Excerpt from Description of a Journey to Marlborough, Bath, Portsmouth etc.
NOT far from hence, old Sarum's Ruins stand,
High on a bleak and barren Tract of Land;
A Mount, which once sustain'd a City's Weight,
And lofty Tow'rs adorn'd its awful Height;
Till Want of Water forc'd the thirsty Crowd
To seek the Vale, where crystal Rivers flow'd.
There *POORE the first auspicious Work began;
First, for a Temple, drew the glorious Plan;
Then quickly makes the sacred Columns rise,
And bids the lofty Spire invade the Skies.
The prudent People too, with equal Haste,
New Dwellings built, which far their old surpast:
Cautious of Thirst, they make the docile Tide,
In winding Currents, thro' the City glide:
In ev'ry Street the wanton NAIADS play,
To ev'ry Door their liquid Urns convey;
In which the lately thirsty Peasant spies
At once the cooling Draught, and scaly Fries;
Scenes, which, before, the lofty Mount deny'd!
Hence let Ambition learn to check its Pride:
High Stations often bring a Weight of Cares;
True Happiness is found in humble Spheres:
This useful Truth let Sarum's Glory show,
Which faded when on high, but flourishes below.
Author's Note: Poore is Bishop Poore who built the new Cathedral, laying the foundation stone in 1220.
Old Sarum, built on a fortified hill overlooking the plain, was the original site of Salisbury and its cathedral.
A new cathedral and town were started down by the river Avon in the early 13th century and Old Sarum was gradually abandoned. The original cathedral on the Old Sarum site was formally dissolved in 1226. Old Sarum is now a ruin while Sarum (Salisbury) is a thriving city with its magnificent cathedral, famous for its lofty spire.
You can find many other excerpts from this poem about Stephen Duck's journey around the South of England on his author page.
Poetry Atlas has many other poems about Salisbury.