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Discover how to create a workplace where people like to work by
focusing on these six elements of healthy workplace culture:

Communicating Your Purpose and Values.

Employees are inspired when they work in organizations whose purpose and
values resonate with them.

Providing Meaningful Work.

Most employees want to work on projects that inspire them, align with what
they are good at, and allow them to grow.
Focusing Your Leadership Team on People.
How leaders relate to their employees plays a major role in how everyone
feels about their workplace.
Building Meaningful Relationships.
When employees like the people they work with and for, they are more
satisfied and more engaged in their work.
Creating Peak Performing Teams.
People are energized when they work together effectively because teams
achieve things that no one person could do on their own.
Practicing Constructive Conflict Management.
When leaders don’t handle conflict promptly and well, it quickly sours the
workplace.

This book includes survey feedback from over 2,400 leaders and employees
and resources for putting these ideas into action.
Copyright © 2019 by ACHIEVE Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner without written permission.

Published by ACHIEVE Publishing

120 Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 2B4
www.achievecentre.com

Bulk discounts available. For details contact:

ACHIEVE Publishing at 1-877-270-9776 or info@achievecentre.com

This book is typeset in Adobe Garamond Pro and Proxima Nova.

Printed with vegetable-based inks on 100% PCW paper.

ISBN: 978-1-988617-08-4
ISBN: 978-1-988617-09-1 (e-book)

Printed and bound in Canada

First edition, first printing

Book design by Ninth and May Design Co.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Disclaimer: The publisher and author disclaim any implied warranties for a particular purpose. The
advice and strategies contained in this book may not be suitable for your situation. Readers should also
be aware that URLs offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or
disappeared after the publication date. Furthermore, the author or publisher does not have any control
over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
 To our staff, colleagues, and clients,
who have taught us so much.
This book would not exist without you.
Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 The Case for Caring About Culture

CHAPTER 2 Communicate Your Purpose & Values

CHAPTER 3 Provide Meaningful Work

CHAPTER 4 Focus Your Leadership Team on People

CHAPTER 5 Build Meaningful Relationships

CHAPTER 6 Create Peak Performing Teams

CHAPTER 7 Practice Constructive Conflict Management

CHAPTER 8 How to Change Culture

Conclusion

Survey Analysis

Reading Recommendations

Resources
References

Acknowledgments

Speaking and Training

Introduction

LIKING WHERE WE WORK

We believe that people should be able to like where they work. When
employees like the places they work, it’s not only good for their mental
health and well-being, it’s also good for their organizations – both financially
and otherwise. When a workplace culture is purposefully created to be
respectful and inspiring, employees are happier, more productive, and more
engaged.
Unfortunately, far too many people don’t like where they work. Some
organizations are unhealthy and full of disrespectful behavior. Other
workplaces are simply uninspiring. For various reasons, countless people feel
trapped, indifferent, or bored at work.
Our organization, ACHIEVE, provides training and resources that give
people insights and tools for creating, cultivating, and sustaining workplaces
that are respectful, engaging, and meaningful. To teach others effectively, we
have needed to consistently nurture an environment in our workplace that
reflects the principles we speak about. When clients walk into our office, we
want them to see that we actually “walk the talk” and our belief in the value
of a healthy and likable workplace culture is authentic.
We have worked hard to create a healthy culture, choosing to learn from
our mistakes and from the wisdom of others. We are now passionate about
helping people create great workplaces, and that is why we’ve written this
book – to help create workplaces where people like to work.
The title of this book, The Culture Question, may have led you to ask,
“What’s the question?” In short, the fundamental question has two parts:
“How does your organization’s culture impact how much people like where
they work?” and “What can you do to make it better?” In this book, we help
you answer these questions by focusing on the elements that make up a
healthy workplace culture.

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

If you’ve picked up The Culture Question, there’s a good chance that you are
not happy with your organization’s culture, or perhaps you think it could at
least be better than it is now.
If you know deep down that there is a better way, that things don’t have
to stay the same, this book is for you.
If you see glimpses of what might be, but you’re not sure how to
influence culture change in your workplace, this book is for you.
If you are one of those fortunate individuals who works in an
organization that has a strong culture, but you are unsure how to maintain
that strength as you grow, change, and face the future, this book is for you.
If you are a leader who wants to consciously cultivate a healthy
organizational culture, this book is for you.
Leadership bears much responsibility for the health of an organization’s
culture, but everyone in the organization has a role in impacting and
sustaining that culture. Throughout this book, we use “leaders” in an
inclusive sense to refer to all of those who influence others in the workplace.
This book will be applicable for supervisors, managers, human resources
personnel, union representatives, executives, and others who provide
leadership in an organization.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

The insights found in this book have emerged out of the learning
opportunities we have had within our own workplace and alongside the
countless other organizations we have supported and worked with.
As well as drawing on these experiences and other research, we have also
conducted “The Culture Question Survey,” which includes perspectives from
over 2,400 participants about what does and does not make a great place to
work.1 We asked both employees and leaders to identify whether they like
where they work, and then correlated their responses to a series of statements
about workplace culture. We were amazed by the survey results and are
thankful for the number of people who took the time to thoughtfully provide
their opinions and perspectives. Results, insights, and quotes from the survey
are woven into the following chapters and provide additional depth to the
book. A more detailed analysis can be found in the Survey Analysis section
on page 182.
The first chapter of this book makes the case that organizational culture
should be a priority for every workplace. The remaining chapters are each
about a particular aspect of creating, transforming, and sustaining a healthy
workplace culture. At the end of each chapter, we’ve included questions you
can use either for personal reflection or for larger group discussions. The
Resources section at the end of the book provides additional examples and
actionable tools you can use within your own organization.
We are aware that not every aspect of this book will apply directly to
every reader. Our goal is not so much to provide a “cookie cutter” blueprint,
but rather to give you guidelines and inspiration as you work toward creating
and sustaining a culture where people like to work.
Ultimately, our goal in writing this book is to reduce the suffering that so
many people experience at work and thus increase our collective well-being.
We want to do our part to create a world in which everyone has the
opportunity to experience the joy of liking where they work.
1
The Case for Caring About Culture

FOCUS ON CULTURE, NOT FOOSBALL

Most of us are familiar with stories from some of the “best” places to work –
the Googles of the world, with their complimentary food courts, fancy
buildings, free massages, and foosball tables. Decision makers at many of
these companies likely feel that these extra perks help make their
organizations great places to work and that they will attract and retain
talented, motivated, and productive employees as a result.
These initiatives sound great, and they may indeed help create more fun
and productive organizations. However, the reality is that most of our
workplaces do not have the resources to implement these sorts of programs.
The good news is that, while these types of perks may be nice, they aren’t
actually necessary for attracting productive and committed employees who
enjoy their work and are loyal to their organizations. Instead, the key is
building a healthy workplace culture.
Culture must be your highest priority if you want to make your
organization a great place to work. Even if game rooms and free gourmet
food are options for your organization, perks alone will not create a healthy
culture if you do not also consider the priorities we outline in the next six
chapters:

• Communicating your purpose and values. Employees are inspired

 when they work in organizations whose purpose and values resonate
with them.
• Providing meaningful work. Most employees want to work on
projects that inspire them, align with what they are good at, and allow
them to grow.
• Focusing your leadership team on people. How leaders relate to
their employees plays a major role in how everyone feels about their
workplace.
• Building meaningful relationships. When employees like the people
they work with and for, they are more satisfied and more engaged in
their work.
• Creating peak performing teams. People are energized when they
work together effectively because teams achieve things that no one
person could do on their own.
• Practicing constructive conflict management. When leaders don’t
handle conflict promptly and well, it quickly sours the workplace.

The chapters that follow will explore each of these areas in more depth.
We will demonstrate the importance of directing your energy toward each
key area, and we will offer some practical ways for your organization to build
these six priorities into your workplace culture.

WHAT IS CULTURE?
Workplace culture is the most significant factor that influences happiness,
work relationships, and job satisfaction. Having a clear understanding of
what workplace culture is, and what your own organization’s culture is, will
help you more easily identify problems and develop strategies to create a
better culture and capitalize on its positive energy.
In their Harvard Business Review (HBR) article “The Leader’s Guide to
Corporate Culture,” Boris Groysberg and others write:

Culture is the tacit social order of an organization: It shapes attitudes and

behaviors in wide-ranging and durable ways. Cultural norms define what
is encouraged, discouraged, accepted, or rejected within a group. When
 properly aligned with personal values, drives, and needs, culture can
unleash tremendous amounts of energy toward a shared purpose and
foster an organization’s capacity to thrive.1

Though organizational culture isn’t a physical thing, you feel it every day
in the ways you work and engage with others. Culture is represented in the
language you use, the stories you tell, and your daily work practices. Simple
things, like the objects hanging on an office wall, can tell you a lot about an
organization’s culture. Whether you are walking to get a coffee, attending a
meeting, or eating lunch, culture is present.
Workplace cultures include elements such as values, mission statements,
leadership styles, and expectations for how employees treat customers,
clients, and each other. Culture is visible through the ways in which people
interact with each other – their behaviors. It is reflected in how things get
done. It is made up of the principles and rituals that hold an organization
together.
Each organization has its own distinct “personality.” Much like an
individual’s personality, it is related to the collective values, beliefs, and
attitudes of its members. No two workplace cultures are the same. In fact,
culture is the one thing that makes each organization unique. Products and
strategies can be replicated, but a culture is as distinct as a fingerprint.
For simplicity, we often refer to organizational culture as “unhealthy” or
“healthy.” However, workplaces are almost never all good or all bad. Instead,
they exist on a spectrum of less healthy to more healthy.
In organizations on the unhealthy end of the spectrum, people are usually
less motivated and may be influenced by an element of fear that can drag
down their productivity. In healthier cultures, people have a sense of
empowerment that energizes and inspires them to perform at a higher level.
Healthy cultures create a sense of belonging, purpose, and engagement,
which ultimately drives desired behaviors and results.
Two of our survey participants summarized their workplace cultures in
the following ways:

• “We have a great team and a strong vision. Our manager is amazing
and gives us freedom to try new things. I feel like I am making a
 difference in the lives of the people I work with. I am able to use my
gifts and talents in ways that make me feel valuable and useful. I love
my job, my boss, and my coworkers!”
• “My coworkers are kind and caring people. I have autonomy in what I
do but receive enough direction that it’s not overwhelming. There is
clear purpose to the mundane tasks and enough exciting tasks to keep
me engaged. Overall, it’s the best work environment I’ve had the
chance to be in.”

These two statements highlight key elements found in many healthy

workplaces. Although these survey participants may wish to improve some
aspects of their workplaces, they clearly work in organizations on the
healthier end of the culture spectrum.

WHY CULTURE MATTERS

Focusing on creating a workplace culture where people want to work is
simply the right thing to do. But there are also practical and financial reasons
for investing energy into organizational culture. In a survey conducted by
Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, and completed by 1,400 North American
CEOs, executives overwhelmingly indicated that a healthy corporate culture
is essential if an organization is to thrive.2
During the Industrial Revolution, it was likely more feasible to build a
profitable business without taking culture into account. Standardizing tasks
and eliminating errors were usually enough to make a company profitable.
How employees felt about their workplace was less important to an
organization’s sustainability than the ability to get work done in a timely and
efficient manner. However, when we consider the social unrest of the
industrial societies of the past, it is clear that many people were profoundly
unhappy.
The type of work that many people do today is very different from work
that was done in the past. Fewer people produce goods, which can easily be
measured in terms of productivity, while more people provide services,
which are difficult to quantify. To maintain productivity in most of today’s
work environments, which require innovation and collaboration, we need
healthy work cultures.
In our consulting work, we have seen the very real financial and human
costs associated with unhealthy workplace cultures. Financially, the costs of
an unhealthy organizational culture include high turnover and an
unproductive, unengaged work force. When it comes to the human costs,
people’s mental health and overall well-being suffer. We believe that
organizations that don’t focus on creating healthy workplace cultures will
eventually be replaced by those that do.

OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE

Our organization has two primary divisions: ACHIEVE Centre for
Leadership & Workplace Performance (ACHIEVE), and the Crisis & Trauma
Resource Institute (CTRI), which provides training and resources in the areas
of mental health, counseling skills, and violence prevention. For simplicity,
we refer to our organization as ACHIEVE in this book. Though it took us
some time to develop a healthy culture, we’re proud that our own
organization is a place where people like to work. We do great work, we are
energized by what we do, and we also laugh and have a lot of fun. Most of
the time, invigorating energy permeates our workplace. People are excited
about being innovative and productive while doing meaningful work.
If you visit our office, you will find our culture at work. You will see
inspirational quotes and pictures on the wall, you will hear energetic bursts of
chatter about ideas, and you will smell good coffee – because good coffee
makes having a great culture easier, right? If you attend our meetings, you
will see employees who are not afraid to speak up or disagree with leaders.
You might even notice some frustration from time to time, often caused
because we care when things don’t go right.
For this portion of the book, we asked some of the staff at ACHIEVE to
identify the things they like about our workplace. These are some of their
responses:

• “Mostly the people – I love my coworkers. They make it easy to come

to work.”
• “I have freedom and autonomy in how I do my work.”
 • “Leadership values my abilities and the work I do.”
• “I find my work meaningful. I love that I get to help people.”
• “I get to do new things, and I am challenged by my work.”
• “Leadership includes me in decisions that impact the organization.”

These responses provide insight into what’s important for creating a

healthy and vibrant workplace culture. Our staff like the people they work
with and the environment they work in. They value communication and
teamwork. They appreciate that we, as leaders, value their work and
communicate effectively. Our team members find their work challenging and
meaningful and, most importantly, they connect with the purpose of our
organization.
Our culture has not always been healthy, and we have had to learn some
important lessons along the way. There was a time when we didn’t
communicate our purpose to our staff as clearly as we should have. We hired
people who negatively impacted our culture, and we allowed conflict to
escalate to the point that it became unhealthy.
Early on in our organization’s history, in one of our unhealthier periods,
things were bad enough that we needed to make major changes. We were a
much smaller organization then, and leadership was focused on the many
pressing operational matters rather than the health of relationships and the
organization’s culture. As a result, what started as differences of opinion and
conflicting work styles escalated into high levels of distrust and disrespect
among staff. Productivity and communication plummeted, and it soon
became clear that organizational health was now the pressing matter that
demanded our attention.
Over a period of several months, we used many of the approaches we
describe in this book. We gathered information using an assessment tool, we
met with and listened to staff individually and in focus groups, and provided
coaching and mediation. Unfortunately, we had to terminate one employee
who wasn’t willing to participate in the process, but it was a necessary step as
we began building a healthier culture.
These past experiences have taught us to place a high value on our
workplace’s culture. Because it is so important to us, we ask each employee
and manager, during their yearly goal-setting meetings, to comment on how
to their organization’s purpose in this way: “My organization has a positive
purpose. That counts for an awful lot. This is the only place I have ever
worked where I feel no qualms about supporting the aims of this organization
through my efforts.”
Several years ago, when I, Wendy, was on maternity leave, I was
approached about applying for a position with a social services agency. The
role was to oversee a program called Healthy Moms and Babies. Initially, I
was not interested, but when the board told me the details of the role, I
couldn’t help but get excited.
The job entailed providing weekly programming for mothers. I was free
to structure the program however I liked as long as it covered the key areas of
nutrition and development. Best of all, I could take my eight-month-old son
along – he was the demonstration baby! It was too good to pass up. I was able
to connect my excitement about being a mother to an organizational purpose
of educating other young mothers. It was an immensely rewarding job!
When people are considering whether or not to work for an organization,
they are frequently drawn to the mission of the organization because they
want to be a part of something that aligns with their own sense of purpose. At
ACHIEVE, we didn’t specifically set out to attract great employees by
articulating our organizational purpose, but we soon learned we were doing
just that.
Over the past few years, we have noticed that when we conduct job
interviews, many candidates mention that they were drawn to our
organization by the way we describe our purpose and beliefs. When people
connect with our purpose from the outset, they are more likely to be a natural
fit within our workplace and reinforce the culture we want.
We don’t want employees to have to guess about why their work matters
or what the aim of their work is on a day-to-day basis. When a new employee
starts, we intentionally discuss the purpose of their work as it relates to their
team and the organization as a whole. In their first week on the job, we have
new employees sit with someone from every department to learn how their
colleagues’ roles connect with their own work and the organization’s
mission. Then, at our three-month review and every annual goal-setting
meeting thereafter, we discuss this reflection question as it relates to their
role: “How are you contributing to our organization’s purpose?”
As leaders, we should lead by example and know how our individual
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Dying, his lord he own’d; view’d him all o’er
With eager eyes, then closed those eyes, well pleased.
Of lesser ills the Muse declines to sing,
Nor stoops so low; of these, each groom can tell
The proper remedy. But oh! what care,
What prudence, can prevent madness, the worst
Of maladies? Terrifick pest! that blasts
The huntsman’s hopes, and desolation spreads
Through all the unpeopled kennel, unrestrain’d;
More fatal than the envenom’d viper’s bite,
Or that Apulian spider’s poisonous sting,
Heal’d by the pleasing antidote of sounds.
When Sirius reigns, and the sun’s parching beams
Bake the dry gaping surface, visit thou
Each even and morn, with quick observant eye,
Thy panting pack. If, in dark sullen mood,
The glouting hound refuse his wonted meal,
Retiring to some close obscure retreat,
Gloomy, disconsolate; with speed remove
The poor infectious wretch, and in strong chains
Bind him, suspected. Thus that dire disease,
Which art can’t cure, wise caution may prevent.
But, this neglected, soon expect a change,
A dismal change, confusion, frenzy, death!
Or, in some dark recess, the senseless brute

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 210-234.

Sits, sadly pining; deep melancholy,
And black despair, upon his clouded brow
Hang lowering; from his half-opening jaws,
The clammy venom, and infectious froth,
Distilling fall; and from his lungs, inflamed,
Malignant vapours taint the ambient air,
Breathing perdition; his dim eyes are glazed,
He droops his pensive head; his trembling limbs
No more support his weight; abject he lies,
Dumb, spiritless, benumb’d; till death, at last,
Gracious attends, and kindly brings relief.
Or, if outrageous grown, behold, alas!
A yet more dreadful scene; his glaring eyes
Redden with fury; like some angry boar,
Churning, he foams, and, on his back, erect
His pointed bristles rise; his tail incurved
He drops; and, with harsh broken howlings, rends
The poison-tainted air; with rough hoarse voice
Incessant bays, and snuffs the infectious breeze;
This way and that he stares, aghast, and starts
At his own shade; jealous, as if he deem’d
The world his foes. If haply toward the stream
He cast his roving eye, cold horrour chills
His soul; averse, he flies, trembling, appall’d:
Now frantick, to the kennel’s utmost verge,

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 235-259.

Raving, he runs, and deals destruction round.
The pack fly diverse; for whate’er he meets,
Vengeful, he bites, and every bite is death.
If now, perchance, through the weak fence escaped,
Far up the wind he roves, with open mouth
Inhales the cooling breeze, nor man, nor beast,
He spares, implacable. The hunter-horse,
Once kind associate of his sylvan toils,
Who haply, now, without the kennel’s mound,
Crops the rank mead, and, listening, hears with joy
The cheering cry, that morn and eve salutes
His raptured sense, a wretched victim falls.
Unhappy quadruped! no more, alas!
Shall thy fond master with his voice applaud
Thy gentleness, thy speed; or with his hand
Stroke thy soft dappled sides, as he each day
Visits thy stall, well pleased: no more shalt thou
With sprightly neighings, to the winding horn
And the loud-opening pack, in concert join’d,
Glad his proud heart; for, oh! the secret wound,
Rankling, inflames; he bites the ground, and dies.
Hence to the village, with pernicious haste,
Baleful, he bends his course: the village flies,
Alarm’d; the tender mother, in her arms,
Hugs close the trembling babe; the doors are barr’d;

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 260-282.

And flying curs, by native instinct taught,
Shun the contagious bane; the rustick bands
Hurry to arms, the rude militia seize
Whate’er at hand they find; clubs, forks, or guns,
From every quarter charge the furious foe,
In wild disorder and uncouth array;
Till now, with wounds on wounds, oppress’d and gored,
At one short poisonous gasp he breathes his last.
Hence, to the kennel, Muse, return, and view,
With heavy heart, that hospital of woe,
Where horrour stalks at large! insatiate death
Sits growling o’er his prey; each hour presents
A different scene of ruin and distress.
How busy art thou, fate! and how severe
Thy pointed wrath! the dying and the dead
Promiscuous lie; o’er these, the living fight
In one eternal broil; not conscious why,
Nor yet with whom. So drunkards, in their cups,
Spare not their friends, while senseless squabble reigns.
Huntsman! it much behoves thee to avoid
The perilous debate. Ah! rouse up all
Thy vigilance, and tread the treacherous ground
With careful step. Thy fires unquench’d preserve,

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 283-307.

As erst the vestal flame; the pointed steel
In the hot embers hide; and if, surprised,
Thou feel’st the deadly bite, quick urge it home
Into the recent sore, and cauterize
The wound: spare not thy flesh, nor dread the event;
Vulcan shall save, when Æsculapius fails.
Here, should the knowing Muse recount the means
To stop this growing plague. And here, alas!
Each hand presents a sovereign cure, and boasts
Infallibility, but boasts in vain.
On this depend; each to his separate seat
Confine, in fetters bound; give each his mess
Apart, his range in open air; and then,
If deadly symptoms, to thy grief, appear,
Devote the wretch; and let him greatly fall,
A generous victim for the public weal.
Sing, philosophick Muse, the dire effects
Of this contagious bite on hapless man!
The rustick swains, by long tradition taught,
Of leeches old, as soon as they perceive
The bite impress’d, to the sea-coasts repair.
Plunged in the briny flood, the unhappy youth
Now journeys home, secure; but soon shall wish
The seas, as yet, had cover’d him beneath
The foaming surge, full many a fathom deep.

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 308-332.

A fate more dismal, and superiour ills,
Hang o’er his head devoted. When the moon,
Closing her monthly round, returns again
To glad the night, or when, full-orb’d, she shines
High in the vault of heaven, the lurking pest
Begins the dire assault. The poisonous foam,
Through the deep wound instill’d, with hostile rage,
And all its fiery particles, saline,
Invades the arterial fluid; whose red waves
Tempestuous heave, and, their cohesion broke,
Fermenting boil; intestine war ensues,
And order to confusion turns, embroil’d.
Now the distended vessels scarce contain
The wild uproar, but press each weaker part,
Unable to resist: the tender brain
And stomach suffer most; convulsions shake
His trembling nerves, and wandering pungent pains
Pinch sore the sleepless wretch; his fluttering pulse
Oft intermits; pensive and sad, he mourns
His cruel fate, and to his weeping friends
Laments in vain: to hasty anger prone,
Resents each slight offence, walks with quick step,
And wildly stares: at last, with boundless sway,
The tyrant frenzy reigns; for, as the dog,
Whose fatal bite convey’d the infectious bane,

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 333-356.

Raving, he foams, and howls, and barks, and bites!
Like agitations in his boiling blood,
Present like species to his troubled mind;
His nature, and his actions, all canine.
So, as old Homer sung, the associates wild
Of wandering Ithacus, by Circe’s charms
To swine transformed, ran gruntling through the groves,
Dreadful example to a wicked world!
See, there distress’d he lies! parch’d up with thirst,
But dares not drink; till now, at last, his soul
Trembling escapes, her noisome dungeon leaves,
And to some purer region wings away.
One labour yet remains, celestial Maid!
Another element demands thy song.
No more o’er craggy steeps, through coverts thick
With pointed thorn, and briers intricate,
Urge on, with horn and voice, the painful pack;
But skim, with wanton wing, the irriguous vale,
Where winding streams, amid the flowery meads,
Perpetual glide along, and undermine
The cavern’d banks, by the tenacious roots
Of hoary willows arch’d; gloomy retreat
Of the bright scaly kind; where they, at will,
On the green watery reed, their pasture, graze,

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 357-381.

Suck the moist soil, or slumber at their ease,
Rock’d by the restless brook, that draws aslope
Its humid train, and laves their dark abodes.
Where rages not oppression? where, alas,
Is innocence secure? Rapine and spoil
Haunt even the lowest deeps; seas have their sharks;
Rivers and ponds inclose the ravenous pike;
He, in his turn, becomes a prey; on him
The amphibious otter feasts. Just is his fate,
Deserved; but tyrants know no bounds: nor spears
That bristle on his back, defend the perch
From his wide greedy jaws; nor burnish’d mail
The yellow carp; nor all his arts can save
The insinuating eel, that hides his head
Beneath the slimy mud; nor yet escapes
The crimson-spotted trout, the river’s pride,
And beauty of the stream. Without remorse,
This midnight pillager, ranging around,
Insatiate, swallows all. The owner mourns
The unpeopled rivulet, and gladly hears
The huntsman’s early call, and sees with joy
The jovial crew, that march upon its banks
In gay parade, with bearded lances arm’d.
This subtle spoiler of the beaver kind,
Far off perhaps, where ancient alders shade

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 382-406.

The deep still pool, within some hollow trunk
Contrives his wicker couch; whence he surveys
His long purlieu, lord of the stream, and all
The finny shoals his own. But you, brave youths,
Dispute the felon’s claim; try every root,
And every reedy bank; encourage all
The busy spreading pack, that fearless plunge
Into the flood, and cross the rapid stream.
Bid rocks and caves, and each resounding shore,
Proclaim your bold defiance; loudly raise
Each cheering voice, till distant hills repeat
The triumphs of the vale. On the soft sand,
See there, his seal impress’d; and, on that bank,
Behold the glittering spoils, half-eaten fish,
Scales, fins, and bones, the leavings of his feast.
Ah! on that yielding sag-bed, see, once more
His seal I view. O’er yon dank rushy marsh
The sly goose-footed prowler bends his course,
And seeks the distant shallows. Huntsman! bring
Thy eager pack, and trail him to his couch.
Hark! the loud peal begins; the clamorous joy,
The gallant chiding, loads the trembling air.
Ye Naiads fair, who o’er these floods preside,
Raise up your dripping heads above the wave,
And hear our melody. The harmonious notes

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 407-431.

Float with the stream; and every winding creek,
And hollow rock, that o’er the dimpling flood
Nods pendent, still improve, from shore to shore,
Our sweet reiterated joys. What shouts!
What clamour loud! What gay, heart-cheering sounds
Urge, through the breathing brass their mazy way!
Not choirs of Tritons glad, with sprightlier strains,
The dancing billows, when proud Neptune rides
In triumph o’er the deep. How greedily
They snuff the fishy steam, that to each blade,
Rank-scenting, clings! See! how the morning dews
They sweep, that from their feet, besprinkling, drop,
Dispersed, and leave a track oblique behind.
Now on firm land they range; then in the flood
They plunge tumultuous; or through reedy pools,
Rustling, they work their way: no holt escapes
Their curious search. With quick sensation now
The fuming vapour stings, flutters their hearts,
And joy, redoubled, bursts from every mouth,
In louder symphonies. Yon hollow trunk,
That, with its hoary head incurved, salutes
The passing wave, must be the tyrant’s fort,
And dread abode. How these impatient climb,
While others, at the root, incessant bay:
They put him down. See, there he dives along!

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 432-456.

The ascending bubbles mark his gloomy way.
Quick fix the nets, and cut off his retreat
Into the sheltering deeps. Ah, there he vents!
The pack plunge headlong, and protended spears
Menace destruction: while the troubled surge
Indignant foams, and all the scaly kind,
Affrighted, hide their heads. Wild tumult reigns,
And loud uproar. Ah, there once more he vents!
See, that bold hound has seized him; down they sink
Together, lost: but soon shall he repent
His rash assault. See, there escaped, he flies,
Half-drown’d, and clambers up the slippery bank,
With ooze and blood distain’d. Of all the brutes,
Whether by nature formed, or by long use,
This artful diver best can bear the want
Of vital air. Unequal is the fight,
Beneath the whelming element. Yet there
He lives not long; but respiration needs,
At proper intervals: again he vents;
Again the crowd attack. That spear has pierced
His neck; the crimson waves confess the wound.
Fix’d is the bearded lance, unwelcome guest,
Where’er he flies; with him it sinks beneath,
With him it mounts; sure guide to every foe.
Inly he groans; nor can his tender wound

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 457-480.

Bear the cold stream. Lo! to yon sedgy bank
He creeps, disconsolate: his numerous foes
Surround him, hounds, and men. Pierced through and through,
On pointed spears they lift him high in air;
Wriggling, he hangs, and grins, and bites in vain.
Bid the loud horns, in gaily-warbling strains,
Proclaim the felon’s fate; he dies, he dies!
Rejoice, ye scaly tribes; and, leaping, dance
Above the wave, in sign of liberty
Restored: the cruel tyrant is no more.
Rejoice, secure and bless’d; did not as yet
Remain, some of your own rapacious kind;
And man, fierce man, with all his various wiles.
O happy, if ye knew your happy state,
Ye rangers of the fields! whom nature boon
Cheers with her smiles, and every element
Conspires to bless. What, if no heroes frown
From marble pedestals; nor Raphael’s works,
Nor Titian’s lively tints, adorn our walls?
Yet these the meanest of us may behold;
And, at another’s cost, may feast at will
Our wondering eyes; what can the owner more?
But vain, alas! is wealth, not graced with power.
The flowery landscape, and the gilded dome,

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 481-505.

And vistas opening to the wearied eye,
Through all his wide domain; the planted grove,
The shrubby wilderness, with its gay choir
Of warbling birds, can’t lull to soft repose
The ambitious wretch, whose discontented soul
Is harrow’d day and night; he mourns, he pines,
Until his prince’s favour makes him great.
See there he comes, the exalted idol comes!
The circle’s form’d, and all his fawning slaves
Devoutly bow to earth; from every mouth
The nauseous flattery flows, which he returns
With promises, that die as soon as born.
Vile intercourse! where virtue has no place.
Frown but the monarch, all his glories fade;
He mingles with the throng, outcast, undone,
The pageant of a day; without one friend
To sooth his tortured mind; all, all are fled.
For though they bask’d in his meridian ray,
The insects vanish, as his beams decline.
Not such our friends; for here no dark design,
No wicked interest, bribes the venal heart;
But inclination to our bosom leads,
And weds them there for life; our social cups
Smile, as we smile; open, and unreserved.
We speak our inmost souls; good humour, mirth,

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 506-530.

 Soft complaisance, and wit from malice free,
Smooth every brow, and glow on every cheek.
O happiness sincere! what wretch would groan
Beneath the galling load of power, or walk
Upon the slippery pavements of the great,
Who thus could reign, unenvied and secure?
Ye guardian powers, who make mankind your care,
Give me to know wise nature’s hidden depths,
Trace each mysterious cause, with judgment read
The expanded volume, and, submiss, adore
That great creative will, who, at a word,
Spoke forth the wonderous scene. But if my soul
To this gross clay confined, flutters on earth
With less ambitious wing; unskill’d to range
From orb to orb, where Newton leads the way;
And, view with piercing eyes, the grand machine;
Worlds above worlds, subservient to his voice;
Who, veil’d in clouded majesty, alone
Gives light to all; bids the great system move,
And changeful seasons, in their turns, advance,
Unmoved, unchanged himself: yet this, at least,
Grant me propitious, an inglorious life,
Calm and serene, nor lost in false pursuits
Of wealth or honours; but enough to raise
My drooping friends, preventing modest want

BOOK IV THE CHASE v. 531-536.

That dares not ask. And if, to crown my joys,

Ye grant me health, that, ruddy in my cheeks,
Blooms in my life’s decline; fields, woods, and streams,
Each towering hill, each humble vale below,
Shall hear my cheering voice; my hounds shall wake
The lazy morn, and glad the horizon round.
Printed by W. Bulmer and Co.
Cleveland-row, St. James’s.
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