THE

INTRODUCTION.

BEING

TWO O DE S.

The former on

Good-Nature, the latter against Ill-Nature.

H

On GOO D-N A TURE.

1.

AIL cherub of the highest Heav'n,
Of look divine, and temper ev'n,

Celestial sweetness, exquifite of mien,
Of ev'ry virtue, ev'ry praife the queen

!

II.

Soft gracefulness, and blooming youth,
Where, grafted on the stem of truth,

That friendship reigns, no intereft can divide,
And great humility looks down on pride.
III.
Oh! curfe on Slander's vip'rous tongue,
That daily dares thy merit wrong;

Ideots ufurp thy title, and thy frame,
Without or virtue, talent, tafte, or name.

B

IV. Is

IV.

Is apathy, is heart of steel,

Nor ear to hear, nor fenfe to feel,

Life idly inoffenfive fuch a grace,

That it fhou'd steal thy name and take thy place?

V.

No---thou art active---spirit all---
Swifter than light'ning, at the call

Of injur'd innocence, or griev'd defert,
And large with liberality's thy heart.
VI.

Thy appetites in easy tides
(As reafon's luminary guides)

Soft flow---no wind can work them to a ftorm,
Correctly quick, difpaffionately warm.

VII.

Yet if a transport thou canft feel
'Tis only for thy neighbours weal:

Great, generous acts thy ductile paffions move,
And smilingly thou weep'ft with joy and love.
VIII.

Mild is thy mind to cover shame,
Averse to envy, flow to blame,

Bursting to praise, yet ftill fincere and free
From flatt'ry's fawning tongue, and bending knee.

IX. Extensive,

IX.

Extenfive, as from weft to east,
Thy love descends from man to beast,
Nought is excluded little, or infirm,
Thou canst with greatness ftoop to fave a worm.
X.

Come, goddess, come with all thy charms
For Oh! I love thee, to my arms---

All, all my actions guide, my fancy feed,
So fhall existence then be life indeed.

Against ILL-N A TURE.

I.

O

FSPRING of folly and of pride,
To all that's odious, all that's bafe allied;
Nurs'd up by vice, by pravity misled,
By pedant affectation taught and bred:
Away, thou hideous hell-born fpright,
Go, with thy looks of dark defign,

1.3.)

Sullen, four, and faturnine

; ;

Fly to fome gloomy fhade, nor blot the goodly light. Thy planet was remote, when I was born;

'Twas Mercury that rul'd my natal morn,

What time the fun exerts his genial ray,
And ripens for enjoyment every growing day;
When to exift is but to love and fing,
And sprightly Aries fmiles upon the spring.
II.

There in yon lonesome heath, Which Flora, or Sylvanus never knew,

Where never vegetable drank the dew, Or beast, or fowl attempts to breathe ;

Where Nature's pencil has no colours laid; But all is blank, and universal shade;

Contraft to figure, motion, life and light, There may'st thou vent thy fpight,

For ever curfing, and for ever curs'd, Of all th' infernal crew the worst;

The