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Show To heaven their eyes in 1nock devotion throw, And to the crofs with horrid · mumtnery bow; Adjure by 1ni1nic rites the powers above, And plight alternate their Satanic love. Avaunt, ye Vulgar! from her facred groves With 1naniac fiep the Pythian LAURA moves; Full of the God her labouring bofom fighs, Foatn on her lips, and fury in her eyes, Strano- writhe her lin1bs, her wild diihrevcll'd hair b . Starts fro1n her laurel-wreath, and [ wims in air.- 35 While twenty Pridl:s the gorgeous :ihrine furround 4 5 Cinetur' d with cphods, and with garlands crown' d, L aura. l. 40. Prunus. Lauro-cera!us. Twenty males, one female. The Pythian priefl:e!s is fuppo!ed to have been made drunk with infufion of laurel-leaves when fhe delivered her oracles. The in toxi cation or infpiration is finely defcribed by Virgil .fEn. I.. vi. T he difiilled water from laurel-leaves is, perhaps, the moll: fudd en poifon we arc acqua inted with in this country. I have feen about two !poonfuls of it dellroy a large ·poi nter dog in lef:S tha n ten minu tes. In a fmaller dofe it is f:tid to produce intoxication: on this account there is rea!on to bel ieve it otets in the fame manner as opium and vinous fpi ri t; but that the dofe is not fo well a!certain ed. See note on T remella. It is u!cd in the Rat ifie of the D ifti llers, by which fome dram-drinkers :1ave been fud clenly killed. One pint of water, difl:illed from fourteen pounds of black cherry fiones bmifed, has the fame deleterious cffeB.:, defl roying as fudd enly as laurel-water. It is probable Apricot-kernel , Peach-leaves, Walnut-leaves, and wh:ltcvcr poJ1Cifes the kernel-flavour, may have fimihlr qualities. [ 97 ] Cont~nding hofl:s and trembling nations wait The finn itnmutable behefis of Fate ; -She fpeaks in thunder from her golden throne With words unwill'd, and wifdom not her own. So on his NIGHTMARE through the evening fog Flits the fquab Fiend o'er fen, and lake, and bog; Seeks fame love-wilder' d Maid with Deep opprcfs' d, Alights, and grinning fits upon her breafi. -Such as of late amid the murky lky Was mark'd by FusELr's poetic eye; so 55 Whofe daring tints, with SHAKESPEAR's happiefi grace, Gave to the airy phantom forn1 and place.- Back o'er her pillo·w finks her blufhing head, I-Ier fnow-white limbs hang helplefs from the bed; 6o While with quick Gghs, and fuffocative breath, Her interrupted heart-pulfe fwims in death. -Then !hrieks of captur' d towns, and widows' tears, Pale lovers firetch' d upon their blood-fiain' d biers, 0 |
