But why do I delay my flight? 
      Or on such gloomy objects gaze? 
  I go to realms serene, with ever-living light. 
  Haste, clouds and whirlwinds, haste a raptured bard to raise;
    Mount me sublime along the shining way,
    Where planets, in pure streams of Aether driven,
      Swim thro’ the blue expanse of heav’n. 
  And lo! th’ obsequious clouds and winds obey! 
  And lo! again the nations downward fly;
  And wide-stretch’d kingdoms perish from my eye. 
        Heav’n! what bright visions now arise! 
      What op’ning worlds my ravish’d sense surprize! 
      I pass Cerulian gulphs, and now behold
      New solid globes; their weight self-ballanc’d, bear
        Unprop’d amidst the fluid air,
  And all, around the central Sun, incircling eddies roll’d. 
      Unequal in their course, see they advance
        And form the planetary dance! 
      Here the pale Moon, whom the same laws ordain
        T’ obey the earth, and rule the main;
      Here spots no more in shadowy streaks appear;
        But lakes instead, and groves of trees,
        The wand’ring muse, transported sees,
    And their tall heads discover’d mountains rear. 
    And now once more, I downward cast my sight,
    When lo! the earth, a larger moon displays,
    Far off, amidst the heav’ns, her silver face,
    And to her sister moons by turns gives light! 
  Her seas are shadowy spots, her land a milky white.

The author of an Essay on Criticism, printed in the year 1728, informs us, that the Tragedy of Cato being brought upon the stage in 1713 was owing to Mr. Hughes.  The circumstances recorded by this author are so remarkable, that they deserve to be related; and as they serve to shew the high opinion Mr. Addison entertained of our author’s abilities as a Poet, I shall therefore transcribe his own words.—­

’It has been often said by good judges, that Cato was no proper subject for a dramatic poem:  That the character of a stoic philosopher, is inconsistent with the hurry and tumult of action, and passions which are the soul of tragedy.  That the ingenious author miscarried in the plan of his work, but supported it by the dignity, the purity, the beauty, and justness of the sentiments.  This was so much the opinion of Mr. Maynwaring, who was generally allowed to be the best critic of our time; that he was against bringing the play upon the stage, and it lay by unfinished many years.  That it was play’d at last was owing to Mr. Hughes.  He had read the four acts which were finished, and really thought it would be of service to the public, to have it represented at the latter end of queen Anne’s reign, when the spirit of liberty was likely to be lost.  He endeavoured to bring Mr. Addison into his opinion, which he did, and consented it should be acted if Mr. Hughes would write the last act; and he offered him the scenery for his assistance, excusing his not