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TO MRS. POTTER, ON CASTING THE AUTHOR'S NATIVITY.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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172

TO MRS. POTTER, ON CASTING THE AUTHOR'S NATIVITY.

You tell me that the Stars intend
To be henceforth the Poet's friend;
And that the Planets, stern before,
Resolve at length to frown no more;
That the High Powers who rule the birth
Of us poor dwellers upon earth,
Determine me a happier lot
Upon this sublunary spot,
Than hitherto they have inclin'd
To give my person or my mind.
Oh, if your Prophecy come true,
What will the Poet owe to you?
How shall he speak a grateful heart,
Or pay due tribute to your art?—

173

Art more than magic, which reveals
What Fate from Ignorance conceals.
Thus let it be—If demonstration
Shall crown this blissful calculation;
If Sickness shall to Health give way,
And Fortune lend a fav'ring ray;
The Poet shall an offering give—
For You, as Prophet, shall receive
More than the Oracles of old,
More than Peruvia's splendid gold;
For the first day of every year
He'll pay you—Gratitude sincere!
That precious Jewel sent from Heav'n,
That brighter Star than all the seven .
 

Alluding to the Seven Stars.