IX

Statue against a Clear Sky

Ashen man on ashen cliff above the salt halloo,
O ashen admiral of the hale, hard blue. ...

X

Statue against a Cloudy Sky

Scaffolds and derricks rise from the reeds to the clouds
Meditating the will of men in formless crowds.

XI

Land of Locust

Patron and patriarch of couplets, walk
In fragrant leaves heat-heavy yet nimble in talk.

XII

Land of Pine and Marble

Civilization must be destroyed. The hairy saints

I

The Whole World Including the Speaker

Why nag at the ideas of Hercules, Don Don?
Widen your sense. All things in the sun are sun.

II

The Whole World Excluding the Speaker

I found between moon-rising and moon-setting
The world was round. But not from my begetting.

III

Soupe Aux Perles

Health-o, when ginger and fromage bewitch
The vile antithesis of poor and rich.

IV

Soupe Sans Perles

I crossed in '38 in the Western Head .
It depends which way you crossed, the tea-belle said.

LETTER XV.

Serious R EFLECTIONS of Mr. B — R — D . — His Bill of E XPENCES . — A Farewell to B ATH .

Alas, my dear Mother, our Evil and Good
By few is distinguish'd, by few understood:
How oft are we doom'd to repent at the End,
The Events that our pleasantest Prospects attend;
As S OLON declar'd, in the last Scene alone,
All the joys of our Life, all our Sorrows are known.
When first I came hither for Vapours and Wind,
To cure all Distempers, and study Mankind;

LETTER XIV.

Miss Prudence B — R — D informs Lady B ETTY , that She has been elected to M ETHODISM by a V ISION .

Hearken, Lady B ETTY , hearken,
To the dismal News I tell;
How your Friends are all embarking,
For the fiery Gulph of Hell.

Brother S IMKIN'S grown a Rakehell,
Cards and dances ev'ry Day.
J ENNY laughs at Tabernacle,
T ABBY R UNT is gone astray,

Blessed I, tho' once rejected,

LETTER XIII

A PUBLIC BREAKFAST .

What Blessings attend, my dear Mother, all those
Who to Crowds of Admirers their Persons expose!
Do the Gods such a noble Ambition inspire;
Or Gods do we make of each ardent Desire?
O generous Passion! 'tis yours to afford
The splendid Assembly, the plentiful Board;
To thee do I owe such a Breakfast this Morn,
As I ne'er saw before, since the Hour I was born:
'Twas You made my Lord R AGGAMUFFENN come here,
Who they say has been lately created a Peer;

LETTER XII .

A Modern Head -D RESS , with a little P OLITE C ONVERSATION .

What base and unjust Accusations we find
Arise from the Malice and Spleen of Mankind!
One would hope, my dear Mother, that Scandal would spare
The tender, the helpless, and delicate Fair;
But alas! the sweet Creatures all find it the Case,
That Bath is a very censorious Place.
Would you think that a Person I met since I came,
(I hope you'll excuse my concealing his Name)
A splenetic ill-natur'd Fellow, before

LETTER XI.

A Description of the Ball , with an Episode on B EAU N ASH .

What Joy at the Ball, what Delight have I found,
By all the bright Circle encompass'd around!
Each Moment with Transport my Bosom felt warm,
For what, my dear Mother, like Beauty can charm?
The Remembrance alone, while their Praise I rehearse,
Gives Life to my Numbers, and Strength to my Verse:
Then allow for the Rapture the Muses inspire,
Such Themes call aloud for Poetical Fire.
I've read how the Goddesses meet all above,

LETTER X.

LETTER X .

Taste and S PIRIT . — Mr. B — N — R — D commences

B EAU G ARCON .

So lively, so gay, my dear Mother, I'm grown,
I long to do something to make myself known;
For Persons of Taste and true Spirit , I find,
Are fond of attracting the Eyes of Mankind:
What Numbers one sees, who for that very Reason
Come to make such a Figure at Bath ev'ry Season!
'Tis This that provokes Mrs. S HENKIN A P -L EEK

LETTER IX.

A JOURNAL.

To humbler Strains, ye Nine, descend,
And greet my poor sequester'd Friend.
Not Odes with rapid Eagle flight,
That soar above all human Sight;
Not Fancy's fair and fertile Field,
To all the same Delight can yield.
But come C ALLIOPE and say
How Pleasure wastes the various Day:
Whether thou art wont to rove
By Parade, or Orange Grove,
Or to breathe a purer Air

LETTER VIII.

Mr. B — N — R — D goes to the Rooms . — His Opinion of G AMING .

From the earliest Ages, dear Mother, till now,
All Statesmen and great Politicians allow
That nothing advances the Good of a Nation,
Like giving all Money a free Circulation:
This Question from Members of Parliament draws
Many Speeches that meet universal Applause;
And if ever, dear Mother, I live to be one,
I'll speak on this Subject as sure as a Gun:
For Bath will I speak, and I'll make an Oration