Av'rice, in thee, was the desire of wealth By rust unperishable or by stealth, And if the genuine worth of gold depend On application to its noblest end,
Thine had a value in the scales of Heav'n, Surpassing all that mine or mint had giv'n. And, though God made thee of a nature prone To distribution boundless of thy own, And still by motives of religious force Impell'd thee more to that heroick course, Yet was thy liberality discreet,
Nice in its choice, and of a tempered heat; And though in act unwearied, secret still, As in some solitude the summer rill Refreshes, where it winds, the faded green, And cheers the drooping flowers, unheard, unseen Such was thy Charity; no sudden start, After long sleso of passion in the heart, But steadfast principle, and, in its kind, Of close relation to th' eternal mind. Traced easily to its true source above,
To him, whose works bespeak his nature, Love. Thy bounties all were Christian, and I make This record of thee for the Gospel's sake; That the incredulous themselves may see Its use and power exemplified in thee.
[A brief fragment of an extensive projected Poem. [May, 1791.]
"I could be well content, allow'd the use Of past experience, and the wisdom glean'd From worn-out follies, now acknowledg'd such,
To recommence life's trial in the hope
Of fewer crrours, on a second proof"" VOL. III.
Thus, while gray evening lull'd the wind, and call'd Fresh odours from the shubb'ry at my side,
Taking my lonely winding walk, I mus'd,
And held accustom'd conference with my heart, When, from within it, thus a voice replied.
"Couldst thou in truth and art thou taught at length This wisdom, and but this, from all the past? Is not the pardon of thy long arrear, Time wasted, violated laws, abuse Of talents, judgments, mercies, better far Than opportunity vouchsaf'd to err With less excuse, and haply, worse effect?"
I heard, and acquiesced; then to and fro Oft pacing, as the mariner his deck, My grav'lly bounds, from self to human kind I pass'd, and next consider'd- -what is Man?
Knows he his origin? can he ascend By reminiscence to his earliest date? Slept he in Adam? and in those from him Through num'rous generations, till he found At length his destin'd moment to be born? Or was he not, till fashion'd in the womb?
Deep myst'ries both! which schoolmen much have toil'd To unriddle, and have left them myst'ries still.
It is an evil incident to man,
And of the worst, that unexplor'd he leaves Truths useful and attainable with ease, To search forbidden deeps, where myst'ry lies Not to be solv'd, and useless if it might. Myst'ries are food for angels; they digest With ease, and find them nutriment; but man, While yet he dwells below, must stoop to glean His manna from the ground, or starve and die
THE JUDGMENT OF THE POETS.
Two nymphs, both nearly of an age, Of num'rous charms possess'd, A warm dispute once chanc'd to wage, Whose temper was the best.
The worth of each had been complete Had both alike been mild.
But one, although her smile was sweet, Frown'd oftener than she smil'd.
And in her humour, when she frown'd Would raise her voice and roar, And shake with fury to the ground The garland that she wore.
The other was of gentler cast, From all such frenzy clear,
Her frowns were seldom known to last, And never prov'd severe.
To poets of renown in song
The nymphs referr'd the cause, Who, strange to tell, all judg'd it wrong, And gave misplaced applause.
They gentle call'd, and kind and soft, The flippant and the scold,
And though she chang'd her mood so oft, That failing left untold.
No judges, sure, were e'er so mad,
Or so resolv'd to err
In short, the charms her sister had They lavish'd all on her.
Then thus the god whom fondly they Their great inspirer call,
Was heard, one genial summer's day, To reprimand them all.
"Since thus ye have combin'd," he said, "My favourite nymph to slight, Adorning May, that peevish maid, With June's undoubted right.
"The Minx shall for your folly's sake Still prove herself a shrew,
Shall make your scribbling fingers ache, And pinch your noses blue.
Begun, September, 1791. Finished, March, 1792.j
« PreviousContinue » |