ON
THE
ANCIENT
CITY
OF
BATH
.
WRITTEN
ON
THE
FINISHING
THE
CIRCUS
.
BY
THE
SAME
.
'MIDST
flowery
meads
and
Avon's
winding
floods
,
Romantic
hills
,
wild
rocks
,
and
pendent
woods
,
Behold
fair
Bath
her
stately
front
advance
,
In
all
the
pomp
of
Latian
elegance
!
The
hills
that
rise
in
rich
profusion
round
,
With
gardens
deck'd
,
or
splendid
villas
crown'd
!
There
Health
and
Pleasure
hand
in
hand
appear
,
And
smiling
weave
their
roseate
arbours
there
.
Deep
in
their
mossy
cells
beneath
these
hills
,
The
bounteous
Naiads
form
the
gushing
rills
.
There
various
springs
their
mineral
virtues
blend
,
And
warm
in
salutary
streams
descend
;
These
streams
to
mortals
balmy
health
restore
,
The
Gout
grows
mild
,
and
Cholics
are
no
more
.
Here
languid
nymphs
regain
the
bloom
of
May
,
Here
cripples
dance
and
hurl
the
crutch
away
.
Hither
,
with
lavish
hand
,
fresh
peasants
bring
The
fruits
of
Autumn
and
the
flowers
of
Spring
;
Whilst
lowing
herds
from
richest
pastures
,
pour
The
draught
salubrious
in
their
milky
store
;
Each
bird
of
various
plume
that
haunts
the
wood
,
Or
wings
the
heath
,
or
dives
the
liquid
flood
,
The
spreading
sea
fish
and
the
scaly
fry
Contiguous
coasts
or
neighbouring
streams
supply
.
Thus
Art
and
Nature
join
in
friendly
strife
,
To
shower
on
Bath
the
blandishments
of
life
.
Oh
Bath
!
thrice
happy
if
to
man
'twere
given
T'
enjoy
with
temperate
use
the
gifts
of
heaven
!
Didst
thou
thy
partial
fate
but
truly
prize
,
Didst
thou
increase
in
virtue
as
in
size
;
Were
Luxury
banish'd
with
each
baneful
Vice
,
Th'
infernal
arts
of
Scandal
,
Cards
,
and
Dice
;
The
vagrant
herds
that
every
street
infest
,
And
Insolence
,
with
vigorous
care
suppress'd
;
Did
no
base
miscreants
,
to
themselves
unjust
,
By
mean
exactions
liberal
minds
disgust
;
From
distant
counties
Thanes
in
crowds
should
fly
,
Proud
in
thy
domes
to
shun
the
wintery
sky
.
Augusta's
self
should
half
deserted
stand
,
And
Bath
possess
the
riches
of
the
land
.