Oldalképek
PDF
ePub

Heart-foft'ning plaints demand the pitying tear,
And peals of hideous laughter fhock the ear.
Within this lonely lodge, in folemn port,
A fhiv'ring monarch keeps his awful court,
And far and wide, as boundless thought can stray,
Extends a vaft imaginary fway.

Utopian princes bow before his throne,
Lands unexifting his dominion own,

And airy realms, and regions in the moon.
The pride of dignity, the pomp of state,
The dazzling glories of the envy'd great,
Rife to his view, and in his fancy fwell,
And guards and courtiers crowd his empty cell.
See how he walks majeftic through the throng!
(Behind he trails his tatter'd robes along)
And cheaply bleft, and innocently vain,
Enjoys the dear delufion of his brain;
In this small spot expatiates unconfin'd,
Supreme of monarchs, firft of human kind.

Lo! here a wretch to avarice refign'd,

}

'Midst gather'd scraps, and fhreds, and rags confin'd;
His riches thefe-for these he rakes and spares,
Thefe rack his bofom, these engrofs his cares;
O'er thefe he broods, for ever void of rest,
And hugs the fncaking paffion of his breaft.
See! from himself the fordid niggard steals,
Referves large fcantlings from his flender meals;
Scarce to his bowels half their due affords,
And ftarves his carcafe to increase his hoards;
Till to huge heaps the treafur'd offals fwell,
And ftink in ev'ry corner of his cell.

And

And thus with wondrous wisdom he purveys
Against contingent want, and rainy days,
And fcorns the fools that dread not to be poor,
But eat their morfel, and enjoy their store.
Behold a fage! immers'd in thought profound:
For fcience he, for various skill renown'd.
At no mean ends his fpeculations aim,
(Vile pelf he fcorns, nor covets empty fame)
The public good, the welfare of mankind
Employ the generous labour of his mind.
For this his rich imagination teems
With rare inventions and important fchemes.
All day his close attention he applies,
Nor gives he midnight flumbers to his eyes;
Content, if this his toilsome studies crown,
And for the world's repose neglects his own.
All nature's fecret causes he explores,
The laws of motion, and mechanic powers:
Hence e'en the elements his art obey,

O'er earth, o'er fire, he spreads his wondrous sway,
And through the liquid sky, and o'er the watʼry

way.

All problems has his lively thought fubdu'd,
Meafur'd the ftars, and found the longitude,
And fquar'd the circle, and the tides explain'd:
The grand arcanum once he had attain'd,
Had quite attain'd, but that a pipkin broke,
And all his golden hopes expir'd in fmoke.

And
once, his foul inflam'd with patriot zeal,
A scheme he finish'd for his country's weal.
This, in a private conference made known,
A ftatesman stole, and us'd it for his own,

B 6

And

And then, O bafenefs! the deceit to blind,
Our poor projector in this jail confin'd.
The Mufe forbears to vifit ev'ry cell,
Each form, each object of diftrefs to tell;
To fhew the fopling, curious in his dress,
Gayly trick'd out in gaudy raggedness;
The poet, ever wrapt in glorious dreams -
Of Pagan gods, and Heliconian streams;
The wild enthufiaft, that defpairing fees
Predeftin'd wrath, and Heav'n's fevere decrees;
Through thefe, through more fad scenes fhe grieves

to go,

And paint the whole variety of woe.

Mean time, on thefe reflect with kind concern,
And hence this juft, this useful lesson learn:

If strong defires thy reasoning powers controul;
If arbitrary paffions fway thy foul;

If pride, if envy, if the luft of gain,
If wild ambition in thy bofom reign,

Alas! thou vaunt'ft thy fober sense in vain.
In these poor Bedlamites thyfelf furvey,
Thyfelf, lefs innocently mad than they.

[blocks in formation]

That life fo foon muft fleet away,
And duft to duft return.

Alas! from death the terrors fly,
When once 'tis understood;
'Tis Nature's call, 'tis God's decree,
And is, and must be good.

Wearied his limbs with honeft toil,
And void of cares his breaft,

See how the lab'ring hind finks down
Each night to wholesome rest.

No naufeous fumes perplex his fleep,
No guilty starts surprise;
The vifions that his fancy forms,
All free and cheerful rife.

So thou, nor led by lufts aftray,
Nor gall'd with anxious ftrife,
With virtuous industry fulfil
The plain intent of life.

Pass calmly thy appointed day,

And usefully employ,

And then thou'rt fure whate'er fucceed

Is reft, and peace, and joy.

FITZGERALD

SECT

SECT.

VIII.

ON THE DEATH OF AN AMIABLE LADY.

T must be foon terms so slight

IT

Does Heaven its choiceft gifts bestow,

To point our fond affections right,

And wean us from the world below,

See, all extin& the vital flame,

She lies confign'd to facred reft; She who but now, where'er fhe came, Infpir'd with gladness ev'ry breast.

From this dark fcene of human woes
Her spotlefs foul difmifs'd away,
The full rewards of virtue knows,
And fhines in God's eternal day.

Celeftial joys has she to share,

Whilft we our general lofs deplore, Since now of all that's good and fair, The brightest pattern is no more.

But ftill the tears that copious flow
O'er her fad urn, are all in vain ;

Nor, when ftern fate has ftruck the blow,
. Can call departed life again,

FITZGERALD.

SECT.

« ElőzőTovább »