"Marriage is the mother of the world, and preserves kingdoms, and
fills cities, and churches, and heaven itself. _Celibate, like the
fly in the heart of an apple_, dwells in a perpetual sweetness,
but sits alone, and is confined and dies in singularity."--Sermon
XVII. _The Marriage Ring_, Part I.
If these random notes be interesting to any of your readers, they are
only a portion out of many I could send; and any one who doubts Gray's
partiality for Cowley may compare his second verse of the "Ode to
Spring" with Cowley's lines on "Solitude," found amongst his _Essays_,
especially verses 4. and 5.:
"Here let me careless and unthoughtful lying
Hear the soft winds above me flying,
With all their wanton boughs dispute,
And the more tuneful birds to both replying,
Nor be my self too mute.
"A silver stream shall roll his waters near;
Gilt with the sunbeams here and there,
On whose enamel'd bank I'll walk,
And see how prettily they smile, and hear
How prettily they talk."