the Main,
Nor of one Form, nor equal Height appear;
Some to the Clouds their dark'ning Summits rear.
High steepy Cliffs' despise the lower Sand,
O'erlook the Seas, and distant Views command.
On some thick Beds of mossy Verdure grow,
Sea-Grass, and spreading Wrack are seen below.
Here the Sea-pearch and gawdy Goldlins sport,
Gay Rainbow-Fish , and sable Wrass resort.
The Gaper here, whose Jaws but seldom close,
Swims near the Rocks, where the rank Herbage grows.
They too, who like the mournful Halcyons breed,
And form a floating Nest of slimy Weed.
And He , unhappy in his hated Name
Borrow'd from lawless Loves, and Pathick Shame.
Near sandy rising Shelves, at ebbing Tides
Unfruitful Rocks display their craggy sides.
Here Basilisks and drowsy Sand-Eels lie,
Here the gay Gurnard boasts his rosie Dye.
Where moisten'd Cliffs are all with Herbs o'er-grown,
And the rank Stalks lie matted on the Stone,
The Sargo will the leafy Covert praise,
And here the Dory spends his easy Days.
Here Sea-Crows dwell, nam'd from their dusky Hue,
And tim'rous Shade-Fish the blind Haunts pursue.
Here Scaro's feed, the only Kinds that dare
To form shrill Sounds, and strike the trembling Air.
To pensive Silence doom'd no other Fish
Can speak his Wants, or tell his secret Wish.
Twice o'er their Food the wanton Scaro's eat,
With Pleasure the luxurious Toil repeat.
Like Sheep in grassy Meads, or fat'ning Kine
They chew the Cud, and on the Tast refine.
Within those Rocks, where clinging Oysters dwell,
And all the Natives of the wrinkled Shell,
Vast hollow Caves their vaulted Roofs extend,
Whose warm Retreat voracious Breams commend.
To rocky Cells the wriggling Lampreys steal,
And Mackrels here their speckled Sides conceal.
Here stretcht at ease slow-dying Oerves remain,
Whose Bodies long will stubborn Life retain.
Repeated Wounds the tortur'd Wretches feel,
Yet dare the cruel Hand, and cutting Steel.
The Parts disjoyn'd and mangled as they lie
Still pant, and move, and will at leisure die.
Some scorn the Rocks; no shallow Waters please,
They fly the Shore, and sound the lowest Seas.
Sea-Sheep and Liver-Fish are hid below,
While far above the troubled Surges flow.
Deep in th' Abyss they make their oozy Bed,
Nor changing Skies, nor coming Tempests dread.
Fixt to their Choice, the dull unwieldy Race
Lie in the Depths, and keep one constant Place.
Unmov'd they stretch themselves, and longing wait,
Till some poor Fish urg'd by unkinder Fate
Too near approaching takes his luckless way;
They without Labour seize the weaker Prey.
With these we may the wary Haddocks joyn,
Who prudent know what Dangers to decline,
The sickly Autumn dread, and sultry Days,
When scorching Sirius darts his baneful Rays.
Soon as the Fever taints the blasted Air,
They to some gloomy Covert all repair;
Close in the darksome Hole they moody grieve,
Nor sullen will the inmost Shelter leave;
Till the dire Star has spent his venom'd Rage,
Till the Brooks fill, and all the Heats asswage.
A ruddy Fish, of kin to Barbel Kinds,
On Island Rocks uncommon Pleasure finds;
Adonis call'd by those who would express
The various Beauties of his painted Dress.
Who his fond Choice and fickle Temper know
Land-Fish expressive Name on him bestow.
Th' inconstant Wretch too curious leaves the Deep,
Loves the hard Earth, and courts forbidden Sleep.
No other Kind of those whose gasping Gills
With humid Breath repeated Suction fills,
Can bear the sultry Heat, and Summer Sky,
Bask in the Sun, and wanton in the Dry.
When Calms invite, and angry Storms are ceast,
He drives the Stream, and hastens to his Rest.
Stretcht on a rising Rock he sunning lies
Well-pleas'd, while easy Slumbers close his Eyes,
Tho' cautious Fear a sounder Sleep denies;
Lest hostile Birds should, as they distant fly,
Observing stoop, and bear the Prey on high.
When feather'd Pillagers intent on Food
Skim by the Rocks, or o'er the Waters brood;
Clear Skies in vain their pleasing Warmth impart;
The Wretches soon from broken Slumbers start.
Twining they leap, and antick Postures show,
Bound from the Rock, and hast to dive below.
To shun the Danger will forgoe their Ease,
And seek the Shelter of the kinder Seas.
In Rocks, or Sands the glitt'ring Giltheads live,
Food and Content from either Place receive.
Blewlings , fierce Weavers , and the Ruff enjoy
The rocky Caves, when sandy Shallows cloy.
To either Choice indifferent alike
Both Kinds of Scorpions , and the slender Pike ,
The horned Gar , and sportive Gudgeon range,
And unconfin'd approve th' alternate Change.
With them the Sea-Mouse roves of slender Size,
But on sharp Teeth, and horny Snout relies.
No Fear the furious little Monster knows,
Intrepid hasts unequal Strength t' oppose.
With innate Courage fir'd, and martial Rage
The puny Warriour dares with Man engage.
With mighty Soul in narrow Breast confin'd,
He swims the Champion of the scaly Kind.
Some scorn the weedy Rocks, and sandy Coast,
Less Danger know, and greater Freedom boast;
The peaceful Waters of the Ocean seek
But fly the Straights, and shun the winding Creek.
Far from the Shore the nimble Tunnies race
O'er the wide Plain, and vast unmeasur'd Space.
The Horsetail , and the Sword-Fish arm'd for War
Nor make the Shallows nor the Rocks their Care.
In distant Seas the spotted Cogniols play,
At leisure roll, and cut the trackless Way.
Thro' Depths unknown the Serpents curling pass,
And twine resistless thro' the slimy Mass.
They hate the Shore, who sacred Honours claim,
And to their Beauty owe their awful Name.
He the deep Seas prefers to noisy Straights,
Who for the distant Ship impatient waits,
The friendly Pilot-Fish , who joyful views
The well-rigg'd Bark, and ev'ry Sail pursues.
Around the wanton Shoals in Order move,
And frisking gaze on him who steers above:
Eager press on, nor will be left behind,
Tho' the full Sails swell bloated with the Wind.
You'ld think the Captives chain'd to ev'ry Ship,
And drawn unwilling thro' the ruffling Deep.
As when some Prince returns from martial Toil
Victorious, with a conquer'd Nation's Spoil;
Or He, who at th' Olympick Games has won
The envy'd Honours of the leafy Crown;
The swarming Vulgar throng with gladsome Noise,
And on the Triumph feed their dazled Eyes;
The Champion to his Home in Crowds attend,
And when the Chief dismounts, their Marches end.
So They, while no approaching Shores displease,
Swim with the Ship tumultuous o'er the Seas.
But when they conscious Scent the coming Shore,
Averse they court the Sailour's look no more;
Avoid the nearer Land, and hie again
With equal Hast to the unbounded Main.
Pilots observe the Sign, and know the Coast
Draws nigh, when they perceive their Comrades lost.
Auspicious Friends, the Sailor's darling Fish,
The Ship's good Omen, and the Steerman's Wish,
Laid careless on the Deck, when you appear,
The jolly Crew no sudden Dangers fear;
But wayward laugh, or vie in wanton Tales:
Your Presence gives clear Skies, and pleasing Gales.
No raging Tempests toss the sparkling Seas;
But unfurl'd Sails expect the gentler Breeze.
Far from the Shore the wily Sucker waits
The coming Ship, but him the Sailor hates.
Slender his Shape, his Length a Cubit ends;
No beauteous Spot the gloomy Race commends;
An Eel-like clinging Kind, of dusky Looks;
His Jaws display tenacious Rows of Hooks.
But in strange Pow'r the puny Fish excells,
Beyond the boasted Art of Magick Spells.
Oft Seamen tell, but few the Tale believe,
Or own those Truths they cannot well conceive.
Men think they know all Nature's secret Laws,
Her Pow'rs define, and trace each hidden Cause.
Full of himself the Sceptick over-wise
Oft real Facts, because unseen, denies.
To strange Effects, when prov'd, no Credit gives,
Feeds his false Doubt, and thus himself deceives.
The Sucking-Fish beneath with secret Chains
Clung to the Keel the swiftest Ship detains.
The Seamen run confus'd, no Labour's spar'd,
Let fly the Sheets, and hoist the topmost Yard.
The Master bids them give her all the Sails,
To court the Winds, and catch the coming Gales.
But tho' the Canvas bellies with the Blast,
And boist'rous Winds bend down the cracking Mast,
The Bark stands firmly rooted in the Sea,
And will unmov'd nor Winds, nor Waves obey.
Still, as when Calms have flatted all the Plain,
And Infant Waves scarce wrinkle on the Main.
No Ship in Harbour moor'd so careless rides,
When ruffling Waters tell the flowing Tides.
Appall'd the Sailors stare, thro' strange Surprize
Believe they dream, and rub their waking Eyes.
As when unerring from the Huntsman's Bow
The feather'd Death arrests the flying Doe;
Struck thro' the dying Beast falls sudden down,
The Parts grow Stiff, and all the Motion's gone;
Such sudden Force the floating Captive binds,
Tho' beat by Waves, and urg'd by driving Winds.
Pilchards , and Shads in Shoals together keep,
The num'rous Fry disturbs the mantling Deep.
No Home they know, nor can Confinement love,
But fond of hourly Change unsettled rove.
Now choose the Rocks, now seek the wider Seas;
No Place can long the restless Wand'rers please.
They soon grow weary when they once enjoy,
And Pleasures will, as soon as tasted, cloy.
Near hidden Crags, and Rocks unseen below,
Where slower Waves with silent Current flow,
The Anthies lie concealed in close Retreat,
But oft must stray far from their Mansion Seat.
Voracious Appetite commands away,
To range for Food, and find the luckless Prey.
Anthies insatiate feel the gnawing Grief,
Repeated Luxury gives no Relief.
Tho' not for rav'nous Force by Heav'n design'd;
For Nature has disarm'd the toothless Kind.
Four Kinds of Anthies in the Seas are bred:
Some gild the Waters with a shining Red.
A second Sort are blanch'd with pleasing White;
A third of Hue less grateful to the Sight,
A gloomy Race, the blackish Die retain,
All swarthed o'er, and ting'd with sooty Stain.
What Mark the others bear their Name implies,
Call'd from the bending Arch that shades their Eyes.
In shelly Armour wrapt, the Lobsters seek
Safe Shelter in some Bay, or winding Creek;
To rocky Chasms the dusky Natives cleave,
Tenacious hold, nor will the dwelling leave.
Nought like their Home the constant Lobsters prize,
And forreign Shores, and Seas unknown despise.
Tho' cruel Hand the banish'd Wretch expell,
And force the Captive from his native Cell,
He will, if freed, return, with anxious Care
Find the known Rock, and to his Home repair:
No novel Customs learns in diff'rent Seas,
But wonted Food, and home-taught Manners please.
His long-deserted House the Lobster owns,
And with close ardent Claw indents the fav'rite Stones.
The Love of Country's not to Man confin'd;
The same Propensions sway the brutal Mind.
Fishes their Native Caves with Transport view;
They have their Countries, and their Fondness too.
No Nation may with that blest Clime compare,
That gave us first to breath the vital Air.
How dear the first Acquaintance of our Eyes!
How rich the Soil! how beautiful the Skies!
The Name of Country fills the grateful Mind
With all that's tender, generous and kind.
Ah! wretched those, who forc'd from what they love
Necessitous in vagrant Exile rove;
Still restless must the killing Grief renew,
Despis'd by All, or pity'd but by Few.
Prawns , and the Velvet-Crab , tho' kin to these,
Are not so constant to their native Seas.
Sometimes th' Amphibious Race the Floods disown,
Nor are the Guests to neighb'ring Shores unknown.
The Shelly Crawlers each returning Year,
Cast off their Coat, and new-made Armour wear.
Self-taught, when first the Velvet-Crabs perceive
Their loos'ning Shell will soon the Body leave,
They cram their Paunch, and bloated strive to thrust
From off their rising Back the tott'ring Crust.
But when their naked Bodies lie expos'd,
No longer with the shelly Fence enclos'd,
They senseless seem, stretcht on the sandy Bed
All pensive lie, and deem themselves as dead;
Nor cautious eat, lest gorging Food should swell
The tender Flesh, and stop the growing Shell.
But when slow Nature moulds the viscous Mass,
And Time begins to fix the hard'ning Case,
The rising Crust half-form'd they joyous feel,
And suck the Sands, yet dread the hearty Meal;
Till the firm finisht Work can safe endure
The rudest Shock, and ev'ry Part secure.
So when the Veins glow with a deeper Red,
When Pustules rise, or scarlet Blotches spread;
The prudent Leech prescribes a wholesome Fast,
Forbids the noxious Pleasures of the Tast.
And when his skill perceives the slaking Heats,
While the slow Pulse with equal Motion beats,
He cautious fears to raise the sinking Flood,
And gives with sparing Hand the slender Food.
Till perfect Health restores her former Grace,
Strength to the Limbs, and Beauty to the Face.
The pois'nous Creeper , and the changing Preke
The secret Caverns of the Ocean seek.
But curious oft to neighb'ring Shores repair,
And tast the Breezes of the cooler Air.
The Rustic often hath with wonder seen
The climbing Preke browze on the leafy Green.
With these the wily Cuttle seeks his Food,
Whose Ink distains around the sable Flood.
Kinds yet unsung, of the Testaceous Breed,
On Sea-beat Rocks, or sandy Hillocks feed.
Here slender Sheaths , and juicy Oysters hide,
And the gay Authors of the Purple Pride.
The Cockle , spiral Whirle , and hardy Mice ,
With Wilks of various Shell, and quaint Device.
Sea-Urchins , who their native Armour boast,
All stuck with Spikes, prefer the sandy Coast.
Should you with Knives their prickly Bodies wound,
Till the crude Morsels pant upon the Ground;
You may ev'n then, when Motion seems no more,
Departing Sense and fleeting Life restore.
If in the Sea the mangled Parts you cast,
The conscious Pieces to their Fellows hast;
Again they aptly joyn, their Whole compose;
Move as before, nor Life, nor Vigour lose.
The Hermit-Fish , unarm'd by Nature left,
Helpless, and weak, grow strong by harmless Theft.
Fearful they strowl, and look with panting Wish
For the cast Crust of some new-cover'd Fish;
Or such as empty lie, and deck the Shore,
Whose first and rightful Owners are no more.
They make glad Seizure of the vacant Room,
And count the borrow'd Shell their native Home;
Screw their soft Limbs to fit the winding Case,
And boldly herd with the Crustaceous Race.
Careless they enter the first empty Cell;
Oft find the plaited Wilk's indented Shell;
And oft the deep-dy'd Purple forc'd by Death
To Stranger-Fish the painted Home bequeath.
The Wilk's etch'd Coat is most with Pleasure worn,
Wide in Extent, and yet but lightly borne.
But when they growing more than fill the Place,
And find themselves hard-pinch'd in scanty Space,
Compell'd they quit the Roof they lov'd before,
And busy search around the pebbly Shore,
Till a commodious roomy Seat be found,
Such as the larger Cockles living own'd.
Oft cruel Wars contending Hermits wage,
And long for the disputed Shell engage.
The strongest will the doubtful Prize possess,
Pow'r gives him Right, and All the Claim confess.
Sail-Fish in secret silent Deeps reside,
In Shape and Nature to the Preke ally'd;
Close in their concave Shells their Bodies wrap,
Avoid the Waves, and ev'ry Storm escape.
But not to mirksome Depths alone confin'd,
When pleasing Calms have still'd the sighing Wind,
Curious to know what Seas above contain,
They leave the dark Recesses of the Main;
Now wanton to the changing Surface hast,
View clearer Skies, and the pure Welkin tast.
But slow they cautious rise, and prudent fear
The upper Region of the wat'ry Sphere.
Backward they mount, and as the Stream o'erflows,
Their convex Shells to pressing Floods oppose.
Conscious they know, that should they forward move,
O'erwhelming Waves would sink them from above,
Fill the void Space, and with the rushing Weight
Force down th' Inconstants to their former Seat.
When first arriv'd they feel the stronger Blast,
They lie Supine, and skim the liquid Wast.
The nat'ral Barks outdoe all human Art,
When skilful Floaters play the Sailor's part.
Two Feet they upward raise, and steady keep,
These are the Masts, and Rigging of the Ship.
A Membrane stretcht between supplies the Sail,
Bends from the Masts, and swells before the Gale.
Two other Feet hang paddling on each side,
And serve for Oars to row, and Helm to guide.
'Tis thus they sail, pleas'd with the wanton Game,
The Fish, the Sailor, and the Ship the same.
But when the Swimmers dread some Danger near,
The sportive Pleasure yields to stronger Fear.
No more they wanton drive before the Blasts,
But strike the Sails, and bring down all the Masts.
The rolling Waves their sinking Shells o'erflow,
And dash them down again to Sands below.
Ye Pow'rs! when Man first fell'd the stately Trees,
And past to distant Shores on wafting Seas:
Whether some God inspir'd the wond'rous Thought,
Or Chance found out, or careful Study sought;
If humble Guess may probably divine,
And trace th' Improvement to the first Design;
Some Wight of prying Search, who wond'ring Stood,
When softer Gales had smooth'd the dimpled Flood,
Observ'd these careless Swimmers floating move,
And how each Blast the easy Sailor drove;
Hence took the Hint; hence form'd th' imperfect Draught;
And Ship-like Fish the future Sea-man taught.
Then Mortals try'd the shelving Hull to slope,
To raise the Mast, and twist the stronger Rope,
To fix the Yards, let fly the crowded Sails;
Sweep thro' the curling Waves, and court auspicious Gales.
Prodigious Fishes, of enormous Size,
With shiv'ring Fright pale Mariners surprize.
Nature's strange Work, vast Whales of diff'ring Form
Toss up the troubled Floods, and are themselves a Storm.
Uncouth the Sight, when They in dreadful Play
Discharge their Nostrils, and refund a Sea;
Or angry lash the Foam with hideous Sound,
And scatter all the wat'ry Dust around.
Fearless the fierce destructive Monsters roll,
Ingulph the Fish, and drive the flying Shoal.
In deepest Seas these living Isles appear,
And deepest Seas can scarce the Pressure bear.
Their Bulk would more than fill the shelvy Straight,
And fathom'd Depths would yield beneath the Weight.
But some will dare approach the rising Lands,
Where Tides run free, unchoak'd with cast-up Sands;
Haunt the Sea-Marge, where hanging Cliffs out-brave
The bootless Threat'nings of the growling Wave.
Near high-land Coasts the rav'nous Shoals appear,
And in-land Friths th' unwieldy Monsters bear.
Sea-Lions here the sounding Waters beat,
Fierce Rams and Panthers break the tatter'd Net.
White Sharks , the Fisher's Curse, force on their Way,
And ominous Hyaenas seize their Prey.
With them swift Tunnies drive, a swarthy Brood,
Erect their prickly Fins, and hunt for Food.
The monstrous Balance-Fish , of hideous Shape,
Rounds jetting Lands, and doubless ev'ry Cape.
While noisy Fin-Fish let their Fountains fly,
And spout the circling Torrents to the Sky.
Saw-Fish well arm'd sweep by the winding Shore,
And all the In-lets of the Seas explore.
And They who, tho' from Rapin unreclaim'd,
From easy Softness are but falsly nam'd.
Sea-Dogs , who various Tribes unnumber'd boast,
Pirate around, and pillage all the Coast.
One Sort, that keeps the Seas, is rank'd with Whales,
Others deep hide, and press the slimy Vales.
Of these the curst Sea-Hogs one Species make,
Call'd from black bristly Pricks, that shade their Back.
The Morgay , Monk , the Smooth and Prickly Hound ,
And long-tail'd Fox strike deep the killing Wound.
Their widen'd Jaws a Magazine disclose
Of pointed Weapons rang'd in num'rous Rows.
In Shape agreeing, and in Choice ally'd,
They pad in Troops, and the rich Spoils divide.
Kind gen'rous Dolphins love the rocky Shore,
Where broken Waves with fruitless Anger roar.
But tho' to sounding Shores they curious come,
Yet Dolphins count the boundless Sea their Home.
Nay should these Favorites forsake the Main,
Neptune would grieve his melancholy Reign.
The calmest stillest Seas, when left by them,
Would rueful frown, and all unjoyous seem.
But when the Darlings frisk in wanton Play,
The Waters smile, and ev'ry Wave looks gay.
Neptune his Spousals to the Dolphin owes,
And envy'd Honours on the Race bestows.
When the fair Nereid , indiscreetly coy,
Fled from th' Embrace, and scorn'd the profer'd Joy;
The pensive God around the Waters sought,
Div'd thro' the Gulphs, and search'd each darksome Grot;
In vain; the Dolphins saw, and could declare
The secret Haunts of the unwilling Fair.
They told him where She bashful hid her Charms;
He found, and clasp'd her struggling in his Arms.
The Dolphins hence with just Ambition claim
Uncommon Gifts, and more than vulgar Fame.
No grateful Meed the gen'rous God deny'd
To the glad Finders of the Royal Bride.
Cetaceous Kinds will sometimes leave the Seas,
And praise the distant Verdure of the Trees:
Pass o'er the Banks, on sandy Fallows rest,
Or seize the Covert of some absent Beast.
Thus the mail'd Tortoise , and the wand'ring Eel
Oft to the neighb'ring Beach will silent steal.
And soft-hair'd Beavers inauspicious roam,
Officious to declare impending Doom.
The frighted Swains stand list'ning on the Vale,
Their Limbs all shudder, and their Cheeks turn pale;
While luckless Harbingers, with odious Yell,
Too sure the fixt Resolves of Fate foretell.
So the Grand Whale will court the weedy Strand,
Stretch out, and bask upon the wavy Sand.
Sea-Calves by Night far from the Waters stray,
And sometimes dare to try the sunny Day;
Glad to th' unequal dusty Ridges creep,
And thoughtless on the breezy Hillocks sleep.
Blest Jove ! whose Pow'r must Nature's Laws enforce;
From whose Abyss, and rich unempty'd Source
Divided Streams of Entity descend;
By whom all Beings are, in whom they cent'ring end;
Whether by Choice confin'd thy Godhead stay,
Where blissful Æther gives eternal Day,
And far above fixt on th' empyreal Throne,
Thou guid'st the World, and look'st propitious down;
Or art in ev'ry Part a Mundane Soul,
An Energy diffus'd, that actuates the Whole;
Man strives in vain to know. —
What Cement did All-knowing Goodness find,
The jarring Principles of Things to bind,
And reconcile their Natures to partake
Each other's Forms, and mutual Changes make?
Light Æther well may scorn the creeping Streams,
And subtil Fire with Earth ill-mated seems;
But middle Natures joyn the vast Extreams.
Pure with less pure, and gross with grosser meet,
And thus the Commerce of the Whole compleat.
Of Nature's Chain how regular the Links!
Matter by slow Gradations downward sinks;
And intermediate Changes gently pass
From lightsome Æther to the dullest Mass.
Or climb by the same Steps from lumpish Clay
To the bright Liquid, and the fine-spun Ray.
Dissolving Earth in fluid Moisture glides,
And Rocks transform'd flow down in silver Tides.
Dilating Streams in vap'ry Columns rise,
And sweating Seas will gild the distant Skies.
Dispersing Clouds to nobler Forms aspire,
Refine to Æther, or ferment to Fire.
Things only differ as condense, or rare.
Impurer Skies will thicken into Air;
Air when too gross will falling Drops increase,
And hang in lucid Pearls on weeping Trees.
The glewy Substance, that no longer flows,
Stagnates to Slime; and slimy Matter grows
To earthly Mould; that hard'ning turns to Stone.
So All is diff'rent, and yet All is One.
The Elements, to show themselves agreed,
Each often will another's Offspring feed;
And hence Amphibious Kinds indiff'rent rove,
Design'd as Pledges of their mutual Love.
The Sea-born Tribes will seek the distant Mead,
And feather'd Fowls on restless Waters breed.
The rav'nous Eagle, and the noisy Mew
Fearless thro' Waves the scaly Prey pursue.
Her Nest the mournful Halcyon trusts to Seas,
Nor builds in cranny'd Rocks, or shading Trees.
Fish too well-poiz'd their finny Wings display,
Dart from the Main, and try th' aerial Way.
Sea-Hawks , the Swallow , and the wanton Sleve
Their native Streams for airy Pastime leave.
When rav'nous Foes pursue, they conscious rise,
And court the kind Protection of the Skies.
Far on unfeather'd Wings the Sleves are borne
And soaring high the distant Waters scorn.
With strange Surprize we view the dubious Sight,
Of Fish in Shape, and yet of Birds in Flight.
Sea-Swallows lower fly, regard the Main,
Mount in their Fear, but quickly dive again.
But cautious Hawks , tho' wing'd, will nearer keep,
And hov'ring o'er the wavy Surface sweep.
They rince their moisten'd Wings, as close they skim,
Both Elements enjoy, and flying swim.
Some form Societies, and friendly dwell,
Obey set Laws, and know the publick Weal.
Others, a giddy Race, ungovern'd strowl,
The foaming Surface shows the wand'ring Shoal,
O'er all the troubled Sea confus'dly spread,
Like bleating Flocks on sunny Mountains fed.
Others are rang'd, unlike the huddled Drove;
In equal Files the moist Battalions move.
With firm Platoons they stem the flowing Tide,
And regular their wat'ry Marches guide.
Some with one Partner all their Blessings share;
The strictest Friendship centers in a Pair.
Others, a pensive solitary Kind,
Wand'ring alone ill-natur'd Pleasure find;
Full of themselves the sullen Bliss commend,
Nor know the soft Endearments of a Friend.
Some keep one Place, and there incurious lie,
Ne'er roam abroad, but where they live they die.
When Winter's stormy Season is begun,
And piercing Cold mocks the declining Sun,
Vext by the Winds the angry Billows rise,
And would revenge themselves upon the Skies.
Dash'd Floods loud echo from the plaining Shore,
The Tempest rattles, and the Surges roar.
Such Din the Scaly Natives dread to hear,
Lurk in the Sands, or to the Caves repair;
There trembling lie; or sink to Depths below,
Where all the Mother-Waters silent flow;
The distant Threats of low'ring Storms despise,
Nor fear the clouded Changes of the Skies.
The deepest Waves, and fiercest Wind that blows,
Can't reach those Depths, or raise the settled Ooze;
Eternal Calms protect the peaceful Plain,
While Tempests rage, and Waters beat in vain.
Warm in old Ocean's Lap they rest secure,
While noisy Storms and wint'ry Colds endure;
Till stronger Rays the thawing Frost subdue,
And Nature the decaying World renew.
When smiling Hours lead in the blooming Year,
And Groves and Meads in gayer Dress appear;
While soothing Pleasaunce sits on all the Sea;
Fishes the kinder Summons will obey,
Throng to the Shore, and bound in joyous Play.
So Citizens, when hostile Troops confine,
With wakefull Fear, and tedious Hunger pine.
But when kind Fate, or pressing Want oblige
Th' investing Host to raise the fruitless Siege,
Freed from Alarms the smiling Neighbours meet,
All Ranks and Ages crowd the noisy Street.
The Youths and Virgins trip the joyful Round,
And guide their Motions by directing Sound.
Lovers repeat the long neglected Bliss,
And make amends for the suspended Kiss.
When pleasing Heat, and fragrant Blooms inspire
Soft leering Looks, kind Thoughts and gay Desire,
Love runs thro' All; the feather'd Wantons play,
Seek out their Mates, and bill on ev'ry Spray.
The savage Kinds a softer Rage express,
And gloating Eyes the secret Flame confess.
But none like Fishes feel the dear Disease;
For Venus doubly warms her native Seas.
Males unconcern'd their pleasing Loves repeat,
While anxious She's the ripen'd Birth compleat.
On sandy Mounds their pressing Bellies lay,
And force the Burden of the Womb away.
Close joyn'd the complicated Eggs remain;
To separate that Heap is racking Pain.
Complain no more, ye Fair, of partial Fate,
What Sorrows on the teeming Bride await.
The Female-Curse is not to Earth confin'd,
Severest Throws the Fishes Wombs unbind;
Lucina is alike to All unkind.
Now when the vernal Breeze has purg'd the Air,
To ev'ry Shore the vig'rous Males repair;
By Fear compell'd, or Appetite inclin'd,
To chace the weak, or fly the stronger Kind:
Nor will the am'rous Females stay behind.
No Fears or Dangers can the Bliss prevent,
When urg'd by Love, and on the Joy intent,
They still importunate their Suit renew,
And obstinately kind extort their Due.
Their Bodies meet, the close Embraces please,
Till mingled Slime lies floating on the Seas:
The She's gulp greedy down the tepid Seed,
And fruitful from the strange Conception breed.
Hence the succeeding Colonies increase,
And new-spawn'd Tribes replenish all the Seas.
But some no lawless Liberties allow;
Whose Brides confin'd their private Chambers know.
In close Retreat they guard th' imprison'd Fair,
Observe their Haunt, and watch with jealous Care,
Lest some false Leman should invade their Right,
And wanton glory in the stol'n Delight.
All Things obey, when softer Passions move,
But Fishes feel the keenest Rage of Love.
They all the Pangs of jealous Fury know,
(That cursed Fiend will dive to Worlds below,)
Feel selfish Pride, Distrust, and anxious Pain,
And all the Plagues that form Love's pompous Train.
As rival Lovers, that one Flame confess,
All blooming Youths, whom splendid Fortunes bless,
Still haunt the Nymph, and tell the moving Tale;
Each hopes his Wealth or Passion may prevail;
Thus Sea-born Rivals round the She repair,
And claim the sole Enjoyment of the Fair.
They boast no Wealth indeed to purchase Love,
No soft deluding Eloquence to move;
But they have sharpest Teeth, and pointed Jaws,
To own their Passion, and maintain their Cause.
Long they dispute the Prize in hardy Fight,
Till joyful Conquest gives undoubted Right.
The vanquisht Wretch must hide in pensive Shame,
Forego his Pleasure, and renounce his Claim.
Some to successive Choice of Wives are kind,
Abhor the Curse of one to one confin'd.
Thus the lewd Sargo's spend their wanton Days,
And dark-dy'd Wrass the lawless Freedom praise.
The Beetle no promiscuous Joys allows,
True to his Vow, and grateful to his Spouse.
No Change he seeks, nor leaves his dusky Fair;
Propitious Hymen joyns the constant Pair.
Strange the Formation of the Eely Race,
That know no Sex, yet love the close Embrace.
Their folded Lengths they round each other twine,
Twist am'rous Knots, and slimy Bodies joyn;
Till the close Strife brings off a frothy Juice,
The Seed that must the wriggling Kind produce.
Regardless They their future Offspring leave,
But porous Sands the spumy Drops receive.
That genial Bed impregnates all the Heap,
And little Eelets soon begin to creep.
Half-Fish, Half-Slime they try their doubtful strength,
And slowly trail along their wormy Length.
What great Effects from slender Causes flow!
Congers their Bulk to these Productions owe:
The Forms, which from the frothy Drop began,
Stretch out immense, and eddy all the Main.
Justly might Female Tortoises complain,
To whom Enjoyment is the greatest Pain,
They dread the Tryal, and foreboding hate
The growing Passion of the cruel Mate.
He amorous pursues, They conscious fly
Joyless Caresses, and resolv'd deny.
Since partial Heav'n has thus restrain'd the Bliss,
The Males they welcome with a closer Kiss,
Bite angry, and reluctant Hate declare.
The Tortoise -Courtship is a State of War.
Eager they fight, but with unlike Design,
Males to obtain, and Females to decline.
The conflict lasts, till these by Strength o'ercome
All sorrowing yield to the resistless Doom.
Not like a Bride, but pensive Captive, led
To the loath'd Duties of an hated Bed.
The Seal , and Tortoise copulate behind
Like Earth-bred Dogs, and are not soon disjoyn'd;
But secret Ties the passive Couple bind.
The Preke's Amours our softest Pity move,
Whose certain nat'ral Death is only Love.
Once, and but once, the niggard Pow'rs allow
The luckless Pair congenial Bliss to know.
Soon as the Male has try'd the luscious Joy,
The soft repeated Pleasures never cloy.
Excessive in Desire he won't give o'er,
Till strength and wasting Spirits be no more.
When Nature drain'd can grant no fresh Supplies,
Stretch on the Sands all impotent he lies.
The little Shell-Fish , late his usual Prey,
Insult his Doom, and all his Wrongs repay;
Their Foe, so dreadful once, no longer fear,
And well reveng'd the living Carkass tear.
He passive lies, nor feels the Pow'r to move,
But dying grieves his too unsated Love.
Nor long, when once enjoy'd, the Females live,
Or future Dolours of the Birth survive.
Their Eggs lie all compact, and strait's the Way,
Which must the cluster'd Heaps to Life convey.
Now when ripe Nature will the Birth constrain,
The teeming Bride feels her increasing Pain;
Nor longer can the tort'ring Pressure bear,
When falling Eggs th' unequal Passage tear.
Fate stints their Life; that Term they cannot pass,
One rolling Year concludes the shorten'd Space.
E'er the swift Chariot of the Gold-hair'd Sun
Has told the Days, and all his Circuit run,
Fond Suicides the dear Destruction prove
Of luckless Marriage, and disastrous Love.
The Lamprey , glowing with uncommon Fires,
The Earth-bred Serpent's purfled Curls admires.
He no less kind makes amorous Returns,
With equal Love the grateful Serpent burns.
Fixt on the Joy he bounding shoots along,
Erect his azure Crest, and darts his forky Tongue.
Now his red Eye-balls glow with doubled Fires;
Proudly he mounts upon his folded Spires,
Displays his glossy Coat, and speckled Side,
And meets in all his Charms the wat'ry Bride.
But lest he cautless might his Consort harm,
The gentle Lover will himself disarm,
Spit out the venom'd Mass, and careful hide
In cranny'd Rocks, far from the washing Tide;
There leaves the Furies of his noxious Teeth,
And putrid Bags, the pois'nous Fund of Death.
His Mate he calls with softly hissing Sounds;
She joyful hears, and from the Ocean bounds.
Swift as the bearded Arrow's Hast she flies,
To her own Love, and meet the Serpent's Joys.
At her approach, no more the Lover bears
Odious Delay, nor sounding Waters fears.
Onward he moves on shining Volumes roll'd,
The Foam all burning seems with wavy Gold,
At length with equal Hast the Lovers meet,
And strange Enjoyments slake their mutual Heat.
She with wide-gaping Mouth the Spouse invites,
Sucks in his head, and feels unknown Delights.
When full Fruition has asswag'd Desire,
Well-pleas'd the Bride will to her Home retire.
Tir'd with the Strife the Serpent hies to Land,
And leaves his Prints on all the furrow'd Sand;
With anxious Fear seeks the close private Cleft,
Where he in Trust th' important Secret left.
From the stain'd Rock he sucks the pois'nous Heaps,
Feels his returning Strength, and hissing leaps;
With brandish'd Tongue the distant Foe defies,
And darts new Light'nings from his Blood-shot Eyes.
But if some Swain mean while observing spies
Where odious Spume, and venom'd Spittle lies,
And while the Serpent wooes, from neighb'ring Seas
The cleansing Waters to the Rock conveys;
The Serpent comes, and finds his Treasure gone,
Looks sorrowing round, and blames the faithless Stone;
Disarm'd no more his wonted Pleasure takes,
Curls in the Grass, or hisses in the Brakes.
He creeps with Shame a tawdry speckled Worm,
And prides no longer in his beauteous Form.
On the same Rock with Head reclin'd he lies,
And, where he lost his Arms, despairing dies.
Dolphins like Men perform the nuptial Debt,
Parts of like Form the vig'rous Joy repeat;
Hide, and contract unseen, till eager Love,
And conscious Hopes the pow'rful Fancy move.
Thus the moist Tribes the Call of Love obey,
Produce their Like, and people all the Sea.
Each knows the Time, by proper Instinct drawn,
When Nature bids eject th' enliven'd Spawn.
Some breed, when vernal Days the Skies renew,
And Waves each other but in Sport pursue.
When soft Favonius plays in wanton Gales,
And pleasing Warmth no future Storm exhales.
Others, when Summer darts director Beams,
And fills the tainted Air with sultry Steams.
Some from their Wombs the ripen'd Burden force,
When weary'd Titan takes a shorter Course,
And from high Mountain Tops th' Autumnal Breeze.
Lets fall the wafted Seeds on barren Seas.
Some, when inclement Winter rudely blows.
To chilling Cold their tender Young expose.
Yearly their Eggs the pregnant Females lay,
One annual Birth restores the vast Decay.
But twice Sea-Wolves the coming Sorrow mourn;
Again the Joys, again the Pangs return.
Three yearly Spawns the teeming Mullet bless,
Renew the Race, and give the large Increase.
The curling Scorpion in each Season knows,
The glad Conception, and the wringing Throws.
But Carps all Kinds in num'rous Births exceed,
They still unweary'd with their Labour breed.
With five successive Spawns the Carps abound
E'er the swift Sun has trac'd his annual Round.
But no Research the puzzling Secret finds,
How Whitings gender, and preserve their Kinds.
They love, and propagate by Ways unknown,
And baffled Men their vain Enquiries own.
Oviparous Fish, whom vernal Labours ease,
And give the full-grown Eggs their ripe Release,
Some in their wonted Dwellings patient stay,
Prepare their Beds, and wait the reckon'd Day.
Others will not Lucina's Call obey,
Till with long March they reach the Euxine Sea.
There pleasant Gulphs uncommon Sweetness boast,
And Salts o'er-pow'rd in fresher Streams are lost.
A thousand River-Gods on ev'ry Side
Their leaning Urns all to the Euxine guide.
The hollow Bason is ingirt around
With fruitful Banks, and fenc'd with rising Ground.
Here all the Pleasures of the Sea they find,
Rich Pastures, sandy Mounds, and gentle Wind.
Capes jetting from the Shores on either Side
Elbow the Floods, and part the swelling Tide.
Here private Ways, and dubious Caverns please,
And bending Fore-lands shade the calmer Seas.
Returning Tides beslime the winding Caves,
And easy Dimples smile in broken Waves.
No rav'nous Kinds, and fierce unwelcome Guest
Thirsting for Blood, the wat'ry Roads infest.
No Whaly Monster here destructive rolls,
No Robber comes that preys on weaker Shoals.
No Lobster on the little Captive feasts;
Nor crawling Preke those harmless Shores molests.
Dolphins are found, but innocently tame
These Dolphins play, and murd'rous Guilt disclaim.
A Species weaker than the Whaly Breed,
Peaceful they rove, and without Slaughter feed.
Hence thronging Fish admire the kind Retreat;
From ev'ry distant Sea the Strangers meet.
Led by one Thought they feel the same Desire,
Come at set Times, and all at once retire.
When Instinct prompts, the She's with one Design
Begin the March, and all their Forces joyn,
Pass the Propontis , and the Thracian Straight,
And now the coming Birth impatient wait.
So prudent Cranes, from Egypt's slimy Banks,
Concert their Flight, and form their airy Ranks;
Bleak Atlas leave, and Æthiopia's Snows,
Where puny Pigmies bend their hostile Bows.
Loud Clangors sound the March; the Flocks on high
Spread their long Wings, and brush th' uncolour'd Sky.
Well-rang'd they file along the trackless Plain,
And busy Plumes the whistling Welkin fan.
Such noisy Tumults stir the mantling Seas,
When breeding Fish joy at the vernal Breeze;
With fisking Tails the circling Eddies beat,
Hast to the Birth, and annual Toils repeat.
Unweary'd they pursue the toilsome Race,
Till the calm Euxine shows his smiling Face.
Here their prolifick Spawn they teeming lay,
While friendly Winds with sportive Waters play.
Sunk Waves supine on the smooth Surface sleep,
And Warmth impregnates all the jelly'd Heap.
But when Autumnal Winds grow hoarse with Cold,
And the rouz'd Billows are confus'dly roll'd;
When Gales, that whisper'd erst, begin to chide,
When Mountains rise, and yawning Combs subside,
So calm before, the Euxine suffers most
From wint'ry Storms, and is incessant tost.
Insulting Winds it's shallow Depth command,
And boiling Floods turn up the working Sand.
Dash'd on themselves the bandy'd Surges roar,
And tell th' unpity'd Tale to ev'ry Shore.
The vap'ry Mountains blacken from afar,
Recruit the Tempest, and maintain the War.
Fishes alarm'd the changing Season mourn,
And with their little Fry in Throngs return.
Backward again their hasty Course they steer,
And the free open Main to in-land Seas prefer.
Soft Fishes, who their plyant Bodies wreath,
In whom no Bones their branching Prickles sheath;
The Bloodless Crusty Race, who crawling play,
Tho' no swoln Veins the purple Life convey;
The various Finny Tribes, that swifter glide,
Array'd in silver Scales, and spotted Pride;
And slow Testaceous Kinds, that constant dwell
Fixt in the Concave of the pearly Shell,
All breed alike, distill a mucous Juice
Whose bladd'ry Heaps the future Young produce.
Eagles, Sea-Dogs , and all the Gristly Race
Bring forth their Like, no shapeless clotted Mass;
Retain the Seed within till perfect grown,
And Nature has her just Proportions shown.
From the full Womb Amphibious Paddlers creep,
And little Sea-Calves bustle on the Deep.
So Dolphins teem, whom Subject Fish revere,
And show the smiling Seas their Infant-Heir.
All other Kinds, whom Parent-Seas confine,
Dolphins excell; that Race is all divine.
Dolphins were Men, (Tradition hands the Tale)
Laborious Swains bred on the Tuscan Vale:
Transform'd by Bacchus , and by Neptune lov'd,
They all the Pleasures of the Deep improv'd.
When new-made Fish the God's Command obey'd,
Plung'd in the Waves, and untry'd Fins displayed,
No further Change relenting Bacchus wrought,
Nor have the Dolphins all the Man forgot;
The conscious Soul retains her former Thought.
When painful Throws, (for Twins the Dolphins bear)
And finish'd Time brings forth the Princely Pair,
They round their Parent frisk, sport by her Side;
Oft in her Mouth the little Wantons hide
She glad receives, with watchful Eye attends,
Directs their Motions, and from Harm defends;
Exulting leaps, and feels the Mother's Joy,
When with close Kiss she hugs the dandled Boy.
Then suckling gives to each the swelling Breast,
By partial Heav'n with Gifts uncommon blest.
The Dolphin's Paps a luscious Milk produce,
Hourly distending with secreted Juice.
But when her Young are grown to just Encrease,
And stronger Fins can wrestle with the Seas,
She to more useful Arts directs the Way,
And shows to vault the Waves, and chace the Prey.
What pleasing Wonders charm the Sailor's sight,
When Calms the Dolphins to their Sports invite!
As jovial Swains in tuneful Measure tread,
And leave their rounding Pressures on the Mead;
So They in circling Dance, with wanton Ease
Pursue each other round the furrow'd Seas,
With rapid Force the curling Streams divide,
Add to the Waves, and drive the slow-pac'd Tide.
The Parent Dolphins , with suspicious Care,
Of casual Harms, and guilty Floods beware,
Move cautious on behind, and guard the Rear.
So when blith Lambs their vernal Revels keep,
Bound from the Turf, and o'er the Hillocks leap;
Now harmless try to butt, then race away,
Now weary'd feed, and thus consume the Day,
Mean while the thoughtful Shepherd watching lies,
Lest sudden Onset should his Flock surprize.
As grave Preceptors, whose instructive Care
By Wisdom's Dictates forms the growing Heir,
When the glad Pupil Throng, to Sport inclin'd,
Suspend the nobler Pleasures of the Mind,
With jealous Eyes the while their Steps observe,
Lest playful Hours from steady Virtue swerve;
So Parent Dolphins on the Care intent
Watch their gay Young, and threaten'd Ills prevent.
Sea-Calves their Offspring, like the Dolphins , feast,
And milky Stores distend the rising Breast.
When conscious they th' approaching Time perceive,
They fly the Deep, and wat'ry Pastures leave.
On the dry Ground, far from the swelling Tide,
Bring forth their Young, and on the Shores abide.
Till twice six times they see the Eastern Gleams
Brighten the Hills, and tremble on the Streams.
The thirteenth Morn, soon as the early Dawn
Hangs out it's crimson Folds, or spreads it's Lawn,
No more the Fields and leafy Coverts please,
Each hugs her own, and hasts to rolling Seas,
Shows him his better Home, tho' sapless Earth
Reliev'd the Womb, and caught the falling Birth.
So the sad Bride, whom the long-reckon'd Day,
And child-bed Pains confine to tedious Stay,
Far from the lov'd Abode all pensive lies;
Enfeebling Birth the wonted Strength denies.
But when just Time has set th' unjoynted Bones,
New strung the Nerves, and strain'd their slacken'd Tones,
She warm enwraps the Babe, nor brooks Delay,
Hurries along, and soon devours the Way.
At length the Dame arrives; with weeping Joy
Clasps the dear Child, and shakes the pleasing Toy,
Talks idly fond, bids him admire his Home,
And gay Amusements of each furnish'd Room.
The list'ning Infant turns his little Eyes,
And void of reas'ning Thought by smiling Looks replies.
Good Gods! how tender is the Parent Love!
Their ravisht Hearts what earning Transports move!
All Kinds that move in Ocean, Earth, or Air
Alike the Charms of Piety revere.
Fondly the Savage licks her shapeless Young,
And smooths his Ringlets with her scurfy Tongue.
The careful Birds bring home the hourly Feast,
While unfledg'd Chirpers flicker in the Nest.
Ev'n rav'nous Fish defend their helpless Fry,
Forewarn their Dangers, and their Wants supply.
Not Men alone their lovely Offspring prize
Sweet as their Lives, and dearer than their Eyes;
Unreas'ning Souls the same Propensions move,
Man can claim no Prerogative from Love.
One Instinct runs thro' All. —
Hunters from far the roaring Challenge dread,
When Monarch-Lions with majestick Tread
Their princely Train thro' all the Forrest lead.
The Royal Dam looks round with proud Disdain,
Lashes her Sides, and curls her flowing Mane;
No Danger fears, but willing to engage
With chafing Jaws she churns the frothy Rage.
Redoubled Fires flash from her rolling Eyes,
Clods scatter'd flie, and dusty Columns rise.
Roaring She frights the Herd, and shakes the Plain,
Mocks the flung Stone, and knaps the Spear in twain,
Still guards her Young, the Hunter's Motion thwarts,
And wrenches from her Sides the reeking Darts.
But when Death hovers o'er her swimming Eyes,
And clotted on the Ground Life's wasted Treasure lies,
When doubtful Staggers own the killing Wound,
Regardless of her self She looks around,
O'er the dear Cub her sinking Head reclines,
In Death defends, nor at her Fate repines.
But dreads to see the Wretch a Captive made,
To hear him roar, and call in vain for Aid,
When close confin'd he strives with bootless Rage,
Unsheaths his Claws, and beats the sounding Cage.
With her blind Whelps the snarling Mother lies,
Uneasy grins, and frets at ev'ry Noise;
Familiar once, but now with growling Threats
The fearful Shepherd She unkindly treats;
Nor licks the bounteous Hand, (ev'n Love provokes)
Nor fisks the Tail, or fawns at gentle Stroaks.
When the lone Cow repeats her daily Moan,
A soft Compassion moves the sturdy Clown.
From lowing Vales the undulating Air
To ev'ry Mountain tells the Dam's Despair.
Oft pensive She reviews the once-lov'd Place,
Where on the Bank She prest the yielding Grass,
Or the calm Shelter of the cooler Wood,
Where with her Calf She chew'd the grateful Cud;
Then restless walks, and rounds the Hedge again,
Looks o'er the Gate, and eyes the winding Lane.
Oft have the list'ning Streams the Osprey heard,
When to the whisp'ring Reeds the injur'd Bird
Of Eggs unhatch'd, or callow Young bereav'd,
In ruthful Cries has told how much She griev'd.
The Mother Nightingale, when childless made,
With mournful Musick fills the lonely Glade.
What pungent Sorrows must the Parent feel,
When idle Swains the downy Songsters steal!
They thoughtless from the Nest the Brood convey;
She in sad murm'ring pines the tedious Day,
At Night the melancholly Strain renews;
Harmonious Plaints ungrateful Man accuse.
How passionate the Swallow tells her Wrong,
When some fell Serpent has devour'd her Young,
Or Churl pull'd down her Nest! She sorrowing flies,
Chatters aloud, and long repeats her fruitless Cries.
Full of the tender Thought, with anxious Care
The Dolphins watch, and guard their Infant Pair,
While they in nimble Race the Tail expand,
Insult the Waves, and Subject Seas command.
Each Parent Fish her Young in Danger hides,
Nutures the Fry, and in her Likeness prides.
But the Sea-Dog uncommon Toil endures,
While She her Young from dreaded Harm secures.
Within her Womb the Dam receives again
The pressing Burden, and renews her Pain.
To the known Place, when struck with sudden Fear,
The Whelps return, and will ungrateful tear
Those tender Parts; safe in the close Retreat
Escape their Dangers, and their Fears forget;
Again, when all's secure, the Womb release,
Force out their Way, and venture on the Seas.
The same fond Care commends the thorny Skate ,
When rav'nous Shoals the Prey impatient wait.
She distant Waters eyes with kind Distrust,
Knows when all's safe, and when her Fears are just.
Nor will her Womb again her Offspring hide;
Two spacious Cavities, on either Side
Below her Gills, the trembling Fry receive,
When guilty Seas the careful Parent grieve.
While the fierce Foes unguarded Shoals surprize,
In safe Recess the prickly Darling lies,
No Dangers fears, tho' rolling Waters swell,
And angry Hast of coming Monsters tell.
Others, when ought disturbs the ravag'd Seas,
And trembling Young their conscious Fears express,
Extend their Jaws, and show the safer Way;
The frighted Stragglers soon the Call obey,
Within the concave Roof uninjur'd rest,
Safe as the Chirper in his mossy Nest.
Thus the Blew-Sharks secure from chacing Foes
Within their widen'd Mouths their Young enclose.
Beneath the circling Arch they fearless hide,
Tho' bulky Forms drive on the rising Tide.
Of all Oviparous Kinds that throng the Seas,
Whose num'rous Shoals from spermy Heaps increase,
The fond Blew-Sharks in tender Care surpass:
With what Concern they wait the teeming Mass!
What anxious Fears confess their secret Love,
Lest the Birth failing should abortive prove!
While most their Eggs to Chance regardless leave,
They watch their Spawn, the slow Formation grieve,
Nature's faint Progress in the Work accuse,
Till rip'ning Hours the vig'rous Life infuse.
They near their Fondlings, like some careful Nurse,
Observe their Motions, and restrain their Course,
Eye ev'ry Wave, and show the doubtful Way,
Teach where to hunt, and where to find the Prey.
When big with secret Guilt the Waters heave,
They in their Mouths their shelter'd Young receive.
But when the Waves at their own Leisure roll,
And no fierce Robber drives the scatter'd Shoal,
Again the Parent's pointed Jaws comprest
By Force expell them from their pleasing Rest.
But void of all Remorse the Tunnies feed
On their own Spawn, and gulp th' enliven'd Seed;
With strange Repast the cruel Parents blest
Devour their Eggs, and praise the monstrous Feast.
Some Kinds without the nuptial Labours breed,
Nor own the common Origine of Seed.
Oysters self-bred in rocky Crannies grow,
Nor to the painful Birth their Being owe.
Some spring spontaneous from the genial Slime;
No curious Frame, or work of slower Time
Nature on them bestows; but form'd in Hast
In ready Clay the Mould is easy cast.
In these no Difference of Sex appears,
No Male sheds down the Spawn, no Female bears.
The Spirlings thus their idle Lives begin,
No ancient Lineage boast, or gen'rous Kin.
When prest by mighty Jove the swelling Clouds
From their moist Fleeces pour the noisy Floods,
Collected Show'rs their falling Forces joyn,
Beat on the Deep, and bubble up the Brine.
The Waves diluted with the tastless Rain
Vext raise their Foam, and stir the chasing Main.
Soon new-created Shoals of Spirlings play,
Shine on the Waves, and brighten all the Sea.
By unknown Loves, and Ways uncommon bred
All o'er the Seas the thronging Legions spread.
As constant Tides observe their stated Time,
Returning Currents raise the troubled Slime;
That mixt is in the rolling Waters lost,
Wafted afar, and on the Billows tost,
Till purging Winds the winnow'd Ocean sweep,
Force on the Draught, and form the worthless Heap.
To ev'ry Shore the Floods their Load convey,
And leave behind the Refuse of the Sea.
On tainted Sands the mingled Ordure lies,
And waits the Influence of warmer Skies.
The loosen'd Parts, vext with the active Heat,
Clog the dull Air, and reeky Moisture sweat;
Unwholesome Scents breath from the vap'ry Store,
And the gross Steams creep slowly round the Shore.
Then from the teeming Filth, and putrid Heap,
Like Summer Grubs, the little Slime-Fish creep.
Devour'd by All the passive Curse they own,
Opprest by ev'ry Kind, but injure none.
Harmless they live, nor murd'rous Hunger know,
But to themselves their mutual Pleasures owe;
Each other lick, and the close Kiss repeat;
Thus loving thrive, and praise the luscious Treat.
When they in Throngs a safe Retirement seek,
Where pointed Rocks the rising Surges break,
Or where calm Waters in their Bason sleep,
While chalky Cliffs o'erlook the shaded Deep,
The Seas all gilded o'er the Shoal betray,
And shining Tracks inform their wand'ring Way.
As when soft Snows, brought down by Western Gales,
Silent descend and spread on all the Vales;
Add to the Plains, and on the Mountains shine,
While in chang'd Fields the starving Cattle pine;
Nature bears all one Face, looks coldly bright,
And mourns her lost Variety in White,
Unlike themselves the objects glare around,
And with false Rays the dazzled Sight confound:
So, when the Shoal appears, the changing Streams
Lose their Sky-blew, and shine with silver Gleams.