The beaux and beauties in each bloffom glow

With wedded joy, or amatorial woe.

Unmarried Aphides prolific prove

130

For nine fucceffions uninform'd of love;

New fexes next with softer paffions spring,

Breathe the fond vow, and woo with quivering wing.

"So erft in Paradife creation's LORD,

As the firft leaves of holy writ record,
From Adam's rib, who prefs'd the flowery grove,
And dreamt delighted of untasted love,

To cheer and charm his folitary mind,

Form'd a new fex, the MOTHER OF MANKIND. 140
-Buoy'd on light step the Beauty seem'd to swim,
And stretch'd alternate every pliant limb;
Pleased on Euphrates' velvet margin stood,
And view'd her playful image in the flood;
Own'd the fine flame of love, as life began,

And smiled enchantment on adoring Man.

Down her white neck and o'er her bofom roll'd,

Flow'd in sweet negligence her locks of gold; Round her fine form the dim transparence play'd, And fhow'd the beauties, that it feem'd to

fhade.

150

-Enamour'd ADAM gaz'd with fond surprise,
And drank delicious paffion from her eyes;
Felt the new thrill of young Defire, and prefs'd
The graceful Virgin to his glowing breast.-
The conscious Fair betrays her soft alarms,
Sinks with warm blush into his clofing arms,
Yields to his fond carefs with wanton play,
And fweet, reluctant, amorous, delay.

IV. "WHERE no new Sex with glands nutri

tious feeds,

Nurs'd in her womb, the folitary breeds;

No Mother's care their early steps directs,

160

Warms in her bofom, with her wings protects;

The clime unkind, or noxious food inftills

To embryon nerves hereditary ills;

The feeble births acquired diseases chase,
Till Death extinguish the degenerate race.

"So grafted trees with fhadowy fummits rife, Spread their fair bloffoms, and perfume the skies; Till canker taints the vegetable blood,

Mines round the bark, and feeds upon

the

wood.

170

So, years fucceffive, from perennial roots

The wire or bulb with leffen'd vigour fhoots;

Acquired difeafes. 1. 165. See additional Note XI.

So grafted trees, 1. 167. Mr. Knight first observed that those apple and pear trees, which had been propagated for above a century by ingraftment were now fo unhealthy, as not to be worth cultivation. I have fufpected the difeafes of potatoes attended with the curled leaf, and of ftrawberry plants attended with barren flowers, to be owing to their having been too long raised from roots, or by folitary reproduction, and not from feeds, or fexual reproduction, and to have thence acquired thofe hereditary difeafes.