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MANCHESTER, &c.
23
Address to Mr. Gibson continued—Alkrington Hall.
Oh! loss, by suffering darkness still deplor'd!
Oh! name, still bless'd by those his hand restor'd!
'Tis not for him to err, at whose dread call,
From darkest chaos, order burst through all;
At whose command the towering hills arose,
And dashing waters fell to sweet repose;
Whilst sweeping whirlwinds, passive at his nod,
Sunk to their secret caves, and own'd a God.
Submissive then to his almighty laws,
We mourn our loss, nor scrutinize the cause.
Where shadowy woods and rising uplands swell,
High towers the dome, fair science lov'd so well;
Where Lever's taste, by favouring genius taught,
From utmost Thule each curious object brought;
With classic order bid fair nature rise,
And learn'd arrangement strike the wondering eyes,
Nor brook, nor dell, withheld its secret stores,
From Greenland's icy strand, to sultry India's shores.
Hence, dearer far, fair Alkrington shall reign,
Than Ducie's bowers retired, or Suffield's rich domain.
Oh! name, still bless'd by those his hand restor'd!
'Tis not for him to err, at whose dread call,
From darkest chaos, order burst through all;
At whose command the towering hills arose,
And dashing waters fell to sweet repose;
Whilst sweeping whirlwinds, passive at his nod,
Sunk to their secret caves, and own'd a God.
Submissive then to his almighty laws,
We mourn our loss, nor scrutinize the cause.
Where shadowy woods and rising uplands swell,
High towers the dome, fair science lov'd so well;
Where Lever's taste, by favouring genius taught,
From utmost Thule each curious object brought;
With classic order bid fair nature rise,
And learn'd arrangement strike the wondering eyes,
Nor brook, nor dell, withheld its secret stores,
From Greenland's icy strand, to sultry India's shores.
Hence, dearer far, fair Alkrington shall reign,
Than Ducie's bowers retired, or Suffield's rich domain.
