Though myself a water-drinker, I cannot resist the pleasure of transcribing what follows, as an instance still more happy of Fancy employed in the treatment of feeling than, in its preceding passages, the Poem supplies of her management of forms. 'Tis that, that gives the Poet rage, It lays the careful head to rest, Renders our lives' misfortune sweet; Then let the chill Scirocco blow, And gird us round with hills of snow, And make the hollow mountains roar. Whilst we together jovial sit Careless, and crowned with mirth and wit; We'll think of all the Friends we know, And drink to all worth drinking to; When having drunk all thine and mine, We rather shall want healths than wine. But where Friends fail us, we'll supply We'll drink the Wanting into Wealth, And those that languish into health, The Afflicted into joy; th' Opprest Into security and rest. The Worthy in disgrace shall find The Brave shall triumph in success, Thus shall our healths do others good, Whilst we ourselves do all we would; For, freed from envy and from care, What would we be but what we are?" It remains that I should express my regret at the necessity of separating my compositions from some beautiful Poems of Mr. Coleridge, with which they have been long associated in publication. The feelings, with which that joint publication was made, have been gratified; its end is answered, and the time is come when considerations of general propriety dictate the separation. Three short pieces (now first published) are the work of a Female Friend; and the Reader, to whom they may be acceptable, is indebted to me for his pleasure; if any one regard them with dislike, or be disposed to condemn them, let the censure fall upon him, who, trusting in his own sense of their merit and their fitness for the place which they occupy, extorted them from the Authoress. When I sate down to write this preface it was my intention to have made it more comprehensive; but as all that I deem necessary |