Works of William Cowper

;; ; EXPOSTULATION. §5Successive loads succeeding broils im- Proud of thy fleets and armies, stolenpose, the gemAnd sighing millions prophesy the Of His just praise to lavish it on them?close. (well. Hast thou not learn'd, what thou artIs ad verse Pro v: dcnce ,when ponderd often told,So dimly writ or difficult to spell, A truth still sacred, and believed of old,Thou canst not read with readiness That no success attends on spears andand ease swords [Lord's ?Providence ad verse in events like these? TJubless'd, and (hat the battle is theKnow then, that heavenly wisdom on That Courage is His creature; and Dis-this ball [mates all may [away,Creates, gives birth to, guides, consum- The post, that at His bidding speedsThat, while laborious and quick- Ghastly in feature, and His stammeringthoughted man [to plan, tongue [hung,Snuffs up the praise of what he seems With doleful rumour and sad presageHe first conceives then perfects his To quell the valour of the stoutestdesign, heart, [part?As a mere instrument in hands divine: And teach the combatants a woman'sBlind to the working of that secret That lie bids thousands fly when nonepower pursue.That balances the wings of every hour. Saves as He will, by many or by few.The busy trifler dreams himself alone. And claims for ever, as his royal right,Frames many a purpose, and God The event and sure decision of theworks his own. [and wane. fight? [Freedom's breast,States thrive or wither as moons wax Hast thou, though suckled at fairEven as His will and His decrees or- Exported slavery to the conquer'd East?dain Pull'd dow the t3Ta.nts India served ;While honour, virtue, piety, bear sway. with dread.They flourish; and, as these decline, And raised thyself, a greater, in theirdecay. stead? [tum'd full,In just resentment of His injured laws. Gone thither arm'd and hungry, re-He pours contempt on them and on Fed from the richest veins of thetheir cause; [athwart Mogul, [wealth,Strikes the rough thread of error right A despot big with power obtain'd bj'The web of every scheme they have at And that obtain'd by ranine and byheart [dust stealth ?Bids rottenness invade and bring to With Asiatic vices stored thy mind.The pillars of support in which they But left their virtues and thine owntrust, [shame behind. [home the fee,And do His errand of disgrace and And, having trnck'd thy soul, broughtOn the chief strength and glory of the To tempt the poor to sell himself toframe. [wi-ought. thee? [designNone ever yet impeded what He Hast thou by statute shoved from itsNone bars Him out from His most The Saviour's feast. His own blestsecret thought bread and wine.Darkness itself before His eye is light. And made the symbols of atoning graceAnd Hell's close mischief naked in His An ofQce-key, a picklock to a place.sight. That infidels may prove their title goodStand now and judge thyself—Hast By an oath dipp'd in sacramental blood ?thou incurr'd A blot that will be stUl a blot, in spiteHis anger who can waste thee with a Of all that grave apologists may write,word, [land, And though a bishop toil to cleanse theWho poises and proportions sea and stain, [vain.Weighing them in the hollow of His He wipes and scours the silver cup inhand, [seem And hast thou sworn on every slightAnd in whoso awful sight all nations pretence.As grasshoppers, as dust, a drop, a Till perjuries are common as bad pence,dream ? While thousands, careless of the dam-, Hast thou (a sacrOege His soul abhors) ning sin.i Claim'd all the glory of thy prosperous Kiss the book's outside, who ne'er look wars, within?I

; :; ; ; :86 COWPEE'S POEMS.Hast thou, when Heaven has clothed The man that dares traduce, becausethee with disgrace, [face, he canAnd, long provok'd, repaid thee to thy With safety to himself, is not a man.(For thou hast known eclipses, and An individual is a sacred mark,endured [obscured, Not to be pierced in play, or in theDimness and anguish, all thy beams dark;When sin has shed dishonour on thy But public censure speaks a public foe, brow Unless a zeal for virtue guide the blow.And never of a sabler hue than now:) The priestly brotherhood, devout,Hast thou with heart perverse and sincere, [clear,conscience sear\"d, From mean self-interest and ambitionDespising all rebuke, still persevered; Their hope in Heaven, servility theirAnd, having chosen evil, scom'd the scorn, [warn,voice [choice? Prompt to persuade, expostulate, andThat cried. Eepent! and gloried in thy Their wisdom pure and given themThy fastings, when calamity at last from above, [love.Suggests the expedient of a yearly fast, Their usefulness ensured by zeal andWhat mean they? Canst thou dream As meek as the man Moses, and withalthere is a power As bold as, in Agrippa's presence, Paul,In lighter diet at a later hour, Should fly the world's contaminatingTo charm to sleep the threatening of touch.the skies, [eyes ? —Holy and unpolluted : Are thine such?And hide past folly from all-seeing Except a few with Eli's spirit blest,The fast that wins deliverance, and Hophui and Phlnehas may describesuspends [tends. the rest.The stroke that a vindictive God in- Where s<hall a teacher look, in daysIs to renounce hypocrisy; to draw like these, [to please?Thy life upon the pattern of the law; For ears and hearts that ho can hopeTo war \vith pleasure, idolised before Look to the poor— the simple and theTo vanquish lust, and wear its yoke no plainmore. [tence. Will hear perhaps thy salutary strainAll fasting else, whate'er be the pre- Humility is gentle, apt to learn.Is wooing mercy by renew'd offence. Speak but the word, will listen andHast thou within thee sin, that in old return.time [ing crime. Alas, not so! the poorest of the SockBrought fire from heaven, the sex-abus- Are proud, and set their faces as aWhose horrid perpetration stamps dis- rock; [choose.grace [race? Denied that earthly opulence theyBaboons are free from, upon human God's better gift tliey scoff at andThink on the fruitful and well-water'd refuse.spot [wealthy Lot. The rich, the produce of a nobler stem,That fed the flocks and herds of —Aremore intelligent at least, try them.Where Paradise seem'd still vouch- Oh vain inquiry I they without remorsesafed on earth, [dearth; Are altogether gone a devious course,Burning and scorch'd into perpetual Where beckoning Pleasure leads them,Or. in his words who damn'd the base wildly stray [away.desire, Have burst the bands, and cast the yokeSuffering the vengeance of eternal fire Now, borne upon the wings of truthThen Nature, injured, scandalised, de- sublime,filed, [and smiled; Beview thy dim original and prime.TJnveil'd her blushing cheek, look'd on, This island-spot of unreclaLm\"d rudeBeheld with joy the lovely scene de- earth, [birth.faced, [beauties waste. The cradle that received thee at thyAnd praised the wrath that laid her Was rock'd by many a rough Nor-Far be the thought from any verse wegian blast.of mine, [design. And Danish bowlings scared thee asAnd farther still the form'd and fixd they pass\"dTo thrust the charge of deeds that I For thou wast born amid the din ofdetest arms.Against an innocent unconscious And suck'd a breast that panted withbreast alarms.

:: ; ;; ;: ; ;; ;!; EXPOSTULATION. 97While yet thou wast a grovelling, pul- And to this hour, to keep it fresh in 'ing chit, [not knit, mind, [behind.Thy bones not fashion 'd, and thy joints Some t^vigs of that old scourge are leftThe Eoman taught thy stubborn knee Thy soldiery, the Pope's well-managedto bow, [thee now pack, [knew the smack.Though twice a Csesar could not bend Were train'd beneath his lash, andHis victory was that of orient light, And, when he laid them on the scentWhen the suns shafts disperse the of blood, [flood.gloom of night. [shows Would hunt a Saracen through fire andThy language at this distant moment Lavish of life, to win an empty tomb,How much the country to the con- That proved a mint of wealth, a minequeror owes to Home, [skies,Expressive, energetic, and refined, They left their bonesbeneath unfriendlyIt sparkles with the gems he left be- His worthless absolution all the prize. Thou wast the veriest slave in days ofhind, [he came.He brought thy land a blessing when j'ore, [oar;He found thee savage, and he left thee That ever dragg'd a chain or tugg'd antame; [painted hide. Thy monarchs arbitrary, fierce, unjust,Taught thee to clothe thy pink\i and Themselves the slaves of bigotrj' orAnd graced thy figure yrith a soldier's lust.pride [went, Disdain'd thy counsels, only in distressHe sow'd the seeds of order where he Found thee a goodly sponge for PowerImproved thee far beyond his own to press.intent, [alone. Thy chiefs, the lords of many a pettyAnd while he ruled thee by the sword fee, [plagued thee;Made thee at last a warrior like his own. Provoked and harass'd, in returnEeligion, if in heavenly truths attired, Call'd thee away from peaceable em-Needs only to be seen to be admired ploy, ;But thine, as dark as witcheries of the Domestic happiness and rural joy.night, [the sight To waste thy life in arms, or lay itWas form'd to harden hearts and shock down [their own.Thy Druids struck the well-strung In causeless feuds and bickerings ofhai-ps they bore [gore; Thy parliaments adored on bendedWith fingers deeply dyed in human lineos [to pleaseAnd, whUe the victim slowly bled to I The sovereignty they were conveneddeath, [dying breath. ', Whate'er was ask'd, too timid to resist,Upon the tolling chords rung out his Complied with, and were graciouslyWho brought the lamp that with I dismiss'd [espress'd,awaking beams [thy dreams, And if some Spartan soul a doubtDispell'd thy gloom, and broke away And, blushing at the tameness of theTradition, now decrepit and worn out, i rest, [choice,Babbler of ancient fables, leaves a Dared to suppose the subject had adoubt He was a traitor by the general voice.But still light reach'd thee ; and those Oh slave ! with powers thou didst notgods of thine, [shrine, dare exert, [desertWoden and Thor, each tottering in his Verse cannot stoop so low as thyFell, broken and defaced, at his own It shakes the sides of splenetic Disdain,door. Thou self-entitled ruler of the main. To trace thee to the date when yon fairAs Dagon in Philistia long before. sea,But Rome with sorceries and magic That clips thy shores, had no suchwand I every laud charms for theeSoon raised a cloud that darken'd When other nations flew from coast toAnd thine was smother'd in the stenchand fog coast, [boast.Of Tiber's marshes and the papal bog. And thou hadst neither fleet nor flag toThen priests with bulls and briefs, and Kneel now, and lay thy forehead inshaven crowns. [frowns, the dust I [mustAnd griping fists and unrelenting Blush if thou canst ; not petrified, thouLegates and delegates with powers Act but an honest and a faithful part;from hell, [thee well Compare what then thou wast withThough heavenly in pretension, fleeced what thou art

—;; ; ! ;; ;33 COWPER'S POEMS.And Grod's disposing providence con- He found the laurel only; —happier you, fess'd. The unfading laurel and the virgin toolObduracy itself must yield the rest. Now think, if Pleasure have a thoughtThen thou art hound to serve him, and to spare,to prove, If God himself be not beneath her careHourafterhour. thy gratitude and love. If business, constant as the wheels ofHas He not hid thee and thy favour'd time, [rhyme;land, [hand, Can pause one hour to read a seriousFor ages, safe beneath His sheltering If the new maU thy merchants nowGiven thee his blessing on the clearest receive.proof, [aloof. Or expectation of the next give leave;Bid nations leagued against thee stand Oh think, if chargeable with deepAnd charged Hostility and Hate to roar arrears [years,Where else they would, but not upon For such indulgence gilding all thy [tuous Spain How much, though long neglected,thy shore ?Hispowersecuredthee.whenpresump- shining yet, [sweU'd the debt.Baptized her fleet Invincible in vain The beams of heavenly truth haveHer gloomy monarch, doubtful and When persecuting zeal made royalresign' d, [mind, sport [court.To every pang that racks an anxious With tortured innocence in Mary'sAsk'd of the waves that broke upon his And Bonner, blithe as shepherd at acoast, [All lost wake, [the stake;What tidings ? and the surge replied— Enjoy'd the show, and danced aboutAnd when the Stuart, leaning on the The sacred Book, its value understood,Scot, [forgot, Received the seal of martyrdom inThen too much fear'd.and now too much blood, [grace.Pierced to the very centre of the realm. Those holy men, so full of truth andAnd hoped to seize his abdicated helm, Seem to reflection of a different race.'Twas but to prove how quickly, with a Meek, modest, venerable, wise, sincere,frown, [pluck'd thee down. In such a cause they could not dare toHe that had raised thee could have fear [such a prize,Peculiar is the grace by thee possess'd, They could not purchase earth withThy foes implacable, thy land at rest Or spare a life too short to reach theThy thimders travel over earth and skies. [tideseas, [and ease. From them to thee, convey'd along theAnd all at home is pleasure, wealth, Their streaming hearts pour'd freely'Tis thus, extending his tempestuous when they died, [years impair.arm. Those truths, which neither use norThy Maker fills the nations with alarm, Invite thee, woo thee, to the bliss theyW^hUe his own heaven surveys the share.troubled scene, [serene. What dotage will not Vanity maintain ?And feels no change, unshaken and What web too weak to catch a modernFreedom, in other lauds scarce known brain ?to shine, [thine The moles and bats in full assembly find.Pours out a flood of splendour upon On special search, the keen-eyed eagleThou hast as bright an interest in her blind. now? I And did they dream, and art thou wiserrays [days.As ever Soman had in Eome's best Prove it:— if better, I submit and bow.True freedom is where no restraint is Wisdom and Goodness are twinborn,known [disown. one heartThat Scriptiu-e, justice, and good sense Must hold both sisters.never seen apart.Where only vice and injury are tied, So then— as darkness overspread theAnd all from shore to shore is free deep.beside. Ere nature rose from her eternal sleep.Such Freedom is,— and Windsor's And this delightful earth, and that fairhoary towers sk.y,Stood trembling at the boldness of thy Leap'd out of nothing, call'd by thepowers, [plain. Most HighThat v.-ou a nymph on that immortal By such a change thy darkness is madeLike her the fabled Phoebus woo'd in light, [might;vain: Thy c'naos order, and thy weakness

;; ; ; EXPOSTULATION.And He, whose power mere nullity That blessings truly sacred, and whenobej-3, [foi- His praise. given,Who found thee nothing, form'd thee Mark'd with the signature and stampTo praise Him is to serve Him, and of Heaven. [divinefulfil, [wUl The word of prophecy, those truthsDoing and suffering, His unquestion'd Which make that Heaven, if thou de-'Tis to believe what men inspired of old, sire it. thine,Faithful, and faithfully inform'd un- (Awful alternative! believed, beloved,fold [view, —Thy glory and thy shame if unim- ;Candid and just, with no false aim in proved.) [asideTo take for truth what cannot but be Are never long vouchsafed, if push'dtme, [Christian part. With cold disgust or philosophic pride;To learn in God\"s own sc-hool the And that judicially v.'ithdrawn, dis-And bind the task assign'd thee to grace, [place.thine heart. [there found, Error, and darkness occupy theirHappy the man there seeking and A world is up in arms, and thou a spotHappy the nation where such men Not quickly found if negligently sought,abound I [what name Thy soul as ample as thy bounds aroHow shall a verse impress thee ? by small, [them all;Shall I adjure thee not to court thy Endurest the brunt, and darest defy shame ? And wilt thou join to this bold enter-By theirs whose bright example unim- prisepeach'd [reaoh'd, Abolderstill, a contest with the skies?Directs thee to that eminence they Eemember, if He guard thee and secure,Heroes and v.'orthiea of days past, thy Whoe'er assails thee,thy success is suresires ? [hallo w'd fires ? But if He leave thee, though the skillOr His, who touch'd their hearts with and power [devour,Their names, alas ! in vain reproach Of nations, sworn to spoil thee andan age, [gage; Were all collected in thy single arm,Whom all the vanities they scorn'd en- And thou could'st laugh away the fearAnd His, that seraphs tremble at, is of harm, [against the pushhung That strength would fail, opposedDisgracefully on every trifler's tongue, And feeble onset of a pigmy rush.Or serves the champion in forensic war Say not (and if the thought of suchTo flourish and parade with at the bar. defence [it thence)Pleasure herself perhaps suggests a plea, Should spring within thj- bosom, driveIf interest move thee, to persuade e'en What nation amongst all ifly foes i3thee [face, free [on me ?By every charm that smiles upon her From crimes as base as any chargedBy joys possess'd, and joys still held in Their measure fiU'd, they too shall paychase. the debt, [not forget.If dear society be worth a thought. Which God, though long forborne, willAnd if the feast of freedom cloy thee But knowthatwrathdivine, whenmostnot, severe, [career,Eeflcct that these, and all that seems Hakes justice still the guida of histhine own. And wOl not punish in one miug'edHeld by the tenure of his will alone, crowd, [a cloud.Like angels in the service of their Lord, Them without light, and thee withoutEemain with thee, or leave thee at his Muse, hang this harp upon yon agedword [use beech, [I teach;That gratitude and temperance in our Still murmuring with the solemn truthsOf what he gives unsparing and prof use, And while at intervals a cold blast singsSecure the favour and enhance the joy. Through the dry leaves, and pants uponThat thankless waste and wild abuse the strings.destroy. [soe'er My soul shall sigh in secret and lament A nation scourged, yet tardy to repent.But above all reflect, how cheap I know the wai'niug song is sung inThose rights that millions envy theeappear, [swim down vain, [the strain:And though re.?olved to risk them, and That few will hear, and fewer heedThe tide of pleasure heedless of His But if a sweeter voice, and one design'dfrpwn. A blessing to my coimtr)' and mankind,

— —; ; ; ;100 COWPEE'S POEMS.Beclaimthe wandering thousands, and And truth alone, where'er my life bebring home [roam, cast,A flock so scatter'd and so wont to In scenes of plenty, or the pining waste,Then place it once again between my Shall be my chosen theme, my glory toknees [please the last.The sound of truth will then be sure to HOPE. AEGUMENT.—Human life The charms of Nature remain the same though they appear — —different in youth and age Frivolity of fashionable life Value of life —The works of the Creator evidences of His attributes Nature the hand- — —maid to the purposes of grace Character of Hope Man naturally stub- —bom and intractable -His conduct in different stations Death's honours — —Each man's behef right in his own eyes Simile of Ethelred's hospi- tality—Mankind quarrel with the Giver of eternal life, on account of the — —terms on which it is offered Opinions on this subject Spread of the — —Gospel The Greenland Missions Contrast of the unconverted and con- —verted heathen— Character of Leuconouius The man of pleasure the —blindest of bigots Any hope preferred to that required by the Scripture — —Human nature opposed to Truth— Apostrophe to Truth Picture of one — —conscience-smitten The pardoned sinner Conclusion.Ask what is human life—the sage re- Dangling his cane about, and takingplies, [eyes. snuff,mWith disappointment lowering his Lothario cries, \" What philosophic\"A painful passage o'er a restless stuff!\" [less brainflood, Oh, querulous and weak ! —whose use-A vain pursuit of fugitive false good, Once thought of nothing, and nowA scene of fancied bliss and heartfelt thinks in vain [past,care, Whose ej-e reverted weeps o'er all theClosing at last in darkness and despair. Whose prospect shews thee a disheart-The poor, inured to drudgery and dis- ening waste; [reign.tress, [less. Would age in thee resign his wintryAct without aim, think little, and feel And j-outh invigorate that frame again,And nowhere, but in feign'd Arcadian Eenew'd desire would grace with otherscenes, [means speech [our reach.Tastehappiness.orknow what pleasure Joys alwaj's prized, when placed withinItiches are pass'd away from hand to For lift thy palsied head, shake offhand, [mand the gloomAs fortune, vice, or folly may com- That verhangs the borders of thy tomb,As in a dance the pair that take the lead See Nature gay as when she first began,Turn downward, and the lowest pair With smilesalluring her admirer mansucceed, She spreads the morning over easternSo shifting and so various is the plan hills, [distills.By which Heaven rules the mix'd affairs Earth glitters with the drops the nightof man; [crowd. The sun obedient at ber call appears,Vicissitude wheels round the motley To fling his glories o'er the robe sheThe rich grow poor, the poor become wears; [with sprightly sounds.purse-proud; [such. Banks cloth'd with flowers, groves flll'dBusiness is labour, and man's weakness The yellow tilth, green meads, rocks,Pleasure is labour too,and tires as much, rising grounds, [every fleldThe very sense of it foregoes its use, Streams edged with osiers, fatteningBy repetition pall'd, by age obtuse. Where'er they flow, now seen and nowYouth lost in dissipation, we deplore, conceal'd; [mountains meet.Through life's sad remnant, what no From the blue rim, where skies andsighs restore, [prize, Down to the very turf beneath thy feet.Our years, a fruitless race without a Ten thousand charms that only foolsToo inauy, yet too few to make us despise, [eyes.wise.\" Or pride can look at with indifferent

; ; :;: ;: :;! HOPE. 101All speak one language, all with one Serves merely as a soil for discontent To thrive in ; an incumbrance ere half sweet voice spent.Cry to her universal realm. Rejoice ! Oh! weariness beyond what asses feel.Man feels the spur of passions anddesires, [requires That tread the circuit of the cisternAnd she gives largelj^ more than he A dull rotation, never at a stay, [wheel;Not that his hours devoted all to Care, Yesterday's face twin image of to-day;Hollow-eyed Abstinence, and lean De- While conversation, an exhaustedspair, [taste, sight, stock, [clock.The wretch may pine.while to his smell, Grows drowsy as the clicking of aShe holds a Paradise of rich delight No need, he cries, of gravity stuff'dout,But gently to rebuke his awkward fear, With academic dignity devout.To prove that what she gives, she gives To read wise lectures, vanity the text sincere, Proclaim the remedy, j'e learned, next;To banish hesitation, and proclaim For truth self-evident, with pomp im-His happiness her dear, her only aim. press'd,'Tis grave Philosophy's absurdest Is vanity surpassing all the rest.dream, [they seem. That remedy, not hid in deeps pro-That Heaven's intentions are not what found, [found.That only shadows are dispensed below, Yet seldom sought where only to beAnd earth has no reality but woe. While passion turns aside from its due Thus things terrestrial wear a differ- scope [Hope.ent hue, [true The inquirer's aim, that remedy isAs youth or age persuades ; and neither Life is His gift, from whom whate'erSo, Flora's wreath through colour'd life needs, [ceeds; ci'ystal seen. With every good and perfect gift, pro-The rose or lily appears blue or green. Bestow'd on man, like all that we par-But still the imputed tints are those take.alone [own. Royally, freely, for his bounty's sakeThe medium represents, and not their Transient, indeed, as is the fleetingTo rise at uoon^ sit slipshod and un- hour,dress'd, [best. And yet the seed of an immortal flower,To read the news, or fiddle, as seems Design'd iu honour of his endless love. To fill with fragrance his abode aboveTill half the world comes rattling at No trifle, howsoever short it seem, his door. And, howsoever shadowy, no dreamTo fill the dull vacuity till four; Its value, what no thought can ascer-And just when evening turns the bluevault gray, [day tain.To spend two hours iu dressing for the Nor all an angel's eloquence explain.To make the Sun a bauble without use, Men deal with life as children withSave for the fruits his heavenly beams their play, [awayproduce; [thought. Who first misuse, then cast their toysQuite to forget, or deem it worth no Live to no sober purpose, and contendWho bids him shine, or if he shine or That their Creator had no serious end.not; [eyes When God and man stand opposite inThrough mere necessity to close \"his view, [ensue.Just when the larks and when the Man's disapijointment must, of course, The just Creator condescends to write,shepherds rise In beams of inextinguishable light. His names of wisdom, goodness, power,In such a life, so tediously the same,So void of all utility or aim.That poor Jonquil, with almost every and love, [above.breath, On all that blooms below, or shinesSighs for his exit, vulgarly call'd death To catch the wandering notice of man-For he, with all his follies, has a mind.Not yet so blank, or fashionably blind, kind, [blind,But now and then perhaps a feeble And teach the world, if not perversely His gracious attributes, and prove the ray [way, shareOf distant wisdom shoots across his His offspring hold in His paternal care.By which he reads, that life without a If, led from earthly things to things plan, divine, [design.A.8 useless as the moment it began. His creature thwart not His august

; ;;:: ;; ;102 COWPER'S POEMSThen praise is heard instead of reason- Wait but the lashes of a wintry storm, To frown and roar, and shake liising pride, [side.And captious cavil and complaint sub- feeble form. [giddy maze.Nature, employ'd in her allotted place, From infancy through childhood'sIs handmaid to the purposes of Grace Froward at school, and fretful in hisBy good Touchsafed makes known plays,superior good, [stood The puny tyrant burns to subjugateAnd bliss not seen by blessings under- The free republic of the whip-gip state.That bliss, reveal'd in Scripture, with If one, his equal in athletic frame. a glow Or, more provoking still, of noblerBright as the covenant-ensuring bow. name.Fires all his feelings with a noble scorn Dare step across his arbitrary views.Of sensual evil, and thus Hope is bom. An Iliad, only not in verse, ensues: Hope sets the stamp of vanity on all The little Greeks look trembling at theThat men have deem'd substantial scales, [prevails. since the fall, Till the best tongue, or heaviest handYet has the wondrous virtue to educe Now see him launch'd into the worldFrom emptiness itself a real use at large [charge,And while she takes, as at a father's If priest, supinely droning o'er hishand, [mand, Their fleece his pillow, and his weeklyWhat hea.lth and sober appetite de- drawl, Lpays for all.From fading good derives, with chemic Though short, too long, the price heart, [heart. If lawyer, loudwhatevercausehe plead.That lasting happiness, a thankful But proudest of the worst, if thatHope with uplifted foot set free from succeed. [fees,earth, [birth. Perhaps a grave physician, gatheringPants for the place of her ethereal Punctually paid for lengthening outOn steady wings sails through the im- disease [raysmense abyss, [of bhss, No Cotton, whose humanity shedsPlucks amaranthine joys from bowers That make superior skill his secondAnd crowns the soul, while yet a praise. [sportmourner here, [spirits wear. If arms engage him, he devotes toWith wreaths like those triumphant His date of life, so likely to be shortHope, as an anchor, firm and sure, A soldier may be anything, if brave.holds fast [blast, So may a tradesman, if not quite aThe Christian vessel, and defies the knave. [mankind,Hope! nothing else can uoui-ish and Such stuff the world is made of ; andsecure [him pure To passion, interest, pleasure, whim,His new-born virtues, and preserve resign'd,Hope ! let the wretch, once conscious Insist on, as if each were his own Pope, Forgiveness and the privilege of hope; of the joy, But Conscience, in some awful silentWhom now despairing agonies de-stroy, [as he. hour, [power.Speak, for he can, and none so well When captivating lusts have lost theirWhat treasures centre, what delights, Perhaps when sickness, or some fearfulin thee. [land dream. Reminds him of religion, hated theme!Had he the gems, the spices, and the Starts from the down, on which sheThat boasts the treasure, all at hiscommand, [mine, lately slept, [kept.The fragrant grove, the inestimable And tells of laws despised, at least notWhere light, when weigh'd against one Shews with a pointing finger, but no smile of thine. noise,Though clasp'd and cradled ia his A pale procession of past sinful joys, nurse's arms. All witnesses of blessings foidly scorn'd.He shines with all a cherub's artless And lifeabused, and not to be suborn'd. charms, \" Mark these,\" she says ; \" these snm-Man is the genuine offspring of revolt, mon'd from afar, [bar;Stubborn and sturdy, a ^vild ass's colt Begin their march to meet the>' at theHis passions, like the watery stores There find a Judge inexorably just.that sleep [deep, And perish there, as all presimiptionBeneoth the smUing surface of the must,''

; ::: : ;; : ; HOPE. 103Peace te to those (such peace as And even the star that glitters on the—earth can give) Can only say Xobility Ees here, [bier,Who —lire in pleasare, dead even while Peace to all such ' 'twere pity to Ithey live: offend [mend jBom capable indeed of heavenly tmth. useless censure whom, we cannot ByBut down to latest age, from earliest I life without hope can close but inyonth, [of care. despair, [leave them there. ITheir mind a wilderness through wan: \"Twas there we found them, and mustThe plough of wisdom never entering As when two pilgrims in a forestthere. stray. [^^ay,Peace (if insensToility may claim Both may be lost yet each in his ownAI right to the meek honours of ber So fares it with the multitudes beguiled name) In vain opinion's waste and dangerousTo men of jiedigree: their noble race. wild [thorns among,Emulous always of the nearest placeTo any throne, except the throne of Ten thotisand rove the brakes and grace; Some eastward, and some westward, and all wrong.Let cottagers anduaenlighten'd swains But here, alas Tthe fatal difference lies;Eevere the laws they dream that Each man's belief is right in his ownHeaven ordains, [prayer. eyes [blindly chose,Eesort on Sundays to the house of .\nd he that blames what ttey haveAnd ask, and fancy they find, blessings Incurs resentment for the love he ,there; [retreat shows. [vince fallThemselves, perhaps, when weary they Say, botanist ! within whose pro-To enjoy cool nature in a country seat The cedar and the hyssop on the wall.To exchange the centre of a thousand Of all that deck the laiies. the fields,trades. the bowers, [and flowers ?For clumps, and lawns, and temples, ; What parts the kindred tribes of weedsand cascades. ' Sweet scent, or lovely form, or bothHay now and then their velvet ctishions ' combined,take. [sake Distingtcsh every cultivated kind;And seem to pray, for good example The want of both denotes a meanel ;Judging, in cbariiy no doubt, the town breed, [weed.Pious enough, and having need of none. ' And Chloe from her garland picks theKind sonis '. to teach their tenantry to Thus hopes of every sort, whatever sect [prize [morse, despise : Esteem them, sow them, rear them,\"Wliat they themselves, without re- and protect. iXor hope have they, nor fear, of aught If wild in nature, and not duly fotmd,to come, [dumb Gethsemane ! in thy dear haUow'dAs well for them had prophecy been ground, [ture light.They could have held the conduct they That cannot bear the blaze of Scrip- Xor cheer the spirit, nor refresh thepursue. [Jew:Had Paul of Tarsus lived and died a sight,And truth, proposed to reasoners wise Xor animate the sotil to Christian deeds, (Oh, cast them from thee '.} are weeds, —as they. arrant weeds. [ways,Is a pearl cast completely cast away. Ethelred's house, the centre of six —They die. Death lends tiem, pleasedand as in sport, [court. Diverging each from each, like equalAll the grim honours of his ghastly rays.Far other paintings grace the chamber Himself as bountifal as April rains.now. [glow Lord paramotmt of the surroundingWhere late we saw the mimic landscape plains, [none.The busy heralds hang the sable scene Would give relief of bed and board toWith nioumful 'scutcheons, and dim But guests that sought it ia the appointed OsElamps between [around.Proclaim their titles to the crowd And they might enter at his open door.But they that wore them move not at E'en tfll his spacious hall would holdthe sound; no more.The coronet, placed idly at their head. He sent a servant forth by every road.Adds nothing now to the deg\"raded To sound his horn, and puhlisii itdead, I abroad.

;: —104 COWPEE'S POEMS.—That all might mark knight, menial, And seem to warn him never to repeathigh, and low, His bold intrusion on their dark retreat.An ordinance it concem'd them much Adieu, Vinosa cries, ere j'et he sipsto know. The purple bumper trembling at hisIf, after all, some headstrong hardy lout Adieu to all morality ! if Grace [lips.Would disobey, though sure to he shut Make works a vain ingredient in theout, [case, case. [the cork—Could he with reason murmur at his The Christian hope is Waiter, drawHimself sole author of his own dis- If I mistake not— Blockhead! with agrace ? ffl^w. fork 1 [may boast.No ! the decree was just, and without Without good works, whatever someAnd he that made had right to make Mere folly and delusion—Sh', yourthe law; [strain'd. toast. [times,His sovereign power and pleasure unre- My firm persuasion is, at least some-The wrong was his who wrongfully That Heaven wUl weigh man's virtuescomplaiu'd. [lish strife and his crimesYet half mankind maintain a chur- With nice attention in a righteous scale,With Him, the Donor of eternal life, And save, or damn, as these or thoseBecause the deed, by which His love prevail. [trust,confirms [terms. I plant my foot upon this ground of—The largess He bestows, prescribes the And silence every fear with Uod igCompliance with His will your lot just. [day ensures, But if perchance on some dull drizzlingAccept it only, and the boon is yours A thought intrude, that says, or seemsAnd sure it is as kind to smile and giveA.S with a frown to say, \" Do this, and to say. If thus the important cause is to be tried,live.\" [and sold, Suppose the beam should dip on the' Love is not pedlar's trumpery, bought wrong side ? [frights,He will give freely, or He will withhold; I soon recover from these needlessHis soul abhors a mercenary thought, And, God is mercif nil—sets all to rights.And him as deeply who abhors it not. Thus between justice, as my primeHe stipulates indeed, but merely this,That man will freely take an unbought support. And mercy, fled to as the last resort,bliss, [part. I glide and steal along with heaven inWOl trust Him for a faithful generous view. [with you.Nor set a price upon a willing heart. And.— pardon me, the bottle standsOf all the ways that seem to promise I never will believe, the Colonel cries,fair [presence share. The sanguinary schemes that some de-To place you where His saints His vise, [plan,This only can; for this plain cause, Who make the good Creator, on theirexpress'd [the rest A being of less equity than man.In terms as plain. Himself has shut If appetite, or what divines call lust.But oh the strife, the bickering, and Which men comply with, even becausedebate, [create I they must.The tidings of unpurchased Heaven Be punish'd with perdition, who is pure ?The flirted fan, the bridle, and the toss, Then theirs, no doubt, as well as mine,All speakers, yet all language at a loss. is sure.From stuccoed walls smart arguments If sentence of eternal pain belongrebound; [found. To every sudden slip and transientAnd beaus, adepts in everything pro- wrong, [frailDie of disdain, or whistle oS the sound. Then Heaven enjoins the fallible andSuch is the clamour of rooks, daws, A hopeless task, and damns them ifand kites, [excites, they fail. [meanThe explosion of the levelld tube My creed, (whatever some creed-makersWhere mouldering abbey walls o'er- By Athanasian nonsense, or Nicene.) My creed is, he is safe that does hishang the glade,And oaks coeval spread a mournful \"best, [rest.shade [mid air. And death's a doom sufficient I'or theThe screaming nations, hovering in Eight, says an Ensign; and for aughtLoudly resent the strangers freedom I see,there. Your faith and mine substantially agree;

— —; ; :; ;;;; ;; ; ;: HOPE. 105The best of every man's performance Where bold Inquiry, diving out of sight.here Brings many a precious pearl of truthIs to discharge the duties of his sphere. to light [questA lawyer's dealings should be just and Where nought eludes the perseveringfair, [there That fashion, taste, or luxury suggest.Honesty shines with great advantage But, above all, in her own lightFasting and prayer sit well upon a array'd. priest, See Mercy's grand apocalypse display 'd!A decent caution and reserve at least; The sacred book no longer suffersA soldier's best is, courage iu the field, wrong, [tongue.With nothing here that wants to be cou- Bound in the fetters of an unknown ceal'd; But speaks with plainness art couldManly deportment, gallant, easy, gay never mend, [preheud.A hand as liberal as the light of day What simplest minds can soonest com-The soldier thus enduw'd, who never God gives the word, the preachersshrinks, [thinks throng around, [ous sound;Xor closets up his thought whate'er he Live from his Ups, and spread the glori-Who scorns to do an injury by stealth. That soimd bespeaks Salvation on herMust go to heaven—and I must drink way.his health. [board, The trimipet of a life-restoring daySir Smug ! he cries, (for lowest at the 'Tis heard where England's easternJust made fifth chaplain of his patron glory shines, [miues.lord, [shrug And in the gulfs of her CornubianHis shoulders witnessing by many a And still it spreads. See GermanyHow much his feelings suffer'd, sat Sir send forth [northSmug.) [true Her sons to pour it on the farthestYour office is to winnow false from Fired with a zeal peculiar, they defyCome, prophet, drink, and tell us The rage and rigour of a polar sky.What think you ? [glass. And plant successfully sweet Sharon's Sighing and smiling as he takes his roseWhich they that woo preferment rarely On icy plains and in eternal snows.pass, [plies, Oh, blest within the enclosure of yourFallible man, the church-bred youth re- rocks, [flocks:Is still found fallible, however wise Xor herds have ye to boast, nor bleatingAnd differing judgments serve but to No fertilising streams your fields divide,declare, [but where. That shew reversed the villas on theirThat truth lies somewhere, if we knew side; [of bird.myOf all it ever was lot to read. No groves have ye; no cheerful soundOf critics now alive or long since dead, Or voice of turtle in your land is heard;The book of all the world that charm'd Nor grateful eglantine regales the smell—me most [lost, Of those that walk at evening where yeWas, well-a-day, the title-page was dwell [unknownThe writer well remarks, a heart that But Winter, arm'd with terrors hereknows [bestows. Sits absolute on his unshaken throne;To take with gratitude what Heaven Piles up his stores amidst the frozenWith prudence always ready at our call, waste, [standfast;To guide our use of it, is all iu all. And bids the mountains he has builtDoubtless it is. To which, of my own Beckons the legions of his storms away store, From happier scenes, to make yourI superadd a few essentials more land a prey; [won,But these, excuse the liberty I take, Proclaims the soil a conquest he hasI waive just now, for conversation And scorns to share it with the distantsake. sun. [isle!—Spoke like an oracle, they all exclaim. Yet truth is yours, remote unenviedAnd add Eight Keverend to Smug's And peace, the genuine offspring of herhonour'd name. smile [bindsAnd yet our lot is given us in a land The pride of letter'd ignorance, thatWhere busy arts are never at a stand In chains of error our accomplish'dWhere Science points her telescopic minds, [the true.ej-e, That decks with all the splendour ofAi Familiar with the wonders of the sky false religion, is unknown to you.

—; — ! !; ;106 COWPER'S POEMS.Nature indeed vouchsafes for our Go now, and with important tone demand delight On what foundation virtue is to stand,The sweet vicissitudes of day and night;Soft airs and genial moisture feed and If self-exalting claims be turn'd adrift.cheer [creature here: And grace be grace indeed, and life aField, fruit, and flower, and every gift;But brighter beams than his who fires The poor reclaim'd inhabitant, his eyes Glistening at once with pity andthe skies [eyes,Have risen at lengthen your admiring surprise, [the sightThat shoot into your darkest caves the Amazed that shadows should obscure day Of one whose birth was in a land ofFrom which our nicer optics turn away. light,Here see the encouragement Grace Shall answer, Hope, sweet Hope, hasgives to vice, set me free. And mads ail pleasures else mere drossThe dire effect of mercy without priceWhat were they ? what some fools are to me. [deniedmade by art, [and heart. These, amidst scenes as waste as ifThey were by nature, atheist, head The common care that waits ou allThe gross idolatry blind heathens teach beside,Was too rcflned for them, beyond their Vi'ild as if nature there, void of all good,reach. [revere Piay'd only gambols in a frantic mood,Not even the glorious sun, though men (Yet charge not heavenly skill withThe monarch most that seldom will having planu'd [hand,)appear, [where they shine, A plaything world, unworthy of hisAnd though his beams that quicken Can see his love, though secret evil lurksMay claim some right to be esteem'd In all we touch, stamp'd plainly on hisdivine, works; [woss.Not even the sun, desirable as rare, Deem hfe a blessing with its numerousCould bend one knee,engage one votary Nor spurn away a gift a God bestows. there Hard task indeed o'er arctic seas toThey were, what base credulity believes roamTrue Christians are, dissemblers, Is hope exotic? grows it not at home ?drunkards, thieves. [feast, Yes; but an object bright as orient moraThe full-gorged savage at his nauseous May press the eye too closely to boSpent half the darkness, and snored borne; out the rest, A distant virtue we can all confess,Was one whom j ustice.on an equal plan It hurts our pride and moves our envyDenouncing death upon the sins of less. [Greekman, [escape. Leuconomus (beneath well-soundingMight almost have indulged with an I slur a name a poet must not speak)—Chargeable only with a human shape. Stood pilloried on infamy's high stage, What are they now? Morality may And bore the pelting scorn of half anspare [there. age; The very butt of slander, and the blotHer grave concern, her Idnd suspicionsThe wretch that once sang wildly, For every dart that malice ever shot.danced, and laugh'd, [draught, The man that meutiou'd him at onceAnd suck d in dizzy madness with his dismiss'dHas wept a silent flood, reversed his All mercy from his lips and sneer'd ways, and hiss'd [knew,Is sober, meek, benevolent, and prays.Feeds sparuigl3', communicates his His crimes were such as Sodom never And Perjury stood up to swear all true; store, His aim was mischief, and his zeal pre-Abhors the craft he boasted of before. tence, [senseAnd he that stole has learu'd to steal His speech rebellion against commonno more. fsing. A knave, when tried on honesty's plainWell spake the prophet, Let the desert rule, [foolWhere sprang the thorn the spiry fir And when, by that of reason, a mereshall spring, [grew. The world's best comfort was, h^s doomAnd where unsightly and rank thistles was pass'd,Shall grow the myrtle and luxuriant Die when he might, he must he damn'dyew. at last.

; !; —: ;: HOPE. 107No',v,Truth. perform thine ofBce; waft And finds the modish manners of theaside fpride. day, [play.The curtain drawn by prejudice aud Though loose, as harmless as an infant'sKeveal (the man is dead) to wondering Build by whatever plan caprice de-eyes [guise. crees, [you please,This more than monster in his proper With what materials, on what groundHe loved the world that hated him ; the Your hope shall stand unblamed, per-tear [cere. haps admired, [requiredThat dropp'd upon his Bible was sin- If not that hope the Scripture hasAssail'd by scandal aud the tongue of The strange conceits, vain projects,strife, and wild dreams.His only answer was a blameless life, With which hypocrisy for ever teems,And he that forged, and he that threw (Though other foilies strike the publicthe dart [heart; eye.Had each a brother's interest in his And raise a laugh.) pass unmolested by; But if, unblamable in wordand thought,Paul's love of Christ, and steadiness un- A M.^N arise, a man whom God hasbribed [scribedWere copied close in him, and well t ran- taught.He folio w'd Paul ; his zeal a kindred With all Elijah's dignity of tone, And all the love of the beloved John,His apostolic charity the same, [flame,Like him, cross'd cheerfully tempestu- To storm the citadels they build in air, And smite the untemper'd wall, 'tisous seas,Forsaking coimtry, kindred, friends, death to spare. aud ease To sweep away all refuges of lies, ; And place, instead of quirks themselvesLike him he labour'd, and like himcontent [went. devise,To bear it, suffer'd shame where'er he L.4MA Sabacthani before their eyes,Blush, Calumny! and write upon his To prove that without Christ all gain istomb, loss, [cross,If honest eulogy can spare thee room, All hope despair, that stands not on HisThy deep repentance of thy thousand Except the few his God may have im-lies, [offended skies, press'd,\"Which, aim'd at him, have pierced the A tenfold frenzy seizes all the rest.myAnd say, Blot out sin, confess'd, de- Throughout mankind, the Christianplored, [Lord kind at least, [breast,Against thine image in Thy saint, There dwells a consciousness in eveiyNo blinder bigot, I maintain it still, That foUy ends where genuine hopeThan he who must have pleasure, come begins, [his sins.what will: [draw. And he that finds his heaven must loseHe laughs, whatever weapon truth may Nature opposes with her utmost forceAnd deems her sharp artillery mere This riving stroke, this ultimate divorce.straw. [he And, while Eeligion seems to be herScripture, indeed, is plain, but God and view.On Scripture ground are sure to dis- Hates with a deep sincerity the trueagree; [to live. For this, of all that ever influenced man.Some wiser rule must teach him how Since Abel worshipp'd, or the worldThan that his Maker has seen fit to give. began, [plea.Supple and flexible as Indian cane, This only spares no lust, admits noTo take the bend his appetites orJain, But makes him, if at all, completely freeContrived to suit frail Nature's crazy Sounds forth the signal, as she moimtscase, [grace. Of an eternal, universal war [her car, ;And reconcile his lusts with saving Eejects all treaty, penetrates all wiles,By this, with nice precision of design. Scorns with the same indifferenceHe draws upon life's map a zig-zag line. frowns and smiles.That shews how far 'tis safe to follow Drives through the realms of Sin,sin, [begin. where Kiot reels, ,And where his danger and God's wrath And grinds his crown beneath herBy this he forms, as pleased he sports burning wheels ! [sion, art. along. —Hence all that is in man pride, pas- Powers of the mind, and feelings of theHis well-poised estimate of right and wrong heart,

;;! : ;: ;108 COWPER'S POEMS.Insensible of Truth's almighty charms, Hard task! for one who lately knewStarts at her first approach, and sounds no care.to arms! f fears, And harder still as learnt beneath de-While Bigotry, with well-dissembled spair : [away.His eyes shut fast, his fingers in his His hours no longer pass mmiark'dears. A dark importance saddens every day;Mighty to parry and push by God's He hears the notice of the clock, per-word [sword, plex' d, [nest!'With senseless noise, his argument the And cries. Perhaps eternity strikesPretends a zeal for godliness and grace, Sweet music is no longer music here, And laughter soimds like madness inAnd spits abhorrence in the Christian'sface. [kno^vn his ear; [arms.Parent of Hope, immortal Truth, make His grief the world of all her power dis- Wine has no taste, and beauty has noThy deathless wreaths and triumphs allthine own charms : [view,The silent progress of thy power is such. God's holy word, once trivial in hisThy means so feeble, and despised so Now by the voice of his experience true.much, [wrought, Seems, as it is, the fountain whenceThat few believe the wonders thou hast alone [his own.And none can teach them but whom Must spring that hope he pants to makethou hast taught. [command Xow let the bright reverse be knownOh ! see me sworn to serve thee, and abroad; [to God.A painter's skill into a poet's hand Say, man's a worm, and power belongsThat while I trembling trace a word As\" when a felon, whom his country's divine. laws [cause,Fancy may stand aloof from the design. Have justly doom'd for some atrociousAnd light and shade and every stroke Expects in darkness and heart chillingbe thine. fears, [years. If ever thou hast felt another's pain. The shameful close of all his mis-spentIf ever when he .sigh'd,hast sigh'd again, If chance, on heavy pinions slowlyIf ever on thy eyelid stood a tearThat pity had engender'd, drop one borne, A tempest usher in the dreaded morn. here. Upon his dungeon walls the lightnings—This man was happy, had the world's play, [away good word. The thunder seems to summon himAnd with it every joy it can afford The warder at the door his key applies.Friendship and love seem'd tenderly at Shoots back the bolt, and all his cour- strife, age dies [lost.'Which most should sweeten his un- If then, just then, all thoughts of mercy troubled life When Hope, long lingering, at lastPolitely learn'd, and of a gentle race. yields the ghost, [ear,Good breeding and good sense gave all The sound of pardon pierce his startled a grace. He drops at once his fetters and his fear,And whether at the toilet of the fairHe laugh'd and trifled, made him wel- A transport glows in all he looks and come there; speaks, [cheeks.Or if in masculine debate he shared. And the first thankful tears bedew hisEnsured him mute attention and re- Joy, far superior joy, that much out- weighsgard, [mind, The comfort of a few poor added days.Alas, how changed '. Expressive of his Invades, possesses, and o'erwhelms theHis eyes are sunk, arms folded, head soul [made whole;reclined [sin. Of him whom Hope has with a touch—Those awful syllables hell, death, and Tis heaven, all heaven, descending onThough whisper'd, plainly tell what the wings [kingsworks within, [per part. —Of the glad legions of the King ofThat conscience there performs her pro- Tis more. 'tis God diffused throughAnd writes a doomsday sentence on every part, 'Tis God himself triumphant in nis heart. his heart. Oh. welcome now the sun's once hatedForsaking, and forsaken of all friends,He now perceives where earthly plea- light, [bright.sure ends His noon-day beams were never half 60

;; : ; ;: TIEOCINIUM; OE, A REVIEW OF SCHOOLS. 109Not kindred minds alone are call'd to Happy the bard (if that fair nameemploy [his joy. belong fsong)Their hours, their days, in listening to To him that blends no fable with hisUnconscious nature, all that he surveys. Whose lines, uniting, by an honest ai-t,Eocks, groves, and streams must join The faithful monitor's and poet's part.him in his praise. Seek to delight, that they may mendThese are thy glorious works, eternal mankind, [mindTruth, And, while they captivate, inform theThe scoff of wither'd age and beardless Still happier, if \"he till a thankful soil,j'outh [grin And fruit reward his honourable toil; But happier far who comfort those thatThese move the censure and illiberalOf fools that hate thee and delight in sin, wait [gateBut these shall last when night has To hear plain truth at Judah's hallowd quench'd the pole, Their language simple, as their man-And heaven is all departed as a scroll: ners meek, [seek;And when, as justice has long since de- No shining ornaments have they tocreed, Nor labour they, nor time nor talentsThis earth shall blaze, and a new world waste.succeed. In sorting flowers to suit a fickle tasteThen these thy glorious works, and But while they speak the wsdom of thethey who share [despair, skies.That hope which can alone exclude Which art can only darken and disguise,Shall live exempt from weakness and The abundant harvest, recompensedecay, [day. divine, [mine. —Repays their work, the gleaning onlyThe brightest wonders of an endlessTIROCINIUM ; OR, A REVIEW OF SCHOOLS.It is not from his form, in which we Works magic wonders, adds a brightcltrace [and grace, hueStrength joined with beauty, dignity To Nature's scenes, than Nature everThat man, the master of this globe, knew [roar,derives At her command, winds rise and watersHis right of empire over all that lives. Again she lays them slumbering on theThat form indeed, the associate of a shore, [supplies. mind With flower and fruit the wildernessVast in its powers, ethereal in its kind, Or bids the rocks in ruder pomp arise.That form, the labour of Almighty skill.Framed for the service of a free-born For her, the judgment, umpire in the strife [through life,will, [trol, That grace and nature have to wageAsserts precedence, and bespeaks con- Quick-sighted arbiter of good and ill,But borrows all its grandeur from the Appointed sage preceptor to the will.soul. [the throne. Condemns, appro ves.and with a faithfulHers is the state, the splendour, and voiceAn intellectual kingdom, all her own. Guides the decision of a doubtful choice.For her the memory fiUs her ample page Why did the fiat of a God give birthWith truths pour'd down from every To yon fair sun and his attendant earth;distant age And when, descending, he resigns theFor her amasses an unbounded store. skies, [to rise,The wisdom of great nations, now no Why takes the gentler moon her turn Whom ocean feels through all hismore; [spoil.Though laden, not encumber'd with her countless waves, [laves?Laborious, yet unconscious of her toil. And owns her power on every shore he Why do the seasons still emich theyear.When copiously supplied, then most enlarged. Fruitful and young as in their firstStill to be fed, and not to be surcharged.For her, the fancy roving uncouflned. career? [the trees,The present muhe of every pensive Spring hangs her infant blossoms on mind. Euck'd in the cradle of the western breeze

—; ; —;; :110 COWPEK S POEMS.Summer in haste the thriving charge But reason heard, and nature w6llreceives perused. [abused.Beneath the shade of her expanded At once the dreaming mind is dis-leaves, [devrs If all we find possessing earth, sea, air,Till autumn's fiercerheats and plenteous Beflects his attributes who placed themDye them at last in all their glowing there,\"hues; [waste, Fulfil the purpose, and appear design'd'Twere wild profusion all. and bootless Proofs of the wisdom of the all-seeingPower niisemployd, munificence mis- mind, [to invest placed. 'Tis plain, the creature whom He choseHad not its Author dignified the plan, With kingship and dominion o'er theAndcrown'dit with the majesty of man. rest, [madeThus form'd, thus placed, intelligent, Received his nobler nature, and wasand taught, [has wrought. Fit for the power in which he standsLook where he will, the wonders God array' d,The wildest scomer of his Maker's laws That first or last, hereafter if not here.Finds in a sober moment time to pause. He too might make his Author'sTo press the important question on his wisdom clear, [dumb.heart, [thou art ?\" Praise him on earth, or, obstinately\" Why form'd at all, and wherefore as Suffer his justice in a world to come.If man be what he seems, this hour a This once believed, 'twere logic mis-slave, [grave apphedThe next mere dust and ashes in the To prove a consequence by none denied. That we are bound to cast the minds ofEndued ^vith reason only to descryHis crimes and follies wth an aching youth [truth,eye [with pain, Betimes into the mould of heavenly That taught of God they may indeed beWith passions, just that be may prove.The force he spends against their fury wise, [skies.vain [turns. Nor ignorantly wandering miss thaAnd if, soon after having burn'd by In ear'y days the conscience has inWith every Inst with which frail nature mostbums, [the bond. A quickness, which in later life is lost,His being end where death dissolves Preserved from guilt by salutary fears,The tomb take all, and all the blank Or, guilty, soon relenting into tears.beyond; [forth, Too care!essofteu,asouryears proceed, What friends we sort with, or whatThen he, of all that nature has broughtStands self-impeach'd the creature of books we read,least worth, [he dies, Our parents yet exert a prudent care To feed our infant minds with properAnd useless while he lives ; and whenBrings into doubt the wisdom of the fare, [degrees.skies. [eager thought. And wisely store the nursery, byTruths that the learn'd pursue with With wholesome learning, yet acquiredAi'e not important always as dear- with ease. [torn.bought, [strains. Neatly secured from being soil'd or Beneath a pane of thin translucentProving at last , though told in pompousA childish waste of philosophic pains horn,But truths on which depends our main A book (to please us at a tender ageconcern, [learn. 'Tis call'd a book, though but a singleThat 'tis our shame and misery not to page) [to teach.Shine by the side of eveiy path we tread Presents the prayer the Saviour deign'dWith such a lustre, ho that runs may Which children use, and parsons when they preach.'Tis true, that if to trifle life away [read. Lisping our syllables, we scramble nextDown to the sunset of their latest day, Through moral narrative, or sacredThen perish on futurity's wide shoreLike fleeting exhalations, found no text, [began,more, [human kind. And learn with wonder how this worldWere all that Heaven required of Who made, who marr'd, and who hasAnd all the plan their destiny design' d, ransom'd manWhat none could reverence all might Points which, unless the Scripture madejustly b'.auio. | Maker's shame. them plain,And man would breathe but for his The wisest heads might agitate in vain.

; !: ;; ; ; ;; TIROCINIUM; OR, A REVIEW OF SCHOOLS. Illthou, whom, borne on fancy's eager Try now the merits of this blest ex-wing [sprang, change [range.BiXck to the season of life's happy Of modest truth for wit's eccentric1 pleased remember, and while memory Time was, he closed as he began theyet [forget day [prayHolds fast her office here, can ne'er With decent duty, not asham'd toIngenious dreamer, in whose well-told The practice was a bond upon his heart,tale [vail, A pledge he gave for a consistent part,Sweet fiction and sweet truth alike pre- Nor could he dare presumptuously dis-Whose humorous vein, strong sense please [knees. .and simple style, [smile, A power confess'd so lately on hisMay teach the gayest, make the gravest But now. farewell all legendary tales.Witty, and well employ'd, and like thy The shadows fly, philosophy prevails;Lord, Prayer to the winds, and caution toSpeaking in parables His slighted word, the waves, [slaves.I name thee not, lest so despised a Religion makes the free by naturename [fame Priests have invented, and the worldShould move a sneer at thy deserved admired [inspired.Yet even in transitory life's late day. What knavish priests promulgate asThat mingles all my brown with sober Till reason, now no longer overawed.gray, [the road. Resumes her powers, and spurns theRevere the man, whose Pilgrim marks clumsy fraud.And guides the Peogkess of the soul And, common sense diffusing real day.to God. [could engage The meteor of the gospel dies away.'Twere well with most, if books that Such raphsodies om* shrewd discerningTheir childhood, pleased them at a youth [tnith;riper age [the boy. Learn from expert inquirers afterThe man, approving what had charm'd Whose only care, might truth presumeWould die at last in comfort, peace, to speak,and joy, [stole Is not to find what they profess to seek. And thus, well tutor'd only while weAnd not with curses on his art who shareThe gem of truth from his unguarded A mother's lectures and a nurse's care soul. And taught at schools much mytho-The stamp of artless piety, impress'dBy kind tuition on his jielding breast. logic stuff.The youth now bearded, and yet pert But sound religion sparingly enoughand raw, [ceived with awe. Our early notices of truth, disgraced.Regards with scorn, though once re- Soon lose theircredit,and are all effaced.And, warp'd into the labyrinth of lies. Would you your son should be a sotThat babblers, call'd philosophers, de- or dunce, [once;vise, [a plan Lascivious, headstrong, or all these atBlasphemes his creed, as founded on That, in good time, the stripling'sReplete with dreams, unworthy of a finish'd taste [wasteman. For loose expense and fashionableTouch but his nature in its ailing part. Should prove your ruin, and his ownAssert the native evil of his heart. at last [hoys,His pride resents the charge, although Train him in public with a mob ofthe proof [enough Childish in mischief only and in noise,Rise in his forehead, and seem rank Else of a mannish growth, and five inPoint to the cure, describe a Saviour's In infidelity and lewdness men. [teacross There shall he learn, ere sixteen win-As God's expedient to retrieve his loss, ters old.The young apostate sickens at the view. That authors are most useful, pawn'd,And hates it with the malice of a Jew. or sold; How weak the barrier of mere nature That pedantry is all that schools im-proves, [loves part, [the heart;Opposed against the pleasures nature But taverns teach the knowledge ofWhUe self-betray'd, and wUfully un- There waiter Dick, with bacchanaliandone. lays.She longs to yield, no sooner woo'd Shall win his heart and have hi3than won. drunken praise. H

;! ;112 COWPER'S POEMS.His counsellor and bosom friend shall And such an age as ours balks no ex-prove, [love. pense.And some street-pacing harlot his first Except of caution and of commonSchools, unless discipline were doubly sense, [plainstrong, [loug; Else, sure, notorious fact and proof soDetain their adolescent charge too Would turn our steps into a wiser train.The management of tyros of eighteen I blame not those who with what careIs difficult, their punishment obscene. they can [clan,The stout tall captain, whose superior O'erwatch the numerous and unrulysize [eyes, Or if I blame, 'tis only that they dare,The minor heroes view with envious Promise a work of which they mustBecomes their pattern, upon whom despair. [whole.they fix, [tricks. Have ye, ye sage intendants of theTheir whole attention, and ape all his A ubiquarian presence and control,His pride, that scorns to obey or to Elisha's eye, that when Gehazi stray'dsubmit, [wit. Went %vith him, and saw all the gameWith them is courage ; his effrontery, heplay'd? [shelves—His wild excursions, window-breaking Yes ye are conscious ; and on all the [streets, Your pupils strike upon, have struckfeats,Eobbery of gardens, quarrels in the yourselves.His hairbreadth 'scapes, and all his Or if by nature sober, ye had then,daring schemes, Boys as ye were, the gravitj' of men.Transport them, and are made their Ye knew ai least, by constant proofsfavourite themes. address'dIn little bosoms such achievements To ears and eyes, the vices of the rest.strike [like. But ye connive at what ye cannot cure,A kindred spark, they burn to do the And evils not to be endured, endure.Thus, half accompUsh\"d ere he yet Lest power exerted, but without suc-begin [chin, cess, [less.To shew the peeping down upon his Should make the little ye retain stillAnd, as maturity of years comes on. Ye once were justly famed for bring-Made just the adept you desigu'd your ing forth, [worth,son, [course. Undoubted scholarship and genuine And in the firmament of fame stillTo insure the perseverance of his shinesAnd give your monstrous project all A glorj', bright as that of all the signs.its force, [tamed.Send him to college. If he there be Of poets raised by you, and statesmenOr in one article of vice reclaim'd. and divines. [are fled.Where no regard of ordinances is Peace to them all, those brilliant timesshown [his own. And no such lights are kindling in theirOr look'd for now, the fault must be stead. [such raysSome sneaking virtue lurks in him, no Our striplings shine indeed, but withdoubt. As set the midnight riot in a blaze.Where neither strumpets' charms, nor And seem, if judged by their expressivedrinking bout, looks, [books.Nor gambling practices, can find it out. Deeper in none than in their surgeon'sSuch youths of spirit, and that spirit Say, Muse, (for education made thetoo, song.Te nurseries of our boys, we owe to you No muse can hesitate or linger long,)Though from ourselves the mischief What causes move us, knowing as wemore proceeds, [feeds must [trust,For public schools 'tis public folly That these Menageries all fail theirThe slaves of custom and establish'd To send our sous to scout and scampermode, [road, there, [much care ?With packhorse constancy we keep the While colts and puppies cost us soCrook'd or straight, through quags or Be it a weakness, it deserves somethorny dells. [bells. praise, [daysTrue to the jingling of our leader's We love the play-place of cur earlyTo follow foolish precedents, and wink The scene is touching, and the heart isWith both our eyes, is easier thau to stone [at none.thmk; That feels not at that sight, and feels

;; ! ; TIROCINIUM; OR, A REVIEW OF SCHOOLS. 113The wall on which we tried our grav- Ah, happy designation, pinideut choice,ing skill, [still. The event is sure, expect it, and re-The verj- name we carved subsisting joice! [child.The bench on which we sat while deep Soon see your wish fulflll'd in eitheremploy'd, The pert made perter, and the tameThough mangled, hack'd, and hew'd, made wild. [birth,not yet desfroj-'d; [hot. The great, indeed, by titles, riches,The little ones unbutton'd, glowing Excused the encumbrance of morePlaying our games, and on the very solid worth, [successspot, [draw Are best disposed of where with mostAs happy as we once, to kneel and They may acquire that confident ad-The chalky ring, and knuckle down at dress, [ponse.taw. Those habits of profuse and lewd ex-To pitch the ball into the grounded hat. That scorn of all delights but those ofOr drive it devious with a dextrous pat sense, [condemn,The pleasing spectacle at once excites Which though in plain plebeians woSuch recollections of our own delights, With so much reason all expect fromThat viewing it, we seem almost to them.obtain But families of less illustrious fame,Our innocent sweet simple years again. Whose chief distinction is their spot-This fond attachment to the well- less name, [income small.known place [long race, Whose heirs, their honours none, theirWhence first we started into life's Must shine by true desert, or not at all,Maintains its hold with such unfailing What dream they of, that with so littlesway, [day. care [treasure there?We feel it even in age, and at ourlatest They risk their hopes, their dearestHark ! how the sii-e of chits, whose They dream of little Charles or Williamfuture share graced [waistOf classic food begins to be his care, With wig prolix, down-flowing to hisWith his own likeness placed on either They see the attentive crowds hisknee. talents draw, [law.Indulges all a father's heartfelt glee, They hear him speak— the oracle ofAnd tells them, as he strokes their The father who designs his babe asilver locks, [to box priest,That they must soon learn Latin, and Dreams him episcopally such at least.Then turning, he regales his listening And while the playful jockey scourswife flife, the room [broom,With all the adventures of his early Briskly, astride upon the parlourHis skill in coachmanship, or driving In fancy sees him more superbly ridechaise, [plays. In coach with purple lined, and mitresIn bilking tavem-biUs and spouting on its side. [these.What shifts he used, detected in a Events improbable and strange asscrape, [to escape. Which only a parental eye foresees,AHow he was flogg'd, or had the luck public school shall bring to pass withWhat sums he lost at play, and how ease.he sold [are told. But how ? resides such virtue in that airWatch, seals, and all— till all his pranks As must create an appetite for prayer?Retracing thus his frolics, (\"tis a name And will it breathe into him all the zealThat palliates deeds of folly and of That candidates for such a prize shouldshame,) feel. [stillHe gives the local bias all its sway, To take the lead and be the foremostResolves that where he play'd his sons In all true worth and literarj- skill ?shall play, [shown \" Ah bUnd to bright futurity, untaughtAnd destines their bright genius to be The knowledge of the world, and dullJust in the scene where he displayd of thought [besthis own. [be taught Church-ladders are not always mountedThe meek and bashful boy will soon By leamiid clerks and Lalinists pro-To be as bold and forward as he ought; fessd.The rude will scuffle through with ease The exalted prize demands an up-enough, [the rough. ward look.Great schools Bnlt beet the sturdy and Not to be found by poring on a book.

—; ; a; ; —; ; —;114 COWPER'S POEMS.Small sUai in Latin, and still less in But fair although and feasible it seem, Greek, Depend not much upon your goldenIs more than adequate to all I seekLot erudition grace him or not grace, dream [to exempt For Providence, that seems concern'd1 give the bauble but the second place The hallow'd bench from absolute con-His wealth, fame, honours, all that I tempt.intend, [friend. In spite of all the wrigglers into place,—Subsist and centre in one point Still keeps a seat or two for worth andA friend, whate'er he studies or ne- grace [ be rare.glects, [defects. And therefore 'tis, that though the sightShall give him consequence, heal all We sometimes see a Lowth or BagotHis intercourse with peers and sons of there.peers— [years. Besides, school friendships are notThere dawns the splendour of his future always found.In that bright quarter his propitious Though fair in promise, permanentskies [glory rise. and sound [mindsShall blush betimes, and there his The most disinterested and virtuousrour Lordship ! and Your Grace! what In early years connected, time un-school can teach [speech ? binds ;A rhetoric equal to those parts of New situations give a different castWhat need of Homer's verse or Tully's Of habit, inclination, temper, taste.prose, [those ? And he that seem'd our counterpart atSweet interjections! if he learn but first, [versed.Let reverend churls his ignorance re- Soon shews the strong simOitude re-buke, [_teuch. Young heads are giddj', and youngWho starve upon a dog-ear'd Penta- hearts are warm, [reform.The parson knows enough who knows And make mistakes for manhood toa duke.\" Boys are at best but pretty buds un-Egregious purpose! worthily begun blown, [guess'd than known;In barbarous prostitution of your son, Whose scent and hues are ratherPress'd on fiis part by means that Each dreams that each is just what hewould disgi-ace [place, appears,A scrivener's clerk or footman out of But learns his error in maturer years.And ending, if at last its end be gain'd, When disposition, like a sail unfuri'd.In sacrilege, in God's own house pro- Shews all its rents and patches to thefaned, [call world. [sign,It may succeed ; and if his sins should If therefore, even when honest in de-For more than common punishment, A boyish friendship may so soonit shall [on earth decline, [heartThe wretch shall rise, and be the thing 'Twere wiser sure to inspire a littleLeast qualified in honour, learning. With just abhorrence of so mean aTo occupy a sacred, awful post, [worth. part, [tradeIn which the best and worthiest Than set your son to work at a viletremble most. For wages so unlikely to be paid.The roi/al letters are a thing of course, Our public hives of puerile resort,A king that would, might recommend That are of chief and most approvedhis horse, [with one voice, report, [soul.And Deans, no doubt, and Chapters, To such base hopes, in many a sordidAs bound in duty, would confirm the Owe their repute in part, but not thechoice. [part. whole. [passBehold your Bishop ! well he plays his A principle, whose proud pretensionsChristian in name, and infidel in heart, Unquestion'd, though the jewel be butGhostly in office, earthly in his i^lan, glassA slave at court, elsewhere a lady's That with a world, not often over-nice,man, Ranks as a virtue, and is yet a viceDumb as a senator, and as a priest Or rather a gross compound, justlyA piece of mere church furniture at tried, [scope. Of envy, hatred, jealousy, and r)ridebestTo live estranged from God his total Contributes most perhaps to enhanceAnd his end sure, without one glimpse their fame.of hope. And Emulation is its specious name.

;;:; ; ; ;; Boys once on flre vrith that contentious The great and small deserve one com- zeal mon blame. Feel all tlie rage that female rivals feel, Different in size, but in effect the same. i The prize of beauty in a woman's eyes Much zeal in virtue's cause all teacher's Xot brighter than in theirs the scholar's boast, [most: prize. Though motives of mere lucre sway the Therefore in towns and cities, they j The spirit of that competition bums \"VN'ith all varieties of ill by turns; abound, [found, Each vainly magnities his own success, For there the game they seek is easiest Eesents his fellow's, wishes it were Though there, in spite of all that care less, can do, [dant too.j Esults in his miscarriage if he fail, Traps to catch youth are most abun-; Desms his reward too great if he pre- If shrewd, and of a well-constructed vail, [night. brain, [tain,I And labours to surpass hun day and Keen in pursuit, and vigorous to re-I Less for improvement, than to tickle Your son come forth a prodigy of skill spite. [force As wheresoever taught, so form'd, he The spur is powerful, and I grant its will, [air, It pricks the genius forward in its The pedagogue, with self-complacent course, [for sloth, Claims more than half the praise as his Allows short time for play, and none due share And, felt alike by each, advances both But if, with all his genius, he betray, But judge, where so much evil inter- Xot more intelligent than loose and gay, venes, [the means. Such vicious habits as disgrace his The end, though plausible, not worth name, [his fame, Weigh, for a mement, classical desert Threaten his health, his fortune, and Against a heart depraved and temper Though want of due restraint alone hm-t, [wrong have bred Hurt too perhaps for life, for early The symptoms that you see with so Done to the nobler part affects it long. much dread; And you are stanch indeed in learn- Unenvied there he may sustain alone ing's cause, [draws The whole reproach, the fault was all If j'ou can crown a discipline, that his own. [used. Such mischiefs after it with much ap- Oh ! 'tis a sight to be with joy per- plause. 3y all whom sentiment has not abused, Connexion form'd for interest, and Newfangled sentiment, the boasted endear'd [cashier'd grace [place By selfish views thus censur'd and Of those who never feel in the right And emulation as engendering hate, A sight surpassed by none that we can Doom'd to a no less ignominious fate, show, [be!o(v; Theprops of such proud seminaries fall, Though Vestris on one leg still shine The Jachin and the Boaz of them all. A father blest with an ingenuous son. Great schools rejected, then, as those Father, and friend, and tutor all in one. [well. Howl— turn again to tales long since that swell Beyond a size that can be managed forgot, Shall royal institutions miss the bays. .ffisop, and Phisdrus. and the rest?— And small academies win all the praise ? Why not ? myForce not drift beyond its just in- He will not blush, that has a father's tent, [ment heart, I praise a school as Pope a govern- To take in childish plays a childish part, So take my judgment in his language But bends his sturdy \"back to any toy dress'd, [best.\" That youth takes pleasure in, to please \" 'Whate'er is best administer'd is his boy Few .boys are boi-n with talents that Then why resign into a stranger's hand But all are capable of living well [excel. A task as much within your own com- ; mand, [terest too. Then ask not, whether limited or large ? But, watch they strictly, or neglect That God and nature, and your in- their charge ? [learn. Seem with one voice to delegate to you? If anxious only that their boys may \V hy hire a lodging in ahouse unknown, \"WTiile morals languish, a despised con- For one whoso tenderest thoughts all cern, hover round your own ?

; : ;; ;;116 COWPEB'S POEMS.This second weaning, needless as it is, The encroaching nuisance asks aHow does it lacerate both your heart faithful hand,and his? [day Patient, affectionate, of high command,The indented stick, that loses day by To check the procreation of a breedNotch after notch, till all are smooth'd Sure to exhaust theplaut on which theyaway, [come. feed. [page,Bears witness, long ere his dismission 'Tis not enough that Greek or EomanWith what intense desire he wants his At stated hours his freakish thoughtshome. [your roof engage [friendBut though the joys he hopes beneath Even in his pastimes he requires aBid fair enough to answer in the proof, To warn, and teach him, safely toHarmless, and safe, and natural as they unbend,are, [there O'er all his pleasures gently to preside.A disappointment waits him even Watch his emotions and control theirArrived, he feels an unexpected change, tide, [sway.He blushes, hangs his head, is shy and And, levying thus, and with an easy A[ease,strange, tax of profit from his very play,No longer takes, as once, with fearless To impress a value, not to be erased,Hisfavourite stand between his father's On moments squandered else, andknees, [seat, running all to waste.But seeks the corner of some distant And seems it nothing in a father's eyeAnd eyes the door and watches a re- That unimproved tho.se many momentstreat, [be most, fly? [findAnd, least familiar where he should And is he well content his son shouldFeels all his happiest privileges lost. No nourishment to feed his growing—Alas, i)oor boy! the natural offect mind [declined ?Of love by absence chill'd into respect. But conjugated verbs, and nounsSay, what accomplishments, at school For such is all the mental foodpurvey'dacquired, [desired? By public hackneys in the schoolingBrings he, to sweeten fruits so un- tradeWhoThou well deservest an alienated son, feed a pupil's intellect with storeUnless thy conscious heart acknow- Of syntax truly, but vrith little more—ledge none [cess. Dismiss their cares when they disraiaNone that, in thy domestic snug re- their flock, [a clock.He had not made his own with more Machines themselves, and govern'd byaddress, [^feeling mind, Perhaps a father blest with any brainsThough some, perhaps, that shock thy Would deem it no abuse or waste ofAnd better never learn'd, or left be- pains [expense.hind, [canst obtain To improve this diet, at no greatAdd too, that, thus estranged, thou With savoury truth and wholesome common sense;By no kind arts his conQdence again;That here begins with most that long To lead his son, for prospects of delight.complaint [faint, To some not steep, though philosophicOf filial frankness lost, and love grown height,Which, oft neglected, in life's waning Thence to exhibit to his wondering eyesyears, Yon circling worlds, their distance, andA parent pours into regardless ears. their size, [ball. Like caterpillars dangling undertrees The moons of Jove, and Saturn's beltedBy slender threads, and swinging in the And the harmonious order of them allbreeze. To shew him in an in.=;ect or a flower.Which filthily bewray and sore disgrace Such microscopic proof of skill andThe boughs in which are bred the power, [displaysunseemly race, [weaves As, hid from ages past, God nowWhile every worm industriously To combat atheists with in modemAnd winds his web about the riveU'd days;leaves; To spread the earth before him, andSo numerous are the foUies that annoy commend.The mind and heart of every sprightly With designation of the flnger'r end,boy. Its various parts to his attentive note.Imaginations noxious and perverse, Thus bringing home to him the mostWhich admonition can alone disperse, I remote;

—— —; ; ;: ; —,; TIEOCINIUM; OB, A KEVIEW OF SCHOOLS. 11?To teach his heart to glow with gener- Nor faint his speech with meannesses,ous flame, design'dCaught from the deeds of men of By footman Tom for witty and refined.ancient fame [due There,in his commerce with the liveried ;And, more than all, with commendation herd.To set some living worthy in his view, Lurks the contagion chiefly to be fear'd; For since (so fashion dictates) all whoWhose fair example miy at once inspire claimA wish to copy what he must admire. A higher than a mere plebeian fame.Such knowledge gain'd betimes, and Find it expedient, come what mischiefwhich appears [years.Though solid, not too weighty for his may,Sweet in itself , and not forbidding sport. To entertain a thief or two in pay,When health demands it, of athletic (And they that can afford the expense sort, of more [score.)Would make him—what some lovely Some half-a-dozen, and some half-a- boys have been. Great cause occurs to save him from aAnd more than one perhaps that I band [hand have seen So sure to spoil him. and so near atAn evidence and reprehension both A point secured, if once he be suppliedOf the mere schoolboy's lean and tardy With some such Mentor always at his growth. side. [would abound Art thou a man professionally tied,With all thy faculties elsewhere applied, Are such men rare ? perhaps theyToo busy to intend a meaner careThau how to enrich thyself, and neit Were occupation easier to be found, Were education, else so sure to fail,thine heir; [thou art) Conducted on a manageable scale. And schools, that have outlived all justOr art thou (as though rich, perhaps esteem, [scheme,But poor in knowledge, having none to Exchanged for the secure domesticimpart: [clad. But, having found him, be thou dukeBehold that figure, neat, though plainly or earl.His sprightly mingled with a shade of Shew thou hast sense enough to prizesad; the pearl, [of thine heirNot of a nimble tongue, though now And. as thou wouldst the advancementand then In all good faculties beneath his care,Heard to articulate like other m-en Kespect, as is but rational and just, ; A man deem'd worthy of so dear aNo jester, and yet lively in discourse,His phrase well chosen, clear, and full trust. [expectof force [ease, Despised by thee, what more can heAnd his address, if not quite French in From youthful folly than the sameNot English stiff, but frank and form'd neglect ?to please [arts, A flat and fatal negative obtainsLow in the world, because he scorns its That instant upon all his future painsA man of letters, manners, morals, His lessons tire, his mild rebukesparts; [known, oUend, [best friendTTnpatronised, and therefore little And all the instructions of thy son'sWise for himself and his few friends Are a stream choked, or trickling toalone no end.In him thy well-appointed proxy see, Doom him not then to solitary meals.Arm'dfor a work too difficult for thee But recollect that he has sense, andPrepared by taste, by learning, and feels;true worth, [forth ; And that, possessor of a soul refined, An upright heart and cultivated mind.To form thy son, to strike his geniusBeneath thy roof, beneath thine eye to His post not mean, his talents not un-prove [love known. He deems it hard to vegetate alone,The force of discipline when back'd by And if admitted at thy board he sit. Account him no just mark foridle wit;To double all thy pleasure in thy child. Offend not him, whom modesty re-His mind inform'd, his morals unde-filed.Safe under such a wing, the boy shall strainsshow p^elow. From repartee, \vith jokes that hoNo spots contracted among grooms disdains

—; —: ;: — ;;lis COWPEE'S POEMS.Much less transfix his feelings v-ith an May raise such fruits as shall reward hisoath, [cloth.— And not at last evaporate in air: [care.Nor frown, unless he vanish with the Where, stillness aiding study, and hisAnd, trust me, his utility may reach mind [clined.To more than he is hired or bound to Serene, and to his duties much in-teach, [undone. Not occupied in day dreams, as atMuch trash unutter'd, and some IDs home, [come.Through reverence of the censor of Of pleasures past or follies yet tothy son. His virtuous toil may terminate at last But \"if thy table be indeed unclean, In settled habit and decided taste.Foul with excess, and with discourse But whom do 1 advise ? the fashion-led.obscene, [her old plan. The incorrigibly wrong, the deaf, theAnd thou a wretch, whom, following dead.WhomThe world accounts an honourable care and cool deliberation suitman, [been tried Not better much than spectacles aBecause, forsooth, thy courage has brute.And stood the test, perhaps on the Who, if their sons some slight tuitionwrong side share, [whereThough thou hadst never grace Deem it of no great moment whose, orenough to prove Too proud to adopt the thoughts of oneThat anything but vice could win thy unknown, [own.love; And much too gay to have any of theirOr hast thou a polite, card-playing wife, But, courage, man! methought theChain'd to the routs that she frequents, Muse replied, [\videfor life, [snore, Mankind are various, and the world isWho, just when industry begins to The ostrich, silliest of the feather'dFlies, winged with joy, to some coach- kind, [mind,crowded door, [thine own And form'd of God without a parent'sAnd thrice in every winter throngs Commits her eggs, incautious to theWith half the chariots and sedans in dust, [trust;town, [thou mayst. Forgetful that the foot may crush theThyself meanwhile even shifting as And. while on public nurseries theyNot very sober though, nor very rely, [why,chas-te ;— [thy rank. Not knowing, and too oft not caring,Or is thine house, though less superb Irrational in what they thus prefer.If not a scene of pleasure, a mere blank. Not few, that would seem wise, resem-And thou at best, and in thy soberest ble her. [voicemood, But all are not alike. Thy warningA tiifier vain, and empty of all good; May here and there prevent erroneousThough mercy for thyself thou canst choice [are.have none, [sou. And some perhaps, who, busy as theyHere Nature plead, shew mercy to thy Yet make their progeny their dearestSaved from his home, where every day care, [ills may i-eachbrings forth (Whose hearts will ache, once told whatSome mischief fatal to his future worth. Their offspring, left upon so wild aFind him a better in a distant spot. beach.) [enforceWithin some pious pastors humble cot. Will need no stress of argument toWhere vUe example (yours, I chiefly The expedience of a less adventurousmean, [seen) course [demn,The most seducing, and the oftcnest The rest will slight thy counsel, or con-—May never more be stamp'd upon his But they have human feelings turn tobreast, them. [state.Not yet perhaps incurably impress'd. To you, then, tenants of life's middleWhere early rest makes eariy rising Securely placed between the small andsure, [cure, great, [tains.Disease or comes not, or finds easy Whoso character, yet undebauch'd, re-Prevented much by diet neat and plain. Two-thirds of all the virtue that re-Or, if it enter, soou starved out again mains, - [shou-M learnWhere all the attention of his faithful Who, wise yourselves, desire your sons—host. Tour wisdom and your ways to you IDiscreetly limited to two at most, turn.

—; ;;; ; XmOCIXIUM; OE, A KEVIEW OF SCHOOLS. 119Look round you on a world perversely- Who there will court thy friendship, blind— with what views, [wilt choose;See what contempt is fallen on human And, artless as thou art, whom thoukind [placed. Though much depends on what thySee wealth abused, and dignities mis- choice shall be, [me.\"Great titles, ofBces, and trusts dis- Is all chance-medley, and unknown tograced, Canst thou, the tear just trembling onLong lines of ancestry, renown'd of old, thy lids, [forbids,Their noble qualities all quench'd and And while the dreadful risk foreseen.cold [charge Free too, and under no constrainingSee Bedlam's closeted and handcufi'd force, [course.Surpass d in frenzy by the mad at large; Unless the sway of custom warp thySee great commandera making war a Lay such a stake upon the losing side,trade, [made Merely to gratify so blind a guide? Thou canst not ! Nature, pulling at thineGreat lawyers, lawyers without studyChurchmen, in whose esteem their heart, [dent part,blest employ Condemns the unfatherly, the impru-Is odious, and their wages all their joy, Thou wouldst not, deaf to Nature'sWho, far enough from furnishing their tenderest plea,shelves [selves; Turn him adrift upon a rolling sea, Nor say, \" Go thither,\" conscious thatWith gospel lore, turn infidels them-See womanhood despised, and man- there lay [way; hood shamed A brood of asps, or quicksands in hisWith infamy too nauseous to be named, Then, only govern'd by the self-sameFops at all comers, lady-like in mien, ruleCiveted fellows, smelt ere they are seen. Of natural pity, send him not to schoolElse coarse and rude in manners, and —No guard him better: Is he not thinetheir tongue [hung. own, [bone?On fire with curses and with nonsense Thj-self in miniature, thy flesh, thyNow flush'd with drunkenness, now And hopest thou not ('tis every father'swith whore(^03i pale, [regale; hope.) [years elope.Their breath a sample of last night's That since thy strength must with thySee volimteers in all the vilest arts. And thou wilt need some comfort, toMen wellendow'd, of honourable parts, assuage [old age.Design'd by Nature wise, but self-made Health's last farewell, a staff of thinefools; [at schools. That then, in recompense of all thyAll these, and more like these, were bred cares, [gray hairs.And if it chance, as sometimes chance Thy child shall shew respect to thyit will, [virtuous still, Befriend thee.of all other friends bereft,That though school-bred, the boy be And give thy life its only cordial left ? Aware, then, how much danger inter-Such rare exceptions shining in thedark, [remark venes, [means.Prove, rather than impeach, the just To compass that good end, forecast the His heart, now passive, yields to thyAs here and there a twinkling star commanddescried [beside.Serves but to shew how black is all Secure it thine, its key is in thine hand.Now look on him whose very voice in If thou desert thy charge and throwtone [thine own, it wide, [abide.Just echoes thine, whose features are Nor heed what guests there enter andAnd stroke his polish'd cheek of purest Complain not if attachments lewd andred, [head. base [place.And lay thine hand upon his flaxen Supplant thee in it, and usurp thyAnd say, \"My boy, the tmwelcome hour But if thou guard its sacred chambersis come, [home, sure [impure.When thou, transplanted from thygenial From vicious inmates and dehghtaMust find a colder soil and bleaker air, Either his gratitude shaU hold him fast,And trust for safety to a stranger's And keep him warm and felial to thecare; last;What character, what turn thou wilt Or if he prove unkind, (as who can say But, being man, and therefore trail, heassume [not whom may 'i)From constant converse with I know

— ———: ; ;120 COWPEE'S POEMS.One comfort yet shall cheer thine aged Survey our schools and colleges, andheart, A sight not much unlike my simile, [seeHowe'er he slight thee, thou hast done From education, as the leading cause, thy part. The public character its colour draws Oh barbarous ! wouldst thou with a Thence the prevailing manners take Gothic hand their cast,—Pull down the schools what !—all the Extravagant or sober, loose or chaste.schools in the land ; [and grooms, And, though I would not advertiseOr throw them up to the livery-nags them yet, [be Lei,Or turn them into shops and auction- Nor write on each This Building torooms ? (one, Unless the world were all prepared toA captious question, sir, (and yours is embrace [place,Deserves an answer similar, or none. A plan well worthy to supply theirWouldst thou, possessor of a flock, Yet, backward as they are, and longemploy [hoy, have been,(Apprised that he is such) a careless To cultivate and keep the MORALScleau,And feed him well and give him hand- (Forgive the crime,) I wish them, Isome pay, [astray ? confess,Merely to sleep, and let them run Or better managed, or encouraged less. CHARITY. ARGUMENT.—Invocation to Charity Social ties—Tribute to the humanity of Captain Cook— His character contrasted with that of Cortez, the conqueror of Mexico — —Degradation of Spain—Purpose of commerce Gifts of art The slave-trade — —and slavery Slavery unnatural and unchristian The duty of abating the woes of that state, and of enlightening the mind of the slave, enforced — —Apostrophe to Liberty Charity of Howard Pursuits of Philosophy —Reason learns nothing aright without the lamp of Revelation True charity —the offspring of Divine truth Supposed case of a blind nation and an — —optician Portrait of Charity Beauty of the Apostle's definition of it —Alms as the means of lulling conscience Pride and ostentation motives of — —charity Character of satire— True charity inculcated Christian charity should be universal— Happy effects that would result from universal charity.Faieest and foremost of the train that That every tribe, though placed as Hewait [state, sees best, [the rest,On man's most dignified and happiest \"Where seas or deserts part them fromWhether we name thee Charity or Differing in language, manners, or in Love, face, [race.Chief grace below, and all in all above. —Might feel themselves allied to all theProsper (I press thee with a powerful When Cook lamented, and with tearsplea) as justA task I venture on, impell'd by thee: As ever mingled with heroic dust,Oh never seen but in thy blest effects. Steer'd Britain's oak into a world un-Or felt but in the soul that Heaven known, [own,selects, [thee known And in his country's glory sought hisWho seeks to praise thee, and to make Wherever he found man, to natureTo other hearts, must have thee in his true, [viewown. [desires. The rights of man were sacred in hisCome, prompt me with benevolent He soothed with gifts, and greetedTeach me to kindle at thy gentle fires, with a smile, [isle;And though disgraced and slighted, to The simple native of the new-foundredeem [theme. He spurud the wretch that slighted orA poet's name, by making thee the withstood (jod, working ever on a social plan. The tender argmnent of kindrei' blood, Kor would endure that any should con-By various ties attaches man to manHe made at first, though free and un- trolconflned, [kind; His f reeborn brethren of the southernOne man the common father of the pole.

! ;: CHAEiry. 121But though some nobler minds a law Shook principaKties and kingdomsrespect, down, [frown?That none shall with impunity neglect, And made the mountains tremble at hisIn baser souls unnumber'd evils meet.To thwart its influence, and its end The sword shall light upon thy boasted powers, [wasted ours.defeat. [saved, And waste them, as thy sword has\"While Cook is loved for savage lives he 'Tis thus Omnipotence his law fulfils.See Cortez odious for a world enslaved And vengeance executes what justiceWhere wast thou then, sweet Charity, wills. fdesign'd where then. —Again the band of commerce wasThou tutelary friend of helpless men? To associate all the branches of man-Wast thou in monkish cells and nun- kind;neries found, [ground ? And if a boundless plenty be the robe,Or building hospitals on English Trade is the golden girdle of the globe.No! — Mammon makes the world his Wise to promote whatever end helegatee [abhors the fee. means, [scenes;Through fear, not love; and Heaven God opens fruitful nature's variousWherever found, (and all men need Each climate needs what other climesthy care.) [there. produce,Nor age nor infancy could find thee And offers something to thegenernl use; No land but listens to the common call.The hand that slew till it could slay no And in return receives supply from all.more [gore.Was glued to the sword-hilt with Indian This genial intercourse, and mutual aid.Their prince, as justly seated on his Cheers what were else a universal throne shade.As vain imperial Philip on his own,Trick'd out of all his royalty by art. Calls Nature from her ivy-mantled den.That stripp'd him bare, and broke his And softens human rock-work into men.honest heart, Ingenious Art, with her expressive face.Died, by the sentence of a shavenpriest, Steps forth to fashion and refine theFor scorning what they taught him to race.detest. [blaze Not only fills necessity's demand,How dark the veil that intercepts the But overcharges her capacious hand:Of Heaven's mysterious purposes and Capricious tasre itself can crave no more Than she supplies from her aboimdingwa}'s! [stand, aloof,God stood not, though He seem'd to storeAnd at this hour the conqueror feels She strikes out all that luxury can ask.the proof: [staut curse. And gains new vigour at her endlessThe wreath he won drew down an in- task. [spire.The fretting plague is in the public Hers is the spacious arch, the shapelypurse, [state. The painter's pencil, and the poet'sThe canker'd spoil corrodes the pining lyre [shade.Starved by that indolence their mines From her the canvas borrows light andcreate. [again. And verse, more lasting, hues that Oh, could their ancient Incas rise never fade. [keys,How would they take up Israel's taunt- She guides the finger o'er the dancinging strain! Gives difficulty all the grace of ease,Alt thou too fallen, Iberia? Do we see And pours a torrent of sweet notesThe robber and the murderer weak as around, [sound.we ? [despise Fast as the thirsting ear can drink theThou, that hast wasted earth, and dared These are the gifts of Art; and ArtAlike the wrath and mercy of the skies. thrives most [coast;Thy pomp is in the grave, thy glory Where Commerce has enrich'd the busy laid He catches all improvements in hisLow in the pits thine avarice has made. flight, [try's sight.We come with joy from our eternal Spreads foreign wonders in his coun-rest, [press'd. Imports what others have inventedTo see the oppressor in his turn op- well, [excel.Art thou the god the thunder of whose And stirs his own to match them orhand 'Tis thus reciprocating each with each.Eoll'd over all our desolated land, Alternately the nations learn and teach;

; ;:!;! , :122 COW FEE'S POEMS.While Providence enjoins to every soul Wait for the dawning of a brighter day. And snap the chain the moment whenA union with the vast terraqueous you may.whole. [unfurl'd, Nature imprints npon whate'er we see. That has a heart and life in it. Be free!Heaven speed the canvas, gallantly —The beasts are oharter'd neither ageTo furnish and accommodate a world,To give the pole the produce of the sun. nor force [horseAnd knit the unsocial climates into one!Soft airs and gentle heavings of the Can quell the love of freedom in a He breaks the cord that held him at thewaveImpel the fleet, whose errand is to save, rack, [ijack.To succour wasted regions, and replace And, conscious of an unincnmberdThe smile of opulence in sorrow's face Snuffs up the morning air, forgets theLet nothing adverse, nothing unfore- rein, [mane,seen, [serene, Loose fly his forelock and his ample Eesponsive to the distant neigh heImpede the bark that ploughs the deepCharged with a freight transcending in neighs.its worth [loirth, Nor stops, till overleaping all delays. He finds the pasture where his fellowsThe gems of India, Nature's rarestThat flies like Gabriel on his Lord's graze. [Christian name. commands. Canst\" thou, and honour'd with aA herald of God's love to pagan lands! Buy what is woman-born, and feel noBut ah! what wish can prosper, or shame? [pleadv/hat prayer,- [spair, Trade in the blood of innocence, andFor merchants rich in cargoes of de- Expedience as a warrant for the deed ?Who drive a loathsome traflic, gauge So may the wolf, whom famine has made boldand span [man ?And buy the muscles and the bones of To quit the forest and invade the fold: So may the rufBan, who with ghostlyThe tender ties of father, husband,friend, [end glide.All bonds of nature in that moment Dagger In hand, steals close to yourAnd each endures, while yet he draws bedside; his breath, Not he, but his emergence, forced theA stroke as fatal as the scythe of death. door.The sable warrior, frantic with regret He found it inconvenient to be poor.Of her he loves and never can forget. Has God then given its sweetness toLosses in tears the far receding shore. [vain?But not the thought that they must —the cane, Unless His laws be trampled on inmeet no more. BuUt a brave world, which cannot yetDeprived of her and freedom at a blow. subsist.What has he left that he can yet forego? Unless his right to rule it be dismiss'd?Yes, to deep sadness sullenly resign'd. Impudent blasphemy ! So folly pleads, And, avarice being judge, with easeHe feels his bodys bondage in hismind [suit succeeds.Puts oft his generous nature ; and, to But grant the plea, and let it standHis manners with his fate, puts on the for just.brute. That man make man his prey, because\" Oh, most degrading of all ills that wait he must ; Still there is room for pity to abateOn man, a moiu-ner in his best estateAll other sorrows virtue may endure, And soothe the sorrows of so sad a,And flnd submission more than half a state. cure; A Briton knows, or if he knows it not,Grief is itself a medicine, and bestow'd The Scripture placed within his reach,To improve the fortitude that bears the he ought,load, [crease, That souls have no discriminating hue. Alike important in their Makers view;To teach the wanderer, as his woes in-The path of wisdom, all whose paths That none ai-e free from blemish sinceare peace ! [grave the fall, [all.—But slaveiy ! Virtue dreads it as her And love divine has paid one price forPatience itself is meanness in a slave That wretch that works and wocpsOr if the will and sovereignty of God without reliefBid suffer it a while, and kiss the rod. Has one that notices his silent grief.

; : ;: ;: ; : ; CHAEITY. 123He, from whose hand alone all power God's gift with pleasure in His praiseproceeds, [deeds, employBanks its abuse among the foulest And Thornton is familiar with theConsiders all injustice with a frown; joy.\" [the skies,But marts the man that treads his Oh, could I worship aught beneathfeUow down. [hard hand That earth has seen, or fancy can—Beg'jne! the whip and bell in that devise, [stand.Ai-e hateful ensigns of usnrp'd com- Thine altar, sacred Liberty, shouldmand; [claim Built by no mercenary vulgar hand,Not Mexico could purchase kings a With fragrant turf, and flowers as wildTo scourge him, weariness his only and fair, [mer air.blame. [rod; As ever dress'd a bank, or scented sum-Hemember, Heaven has an avenging Duly, as ever on the mountain's heightTo smite the poor is treason against The peep of morning shed a dawningGod! [brook'd. light, Trouble is grudgingly and hardly Again, when evening in her sober vest\"While life's sublimest joys are over- Drew the gray curtain of the fadinglook'd: west.We Mywander o\"er a sunburnt thirsty soil, soul should yield thee willingMurmuring and weary of our daily toil. thanks and praise,myForget to enjoy the palm-tree's offer'd For the chief blessings of fairestshade, [ing glade days [thine,—Or taste the fountain in the neighbour- But that were sacrilege ; praise is notElse who would lose, that had the But His who gave thee, and preservespower to improve [love ? thee mine [flyThe occasion of transmuting fear to Else I would say, and as I spake bidOh, 'tis a godlike privilege to save, A captive bird into the boundless sky,—And he that scorns it is himself a slave. This triple realm adores thee; thouInform his mind ; one flash of heavenly art come [home.day [chains away. From Sparta hither, and art here atWe\"Would heal his heart, and melt his feel thy force still active, at this\"Beauty for ashes\" is a gift indeed, hour.And slaves, by truth enlarged, are Enjoy immunity from priestly power,doubly freed. [feet. While conscience, happier than inThen would he say, submissive at thy ancient years, [feara.\"While gratitude and love made ser- Owns no superior but the God shevice sweet, [me light, Propitious spirit ! yet expunge a wrong Thy rights have suffered, and our land\"Whose bounty bought me but to giveMy dear deliverer out of hopeless night, too long, [that shareI was a bondman on my native plain. Teach mercy to ten thousand heartsSin forged, and ignorance made fast, The fears and hopes of a commercialthe c'uain [dew. care. [builtThy lips have shed instruction as the Prisons expect the wicked, and wereTaught me what path to shun, and To bind the lawless and to punishwhat pursue; [more gmlt [and flood,myFarewell former joys! I sigh no But shipwreck, earthquake, battle, Are,From Africa s once loved, benighted Are mighty mischiefs, not to he with- shore; stood [ground. ;Serving a benefactor, I am free And honest merit stands on sUpperyAt my'best home, if not exiled from Where covert guile and artiflce abound.thee.\" [whence proceeds Let just restraiut, for public peace de-Some men make gain a fountain, sign'd. [kind;A stream of liberal and heroic deeds Chain up the wolves and tigers of man-The swell of pity, not to be confined The foe of virtue has no claim to thee,Within the scanty limits of the mini, But let insolvent innocence go free.Disdains the bank, and throws the Patron of else the most despised ofgolden sands, men.A rich daposit. on the bordering lands: Accept the tribute of a stranger's pen;These have an ear for His paternal call, Verse, like the laurel its immortalWho makes some rich for the supply meed.of all, Should be the guerdon of a noble deed

;! ; :;124 COWPEE'S POEMS.I may alarm thee, but I fear the shame But reason still, unless divinely taught,(Charity chosen as my theme and aim) Whate'er she learns, learns nothing asI must incur, forgetting HOWARD'S she ought; The lamp of revelation only shows,name. [resign What human wisdom cannot butBlest with all wealth can give thee, toJoys doubly sweet to feelings quick as oppose, [clad,thine, [stow, That man in nature's richest mantleTo quit the bliss thy rural scenes be- And graced with all philosophy canTo seek a nobler amidst scenes of woe. add, [within,To traverse seas, range kingdoms, and Though fair without, and luminousbring home, [or Eome, Is still the progeny and heir of sin.Not the proud monuments of Greece Thus taught, down falls the plumageBut knowledge such as only dungeons of his pride;teach, [reach He feels his need of an unerring guide.And only sjTiipathy like thine could And knows that falling he shall rise noThat grief, sequester'd from the public more,stage. Unless the power that bade him stand,Might Bmooth her feathers and enjoy restore.her cage This is indeed philosophy ; this known.Speaks a divine ambition, and a zeal, Makes wisdom, worthy of the name,The boldest patriot might be proud to his own;feel. [bate. And without this, whatever he discuss.Oh that the voice of clamour and de- Whether the space between the starsThat pleads for peace till it disturbs the and us, [the sea.state, [plea. Whether he measure earth, computeWere hushVl in favour of thy generous Weigh sunbeams, carve a fly, or spit aThe poor thy clients, and Heaven's flea, [skillsmile thy fee [stray, The solemn trifler with his boastedPhilosophy that does not drea.m or Toils much, and is a solemn trifler still:Walks arm in arm with nature all his Blind was he born, and his misguidedway. eyes [he dies.Compasses earth, dives into it, ascends Growing dim in trifling studies, blindWhatever steep inquiry recommends, vSelf-knowledge truly learn'd, of courseSees planetary wonders smoothly roll impliesBound other systems imder her con- The rich possession of a nobler prize;trol, night For self to self, and God to man, re-Drinks wisdom at the mUky stream of veal'd, [seal'd,)That cheers the silent journey of the (Two themes to nature's eye for evernight, [charged Are taught by rays that fly with equalAnd brings at his return a bosom pace [grace.With rich instruction, and a soul en- From the same centre of enlighteninglarged, [plan Here stay thy foot; how copious andThe treasured sweets of the capacious how clear [here!That Heaven spreads wide before the The overflowing well of Charily springsview of man, [pursue Hark I 'tis the music of a thousandAll prompt his pleased pursuit, and to rills,Still prompt him, with a pleasure always Some through the groves, some downnew; [draws the sloping hills.He too has a connecting power, and Winding a secret or an open course.Man to the centre of the common cause. And all supplied from an etei-nal source.Aiding a dubious and deficient sight The ties of nature do but feeblj' bind.With a new medium and a purer hght. And commerce partially reclaims, man-All truth is precious, if not aU divine. kind;And what dilates the powers must Philosophy, without his heavenly guide.needs refine. May blow up self-conceit, and nourishHe reads the skies, and, watching pride [part,every change. But while his province is the reasoningProvides the faculties an ampler range. Has stiU a veil of miduigho on hisAnd wins mankind, as his attempts heartprevail, Tis truth divine exhibited on earth,A prouder station on the general scale. Gives Charity her being and her birth.

;: : —; ;: :; ;: CHAEITY. 125Suppose (when thought is warm and Pure in her aim and in her temper mild. fancy flows, Her wisdom seems the weakness of aWhat will not argument sometimes child [condemn. suppose?) She makes excuses where she mightAn isle possess'd by creatures of our Eeviled by those that hate her, prayskind, [blind. for them [breast.Endued with reason, yet by nature Suspicion lurks not in her artlessLet supposition lend her aid once more, The worst suggested, she believes theAnd land some grave optician on the best; [teased,shore [see. Xot soon provoked, however stung andHe claps his lens, if haply they may And if perhaps made angrj', soon ap-Close to the part where vision ought to peased; [right:be [the sight. She rather waives than will dispute herBut finds that though his tubes assist And injured, makes forgiveness herThey cannot give it, or make darkness delight. [drew.light. [aloud Such was the portrait an apostleHe reads ^vise lectures and describes The bright original was one he knewA sense they know not to the wonder- Heaven held his hand, the likenessing crowd [hues. must be true. [with the sidesHe talks of light and the prismatic When one that holds communionAs men of depth in erudition use Has flU'd his urn where these pureBut aU he gains for his harangue is waters rise, [meaner things.\"\"WeU, [will tell!\" And once more mingles with usWhat monstrous lies some travellers 'Tis even as if an angel shook his wings;The soul, whose sight all-quickening Immortal fragrance fills the circuitgrace renews, [views, wide, [supphed.Takes the resemblance of the good she That tells us whence his treasures areAs diamonds stripp'd of their opaque So when a ship, well freighted with thedisguise, storesEeflect the noonday glory of the skies. The sunmatureson India's spicy shores, Has dropp'd her anchor and her can-She speaks of him, her author, guardian,friend, [no end. vas furl'd, [world,Whose love knew no beginning, knows In some safe haven of our westernIn language warm as all that love in- 'Twere vain inquiry to what port shespires, [sires, went, [scent.And, in the glow of her intense de- The gale informs us, laden with thePants to communicate her noble fires. Some seek, when queasy conscienceShe sees a world stark blind to what has its qualms,employs [ingjoys; To lull the painful malady with alms;Her eager thought, and feeds her flow- But charity not feign'd intends aloneThough wisdom hail them, heedless of —Another's good theirs centres in theirher call, [all own: [of peace,Flies to save some, and feels a pang for And too short-lived to reach the realmsHerself as weakas her support is strong. Must cease for ever when the poorShe feels that frailty she denied so long. shall cease. [name,And, from a knowledge of her own dis- Flavia, most tender of her own goodease, [sees. Is rather careless of her sister's fameLearns to compassionate the sick she Her superfluity the poor supplies.Here see, acquitted of all vain pretence,The reign of genuine charity commence: Bat if she touch a character, it dies,Though scorn repay her sympathetic The seemingvirtne weigh'd against the vice, [price:tears, [veres She deems all safe, for she has paid theShe still is kind, and still she perse- No charity but alms aught values she.The truth she loves, a sightless world Except in porcelain on her mantle-tree,blaspheme, How many deeds with which the world'Tis childish dotage, a delirious dream! has rung.The danger they discern not they deny From pride in league with ignoranceLaugh at their only remedy, and die. have sprung! But God o'errules all human follies still.But still a soul thus touch'd can never And bonds the tough materials to Hiscease, [peace.Whoever threatens war, to speak of will.

; ; ;: ): ; ;:;:126 COWPER'S POEMS.A confiagrotion or a -wintry flood, The wild assassins start into the street,Has left some hundreds without home Prepared to poniard whomsoe'er theyor food [scribe, meet. [just,Extravagance and avarice shall sub- No skill in swordmanship, howeverWhile fame and self-complacence are Can be secure against a madman'sthe bribe. [pew, thrustThe brief proclaim'd, it visits every And even virtue, so unfairly match'd.But first t he squire's, a compliment but Although immortal, may be prick'd or\"With slow deliberation he imties [due scratch'd. [lie,His guttering purse, that envy of all When scandal has new minted an oldeyes. Or tax'd invention for a fresh supply,And while the clerk just puzzles out 'Tls call'd a satire, and the worldthe psalm, appearsSlides guinea behind guinea in his Gathering around it with erected earspalm; A thousand names are to.-^s'd into theTill finding, what he might have found crowd, [twang'd aloud,before, [store, Some whisper'd softly, and someA smaller piece amidst the precious Just as the sapience of an author'sPinch'd close between his finger and brain [plain.his thumb, [sum. Suggests it safe or dangerous to beHe half exhibits, and then drops the Strange! how the frequent interjected—Gold to be sure ! Throughout the dash [trashtown 'tis told [than gold. Quickens a market, and helps off theHow the good squire gives never less The important letters that include theFrom motives such as his, though not rest [press'd;the best, Serve as a key to those that are sup-Springs in due time supply for the Conjecture gripes the victims in hisdistress'd; [bestows, paw, [the law.—Not less effectual than what love The world is charm'd,and Scrib escapesExcept that office clips it as it goes. So when the cold damp shades of nightBut lest I seem to sin against a prevail, [or tail;friend, [mend. \"Worms may be caught by either headAnd woimd the grace I mean to recom- Forcibly drawn from many a close(Though vice derided with a just design recess,Implies no trespass against love divine, They meet with little pity, no redress;Once more I would adopt the graver Plimged in the stream they lodge uponstyle ; [smile. the mud, [flood.A teacher should be sparing of his Food for the famish'd rovers of theUnless alove of virtue light the fiame, All zeal for a reform that givesSatire is, more than those he brands, to offence [tence blame To peace and charity is mere pre-He hides behind a magisterial air A bold remark, but which, if wellHis own offences, and strips others applied, [pride.bare [cem, \"Would humble many a towering poet'sAffects indeed a most hmnane con- Perhaps the man was in a sponive fit.That men, if gently tutor'd, will not And had no other plaj'-place for his wit;learn; Perhaps, enchanted writh the love ofThat mulish folly, not to be reclaim'd fame, [shameBy softer methods, must be made He sought the jewel in his neighbour's —[dean) Perhaps whatever end he might pur-ashamed;But (I might instance in St Patrick's sue, [view.Too often rails to gratify his spleen. The cause of virtue could not be hisMost satirists are indeed a public At every stroke wit flashes in our eyes;scourge [purge The turns are quick, the pohsh'd points ;Their mildest physic is a farrier's surprise,Their acrid temper turns, as soon as But shine with cruel and tremendousstirr'd. [curd. charms.The milk of their good purpose all to That, while they please, possess us withTheir zeal begotten, as their works re- alarms, [sighthearse, So have I seen, (and hasten'd to theBy lean despair upon an empty purse, On aU the -wings of holiday deUght,)

;; :;;;: : ! ;; CHABITY. 127Where stands that monument cf That sight imparts a never-dying flame,ancient power, [Tower, Though feeble in degree, in kind theNamed with emphatic digiiity, the same. [above.Guns, halberds, swords and pistols, Like him the soul, thus kindled fromgreat and small, [wall Spreads wide her arms of universal love.In starry forms disposed upon the And stUl enlarged as she receives theWe wonder, as we gazing stand below, grace,That brass and steel should make so Includes creation in her close embrace.fine a show [signer's skill. Behold a Christian!— and without theBut though we praise the exact de- firesAccount them implements of mischief The founder of that name alone inspires,still. [that day Though all accomplishment, all know- No works shall find acceptance in ledge meet,When all disguises shall be rent away. To make the shining prodigy complete.That square not truly with the Scrip- Whoever boasts that name—behold ature plan, [to man. cheat [doting years.Nor spring from love to God, or love Were love, in these the world's lastAs he ordains things sordid in their As frequent as the want of it appears,birth. The churches warmd, they would noTo be resolved into their parent earth, longer hold [cold;And though the soul shall seek superior Such frozen figures, stiff as they areorbs, [absorbs Belentingforms would lose their power,Whate'er this world produces, it or cease, [in peace:So self starts nothing but what tends And even the dipp'd and sprinkled liveapace [race. Each heart would quit its prison in theHome to the goal, where it began the breast, [rest.Such as our motive is our aim must be, And flow in free communion with theIt this be servile, that can ne'er be free The statesman skill'd in projects darkIf self employ us, whatsoe'er is and deep, [sleep\vrought, [ought Might burn his useless Machiavel, andWe glorify that self, not him we His budget often flll'd, yet always poor.Such virtues had need prove their own Might saving at ease behind his studyreward, [regard. door,The Judge of all men owes them no No longer prey upon our annual rents.True charity, a plant divinely nursed Or scare the nation with its big contents:Fed by the love from which it rose at Dislianded legions freely might depart.first, [scene, And slaying man would cease to be anThrives against hope, and in the rudest art. [field.Storms but enliven its unfading gi'sen; No learnfed disputants would take thei Exuberant is t'ne shadow it supplies, Sure not to conquer, and sure not to' Its fruit on earth, its growth above the yield [stood.skies. Both sides deceived, if rightly under-To look on Him who form'd us, and Pelting each other for the public good.re.leem'd, [esteem'd: Did Charity prevail, the press wouldSo glorious now, though once so dis- proveATo see a Uod stretch forth His human vehicle of virtue, truth, and lovehand, [command And I might spare myself the pains toTo uphold the boundless scenes of His show [they know.To recollect that in a form like ours What few can learn, and all supposeHe bruised beneath His feet the infer- Thus have I sought to grace a seriousnal powers, lay [spray.Captivity led captive, rose to claim With many a wUd, indeed, but floweryThe wreath He won so dearly in our In hopes to gain, what else I must havename; [descends lost, [engross'd.That throned above all height He con- The attention pleasure has so muchTo call the few that trust in Him His But if, imhappily, deceived, I dream.friends [space He deems And prove too weak for so divine aThat in the heaven of heavens, that LetCharity forgive me a mistake [theme.To scanty for the exertion of His beams, That zeal, not vanity, has chanced toAnd shines, as if impatient to bestow make, [sake.Life and a kingdom upon worms below And spare the poet for his Bubjeot's

!, ; —;;!128 COWPEE'S POEMS. COXVERSATIOX. AEGUMENT.—In conversation much depends on culture Its results frequently insignificant — —Indecent language and oaths reprobated The author's dislike of the — —clash of arguments The noisy wrangler Dubius an example of indecision ——The positive pronounce without hesitation The point of honour con- — —demned Duelling with fists instead of weapons proposed Effect of long — —tales The retailer of prodigies and lies Qualities of a judicious tale — — —Smoking condemned The emphatic speaker The perfumed beau The — —grave coxcomb Sickness made a topic of conversation Picture of a — —fretful temper—The bashful speaker An EngUsh company The sports- — —man Influence of fashion on conversation Converse of the two disciples — —going to Emmaus Delights of religious conversation Age mellows the speech— True piety often branded as fanatic frenzy— Pleasure of communion — —with the good Conversation should be unconstrained Persons who make —the Bible their companion, charged with hji^ocrisy by the world The —charge repelled The poet sarcastically surmises that his censure of the —world may proceed from ignorance of its reformed manners An apology for digression— Keligion purifies and enriches conversation.Though Nature weigh our talents, and His wise forbearance has their end in dispense view, [their due.To every man his modicum of sense, They fUl their measure and receiveAnd Conversation in its better partMay be esteem'd a gift, and not an art, The heathen lawgivers of ancient days, Names almost worthy of a Christian'sYet much depends, as in the tiller's toil, praise, [of men.On culture, and the sowing of the soil. Would drive them forth from the resortWords learn'd by rote a parrot may And shut up every satyr in his den.rehearse, Oh como not ye near innocence andBut talking is not always to converse ; truth, [youthNotmore distinct fi-om harmony divine Ye worms that eat into the bud ofThe constant creaking of a coimtry sign. Infectious as impure, your blightingAs alphabets in ivory employ powerHour after hour the yet unletter'd boy. Taints in its rudiments the promisedSorting and puzzling with a deal of glee flower.ABO;Those seeds of science caUd his Its odour perish'd and its charminghue.So language in the mouths of the adult, Thenceforth 'tis hateful, for it smells\"Witness its insignificant result. of you. [rageToo often proves an implement of play, Not even the vigorous and headlongA toy to sport with and pass time away. Of adolescence or a firmer age,CoUectat evening what the day brought Affords a plea allowable or justforth, For making speech the pamperer ofCompress the sum into its solid worth, lust:And if it weigh the importance of a fiy, But when the breath of age commitsThe scales are false, or algebra a lie. the fault,Sacred Interpreter of human thought. 'Tis nauseous as the vapour of a vault.How few respect or use thee as they So wither'd stumps disgrace the sylvanought [wrong, scene,But all shall give account of every No longer fruitful and no longer greenWho dare dishonour or defile the The sapless wood, divested of the bark.tongue. Grows fungous, and takes fire at everyWho prostitute it in the cause of vice, spark. [all strifeOr sell their glorj' at a market-price Oaths terminate, as Paul observes,Who vote for hire, or point it with Some men have surely then a peacefullampoon, [cheap btiffoon. life:The dear-bought placeman, and the Whatever suliject occupy discourse,There is a prurience in the speech of The feats of Vestris, or the nival force,some. Asseveration blustering in your faceWrath stays him, or else God would Makes contradiction Bucb a hoplessBtrike them dumb case;

—; —; ; •; ; CONVTSKSATION. 129In every tale they tell, or false or true, But still remember, if you mean toWell known, or such as no man ever please.knew, [pain. To press your point with modesty andThey fix attention, heedless of your ease. [take.With oaths like rivets forced into the The mark at which my jusfer aim I brain Is contradiction for its own dear sakeAnd even when sober truth prevails Set your opinion at whatever pitch. Knots and impediments make some-throughout.They swear it, till affirmance breeds a thing hitch doubt. Adopt his own, 'tis equally in vain, Your thread of argument is snapp'dA Persian, humble servant of the sun. again [you,Who, though devout, yet bigotry hadnone, —The wrangler, rather than accord withHearing a lawyer, grave in his address, Will judge himself deceived andWith adjurations every word impress, —prove it too.Supposed the man a bishop, or at least,God's name so much upon his lips, a Vociferated logic kills me quite,priest, [airs, A noisy man is always in the right I twirl my thumbs, fall back into myBow'd at the close with all his graceful chair,And begg'd an interest in his frequent Fix on the wainscot a distressful stare.prayers. [preferr'd, And when I hope his blunders are allGo, quit the rank to which ye stood [doubt 1' — —out,Henceforth associate in one common Eeply discreetly \"To be sure no herd; Dubius is such a scrupulous goodEeligion,virtue. reason, common sense, man [you can.Pronounce your human form a false Yes, you may catch him tripping— if pretence, He would not wit'n a peremptoi-y toneA mere disguise in which a devil lurks, Assert the nose upon his face his own;Who yet'betrays his secret by his works. With hesitation admirably slow. Ye powers who rule the tongue, if —He humbly hopes presumes— it maysuch there are, be so. [care.And make colloquial happiness your His evidence, if he were call'd by lawPreserve me from the thing I dread and To swear to some enormity he saw, hate, For want of prominence and just i-elief.A duel in the form of a debate. Would hang an honest man and saveThe clash of arguments and jar of a thief. [offence,words, fswords. Through constant dread of giving truthWorse than the mortal brunt of rival He ties up all his hearere in suspense;Decide no question with their tedious Knows what he knows as if he knew itlength. not; [forgot;For opposition gives opinion strength. What he remembers seems to haveDivert the champions prodigal of His sole opinion, whatsoe'er befall,breath, [death. Centring at last in having none at all. Yet though he tease and balk yourAnd put the peaceably disposed toOh thwart me not, Sir Soph, at every listening ear, [clear; turn, He makes one useful point exceedingNor carp at every flaw you may discern; Howo'er ingenious on his darlingThough syllogisms hang not on my theme tongue, A sceptic in philosophy may seem.I am not surely always in the wrong; Reduced to practice, his beloved rule'Tis hard if aU is false that I advance, Would only prove him a consummateA fool must now and then be right by fool. [speech.chance. Useless in him alike both brain andNot that all freedom of dissent I blame Fate having placed all truth above his ; His ambiguities his total sum, [reach;No— there I grant the privilege I claim.A disputable point is no man's ground; He might as well be blind, and deaf,Kove where you please, 'tis common and dumb. all around. Where men of judgment creep andDiscourse may want an animated—No, feel their way.To brush the surface and to make it The positive pronounce without dis-flow; may,

;: ; ; ; ;; : ;130 COWPEE'S POEMS.Their want of light and intellect Whatever use may urge or honoursupplied plead, [deed.By sparks absurdity strikes out of On reason's verdict is a madman'spride [from wrong, Am I to set my life upon a throwWithout the means of knowing right Because a bear is rude and surly?They always are decisive, clear, and No—strong [force. A moral, sensible and well-bred manWhere others toil with philosophic Will not affront me, and no other can.Their nimble nonsense takes a shorter Were I empowered to regulate thecourse, [lump. hsts, [loaded fistsFlings at your head conviction in the They should encounter with well-And gains remote conclusions at a A Trojan combat would be something jump; new.Their own defect, invisible to them, Let Dares beat Entellus black and blue.Seen in another they at once condemn;And though self-idolised in every case. Then each might shew, to his admiringHate their own likeness in a brother's friends,face [uied, In honourable bumps his rich amends.The cause is plain, and not to be de- And carry in contusions of his skull,The proud are always most provoked A satisfactory receipt in full. A story in which native humour by pride reignsFew competitions but engender spite. Is often useful, always entertainsAnd those the most where neither has A graver fact, enlisted on your side.a right. [of use. May furnish illustration, well applied;The point of honour has been deem'd But sedentary weavers of long talesTo teach good manners and to curb Give me the fidgets, and my patienceabuse: fails.Admit it true, the consequence is clear, 'Tis the most asinine employ on earth.Our polish'd manners are a mask we To hear them tell of parentage andwear, [rude. birth.And at the bottom barbarous still and And echo conversations, dull and dry,We are restrain'd indeed, but not sub- — —Embellish'd with He said, and, Sodued. said I. [same,The very remedy, however sure. At every interview their route theSprings from the mischief it intends to The repetition makes attention lame cure, We bustle up with unsuccessful speed.And savage in its principle appears, —And in the saddest part cry Droll in-Tried, as it should be, by the fruit it deed!bears. The path of narrative with care pursue,'Tis hard, indeed, if nothing will defend Still making probability your clueMankind from quarrels but their fatal On all the vestiges of truth attend.end. And let them guide you to a decent end.That now and thena hero must decease. Of all ambitious man may entertain.That the surviving world may live in The worst that can invade a sickly peace. brain [prise,Perhaps at last close scrutiny mayshow Is that which angles hourly for sur-The practice dastardly, and mean, and And baits its hook with prodigies andlow [force. lies.That men engage in it oompell'd by Credulous infancy, or age as weak. Are fittest auditors for such to seek,And fear, not courage, is its proper Who to please others will themselvessource, [fearThe fear of tyrant custom, and the disgrace, [face.Lest fops should censure us, and fools Yet please not, but affront you to yourshould sneer. [laws, A great retailer of this curious ware,At least to trample on our Maker's Having imloaded, and made manyAnd hazard life for any or no cause. stare, [cries;To rush into a fix'd eternal state Can this be true? an arch observerOut of the very flames of rage and hate, Yes, (rather moved,) I saw it withOr send another shivering to the bar these eyes.With all the guUt of such unnatural Sir ! I believe it on that ground alone;war. I could not, had I seen it with my own.

;; ——;; :; —; ; CONVERSATIOJJ. 131A tale should be judicious, clear, Besnmed his purpose, had a world ofsuccinct [link'd. talkThe language plain, and incidents well With one he stumbled on, and lost hisTell not as new what everybody knows. walk.And, new or old, still hasten to a close; I interrupt him with a sudden bow.There centring in a focus, round and Adieu, dear Sirl least you should loseneat, it now. [room,Let all your rays of information meet. I cannot talk with civet in theAWhat neither yields us profit nor de- fine puss gentleman that's all per- light. —fume; [a beauIs like a nurse's lullaby at night; The sight's enough no need to smellGny Earl of Warwick and fair Elea- Who thrusts his nose into a raree-nore, [more. show?Or giant-killing Jack would please me His odoriferous attempts to pleaseThe pipe, with solemn interposing Perhaps might prosper with a swarmpuff. of bees [we sting.Makes half a sentence at a time enough But we that make no honey thoughThe dozing sages drop the drowsy Poets, are sometimes apt to maul thestrain, [pause again, thing.Then pause, and puff—and speak, and 'Tis wrong to bring into a mix'd resort.Such often, like the tube they so ad- What makes some sick, and others amire, [than fire. la mort,Important triflers! have more smoke An argument of cogence, we may say,Pernicious weed ! whose scent the fair Why such a one should keep himself annoys, away. [seeUnfriendly to society's chief joys. A graver coxcomb we may sometimesThy worst effect is banishing for hours Quite as absurd, thought not so lightThe sex whose presence civilises ours as he:Thou art, indeed, the drug the gardener A shallow brain behind a serious mask,wants [plants. An oracle within an empty cask.To poison vermin that infests his The solemn fop; significant andBut are we so to wit and beauty bUnd budge; [judge,As to dispise the glory of our kind. A fool with judges, amongst fools aAnd shew the softest minds and fairest He says but little, and that little saidforms [worms ? Owes all its weight, like loaded dice, toAs littlo mercy as the grubs and lead. [come.They dare not wait the riotous abuse His wit invites you by his looks toThy thirst-creating stems at length But when you knock it never is atproduce, [birth, homeWhen wine has given indecent language 'Tis like a parcel sent j-ou by the stage,And forced the floodgates of licentious Some handsome present, as your hopesmirth [shows presage, [proveFor sea-born Venus her attachment 'Tis heavy, bulky, and bids fair toStill to that element from which she An absent friend's fidelity and love;rose, [turb, But when unpack'd your disappoint-And with a quiet which no fumes dis- ment groans [and stones.Sips meek infusions of a milder herb. To iind it stuffed with I)rickbats, earth.The emphatic speaker dearly loves Some men employ their health, anto oppose ugly trick, [been sick.In contact inconvenient, nose to nose. In making known how oft they haveAs if the gnomon ou his neighbour's And,give us, in recitals of disease,phiz, A[his. doctor's trouble, but without theTouch'd with the magnet, had attracted fees; [their bed,His whisper'd theme, dilated, and at Relate how many weeks they kept How an emetic or cathartic spedlarge, [charge, Nothing is slightly touch'd, much lessProves after all a wind-gun's airy forgot, [the spot.—An extract of his diary, no more, Nose, ears, and eyes seem present onA tasteless journal of the day before.He walk'd abroad, o'ertaUen in the rain, Now the distemper, spite of draught orCall'd on a friend, drank tea, stepp'd pill, [skillhome again. Victorious seem'd, and now the doctor'.-

—: ;;; :; ;:132 COWPEB'S POEMS.—And now alas, for unforeseen mis- Conceal'd within an unsuspected part. haps! The vainest corner of our own vainThey put on a damp nightcap and re- heart:lapse; fthey were so bad; For ever aiming at the world's esteem.They thought they must have died, Our self-importance ruins its own schemeTheir peevish hearers almost wish they had. [touch, In other eyes our talents rarely shown.Some fretful tempers wince at every Become at length so splendid in ourTon always do too little or too much own, [view,You speak with life in hopes to enter- We dare not risk them into publictain, [brain Lest they miscarry of what seems theirYour elevated voice goes through the due.You fall at once into a lower key, True modesty is a discerning grace, And only blushes in the proper place :—That's worse the drone-pipe of an But counterfeit is blind, and skulkshumble bee. [a light.The southern sash admits too strong through fear,—You rise and drop the curtain now Where 'tis a shame to be ashamed to'tis night. [and strive appear—He shakes with cold you stir the fire Humility the parent of the first.To make a blaze—that's roasting him The last by Vanity produced andalive. [lish nursed.Serve him with veni.son, and he chooses The circle form'd, wo sit in silent state.With sole— that's just the sort he Like figures drawn upon a dial-platewould not wish. [loathe. Yes, ma'am, and No, ma'am, utter'dHo takes what he at first profess'd to softly, showAnd in due time feeds heartily on both Every \"five minutes how the minutes go;Yet still o'erclouded with a constant Each individual, suffering a constraintfrown, [down. Poetry may, but colours cannot, paint. As if in close committee on the sky.He does not swallow, but he gulps itYour hope to please him vain on every Reports it hot or cold, or wet or dry.plan, [can And finds a changing clime a happyHimself should work that wonder, if he source [course.Alas ! his efforts double his distress. Of wise reflection and well-timed dis-He likes your ownlittle, and his still We next inquire, but softly and byless, [teased. stealth,Thus always teasing others, always Like conservators of the public health.—His only pleasure is to be displeased. Of epidemic throats, if such there are. I pity bashful men, who feel the pain And coughs and rheums, and phthisicOf fancied scorn and undeserved and catarrh. [ensues.disdain, [face That theme exhausted, a wide chasmAnd bear the marks upon a blushing Fill'd up at last with interesting news.Of needless shame and self-imposed Who danced with whom, and who aredisgrace. like to wed, [to bedOur sensibilities are so acute, [mute. And who is hang'd, and who is broughtThe fear of being silent makes us But fear to call a more important cause,We sometimes think we could a speech As if 'twere treason against Englishproduce [were loose, laws.Much to the purpose, if our tongues The visit paid, with ecstasy we come.But, being tried, it dies upon the lip, As from a seven years' transportation,Faint as a chicken's note that has the home. [brow.pip: And there resume an uuembarrass'dOur wasted oil unproiitably burns. Recovering what we lost we know notLike hidden lamps in old sepulchral how, [nought.urns. [plain'd; The faculties that seem'd reduced toFew Frenchmen of this evil have com- Expression and the privilege ofIt seems as if we Britons were ordain'd. thought. [chase,By way of wholesome curb upon our The reeking, roaring hen of the pride, I give him over as a desperate case. Physicians write in hopes to work aTo fear each other, fearing none beside,The cause perhaps inquiry may descry. cure, [sure;Self-searching with an introverted eye, Never, if honest ones, when death is

;; : ;; ! d; CON'VEESATION. 133—And though the fox he follows may be No Nature, unsophisticate by man,tamed, Starts not aside from her Creator's plan;A mere fox-follower never is reclaim'd. The melody that was at first design'Some farrier should prescribe his To cheer the rude forefathers of man-proper course, kind.WTiose only fit companion is his horse, Is note for note delivered in our ears.Or if, deserving of a better doom. In the last scene of her six thousandThe noble beast judge otherwise, his years [train,groom. [though he stand Yet Fashion, leader of a chatteringYet even the rogue that serves him, Whom man for his own hurt permitsTo take his honour's orders cup in to reign, [his shape, [good sense. Who shifts and changes aU things buthand,Prefers his fellow-grooms, with much And would degrade her votary to anTheir skill a truth, his master's a pre- ape.tence, [squire. The fruitful parent of abuse and wrong.If neither horse nor groom affect the Holds a usurp'd dominion o'er hisWhere can at last his jockeyship tongue [own disgrace.retire? [joys. There sits and prompts him with hisOh. to the club, the scene of savage Prescribes the theme, the tone, and theThe school of coarse good-fellowship grimace, [school,and noise And, when accomplish'd in her waywardThere, in the sweet society of those Calls gentleman whom she has made a\"Whose friendship from his boyish 'Tis an unalterable flx'd decree, [fool.years he chose, That none could frame or ratify but she.Let him improve his talent if he can. That heaven and hell, and righteous-Till none but beasts acknowledge him ness and sin, [within,a man. [seald, Snares in His path, and foes that lurkMan's heart had been impenetrably God and His attributes, (a field of dayLike theirs that cleave the flood or Where 'tis an angel's happiness tograze the field, [hand stray,) [might.Had not his llaker's all-bestowing Fruits of His love, and wonders of His Be never named in ears esteem'd politeGiven him a soul, and bade him under- That he who dares, when she forbids,stand, [course inferr'dThe reasoning power vouchsafed, of be grave, [knave.The power to clothe that reason with Shall stand proscribed a madman or a A close designer not to be believed.his word; [earth.For all is perfect that God works on Or, if excused that charge, at least de-And He that gives conception aids the ceived.birth. Oh folly worthy of the nurse's lap.If this be plain, 'tis plainly understood Give It the breast, or stop its mouth\"What uses of His boon the Giver would. with papTheminddespatch'dupon her busy toil. Is it incredible, or can it seem [dream,Should range where Providence has A dream to any except those thatbless'd the soil That man should love his Maker, andVisiting every flower with labour meet. that fire, [transpire ?And gathering all her treasures sweet Warming his heart, should at his Upsby sweet, [she sips. Know then, and modestly let fall yourShe should imbue the tongue with what eyes, [the skies.And shed the balmy blessing on the And veil your daring crest that braveslips, [dant grow, That air of insolence affronts your God,That good diffused may more abun- You need His pardon, and provokeAnd speech may praise the power that His rod [morebids it flow. [night, Now, in a posture that becomes youWill the sweet warbler of the livelong Than that heroic strut assumed before.That fills the listening lover with de- Know, your arrears with everj' hourlight, [heard. accrue [sue.Forget his harmony with rapture For mercy shewn, while wrath is justlyTo learn the twittering of a meaner bird? The time is short, and there are soulsOr make the parrot's mimicry his on earth.choice. Though future pain may serve for pre-That odious libel on a himian voice ? sent mirth,

;; :; :134 COWPER'S POEMS,Acquainted with the woes that fear or Now theirs was converse such as itshame, [name, behovesBy fashion taught, forbade them once to Man to maintain, and such as God ap-And having felt the pangs you deem a proves; [dim.jest, [cxpress'd. Their views indeed were indistinct andHave proved them truths too big to be But yet successful, being aim'd at Him.Go seekon revelation's hallow'd ground. Christ and His character their onlySure to succeed, the remedy they found scope, [their hope.Touch'd by that power that you have Their object, and their subject, and [the rock, They felt what it became them muchdared to mock,That makes seas stable, and dissolves to feel, [seal.Your heart shall yield a life-renewing And, wanting Him to loose the sacred [a dream. Found Him as prompt, as their desirestream,That fools, as you have done, shall call was true, [view. To spread the new-born glories in their—It happen'd on a solemn eventide.Soon after He that was our surety died. Well what are ages and the lapse ofTwo bosom friends, each pensively in- time [sublime ?clined, [hind, Match'd against truths as lasting asThe scene of all those sorrows left be- Can length of years on God himselfsought their own village, busied as exact, [fact ? they went Or make that fiction which was once aIn musings worthy of the great event —No marble and recording brass decay,They spake of Him they loved, of Him And, like the graver's memory, passwhose life, [petual strife. away;Though blameless, had incurr'd per- The works of man inherit, as is just,\"Whose deeds had left, in spite of hostile Their author's frailty, and return toarts, [hearts. dust;A deep memorial graven on their But truth divine for ever stands secure,The recollection, like a vein of ore. Its head is guarded as its base is sureThe farther traced, enrich'd them still Fix'd in the rolling flood of endlessthe more [thought Him, one yearsThey thought Him, and they justly The pillar of the eternal plan appears,Sent to do more than He appear'd to The raving storm and dashing wavehave done [high defies, [skies.To exalt a people, and to place them Built by that Architect who built theAbove all else, and wonder'd He should Hearts may be found that harbour atdie. [an end, this hour [ing power;Ere yet they brought their journey to That love of Christ in all its quicken-A stranger joined them, courteous as And lips unstain'd by folly or by strife. [air. Whose wisdom, drawn from the deepa friend,And ask'd them with a kind engaging well of life,What their affliction was, and begg'd a Tastes of its healthful origin, and flowsshare. [thread. A Jordan for the ablution of our woes.Informed, He gather'd up the broken O days of heaven and nights of equalAnd, truth and wisdom gracing all He praise, [days,said, [well Serene and peaceful as those heavenlyExplain'd, illustrated, and search'd so When souls drawn upwards in com-The tender theme on which they choose munion sweet [treat,to dwell, [said, is near. Enjcy the stillness of some close re-That, reaching home, the night, they Discourse as if released and safe atWe must not now be parted, sojourn home, [come,here.— [guest. Of dangers past and wonders yet toThe new acquaintance soon became a And spread the sacred treasures of theAnd made so welcome at their simple breast [the word, Upon the lap of covenanted rest.feast,He bless'd the bread, but vanish'd at What, always dreaming over hea-And left them both exclaiming, 'Twas venly things, [wings?the Lord! [to say. Like angel heads in stone with p'geon-Did not our hearts feel all He deign'd Canting and whining out all day theDid thev not burn within us by the word, [surd!way? And half the night? fanatic and ab-

; ;;; COIWERSATION. 135Mine be the friend less frequent in his There he was copious as old Greece or Home, prayers, His happy eloquence seem'd there atWho makes no bustle -with his soul's home.affairs, [day,Whose wit can brighten up a wintry Ambitious not to shine or to excel,And chase the spleaetic dull hours But to treat justly what he loved soaway, fshiue, well.Content on earth in earthly things to It moves me more perhaps than follyWho waits for heaven ere he becomes ought [as thought,divine, [they teach. ^Vhen some green heads, as void of witLeaves saints to enjoy those altitudes Suppose themselves monopolists ofAnd plucks the fruit placed more sense,within his reach. And wiser men's ability pretence.Well spoken, advocate of sin and Though time will wear us, and we mustshame, grow old. [cold.Known by thy bleating, Ignorance thy Such men are not forgot as soon asname. [right ? Their fragrant memoiy will outlastIs sparkling wit the world's exclusive their tomb,The flx'd fee simple of the vain and Embalm'd for ever in its own perfume. And to say truth, though in its earlylight? [of an hourCan hopes of heaven, bright prospects prime, [crime.That comes to waft us out of sorrow's And when uustain'd with any grosser power, Youth has a sprightliness and fire toObscure or quench a faculty that findsIts happiest soil in the serenest minds ? boast,Eeligion curbs indeed its wanton play. That in the valley of decline are lost.And brings the trifler under rigorous And virtue with peculiar charms ap- pears, [ing years;sway, [fore, Crown'd with the garland of lifesbloom-But gives it usefulness unknown be- Yet age, by long experience well in-And purifying, makes it shine the form'd, [warm'd, more. Well read, well temper'd, with religionA Christian's wit is inoffensive light, That fire abated which impels rashA beam that aids but never grieves the youth, [truth,sight; Proud of his speed, to overshoot theVigorous in age as in the flush of youth, As time improves the grape's authentic'Tis always active on the side of truthTemperance and peace insure its health- juice, [for use Mellows and makes the speech more fit ful state. And claims a reverence in its shorten-And make it brightest at its latest date. ing day,Oh I have seen (nor hope perhaps in That 'tis an honour and a joy to pay.vain, [again) The fruits of age, less fair, are yet moreEre hfe go down, to see such sights sound [around,A veteran warrior in the Christian Than those a brighter season poursfield, [wield And, like the stores autumnal sunsWho never saw the sword he could not mature, [endure,Grave without dulnoss, learned with- Through wintry rigours unimpair'dout pride, [keen-eyed What is fanatic frenzy, scorn'd soExact, yet not precise, though meek, much, [touch?A man t'nat would have foil'd at their And dreaded more than a contagious own play I grant it dangerous, and approve yourA dozen would-bes of the modem day; fear; [near;Who, when occasion justified its use, That fire is catching if you draw tooHad wit as bright as ready to produce. But sage observers oft mistake theGould fetch from records of an earlier flame. age, And give true piety that odious name. To tremble (as the creature of an hourOr from philosophy's enlighten'd page,Ilis rich materials, and regale your ear Ought at the view of an AlmightyWith strains it was a privilege to hear; power) [throneYet above all his luxury supreme,And his chief glory was the gospel Before His presence, at whose awful theme All tremble in all worlds, except our own;

;;; ;136 COWPER'S POEMS.To supplicate His mercy, love His Should flow like waters after summerways, showers, [powers.And prize them above pleasure, wealth, Not as if raised by mere mechanicor praise, [ing voice, The Christian in whose soul, thoughThough common sense, allow'd a cast- now distress'd, [possess'd.And free from bias, must approve the Lives the dear thought of joys he once When all his glowing language issuedchoice,Convicts a man fanatic in the extreme, forth [worth,And wild as madness in the world's With God's deep stamp upon its currentesteem. Will speak without disguise, and mustBut that disease, when soberly defined, impart.Is the false fire of an o'erheated mind; Sad as it is, his undissembling heart,It views the trath with a distorted eye. Abhors constraint, and dares not feignAnd either warps or lays it useless bj' a zeal.'Tis uarrow,sel£ish, arrogant,and draws Or seem to boast a fire he does not feel.Its sordid nourishment from man's The song of Sion is a tasteless thing.applause, [lies, Unless, when rising on a joyful wing.And, while at heart sin unrelinquish'd The soul can mix with the celestialPresumes itself chief favourite of the bands, [mauds.skies. And give the strain the compass it de-'Tis such a light as putrefaction breeds Strange tidings these to tell a world,In fly-blo^vn flesh, whereon the maggot who treatfeeds, [day, All but their own experience as deceit!Shines in the dark, but usher'd into Will thy believe, though credulousThe stench remains, the lustre dies enough [proof,away. [composed To swallow much upon much weakerTrue bliss, if man may reach it, is That there are blesa'd inhabitants ofOf hearts in union mutually disclosed earth.And. farewell else all hope of pure de- Partakers of a new ethereal birth.light, [renew'd upright. Their hopes, desires, and purposesThose hearts should bo reclaim'd, estranged [changed,Bad men, profaning friendship's hal- From things terrestrial, and divinelylow'd name, Their very language of a kind thatForm, in its stead, a covenant of shame, speaksA dark confederacy against the laws The soul's sure interest in the good sheOf virtue, and religion's glorious cause : seeks, [tance felt,They build each other up with dreadful \"Who deal with Scripture, its impor-skill, [God's will ; As Tully with philosophy once dealt.As bastions set point-blank against And in the silent watches of the night.Enlarge and fortify the dread redoubt. And through the scenes of toil-renew-Deeply resolved to shut a Saviour out ing light.Call legions up from hell to back the The social walk, or solitarj- ride, [side?deed, [coed. Keep still the dear companion at their—And, cursed with conquest, finally sue- No shame upon a self-disgracing age,But souls that carry on a bless'd ex- God's work may serve au ape upon achange [heavenly range. stage [gleeOf joys they meet with in their With such a jest as fill'd with hellishAnd with a fearless confidence make Certain invisibles as shrewd as heknown But veneration or respect finds none,The sorrows sympathy esteems its own. Save from tho subjects of that workDaily derive increasing light and force alone. [cernment shows.From such communion in their pleasant The \"World gro\vn old her deep dis-course, fits length. Claps spectacles on her sagacious nose.Feel less the journey's rougnness and Peruses closely the true Christian'sMeet their opposers with united face, [grimace.strength, [design. And finds it a mere mask of slyAnd one in heart, in interest, and Usurps God office, lays his bosom bare,Gird up each other to the race divine. Andflnds hypocrisy close lurki.^.gthere. But Conversation, choose what theme And serving God herself through merewe may. constraint, [a feint.And chiefly when religion leads the way, Concludes his unfeign'd love of Him

;; : :; ;; : ;; CONVERSATION. 13?And yet, God knows, look human A poet does not work by square ornature through, [it too.) line.(And in due time the world shall know As smiths and joiners perfect a design At least we modems, om- attention less.That since the flowers of Eden felt the Beyond the example of our siresblast, [waste.That after man's defection laid all digress, [wide,Sincerity towards the heart-searching And c'ajm a right to scamper and runGod [abode, Wherever chance, caprice, or fancyHas made the new-bom creature her guide.Nor shall be found in unregenerate The world and I fortuitously met,Bouls, [poles. I owed a trifle and have paid the debt She did mo wrong, I recompensed theTill the last Are burn all between the deed, [proceed.Sincerity ! why 'tis his only pride.Weak and imperfect in all grace be- And, having struck the balance, nowside, [entire, Perhaps, however, as some years haveHe knows that God demands his heart pass'dAnd gives him all his just demands Since she and I conversed together last.require. [vain And I have lived recluse in ruralWithout it, his prelensions were as shades.As, having it, he deems the world's Which seldom a distinct report per-disdain [alone vades,That great defect would cost him not Great changes and new manners haveMan\"s favourable judgment, but his occurr'd, [heard.own, [clear And bless'd reforms that I have neverHis birthright shaken, and no longer And she may now be as discreet andThan while his conduct proves his wise.heart sincere. As once absurd in all discerning eyes.Eetort the charge, and let the World Sobriety perhaps may now be foundbe told Where once intoxication press'd theShe boasts a confidence she does not groundhold; The subtle and injurious may be just,That, conscious of her crimes, she And he grown chaste that was the feels instead slave of lust;A cold misgiving and a killing dread Arts once esteem'd may be with shameThat while in health, the ground of her dismiss'd.support Charity may relax the miser's fist.Is madly to forget that life is short The gamester may have cast his cardsThat sick, she trembles, knowing she away.must die, [a lie Forgot to curse, and only kneel to pray.Her hope presumption, and her faith It has indeed been told me (with whatThat while she dotes, and dreams that weight,she believes. How mecredibly, 'tis hard for to state.)She mocks her Maker, and herself de- That fables old, that seem'd for everceives mute, [pute. ;Her utmost reach, historical assent, Revived, are hastening into fresh re-The doctrines warp'd to what they And gods and goddesses discarded long, never meant. Like useless lumber or a stroller's song, Are bringing into vogue their heathenThe truth itself is in her head as dullAnd useless as a candle in a skull, train.And all her love of God a groundless And Jupiter bids fair to rule againclaim, That certain feasts are iustituted now,A trick upon the canvas, painted flame. Where Venus hears the lover's tenderTell her again, the sneer upon her face. vow [roves,And all her censures of the work of That all Olympus through the countrygrace. To consecrate our few remainingAre insincere, meant only to conceal groves.A dread she would not, yet is forced to And Echo learns politely to repeatfeel [veres. The praise of names for ages obsolete;That in her heart the Christian she re- That having proved the weakness, itAnd while she seems to scorn him, should seem.only fears. I Of revelation's ineffectual beam.

—!; ;:138 COWPER'S POEMS.To bring the passions under sober And first let no man charge me that Isway, meanAnd give the moral springs their To clothe in sables every social scene,proper plaj', And give good company a face severe.They mean to try what may at last be As if they met around a father's bier;done [stone. For tell some men that, pleasure allBy stout substantial gods of -wood and their bent, [misspent.And whether Eoman rites may not And laughter all their work, is lifeproduce [use. Their wisdom bursts into this sageThe virtues of old Rome for English reply,May such success attend the pious plan, Then mirth is sin, and we shouldMay Mercury once more embellish man, always cry.Grace him again with long-forgotten To find the medium asks some share ofarts, [parts. wit, [hit.Reclaim his taste and brighten up his And therefore 'tis a mark fools neverMake him athletic as in daj's of old, But though life's valley be a vale ofLearn'd at the bar, in the palaestra bold. tears, [appears,Divest the rougher sex of female airs. A brighter scene beyond that valeAnd teach the softer not to copy theirs. \"Whose glory with a light that neverThe change shall please, nor shall it fades. matter ought, Shoots between scatter'd rocks and\"Who works the wonder, if it be but opening shades,wrought. And while it shows the land the soul'Tis time, however, if the case stands desires, [Inspires.thus, [us, The language of the land she seeks. Thus touched, the tongue receives aFor us plain folks and all who side with sacred cureTo buUd our altar, confident and bold, Of all that was absurd, profane, impure Held within modest bounds, the tide ofAnd say as stern Elijah said of old.The strife now stands upon a fairaward, [Lord, speech Pursues the course that truth andIf Israel's Lord be God, then serve the nature teach.If He be silent, faith is all a whim. No longer labours merely to produceThen Baal is the God, and worship The pomp of sound, or \"tinkle withouthimDigression is so much in modern use:use. \"Where'er it winds, the salutary stream,Thought is so rare, and fancy so pro- Sprightly and fresh, enriches everyfuse, [intent. theme, [before,Some never seem so wide of their \"While all the happy man possess'dAs when returning to the theme they The gift of nature, or the classic store,meant [roam. Is made subservient to the grand designAs mendicants, whose business is to For which Heaven formed the facultyMake every parish but their own their divine.home. [book. So should an idiot, while at large heThough such continual zigzags in a strays, [plays.Such drunken reelings have an Find the sweet lyre on which an artistawkward look, [true. \"With rash and awkward force theAnd I had rather creep to what is chords he shakes, [makesThen rove and stagger with no mark in And grins with wonder at the jar he view But let the wise and well-instructed ; hand [command.Yet to consult a little seem'd no crime.The freakish humour of the present Once take the shell beneath His justtime: [dispersed, In gentle sounds it seemed as it com-But now, to gather up what seems plain'dAnd touch the subject I designed at Of the rude Lujuries it late sustain'd, first. Till tuned at length to some immortalMay prove, though much beside the song. It sounds Jehovah's name, and poursrules of art, His praise along.myBest for the public, and wisest part.

— ; EETIBEMENT. RETIREISIENT. AEGTOIENT.The busy universally desirous of retirement—Important purpose for which —this desire was given to man Musing on the works of the creation, a —happy employment The service of God not incompatible, however, with —a life of business— Human life; its pursuits Various motives for seeking —retirement— The poet's deUght in the study of nature The lover's fond- —ness for retirement— The hypochondriac Melancholy, a malady that — —claims most compassion, receives the least— Sufferings of the melancholy man The statesman's retirement His new mode of life and company —Soon weary of retirement, he returns to his former pursuits Citizens' — —villas— Fashion of frequenting watering-places The ocean The spend- —thrift in forced retirement—The sportsman ostler The management of —leisure a difficult task Man will be summoned to acount for the employ- ment of life— Books and friends requisite for the man of leisure; and —divine communion to fill the remaining void Eeligion not adverse to —innocent pleasures The poet concludes with a reference to his own pursuits.Hacknet'd in business, wearied at Where mountain, river, forest, fieldthat oar, and grove [love.Which thousands, once fast chain'd to, Bemind him of his ^laker's power andquit no more, 'Tis well if look'd for at so late a day, In the last scene of such a senselessBut which, when life at ebb runs weakand low, [forego play, [call.AU wish, or seem to wish, they could True ^visdom will attend his feebleThe statesman, la-wyer, merchant, man And grace his action ere the cm-tainof trade, [shade, fall. [heavenly birth,Pants for the refuge of some rural Souls that have long despised theirWhere all his long anxieties forgot, Their wishes all impregnated withAmid the charms of a sequester'd spot. earth.Or recollected only to gild o'er [Ijefore, For threescore years employ'd withAnd add a smile to what was sweet ceaseless careHe may possess the joys he thinks he In catching smoke and feeding upon sees, air;liay his old age upon the lap of ease. Conversant only with the ways of men.Improve the remnant of his wasted Barely redeem the short remaining ten. span, Inveterate habits choke the unfruitfulAnd, having lived a trifler, die a man. heart.Thus conscience pleads her cause Their fibres penetrateitstenderestpart,within the breast, [suppress'd. And draining its nutritious powers toThough long rebell'd against, not yet feed [better seed.And calls a creature form'd for God Their noxious growth, starve everyalone, [his own. —Happy if full of days but happierFor Heaven's high purposes and not far.Calls him away from selQsh ends and If ere we yet discern life's evening star,aims, [flames, Sick of the service of a world that feedsFrom what debilitates and what in- Its patient drudges with diy chaff andFrom cities humming with a restless weeds, [sway,crowd. We can escape from custom's idiotSordid as active, ignorant as loud, To serve the Sovereign we were born\"Whose highest praise is that they live to obey. [play'din vain, [gain. Then sweet to muse upon His skiU dis-The dupes of pleasure, or the slaves of (Inflnite skill) in all that He has made 1Where works of man are cluster'd To trace in Nature^s most minuteclose around, [found. designAnd works of God are hardly to be The signature and stamp of powerTo regions where in spite of sin and divine, [ease,woe, Contrivance intricate express'd withTraces of Eden are stiU seen below. \"Where unassisted sight no beauty sees,

; ; ;; ; ;;140 COWPEE'S POEMS.The shapely limh and lubricated joint, The recompense that arts or arms canWithin the small dimensions of a point; yield.Muscle and nerve miraculously spun, The bar, the senate, or the tented field.His mighty work who speaks and it is Compared with this sublimest life below,done, [reveal'd. Ye kings and rulers, what have courtsThe invisible in things scarce seen to show ? [thus.To whom an atom is an ample field Thus studied, used, and consecratedTo wonder at a thousand insect forms, Whatever is, seems formed indeedThese hatch'd, and those resuscitated for us:worms, [share. Xot as the plajrthing of a f reward child, Fretful unless diverted and beguiled.New life ordain'd and brighter scenes to Much less to feed and fan the fatal fires Of pride, ambition, or impure desiresOnce prone on earth, now buoyant But as a scale by which the soul ascends From mighty means to more importantupon air, [they bulk and size.Whose shape would make them, hadMore hideous foes than fancy candevise; [adom'd, ends, [trod,With helmet-heads and dragon scales Securely, though by steps but rarelyThe mighty myriads, now securely Mounts from inferior beings up to God,scorn'd, [iDirth, And sees by no fallacious light or dim,Would mock the majesty of man's high Earth made for man, and man himselfDespise his bulwarks, and unpeople for Him. [enforce. earth. Not that I mean to approve, or wouldThen with a glance of fancy to survey, A superstitious and monastic course:Far as the faculty can stretch awaj-. Truth is not local ; God alike pervadesTen thousand rivers pour'd at His And fills the v,-crld of trafSc and thecommand [every land, shades. [scenes.From urns that never fail, through And may be feared amidst the busiestThese like a deluge with Impetuous Or scorn'd where business never inter- force. venes.Those windingmodestly a silent course But 'tis not easy with a mind like ours, Conscious of weakness in its noblestThe cloud-surmounting Alps ; the powers.fruitful vales; [her sails; And in a world where, other ills apart,Seas, on which every nation spreads The roving eye misleads the carelessThe sun, a world whence other worldsdrink light [night heart [strayThe crescent moon, the diadem of To limit thought, by nature prone toStars cotmtless, each in his appointed Wherever freakish fancy points theplace, [space;— wayFast anchor'd in the deep abyss of To bid the pleadings of self-love be still,At such a sight to catch the poet's flame. Eesign our own and seek our Maker'sAnd with a rapture like his own ex- will; [compare claim. To spread the page of Scripure, andThese are Thy glorious works, thou Our conduct with the laws engravenSource of good, [stood! there;How dimly seen, how faintly under- To measure all that passes in the breast, Faithfully, fairly, by that sacred testThine, and upheld by Thy paternal care. To dive into the secret deeps within. To spare no passion and no favouriteThis universal frame, thus wondrous fair; sin, [above all,Thy power divine, and bounty beyondthought, [hast wrought, And search the themes, importantAdored and praised in all that Thou Ourselves and our recovery from ourAbsorb'd in that immensity I see, fall.I shrink abased, and yet aspire to Thee But leisure, silence, and a mind releasedInstruct me, guide me to that heavenly From anxious thoughts how wealthday, [works display, may be increased. How to secure in some propitious hour.Thy words more clearly than Thy The point of interest or the post ofThat while Thy truths my grosserthoughts refine, [mine. power,I may resemble Thee and call Thee A soul serene, and equally retired blest proficiency 1 surpassing all From objects too much dreaded orThat men erroneously their glory call. desired,

;; ; EETIEEMENT. 141Safe from the clamours of perverse With eager step, and carelessly array'd, For such a cause the poet seeks thedispute,At^least are friendly to the great pur- shade, [light, From all he sees he catches new de- |suit, [plan. Opening the map of God's extensive Pleased Fancy claps her pinions at theWe manfind a little isle, this life of sight.Eternity's unkno\vn expanse appears The rising or the setting orb of day,Circling around and limiting his years The clouds that flit, or slowly floatThe busy race examine and explore away, ( wears,Eiich creek and cavem of the dangerous Nature in all the various shapes sheshore, [excels, FroviTiing in storms, or breathing gentleWith care collect what in their eyes airs, [assumes.Some shining pebbles, and some vreeds The snowy robe her WTntry stateand shells; Her summer heats, her fruits, and herThus laden, dream that they are rich perfumes, [bard.and great. [his weight. All, all alike transport the glowing Success in rhyme his glory and reward.And happiest he that groans beneath O Nature! whose Elysian scenes dis-The waves o'ertake them in theirserious play, [away closeAnd every hour sweeps multitudes His bright perfections at whose wordThey shriek and sink, survivors start they rose,and weep, [deep. Next to that Power who form'd theePursue their sport, and follow to the and sustains, [strains.A few forsake the throng, with lifted Be thou the great inspirer of myeyes [prize. Still as I touch the lyre, do thou ex-Ask wealth of Heaven, and gain a real pand [less hand.Truth, wisdom, grace, and peace Mke Thy genuine charms, and guide an art- that above, That I may catch a flre but rarelySeal'd with His signet whom they serve known, [renown,and love; Give useful light though I should missScom'd by the rest, with patient hope And poring on thy page, whose everythey wait [state, lineA kind release from their imperfect Bears proof of an intelligence divine.And unregretted are soon snatched May feel a heart enrich'd by what itaway [day. pays, [praise.From scenes of sorrow into glorious That builds its glory on its Maker'sNor these alons prefer a life recluse, Woe to the man whose wit disclaims\"Who seek retirement for its proper its use. use; Guttering in vain, or only to seduce,The love of change that lives in every Who studies nature with a wanton eye, breast. Admires the work, but slips the lessonGenius, and temper, and desire of rest. by; His hours of leisure and recess employsDiscordant motives in one centre meet. In drawing pictures of forbidden joys,And each incUnes its votary to retreat. Ketires to blazon his own worthlessSome minds by nature are averse to name.noise, [enjoys.And hate the tumult half the world Or shoot the careless with a surer aim. The lover too shuns business andThe Itire of avarice, or the pompousprize [eyes, alarms.That courts display before ambitious Tender idolater of absent charms. Saints offer nothing in their warmestThe fruits that hang on pleasure'sflowery stem, [to them. prayers, [theirsWhate'er enchants them are no snares That he devotes not with a zeal likeTo them the deep recess of dusky 'Tis consecration of his heart, soul, groves, time, [crime.Or forest where the deer securely roves, And every thought that wanders is aThe fall of waters and the song of birds.And hills that echo to the distant herds, In sighs he worships his supremelyAre luxuries excelling all the glare fair,The world can boaet and her chief And weeps a sad libation in despair,favourites share. Adores a creature, and devout in vain, Wins in return an answer of disdalH.

;; ; ; ; : :142. COWPEE'S POEMS.As woodbine weds the plant within Post away swiftly to more active scenes,her reach, [glossy beach, Collect the scatter'd truths that studyRough elm, or smooth-grain'd ash, or gleans, [part,In spiral rings ascends the trunk, and Mix with the world, but with its wiserlays. Xo longer give an image all thine heart.Her golden tassels on the leafy sprays. Its empire is not hers, nor is it thine,But does a mischief while she lends a 'Tis God's Just claim, prerogativegrace, [embrace, divine. [whose skillStraitening its growth by such a strict Virtuous and faithful Heberden,So love, that clings around the noblest Attempts no task it cannot well fulfil,minds, [he binds Gives melancholy up to nature's care.Forbids the advancement of the soul And sends the patient into purer air.—The suitor's air indeed he soon im- Look where he comes in this em-proves, [loves. bower'd alcove [moveAnd forms it to the taste of her he Stand close conceal'd, and see a statueTeaches his eyes a language, and no Lips busy, and eyes tis'd, foot fallingless, [dress slow, [below.Befines his speech and fashions his ad- Arms hanging idly down, hands clasp'dBut farewell promises of happier fruits. Interpret to the marking eye distress,Manly designs, and learning's grave Such as its symptoms can alone express,—pursuits, [break, That tongue is silent now, that silentGirt with a chain he cannot wish to tongue [song,His only bliss is sorrow for her sake; Could argue once, could jest or join theWho will may pant for glory and excel. Could give advice, could censure orHer smile, his aim, all higher aims commend, [friend.farewell! Or charm the sorrows of a droopingThyrsis, Alexis, or whatever name Denounced alike its o£&ce and its sport.May least offend against so pure a Its brisker and its graver strains fallflame, [most sincere shortThough sage advice of friends the Both fall beneath a fever's secret sway.Sounds harshly in so delicate an ear. And like a summer brook are pass'dAnd lovers, of all creatures, tame or away.wild, [mild, This is a sight for pity to peruseCan least brook management, however Till she resembles faintly what sheTet let a poet (poetry disarms views.The fiercest animals with magic charms) Till sympathy contract a kindred pain.Eisk an intrusion on thy pensive moo J, Pierced with the woes that she lamentsAnd woo and win thee to thy proper in vain.Pastoral images and still retreats, [good. This of all maladies that man infest,Umbrageous walks and solitary seats. Claims most compassion and receivesSweet birds in concert with harmonious the least [red.streams, [dreams, Job felt it when he groan'd beneath theSoft airs, nocturnal vigils, and day- And the barbed arrows of a frowningAre all enchantments in a case like God [spare.thine, [design. And such emollients as his friends couldConspire against thy peace with one Friends such as his for modern JobsSoothe thee to make tUee but a surer prepare. [never feel,prey, [away. Bless'd, rather cursed, with hearts thatAnd feed the fire that wastes thy powers Kept snugin caskets of close-hammer'd—Up God has form'd thee with a wiser steel, [and eat.view. With mouths made only to grin \videNot to be led in chains, but to subdue And minds that deem derided pain aCalls thee to cope with enemies, and treat, [of wire.first [worst. With limbs of British oak, and nervesPoints out a conflict with thyself, the And wit that puppet prompters might\"Woman indeed, a gift He would be- inspire, D'okestow Their sovereign nostrum is a clumsy\"When He design'd a Paradise below. On pangs enforced with God's severestThe richest earthly boon His hands stroke.afford, [adored. But with a soul that ever felt the stingDeserves to bo beloved, but not Of sorrow, sorrow is a sacred thing:

—: : : ; ;; EETIEEITEXT. 143Not to molest, or irritate, or raise Shall be despised and overlook'd no more,Alaugh at his expense, is slender praise; Shall fill thee with deUghts unfelt be-He that has not usurp'd the name of fore,man [can.Does all, and deems too little all, he Impart to things inanimate a voice.To assuage the throbbings of the fester'd And bid her mountains and her hillspart, [heart. rejoice [vales,And staunch the bleedings of a broken The sound shall run along the winding'Tis not, as heads that never ache sup- And thou enjoy an Eden ere it fails.pose, Ye groves, (the statesman at hisForgery of fancy, and a dream of woes desk exclaims.Man is a harp, whose chords elude the Sick of a thousand disappointed aims,) sight, My patrimonial treasure and my pride,Each yieldingharmony, disposed aright; Beneath your shades your gray pos-The screws reversed, (a task which if sessor hide ! he please Eecei ve me languishing for that reposeGod in a moment executes with ease,) The servant of the public never knows.Ten thousand thousand strings at once Ye saw me once (ah, those regrettedgo loose, [and use. days [praise!;Lost, till he tune them, all their power When boyish innocence was all myThen neither healthy wilds, nor scenes Hour after hour delightfully allotas fair To studies then familiar, since forgot,As ever recompensed the peasant's And cultivate a taste for ancient song, care, Catching its ardour as I mused along; Norseldom,as propitious Heaven mightNor soft declivities with tufted hills,Nor view of waters turning busy mills, send, [friend,Parks in which art preceptress nature \"What once I valued and could boast, aweds, [beds, Were witnesses how cordially I press'dNor gardens interspersed with flowery His undissembling virtue to my breast;Nor gales, that catch the scent of Receive mo now, not uncorrupt as then.blooming groves. Nor guiltless of corrupting other men.And waft it to the mourner as he roves, But versed in arts that while they seemCan call up life into his faded eye, to stayAThat passes all he sees unheeded by; falling empire, hasten its decay.No wounds like those a wounded spirit To the fair haven of my native home.feels, The wreck of what I was, fatigued INo cure for such, till God who makes come [voice,them heals. For once I can approve the patriot'sAnd thou sad sufferer under nameless And make the course he recommends my choicem, [skill. We meet at last in one sincere desire,That yields not to the touch of human His wish and mine both prompt me toImprove the kind occasion, understandA Father's frovra, and kiss his chasten- retire. [chaise, —'Tis done; he steps into the welcomeing hand [noon,To thee the dayspring and the blaze of Lolls at his ease behind four handsomeThe purple evening and resplendent bays, [batemoon, [of night, That whirl away from business and do-The stars that, sprinkled o'er the vault The disencumber'd Atlas of the state.Seem drops descending in a shower of Ask not the boy, who, when the breeze mom[shine,light, of [every thorn.Shine not, or undesired and hated First shakes the glittering drops fromSeen through the medium of a cloud Unfolds his flock, then under bank orlike thine [found, bush [rush,Yet seek Him, in His favour life is Sits linking cherry-stones, or platting—All bliss beside, a shadow or a sound; How fair is freedom? he was alwaysThen Heaven, eclipsed so long, and free:this dull earth, To carve his rustic name upon a tree,Shall seem to start into a second birth; To snare the mole, or with Ul-fashion'dNature, assuming a more lovely face, hookBorrowing a beauty from the works of To draw the incautious minnow fromgrace, t the brook.

;; —;; ; ; ! —;AAre life's prime pleasures ia his simple man, whom marks of condescendingview, [knew grace [place,His flock tke chief concern he ever Teach, while theyflatterhim,hisproperWhoShe shinesbut little in his heedless eyes, comes when call'd, and at a wordThe good we never miss we rarely prize. withdraws, [applauseBut ask the noble drudge in state affairs, Speaks with reserve, and hstens withEscaped from office and itfi constant Some plain mechanic, who, withoutcares, pretence [offence.What charms he sees in Freedom's To birth or wit, nor gives nor takes On whom he rests well pleased hissmile express'd.In freedom lost so long, now repossess'd weary powers, [hours.The tongue whose strains were cogent And talks and laughs away his vacantas commands, [lands, The tide of life, swift always in itsEevered at home, and felt in foreign course.Shall own itself a stammerer in that May run in cities with a brisker force.cause. But nowhere with a current so serene,Or plead its silence as its best applause. Or half so clear, as in the rural scene.He knows indeed, that whether dress'd Yet how fallacious is all earthly bliss. or rude, What obvious truths the wisest heads\"Wild without art, or artfully subdued.Nature in every form inspires delight. may miss [a year.But never mark'd her with so just a Some pleasures live a month, and some But short the date of all we gathersight. here;Her hedge-row shrubs, a variegated No happiness is felt, except the true,store, [o'er, That does not charm thee more for\"With woodbine and wild roses mantl'd being new. [made.Green balks and furrow'd lands, the This observation, as it chanced, notstream that spreads [meads, Or, if the thought occurr'd, not duly—It's cooling vapour o'er the dewy weigh'd.Downs that almost escape the inquiring He sighs for after all, by slow degrees.eye. The spot he loved has lost the powerThat melt and fade into the distant sky. to pleaseBeauties he lately slighted as he pass'd. To cross his ambling pony day by daySeem all created since he travell'd last. Seems at the best but dreaming lifeMaster of all the enjoyments he de- away; [despair.sign'd, The prospect, such as might enchavitKo rough annoyance rankling iu his He views it not, or sees no beautymind. there [looks.What early philosophic hours he keeps. With aching heart, and discontentedHow regular his meals, how sound he Eeturns at noon to billiards or tosleeps; [head. books, [joys,Not sounder he that on the mainmast But feels, while grasping at his fadedAWhile morning kindles with a windy secret thirst of his renouncedred, employs.Begins a long look-out for distant land, He chides the tardiness of every post.Nor quits till evening watch his giddy Pants to be told of battles won or lost,stand, [haste, Blames his own indolence, observeB,Then swift descending with a seaman's though late,Blips to his hammock, and forgets the 'Tis criminal to leave a sinking state.blast. [squire's. Flies to the levee, and, received withHe chooses company, but not the grace, [in place.Whose wit is rudeness, whose good Kneels, kisses hands, and shines againbreeding tires [come. Suburban villas, highway-side re-Nor yet the parson's, who would gladly treats, [growing streets,Obsequious when abroad, though proud That dread the encroachment of ourat home [ing peer, Tight boxes neatly eash'd, and in aNor can he much affect the neighbour- blazeWhose toe of emulation treads too near. With all a July sun's collected rays,But wisely seeks a more convenient Delight the citizen, who, gasping there.friend, [unbend, Breathes clouds of dust, and calls itWith whom, dismissing forms, he may country air.