The trumpet sounds, your legions swarm abroad, Yet man, laborious man, by slow degrees (Such is his thirst of opulence and ease), Plies all the sinews of industrious toil, Gleans up the refuse of the general spoil, Rebuilds the towers that smoked upon the plain, And the sun gilds the shining spires again. Increasing commerce, and reviving art, Renew the quarrel on the conqueror's part; And the sad lesson must be learn'd once more, That wealth within is ruin at the door. What are ye, monarchs, laurel'd heroes, say, But Ætnas of the suffering world ye sway? Sweet Nature, stripp'd of her embroider'd robe, Deplores the wasted regions of her globe; And stands a witness at Truth's awful bar, To prove you there destroyers, as ye are. O place me in some Heaven-protected isle, Where Peace, and Equity, and Freedom smile; Where no volcano pours his fiery flood, No crested warrior dips his plume in blood; Where Power secures what Industry has won; ON FRIENDSHIP. "Amicitia nisi inter bonos esse non potest." CICERO. [1782.] WHAT virtue can we name, or grace, Will boast it their possession? apes Of liberality of heart, And dulness, of discretion. But as the gem of richest cost Employs the utmost skill she can Some will pronounce me too severe, Youth, unadmonish'd by a guide, For who but learns, with riper years, But here again a danger lies, A mere Utopian pleasure. An acquisition rather rare Nor should it seem distressful, No friendship will abide the test And mean self-love erected; Nor such as may awhile subsist "Twixt sensualist and sensualist, For vicious ends connected. Who hopes a friend, should have a heart Himself, well-furnish'd for the part, And ready on occasion To show the virtue that he seeks; For 'tis an union that bespeaks A just reciprocation. A fretful temper will divide In vain the talkative unite They drop, through mere desire to prate, And by themselves outwitted. How bright soe'er the prospect seems, An envious man, if you succeed, As envy pines at good possess'd, On good that seems approaching; And hates him for encroaching. Hence authors of illustrious name A man renown'd for repartee Beware of tattlers; keep your ear The separation of chief friends Is what their kindness most intends; Friendship that wantonly admits In brilliant altercation, Like Hand-in-Hand insurance plates, Danger of conflagration. Some fickle creatures boast a soul True as a needle to the pole ; Yet shifting, like the weather, The needle's constancy forego For any novelty, and show Its variations rather. Insensibility makes some When most you need their pity; |