FOR THE CARLISLE HUNT. November, 1788

FOR THE CARLISLE HUNT.

November, 1788

WHEN the last leaf forsook the tree, And languid suns were seen, And winter whistl'd o'er the lea, And call'd the sportsmen keen; The goddess of the silver bow Stept forth, her sandals tipp'd with snow.

Her beauteous nymphs rang'd by her side, While hounds surround her horn; — Stop here, my woodland train, she cried, Till welcom'd by the morn; See yonder comes the blushing fair, We'll soon hunt down her leading star.

A stag for long kept up the chase, But now at bay he stood; A nymph, of more than mortal race, Rush'd eager from the wood: — "I come to set the prisoner free!" Then waved the cap of Liberty.

Diana, smiling, took her hand: "Where has my sister staid? What hapless sons in foreign land Demand her dauntless aid?" "A city, once well known to fame, Has struggl'd hard to keep my name:

"A few brave sons protect it now, The bulwark of the laws; While I come here to ask of you To aid the glorious cause; My daughters are like snowdrops seen, All dress'd in white and trimm'd with green."

They hasted to the social ball, Good humour met them there; Diana's arrows Cupid stole And aim'd them at the fair: "Her train has yet escap'd my arts, But now I shoot with Dian's darts:

"Yon lucid eye shall drop a tear — That haughty heart shall bleed — And many moons shall round the year Ere I repent the deed." But Hymen heard, and with a smile, Declar'd he'd hover round Carlisle.