The hair in curls huxuriant now Around their temples spread; The tail, that whilom hung below, Now dangled from the head. The head remains unchang'd within, Nor alter'd much the face; It still retains its native grin,
And all its old grimace.
Thus half transform'd, and half the same, Jove bade them take their place (Reftoring them their ancient claim) Among the human race.
Man with contempt the brute furvey'd, Nor would a name beftow; But woman lik'd the motiey breed, And call'd the thing a beau.
§ 334. Know Thyself. Arbuthnot. WHAT am I? how produc'd? and for what end?
Whence drew I being? to what period tend? Am I th' abandon'd orphan of blind chance, Dropp'd by wild atoms in diforder'd dance? Or from an endless chain of caufes wrought, And of unthinkingfubftance,born withthought? By motion which began without a cause, Supremely wife, without defign or laws? Am I but what I feem, mere flesh and blood? A branching channel, with a mazy flood? The purple ftream that through my veffelsglides, Dull'and unconfcious flows, like common tides; The pipes through whichthecircling juices ftray, Are not that thinking I, no more than they: This frame, compacted with transcendent skill Of moving joints obedient to my will,
Nurs'd from the fruitful glebe, like yonder tree, Waxes and waftes; I call it mine, not me. New matter still the mould'ring mass sustains : The mansion chang'd, the tenant ftill remains, And from the fleeting stream repair'd by food, Distinct, as is the fwimmer from the flood.
What am I then? fure of a noble birth; By parent's right, I own as mother, Earth; But claim fuperior lineage by my fire, Who warm'd th' unthinking clod with heavenly Effence divine, with lifeless clay allay'd, [fire; By double nature, double inftinct (way'd: With look erect, I dart my longing eye, Seem wing'd to part, and gain my native sky; I ftrive to mount, out strive, alas! in vain, Tied to this maily globe with magic chain. Now with fwift thought I range from pole to pole, View worlds around their flaming centres roll: What fteady pow'rs their endless motions guide Through the fame tracklefs paths of boundless I trace the blazing comet's fiery tail, And weigh the whirling planets in a scale; Thefe godlike thoughts while eager I pursue, Some glittring trifle offer'd to my view, A gnat, an infect of the meanest kind, Erafe the new-born image from my mind: Some beaftly want, craving, importunate, Vile as the grinning mastiff at my gate,
Calls off from heavenly truth this reas'nin And tells me I'm a brute as much as he. If, on fublimer wings of love and praise, My foul above the ftarry vault I raise, Lur'd by fome vain conceit, or shameful I flag, I drop, and flutter in the duft. The tow'ring lark thus, from her lofty ftr Stoops to an emmet, or a barley grain. By adverse guits of jarring instincts toft, I rove to one, now to the other coaft; To blifs unknown my lofty foul afpires, My lot unequal to my vaft defires. As 'mongst the hinds a child of royal birth Finds his high pedigree by confcious wort So man, amongit his fellow brutes expos'd See he's a king, but 'tis a king depos'd. Pity him beals! you by no law confin'd, And barr'd from devious paths by being bi Whilft man, through op'ning views of var
Confounded, by the aid of knowledge ftra Too weak to choose, yet choofing ftill in ha One moment gives the pleature and distatte Bilk'd by past minutes, while the prefent c The hatt'ring future ftill must give the joy: Not happy, but anus'd upon the road, And (like you) thoughtless of his laft abod Whether next fun his being fhall restrain To endless nothing, happinefs, or pain. Around me, lo! the thinking thoughtless c (Bewidder'd each) their diffrent paths pun Of them I atk the way; the firft replies, Thou art a god; and fends me to the skies: Down on the turf, the next, two two-legg'd be There fix thy lot, thy blifs and endless reft: Between these wide extremes the length is fu I find I know too little or too much. Almighty Pow`r, by whofe moft wife c
Helple!s, forlorn, uncertain here I ftand; Take this faint glimm ring of thyfelf away Or break into my foul with perfect day!" This faid, expanded lay the facred text, The balm, the light, the guide of fouls perplex Thus the benighted traveller, that trays Through doubtful paths, enjoys the morni
The nightly mift, and thick defcending dew Parting, unfold the fields and vaulted blue. O Truth divine! enlighten'd by thy ray,
I grope and guess no more, but fee my way Thou clear'dit the fecret of my high defcent And toldft me what thole myitic tokens mean Marks of my birth, which I had worn in vai Too hard for worldly fages to explain. Zeno's were vain, vain Epicurus' schemes, Their fyftems falfe, delufive were their dream Unfkill'd my two-fold nature to divide, [prid One nurs'd my pleasure, and one nurs'd m Thofe jarring truths which human art beguile Thy facred page thus bids me reconcile. Offspring of God, no lefs thy pedigree, [be, What thou once wert, art now, and still may Thy God alone can tell, alone decree;
"ties to dropp'dft from his unerring skill, | Our narrow luxuries would foon be ftale. the pow'r to fin, fince free of will: harest with thy guilt his bounteous love, botas pow'r to walk has pow'r to rove: by force impell'd can nought deferve; idor fhort of infinite may fwerve. on thy new-imp'd wings, thou took 'ft thy y Creator, and the realms of light; [flight, I'd his gentle precept to fulfil, And that to grow a god by doing ill: To by guilt thy heav'nly form defac'd, Ing'd, from happy manfions chas'd, Tatarain't fome fparks of heavenly fire, Tots mount, yet restless to aspire;
Were these exhaustless, Nature would grow fick, And, cloy'd with pleasure, fqueamishly complain That all was vanity, and life a dream. Let nature reft: be busy for yourself, And for your friend; be bufy even in vain, Rather than teafe her fated appetites. Who never fafts, no banquet e'er enjoys; Who never toils or watches, never fleeps. Let nature reft: and when the taste of joy Grows keen, indulge; but fhun fatiety.
tough to feek thy blifs again,
taough to make thy fearch in vain. zares now withdraw their kindly use, thee, fome torment, and fome feduce; t-fuited to fuch different guests, thy fenfe defires, thy foul diftastes: , thy curiofity, thy pride, or indulg'd, or baulk'd or gratified, and make thee equally unblefs'd [fefs'd, ou want it, and what thou haft pofhop ft for blifs on this poor clod; and feck thy Father and thy God; Yet to regain thy native iky,
the wings of vain philofophy! Mi paffage! hid from human eyes: Song all fink, and finking you will rife: Lee thoughts thy weary footsteps guide; qur by meekness what you loft by pride.
'Tis not for mortals always to be bleft. But him the leaft the dull or painful hours Of life opprefs, whom fober Sense conducts, Aud Virtue, thro' this labyrinth we tread. Virtue and Senfe I mean not to disjoin; Virtue and Sense are one: and, trust me, he Who has not virtue, is not truly wife. Virtue (for mere Good-nature is a fool) Is fenfe and fpirit, with humanity:
fl loofenefs when he pleas'd put on, ng could inftruct. Much had he read, More had feen; he ftudied from the life, ath original perus'd mankind.
'Tis fometimes angry, and its frown confounds; 'Tis e'en vindictive, but in vengeance just. Knayes fain would laugh at it; fome great ones But at his heart the molt undaunted fon [dare; Of fortune dreads its name and awful charms. To nobleft ufes this determines wealth; This is the folid pomp of profperous days, The peace and fhelter of adversity, And if you pant for glory, build your fame On this foundation, which the fecret shock Defies of Envy and all-fapping Time. The gaudy glofs of Fortune only strikes The vulgar eye: the fuffrage of the wife, The praife that's worth ambition, is attain'd By fenfe alone and dignity of mind.
in the woes and vanities of life, man; and much he pitied those ely-fmiling fate has curs'd with means se their days in quest of joy. Tis happiness: tis yours, 'tis mine, 'tis the purfuit of all that live; attain it, if 'twas e'er attain'd. By the widelt wander from the mark, Watro' the flow'ry paths of faunt'ring Joy this coy goddess; that from stage to stage still, but thifts as we purfue. tot to name the pains that pleasure brings counterpoife itself, relentless Fate
ds that we thro' gay voluptuous wilds aideyer roam; and were the Fates more kind,
Virtue, the ftrength and beauty of the foul, Is the best gift of Heaven: a happiness That even above the fimiles and frowns of fate Exalts great Nature's favourites: a wealth That ne'er encumbers, nor to baser hands Can be transferr'd: it is the only good Man justly boafts of, or can call his own. Riches are oft by guilt and bafenefs earn'd; Or dealt by chance to fhield a lucky knave, Or throw a cruel funfhine on a fool. But for one end, one much neglected use, Are riches worth your care (for nature's wants Are few, and without opulence fupplied) This noble end is, to produce the Soul, To fhew the virtues in their fairest light; To make humanity the minister
Of bounteous Providence; and teach the breaft That generous luxury the gods enjoy.- Thus, in his graver vein, the friendly Sage Sometimes declaim'd. Of right and wrong he Truths as refin'd as ever Athens heard; [taught And(strangetotell!)hepractis'dwhat hepreach'd.
Of regal envy, ftrew the public way With hallow'd ruins!-when the mufe's h The marble porch where wisdom, wont to | With Socrates or Tully, hears no more, Save the hoarfe jargon of contentious mon Or female fuperftition's midnight pray`r- When ruthlefs rapine from the hand of Ti Tears the deftroying fcythe, with furer blo To fweep the works of glory from their ba Till defolation o'er the grafs-grown street Expands his raven-wings, and up the wall, Where fenatesoncetheprideof monarchs doo Hiffes the gliding fnake thro' hoary weeds Thatclafpthe mould'ring column;-thus f Thus widely mournful when the profpect th Thy beating bofom, when the patriot's tea Starts from thine eye, and thy extended aim In fancy hurls the thunderbolt of Jove To fire the impious wreath on Philip's bro Or dafh Octavius from the trophied car- say, does thy fecret foul repine to talte The big diftrefs ? Or wouldit thon then excha Thofe heart-ennobling forrows, for the lot Of him who fits amid the gaudy herd Of mute barbarians bending to his nod, |And bears aloft his gold-inverted front, And fays within himself "I am a king, [" "And wherefore fhould the clam'rous voic "Intrude upon mine ear?" The bale fuld Of thefe late ages, this inglorious draughe Of fervitude and folly, have not yet, Blefs'd be th' Eternal Ruler of the world! Defil'd to fuch a depth of fordid shame The native honours of the human foul, Nor fo effac'd the image of its fire.
That Virtue's awful fteps, howe'er pursued By vexing Fortune and intrusive Pain, Should never be divided from her chaste, Her fair attendant, Pleafure. Need I urge Thy tardy thought through all the various round Of this existence, that thy foft'ning foul At length may learn what energy the hand Of virtue mingles in the bitter tide Of paffion fwelling with diftrefs and pain, To mitigate the fharp with gracious drops Of cordial Pleasure? Ask the faithful youth, Why the cold urn of her whom long he lov'd So often fills his arms; fo often draws His lonely footsteps, at the filent hour, To pay the mournful tribute of his tears? O! he will tell thee, that the wealth of worlds Should ne'er feduce his bofom to forego That facred hour, when, stealing from the noife Of care and envy, fweet remembrance fooths With virtue's kindeft looks his aching breaft, And turns his tears to rapture.-Afk the crowd Which flies impatient from the village-walk To climb the neighb`ring cliffs, when far below The cruel winds have hurl'd upon the coaft Some hapless bark; while facred pity melts The gen'ral eye, or terrors icy hand Sites their diftorted limbs and horrent hair; While every mother closer to her breat Catches her child, and, pointing where the waves Foam through the fhatter'd vefiel, thricks aloud, As one poor wretch, that fpreads his piteous arms For fuccour, fwallow'd by the roaring furge, As now another, dash'd against the rock,, Drops lifelefs down. O deemeft thou indeed No kind endearment here by nature given To mutual terror and compaffion's tears? No fweetly-melting foftnefs which attracts, O'er all that edge of pain, the focial pow'rs, To this their proper action and their end?- Atk thy own heart; when at the midnight hour, Slow through that ftudious gloom thy paufing eye" Led by the glimm'ring taper moves around The facred volumes of the dead, the fongs Of Grecian bards, and records writ by Fame For Grecian heroes, where the prefent pow'r Of heaven and earth furveys th' immortal page, E'en as a father bleffing, while he reads The praifes of his fon; if then thy foni, Spurning the yoke of these inglorious days, Mix in their deeds and kindle with their flame: Say, when the profpe& blackens on thy view; When, rooted from the bafe, heroic states Mourn in the duft and tremble at the frown Of curs'd Ambition;--when the pious band Of youths that fought for freedom and their fires, Lie fide by fide in gore ;--when russian-pride Ufurps the throne of justice, turns the pomp Of public pow'r, the majefty of rule, The fword, the laurel, and the purple robe, To flavish empty pageants, to adorn A tyrant's walk, and glitter in the eyes Of fuch as bow the knee;-when honour'd Of patriots and of chiefs, the awful bust And storied arch, to glut the coward race
$337. A Paraphrafe on Pfalm Ixxiv. 16, 1
Mils Williams. "The day is thine, the night alfo is thine; theu "prepared the light and the fun.
Thou haft fet all the borders of the carth; thou'.
"made fummer and winter."
My God! all nature.owns thy fway, Thou giv'ft the night, and thou the day! When morning, rich in lustre, breaks, When all thy lov'd creation wakes, And bathes in dew the op'ning flower, To thee we owe her flagrant hour; Her melodies to thee belong! And when the pours her choral fong, Or when, in paler tints array'd, The evening flowly fpreads her fhade; That foothing fhade, that grateful gloom, Still ev'ry fond and vain defire, Can more than day's enliv'ning bloom |And calmer, purer thoughts in (pire ; From earth the pensive spirit free, And lead the foften'd heart to Thee. In ev'ry fcene thy hands have drefs'd, In ev'ry form by thee imprefs'd, Or where the fhelt ring woods are spreads Upon the mountain's awful head, In ev'ry note that fwells the gale, Or tuneful fiream that cheers the vale,
The awas depth, or echoing grove, A veke heard of praise, and love. Loerty work the feafons roll, Badth, with change of blifs, the foul, tever may their fmiling train Aver the human scene in vain! But of, as on the charm we gaze, Are the wund'ring foul to praife; A be the joys that moft we prize Tthat rom thy favour rife!
|When wild,destructive flames fhall wrap thefkies, When Chaos triumphs, and when Nature dies; Man fhall alone the wreck of worlds furvive, Midlt falling spheres, immortal man shall live! The voice which bade the last dread thunders roll, Shall whifper to the good, and cheer their foul. God fhall himself his favour'd creature guide Where living waters pour their blifsful tide, Where the enlarg'd, exulting, wond'ring mind Shall foar, from weakness and from guilt refin'd; Where perfect knowledge, bright with cloudless Shall gild eternity's unmeasur'd days; [rays, Where friendship, unembitter'd by diftruft, Shall in immortal bands unite the juft; Devotion, rais'd to rapture, breathe her strain, And love in his eternal triumph reign!
§339. A Paraphrafe on Matt. vii. 12.
woman forget her fucking child, that the « Bettas e compatsion on the son of her womb? forget, yet will I not forget thee." AFE pass. On Nature, liften and rejoice! ted from pole to pole this gracious voice! every breat of human frame, that proves dels force with which a parent loves;" What foever ye would that men fhould do to you, other from her yearning heart et inage of her child depart? [bear aring inftinct arms with strength to es of hi, to field that deareft care; witanguith ftung, wirh madnels wild, death to fave her threaten'd child, tangs banish'd from her breaft, em to make another's blefter vex'd infant to her bofom clings, and her neck his eager arms he flings; der it'ning foul his melting figh, laus'd with tears, his afking eye! We for all ambition can attain,
act pleasure, or the lures of gain, Nature's feelings? will the prove s of daty, and of love? Bmother from her yearning heart age of her child depart; Winfant to her bofom clings, We neck his eager arms he flings; apitying hear his melting figh, Adamov'd the tear that fills his eye; de, for all ambition can attain,
ars of pleasure, or the lures of gain, 4 trong Nature's feeling fhould the
to the claims of duty and of love! tres will the God, whofe word gave birth mind orbs, and this fair earth; the boundless depths of tracklefs fpace wak'd beauty fpread eachperfect grace; Le torm'd the vaft ftupendous whole, Este bounties on the human foul; Wash resion's light illumes, which friendship
Writy foftens, and which virtue charms; the pure affections' gen'rous glow, they joy, and bleeds for others' woeteer will the gen'ral Father prove
"do ye even fo to them." PRECEPT divine! to earth in mercy given; O facred rule of action, worthy heaven! Whofe pitying love ordain'd the bleft command To bind our nature in a firmer band; Enforce each human fuff'rer's strong appeal, And teach the fcififh breaft what others feel; Wert thou the guide of life, mankind might know A foft exemption from the worst of woe; No more the powerful would the weak opprefs, But tyrants learn the luxury to bless; No more would flavery bind a hopeless train Of human victims in her galling chain: Mercy the hard, the cruel heart would move To foften mis'ry by the deeds of love; And av'rice from his hoarded treasures give, Unalk'd, the liberal boon, that want might live! The impious tongue of falfehood then wouldcease To blait, with dark fuggeftions, virtue's peace; No more would spleen or paffion banish reit, And plant a pang in fond affection's breast; By one harth word, one alter'd look, destroy Her peace, and wither ev'ry op'ning joy; Scarce canher tongue the captious wrongexplain, The flight offence which gives fo deep a pain! Th' affected cafe that flights her starting tear, Thewordswhofe coldnefskills from lips fodear;- The hand the loves, alone can point the dart, Whofe hiddenftingcould wound no other heart- Thefe, of all pains the fharpeft we endure, The breaft which now inflicts, would spring to No more deferted genius then would fly (cure.- To breathe in folitude his hopeless figh; No more would fortune's partial fmile debafe The fpirit, rich in intellectual grace; [bloom, Who views unmov'd from fcenes where pleasures The flame of genius funk in mis'ry's gloom; The foul heaven form'd to foar, by want depreft, Nor heeds the wrongs that pierce akindred breast. Thou righteous Law,whofe clear and ufeful light Sheds on the mind a ray divinely bright; Condensing in one rule whate'er the fage Has proudly taught, in inany a labour'd page; Bid every heart thy hallow'd voice revere, To juftice facred, and to nature dear!
foretrul, man the child of love!" Waadthate planets in their ample spheres ve wing their courfe, and roll'd their
din'd years: When the vatt fun thall veil his golden light
pa the gloom of everlasting night;
§ 340. Reflections on a Future State, from a Review of Winter. Thomion. "Tis done! dread Winter fpreads his lateft glooms,
And reigns tremendous o'er the conquer'd year. How dead the vegetable kingdom lies! How dumb the tuneful! Horror wide extends His defolate domain. Behold, fond man! See here thy pictur'd life: pafs fome few years, Thy flow'ring Spring, thy Summer's ardent ftrength,
Thy fober Autumn fading into age, And pale concluding Winter come: at last, And thuts the fcene. Ah! whither now are fled Thofe dreams of greatnefs? thofe unfolid hopes Of happiness? thofe longings after fame? Those restlefs cares? thole bufy buftling days? Thofe gay-spent, feftive nights? thofe veering thoughts
Loft between good and ill, that shar'd thy life? All now are vanith'd! Virtue fole furvives Immortal never-failing friend of man, His guide to happinefs on high. And fee! 'Tis come, the glorious morn! the fecond birth Of heaven and earth! awak'ning nature hears The new-creating word, and ftarts to life, In ev'ry heighten'd forin, from pain and death For ever free. The great eternal scheme, Involving all, and in a perfect whole Uniting as the profpect wider spreads, To reafon's eye refin'd clears up apace. Ye vainly wife ye blind prefumptuous! Confounded in the duft, adore that Pow'r And Wifdom oft arraign'd; fee now the caufe Why unaffuming worth in fecret liv'd, And died neglected: why the good man's fhare In life was gall and bitterness of foul: Why the lone widow and her orphans pin'd In ftarving folitude; while luxury, In palaces, lay training her low thought, To form unreal wants; why heaven-born truth, And moderation fair, wore the red marks Of fuperftition's fcourge: why licens'd pain, That cruel spoiler, that embofom'd foe," Embitter'd all our blifs. Ye good diftrefs'd! Ye noble few! who here unbending stand Beneath life's preffure, yet hear up awhile, And what your bounded view, which only faw A little part, deem'd evil, is no more: The ftorms of Wintry Time will quickly pafs, And one unbounded Spring encircle all.
§ 341. On Slavery. Mifs H. Falconar. To man fuperior reafon's light was giv'n Reason, the nobleft gift of bounteous Heav'n, Unfailing beam, bright intellectual ray, Thor fteady guide through error's devious way, Say, wert thou firft by gracious Heav'n defign'd To ftamp injuftice on the human kind? Forbid it truth, forbid it ev'ry breast That heaves in pity for the wretch oppreft: Yet reafon, juftice, mercy, plead in vain; Still the fad victim drags his galling chain; S
Still bows fubmiffive to the tyrant hand That tore the fuff'rer from his native land Yet, ere the arts of luxury began, They boafted liberty, the right of man; Serene, they faw each peaceful morning fmi Joy led their hours, and plenty blefs'd their Their pleading fighs, their fuppliant, mo pray`r,
Daughter of Virtue! Royal Charlotte, hea Sovereign, yet parent of this happy ifle, O'er whofe gay plains fair plenty deigns to Where fpotlefs peace extends her azure wit And liberty's enchanting bloffoms fpring Thine is compattion's fympathetic figh, The melting tear that beams in pity's eye- The heart like thine, that feels another's pa Hears not diftrefs'd misfortune plead in va Be 't thine to heal pale forrow's wounded br And lull each raging paffion into reft; Let not the wretched flave in vain deplore® The long-loft joys he must behold no more Then, while Britannia hails thy facred nam A deed like this fhall fwell the trump of fan Virtues like thine fhall wake the founding Each bofom glow with emulative fire; And fwell'd with themes like this, the poet's Remain admir'd through each fuccceding a
When Superftition rais'd her threat'ning And scatter'd horror round the bleeding lin On fad Britannia's ravag'd plains the flood, Drench'd in one fatal ftream of martyr'd b O'er ev'ry scene with fell delight the flew, And fmil'd, exulting, at the dreadful view Religion's facred truths, though once de To banith error from the darken'd mind, Avail'd not here; her pure celestial light, Loft in the gloom of Superftition's night, Drooping, beheld the fatal torrent roll Refiftlefs terrors o'er the doubtful foul; Till bright Eliza came, whofe matchlefs f Call'd forth the dawn of fair Religion's da Cherifh'd the genial influence as it rofe, Difpell'd their errors and reliev'd their w Shall Britain, then,who boasts th' unrivall'd Relentless, fee the guiltless victim bleed? Amid the horrors of tormenting pain He feeks for mercy, but he feeks in vain; Affrighted Mercy quits the guilty land, Where grim Oppreffion waves her tyrant's h Where, to the favage herd, a harmless prey Sinks faint beneath the fervid beam of day Or, haply trembling in the midnight air, Sunk in the deepest gloom of low defpair; Or burning thirst and furious want, combi With wild diftraction fire his glowing min Till death reitores to him eternal reit, And calms the tumults of his troubled br The British youth, torn from his much
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