THE COPERNICAN SYSTEM. THE sun revolving on his axis turns, And with creative fire intensely burns; Impell'd the forcive air, our earth supreme, Rolls with the planets round the solar gleam; First Mercury compleats his transient year, Glowing, refulgent, with reflected glare; Bright Venus occupies a wider way, The early harbinger of night and day; More distant still our globe terraqueous turns, Nor chills intense, nor fiercely heated burns; Around her rolls the lunar orb of light, Trailing her silver glories through the night: On the earth's orbit see the various signs, Mark where the sun, our year compleating, shines: First the bright Ram his languid ray improves; Next glaring wat'ry thro' the Bull he moves; The am'rous Twins admit his genial ray; Now burning, thro' the Crab he takes his way; The Lion, flaming, bears the solar power; The Virgin faints beneath the sultry shower. Now the just Ballance weighs his equal force, The slimy Serpent swelters in his course; The sabled Archer clouds his languid face; The Goat, with tempests, urges on his race; Now in the Water his faint beams appear, And the cold Fishes end the circling year. Beyond our globe the sanguine Mars displays A strong reflection of primoeval rays; Next belted Jupiter far distant gleams, Scarcely enlight'ned with the solar beams; With four unfix'd receptacles of light, He tours majestic thro' the spacious height: But farther yet the tardy Saturn lags, And five attendant luminaries drags; Investing with a double ring his pace, He circles thro' immensity of space. These are thy wond'rous works, first source of good! Now more admir'd in being understood.