I A Aluon's happy realm where science smiles,
And commerce spreads her wide extended sails
O'er every sea to each remotest clime,
Where high display'd fair freedom's ensign flies,
The gall and envy of surrounding states:
In this thrice happy land P ALEMON liv'd,
On whose industrious plans had fortune smil'd,
With that encouragement which merit claims,
His wealth had with his inward worth increas'd,
Not one of all the vast commercial train
Would him have match'd in riches or renown;
But oft the adverse winds, the treacherous deep
Had disappointed his most sanguine hopes,
And their rage destroy'd his fairest views.
A numerous progeny, whose infant wants
His scanty fortunes could but ill supply,
With added care lay heavy at his heart;
He saw with pain increas'd their opening years,
Beheld with sorrow each improving grace
In their fair forms, for which his scanty stock
But ill responded to their future claims.
His wife, the partner of his every care,
With kind solicitude would often strive
To soothe the painful throbbings of his breast,
And say, when stern mifortune heaves the rod,
And haggard indigence besets our doors,
What arguments so powerful can assuage
The complicated sorrows of the soul.
The parent saw, unable to avert
The impending misery, that threatning, lower'd,
And seem'd, as tho' it aim'd ere long to make
The measure of his wretchedness complete.
Each art he tries, each art successless proves,
Each friend solicits, but alas! too true
The proverb's verify'd, that in distress
Our friends, tho' numerous in our happier days,
Are basely dwindled to a hapless few!
Thus all in vain his every effort proves,
A stronger passion than persuasion's voice
Resolves the sire on some happy coast,
To seek that fortune here pursu'd in vain;
With this design, he, with his little train,
Abandon'd with regret their native shore,
And at the Downs embark'd with anxious hearts,
To tempt the dangers of an unknown sea
And unknown lands, to them at least unknown.
Amongst this fair expatriated land,
By sad necessity to exile driven,
Eliza first and last engross'd the care
Of her sad mother, and her sorrowing sire;
She, the first fruits of their connubial love,
By nature form'd the fairest of the fair;
On her fair cheek the bloom of youthful health,
With virtue blended, and each luring charm
That can command attention, and inspire
Love's soothing transports amply were describ'd
In happier days, before misfortune press'd
Around their guiltless heads a numerous train
Of fond admirers, each by love impell'd,
Of various motives, tho' as powerful urg'd
By sighs and vows, had crouded round the shrine
Of blooming beauty, each with jealous care
And anxious rivalry to win the smile,
The smile of approbation that should speak
The unmask's propensions of Eliza's heart.
Midst these competitors for beauty's prize
Young Frederick sigh'd, but still his fearful heart
For bade his bashful tongue to tell the tale
His passion prompted; him Eliza view'd
With partial fondness, whilst the flatt'ring host
Of her admirers shar'd her cold neglect.
To Frederick's looks alone her smiles were rais'd,
His name alone was grateful to her ear;
She saw, nor hesitated, till she lov'd;
And soon to him confess'd the mutual flame;
But when her sire's embarras'd state she knew,
Her love, her virtue all at once conspir'd
To check her growing passion, and suppress
By every argument her lover's hopes;
She knew the disproportion in their rank,
Her indigence, his opulence; nay, more,
She knew his Father, sorded in extreme,
Would ne'er consent to the unequal match,
At length the eve of that sad fatal day,
Appointed for their embarkation came;
The lovers met, but grief a while suppress'd
The faculty of words, whilst tears alone
Bespoke the painful feelings of their hearts;
He kiss'd, he press'd her to his throbbing breast,
Told her the tales of love in happier times,
And all the soft endearments of their lives,
Till quite o'erwhelm'd by their abundant grief,
They wept aloud, then kiss'd and bade adien.
Meanwhile the youth determin'd not to part
With all he lov'd, with all his heart held dear,
In secret meditates, nor doubtful long
What course to choose, precipitate resolves
Disguis'd t' attend her thro' the dangerous voyage,
Nor even inform herself of this design,
Till her necessities should claim his aid.
Dress'd like a hardy mariner, he hies
With eager steps to where the vessel lay,
Bespeaks the master, and a birth obtains;
Then with agility impatient springs
Into the bark where all his treasure's stor'd.
Fair blows the wind, with speed the anchor's weigh'd,
Up fly the sails, whilst, down, the channel driven
By swelling gales, they sweep their rapid course,
And soon far distant leave their native shore.
P ALEMON wept, as from his glistn'ning eye
His country vanish'd, and with faultering tongue
He thus bewail'd his sad reverse of fate:—
Adieu, fair isle! upon whose happy coasts
Blest liberty hath rear'd her ample throne,
Where arts have flourish'd and where science smiles
On her fair offspring with a parent's love;
Adieu! thrice happy scenes of youthful joy,
Where smil'd sweet pleasure on my infant hours,
When each revolving year, each rising morn
Engag'd my heart with undisturb'd delight,
Thro' all the various course of youthful bliss,
From youth-hood onward to matur'd estate;
Nor once the slightest care had touch'd my heart
Until these eyes beheld Amelia's charms:
Nor then 'twas pain, 'twas extacy of bliss,
A pleasure that perfected former joys;
For on her charms what eye could senseless gaze?
What heart unmov'd behold her matchless form?
Abstract of all desireable below,
With every virtue, with each grace adorn'd,
She seem'd possess'd of all that Heaven could give,
To make her sex desireable to man;
I saw, I sigh'd, I sought, and won the fair;
Crown'd with her love, myself I now esteem'd
By far the happiest of the happy few,
Save that the cares of bus'ness would by turns
Suspend and damp the extacy of love;
Yes, 'twas for thee, if e'er an anxious thought
Disturb'd the requium of my tranquil soul,
Which else was perfect universal balm,
In thee alone was center'd every wish:
For thee each project of my future life
Was plann'd, whilst love suggested all my schemes:
But soon, ah, soon the fond delusion fled,
And, like a dream evanescent, my hopes
And fortune shrunk together from my view,
Whilst the blind goddess left but in my power
To curse her fickle treatment, and revile
Her former blandishments which now but serv'd
To render me more sensible of woe.

Now to the vast Atlantic onward borne,
By happiest gale impell'd, the vessel drives;
But not auspicious long the winds remain,
Their course they change, assume the whirlwind roar,
And hollow murmurings from the depth below
Do plainly indicate th' approaching storm;
The master tries each effort to suppress
Contagious fears, and vigour to inspire
In his still ready crew, whose dext'rous hands,
Uniting strength with skill, strain every nerve,
T' oppose the tempest and the ship to steer.
Down sweep the rattling sails and low'ring yard,
And all prepare against the threat'ning danger;
But still the storm increases, and the winds
Bellow more horrible, whilst from below
Th' uplifted waves in liquid mountains rise,
And seem'd to combat with contending Heaven.
A thick'ning gloom the face of day o'erspread,
Whilst from the opening clouds, the lightnings flash,
Whose livid glare contribute but to shew
In view more terrible the frightful scene;
Frequent and loud the dreadful thunders roar,
Whilst the impetuous winds and foaming deep
Appear to emulate in point of rage.
Meanwhile the vessel, struggling with the storm,
Strain'd with the conflicts of the winds and waves,
Unmanag'd, and unguided, drives along;
Now on the mounted surge exalted borne,
They seem to sail thro' the ætherial waste,
And view from high the dreadful gulph below:
Then down the wat'ry precipice they plunge
Precipitate into the yawning deep,
Whose opening furrows threaten instant death.
Despair now sits imprinted on each face,
Despondency the vig'rous hand arrests
Of every mariner, whilst all aghast
The helpless passengers, unus'd to view
Scenes so terrific, in each gust expect
To meet at once the bottom and their death;
Down fall the splinter'd masts with hideous crash;
Whilst like a log upon the tumbling sea,
The vessel seems a wreck, the pumps in vain
Discharge th' ingorging waters from below;
That gaining as discharg'd, the leaks extend.
Amidst these horrid scenes of circling woe
P ALEMON with his helpless offspring sat,
Absorb'd in all the anguish of despair:
By turns his eyes in tenderness he fix'd,
Upon his children; then uprear'd, to Heav'n
He pray'd with all the fervour of his heart.
Close round the neck of her afflicted sire
In wild distraction fair Eliza clung,
And shriek'd, and wept, in phrenzy of distress:
Ah me! she cry'd, my Frederick little knows,
The direful fate that his Eliza waits.
Meanwhile a surge, more furious than the rest,
With mountain-swell the tottering bark upbore,
Then headlong plunging, with tremendous shock,
Full on the pointed rocks the vessel drives;
Loud shriek the crew tumultuous, whilst all
Distraction seizes; down the boats are lower'd
In wild confusion; throngly pressing in,
Each only anxious for his own escape,
Waits not, to lend assistance to his friend:
In death and dangers thus distinctinction cease,
And all attempt deliverance for themselves,
Save faithful Frederick; he amidst the storm,
With agonizing heart and labouring hands,
Perform'd a lover's and a sailor's part,
But ne'er adventur'd once thro' all the voyage
To undisguise himself to her he lov'd,
Till now when least expected needed most;
When thronging to their boats the hapless crew,
Unable to assist their dearest friends,
Left her weak trembling on the vessel's side;
Just as a wave had swept her from the deck,
Young Frederick leap'd into the foaming flood,
And snatch'd her from the opening jaws of death;
Long in his arms he bore the drooping fair,
Amidst the tossing waves and midnight gloom,
When almost faint and breathless with fatigue,
His side he struck against the floating mast;
This with one hand he seiz'd, then on the wreck
His senseless love he with the other plac'd;
Thus circumstanc'd he gives to fate the charge
Of their direction, anxious for the life
Of his Eliza more than for his own.
At length recovering life, she faintly shriek'd,
Save me, my father, mercy, gracious heaven!
Be comforted, my fair, the lover cry'd,
Heaven will deliver us from our distress.
Soon as her faithful Frederick's well known voice
Sounds in her ears, and her half-opening eyes
Beheld their horrible and dang'rous state,
Again she swoons, and in the billowing deep
Had plung'd, had not his vig'rous arm upborne,
And say'd her from the death that yawn'd below.
Thus on they roll, from wave to wave impell'd,
Driven by the tempest's unremitting rage,
Till morning, streaking o'er the face of Heaven
With gradual light, shews to their anxious eyes
Land not far distant, where the tumbling surge
Soon cast them spent and breathless on the beach.
Now with returning day subsides the storm;
Hush'd are the winds, and ocean's furrow'd face
Wears, like superior Heaven, a mild serene:
When Frederick, first recovering strength and life,
Rais'd in his arms the pale and breathless maid;
Then feebly bears her to a verdant bank,
Where seated he assiduously employs
Each art his circumstances would allow,
Or reason furnish to revive the fair.
She breathes, he hopes; with eyes extended wide
She wondering stares on every object round:
Where am I? ah! my Frederick! say what chance,
Or hand divine has snatch'd us from the grave,
Where but a moment past we sunk together;
Have we then pass'd the gates of silent death,
And safely landed on the shore of bliss?
Oh! be compos'd, my love, young Frederick cry'd,
All gracious Heaven has deign'd to hear our pray'rs,
And rescu'd us from danger and from death.
But say, my Frederick, cried th' unsettl'd maid,
Say what strange circumstance has brought you here,
You whom I thought in England left behind,
You whom I sadly thought these anxious eyes
Should ne'er have been permitted more to view.
Be thou collected, then exclaim'd the youth,
Whilst I relate th' various arts employ'd,
The shifts and numerous stratagems I us'd
T' elude a parent's vigilence, and gain.
The means your devious fortunes to attend.
With brevity th' advent'rer then details
His narrative, whilst she astonish'd hears;
The blush of gratitude and chastest love
Rose in her cheek; his eyes with rapture view'd
The fair suffusion that o'erspread her face,
Whilst to his breast he clasp'd the feeble fair.
Oh! Frederick, I am faint, she cried, I thirst—
I thirst—get me some water, or I die.
Up sprang the youth, alert to her command,
And wander'd o'er the plain, nor wander'd far,
Till a refreshing rivulet he found:
Back with the cheerful tidings, swift he hies,
And from the humble grassy couch uplifts
The feeble maid, and leads her to the brook:
Here seated soon, the woods he next explores
In search of fruits, success endeavour crowns;
Scarce had he reach'd the close embowering grove,
When gratefully saluting to his eyes
In most exuberant profusion round,
He views the luscious fruitage far and wide:
Fraught with the spoils of many a goodly bough,
He back returns with her to share his store,
Which she with blushing courtesy receives.
But now the sun in his meridian height
Shot o'er the ample plains his scorching rays,
That render'd unsupportable the place
Where then they sat:—come then my love, exclaim'd
The youthful Frederick, from this noontide heat,
Let us retire, and in yon verdant shade
Sit and contemplate on our future fate:
Supported by my arm you'll reach the place:
So saying, onward to the fragrant grove,
They feebly walk'd; at length the thicket gain'd,
They seek the most commodious cool retreat;
There underneath the close o'ershadowing boughs,
He gently plac'd her down; fatigue and grief
O'ercame her spirits and she sunk in sleep.
Meanwhile he watch'd her with a lover's care,
And as she lay, survey'd with new delight
Those charms that had trasfix'd his youthful heart,
But yet so pure and delicate his flame,
Tho' with th' advantages of time and place,
So honest was his soul he never dream't
Of using to disgraceful ends those means,
Or of abusing those advantages,
Of which by fortune then he stood possess'd.
But now nights peaceful sable curtain fell,
And wrapt the world in silence and in shade,
When Frederick quite o'ercome with recent toil,
And recent grief sunk down in soft repose;
Close in the arms of sleep on the cold earth
(With Heav'n their canopy, till rosy morn
Had ting'd the eastern hills), the lovers lay.
But now by the soft warblers of the grove,
Whose matin song of harmony aloud
Re-echo'd thro' the forest, they awoke:
Arise my Fair! my lov'd Eliza, rise;
Young Frederick call'd, see where yon eastern sun
Now gilds the summits of yon lofty hills;
I've slept too long, too careless I have been
Of that fair charge, to me by fate consign'd;
Pardon this weakness, loveliest of thy sex,
Nor charge to my supineness disrespect;
No, by yon spacious Heavens! whose ample arch
Encompass this solitude unknown,
I never will nor can renounce my love;
There was a time, when thus together set
Beneath the covert of th' umbrageous shade,
I could have dwelt with rapture and delight
For hours, for years, nay ages on the theme,
But in our present hapless, hapless state,
T'would be most vile impertinence to urge
The ill tim'd subject: for our case requires,
That for our mutual preservation here,
We each exertion use that may conduce
To extricate us from this wild forlorn:
But ere on this excursion we proceed,
Let's pluck from yonder trees th' impending fruit,
That may supply subsistance on our way.
When thus Eliza to the youth return'd:
Most generous, my deliverer, and my love,
Whate'er I am or may hereafter be,
Whether remaining sorrow be my lot,
Or that returning happiness await
My future fortunes, still I will be thine:
But oh, my Father! yes, this aching heart
Will bleed, will break, alas! to think on thee,
And you, dear partner's of a parent's love,
Ye lovely sharers of a Mother's smiles,
You too with him have perish'd in the deep,
One wat'ry scpulchre entombs you all!
Inexorable fate! how couldst thou doom
A destiny so dire to one so pure,
So virtuous, that his every action seem'd
To correspond with the divine behests.
Thus wept Eliza, thus the youth replied:—
Forbear, my love, to torture thus your mind
With ills imaginary; Heav'n perchance
Who all beneficient, does all for good;
Who wanton sports not with a sinner's death,
Nor sees unmark'd, a single sparrow fall;
He with an arm all gracious may have sav'd
Your dearest kindred from the swallowing flood.
But come, my fair! suppress this bootless grief,
Let us proceed, there's dangers in delay,
I'll be your father, lover, guardian, all
That my poor circumstances can supply,
That diligence or friendship can bestow.
So said, he took the fair one by the arm,
And sadly pensive slowly on they walk'd,
Unconscious, unresolv'd, what course to take
Thro' unfrequented wilds and forests wide
Th' unmeasureable onward journey lay:
Now lofty mountains and impending rocks
Impede their course, and now the wand'ring streams
Of unknown rivers intercept their way;
Now this way and now that forlorn they range
The mountains rugged height, till night arrests
Their further progress; here again reclin'd,
Amidst the clifted rocks with anxious hearts
And watchful eyes, impatiently they wait
Returning morn, to guide their wilder'd steps,
At length aurora gilds the eastern sky,
When forward down the mountain's sloping side
Their steps they bend, till where a rising smoke
Proclaim'd inhabitants, an Indian hut;
Th' auspicious beacon soon our trav'llers gain;
Arriv'd they enter eagerly, enquire
The nearest passage to the nearest town,
The country's name, then beg the kindly host,
To grant them some small pittance of relief,
As tir'd with wand'ring and with famine spent,
Their wearied limbs no further could proceed
In their bewilder'd course, unless refresh'd
With timely nourishment; they briefly tell
Their late misfortunes, and the hapless cause
That led them to his hospitable door.
Pleas'd with an opportunity that give
Occasion to relieve a fellow's wants,
The courteous Indian led them to his hut,
And with milk and rice, luxurious treat!
Regal'd their famish'd appetites, whilst they,
All grateful for their entertainer's cheer,
Detail their narratives of former times;
And as the tears of sorrow damp'd the cheek
Of fair Eliza, oft the kindly host
Strove, by amusing conf'rence, to beguile
Their sorrows, and with an officious care
Propos'd to guide them thro' the dreary way,
Till they should reach the capital o'th' Isle
Of fair Jamaica; at whose gladd'ning name
The female blush'd, as tho' a ray of hope
Shot at that instant o'er her pensive soul.
Thus rested and refresh'd, they now resolve,
Attended by their hospitable guide,
To walk to Kigston, ere the setting sun.
They safe arrive, but ah! what tongue shall speak
Their glad suprise, when entering first the town,
Of all mankind the least expected here,
(At least by fair Eliza's boding heart),
The first they meet all pensive in his walk
Was old Palemon, her lost father dear?
Swift as an arrow from the hunter's bow,
Rush'd the fair damsel to her parent's arms:
Confounded, for absorb'd in stupid grief
His eyes now wander'd on the passing crowd,
Nor caught the lovers as they nearer drew;
Good Heaven, he cry'd, does then my daughter live!
Or is it but delusion of the mind,
That my sad gloomy fancy would suggest,
To soothe awhile my melancholy soul?
Yes, yes, 'tis she, she lives and I revive!
But say, my child! whence this deliverence comes?
And why thy once lov'd Frederick meets us here?
With delug'd eyes and fault'ring tongue, the fair
Thus answer'd:—'tis to that brave youth you owe,
Far, far beyond what you can ever pay,
Your daughter's life, to rescue which from death,
He nearly paid my ransom with his own.
Heav'n bless you both, replied the good old man,
I've long perceiv'd, young pair, the growing love,
The fond attachment that combin'd your hearts,
But till this moment ne'er before approv'd
The generous ardour that inspir'd your breasts;
But know, my children, now 'tis in my power,
Not only to consent to, but confirm
That union which shall consumate your love.
'Tis now about some twenty years ago,
My father's brother to this island came,
In circumstances far from indigent,
But as his soul was of that sordid kind
Which, tho' possess'd of much, desires still more;
He purchas'd here plantations, and in time
Had accumalated such heaps of wealth,
As might content e'en avarice itself;
But as in youth he left his native land,
In peevish dudgeon so he here remain'd,
Uncorresponding and unknown to all
His former friends; till ne'er twelve months ago,
When drawing near to that tremenduous end,
Which levels all, he left to me by will,
The whole of his estates, as first of kin;
This since his death has to old England been
Transmitted, but in our migration thence,
By varying chance we always miss'd of these receipts.
But still a copy of my uncle's will,
Rests with the governor, and as I have
Indentified myself, he makes no doubt
Of granting me what is by law my right;
Thus Heav'n you see has to our shaded eyes,
It seem'd averse to all our fairest hopes.
Yet in the end has blest us far beyond
What our most sanguine wishes could have sought.
And now young man, as proof of my esteem,
For all these marks of love and favours past,
First to my child, and lastly to myself,
Here take, receive her from her father's hand;
To thee she owes as much as to myself,
Oh! may you both be happy in your love!
And so you shall, if competence, combin'd
With a fond parent's wish, can make you so.
Thus in profusion spoke th' enraptur'd sire,
No other question made or answer gave,
But that which first and most his mind possest,
Till ended, when his daughter thus replied:—
Lives then my father, and in future life
More happiness to find than earlier youth
On him conferr'd, but say, fond parent, speak,
Lives yet my other friends? or did the storm,
With rage vindictive, swallow them in death.
Yes, yes, my child! they happily escap'd,
All pitying Heav'n has from the tempest's rage
Preserv'd us all, but more of this hereafter;
Let us adjourn to some adjacent inn,
'Tis past a doubt, fatigues like yours must need
Refreshment and repose: that done, so soon
As opportunity permits, we shall
Concert how best to settle our affairs,
And then prepare for our departure hence:
Not long in fair Jamaica's isle they staid,
Their business terminated with success;
The winds auspicious and a ship procur'd,
They all embark, and blest with favouring gales
Soon reach once more Britannia's glad'ning coast;
Young Frederick's father overjoy'd to see
His son return, whom long his aching heart
Had mourn'd as dead, now cheerfully consents
To grace the nuptials of the faithful pair.