Then are the fi'ry rubies 49 to be seen, Translucent beryl 51, flame-ey'd chrysolite52, "Secure from storms is land-lock'd ev'ry way. On the clear mirror of the silent deep58. (20) No man at once two Edens can enjoy59: Nor Earth and Heav'n the self-same mind employ. Two diffrent ways th' unsocial objects draw: Flesh strives with spirit, nature combats law : Reason and revelation live at strife, Though meant for mutual aid, like man and wife60 Religion and the world can ne'er agree: One eye is sacrific'd, that one may see, Canals, for pleasure made, with pleasure stray; But drain at length the middle stream away. (21.) Life's joy and pomp at distance should appear, Would'st thou be vitally with Christ conjoin'd? (22.) When passions reign with arbitrary sway, Like the four cherubs in Ezekiel's dream, (What time the prophet slept by Chebar's stream) The Christian, mov'd by energy divine, Walks forward still, in one unvarying line: Nor wealth, nor pow'r, attract his wondering sight; He swerves not to the left hand, nor the right. When fortune smiles within doors and without, Man's heart, well-pleas'd, may think itself devout: But, when ill days, and nights of pain, succeed, Let him bear well, and he's devout indeed. (23.) Those who revenge a deed that injures them, Copy the very sin, which they condemn". Possession brings the vulgar dawbing near. comes out of the old rock in the mountains of 342. 49 Rubies. "Nazarites, more ruddy than rubies." Lam, c. iv, v. 7. 50 Emeralds. "A rainbow in sight like an emerald." Rev. c. iv, v. 3. 51 Berryl. Dan. C. x, v. 6. Rev. xxi, v. 20. 52 Chrysolite. Ezek. c. xxviii. 53 Sardonyx. Rev. c. xxi, v. 20. 54 Amethist. Exod. c. xxviii, v. 19. Ibid. c. xxxix, v. 12. 55 Ezek. c. xxviii, v. 13, and Rev. xxi. v. 20. 56 The port of Lerichè, in Tuscany. 57One way to know God is perfectly to know one's self." Hugo de anima. Why dost thou wonder, O man, at the height of the stars, or depth of the sea? examine ather thine own soul, and wonder there." Isidor. $8 Imitat. of Christ, L. II, c. 1-3. 59"It is not only difficult but impossible to enjoy Heaven here and hereafter; or, in other words, to live in pleasure and dissapation, and at the same time attain spiritual happiness. No man hath passed from oue paradise to another : no man hath been the mirror of felicity in both worlds, nor shone with equal glory in Earth and in Heaven." 60 Imitat. of Christ, L, I, c. 24. 61 lbid. L. I, c. 21. Hieron. They snatch God's own prerogative from God! (24.) The worldling, tempter of himself, pursues Idols of his own making; ideot's views ; 62 Imitat. of Christ, L. I, c. 24. 64 Ibid. L. I, c. 6. 70 Imitat, of Christ, L. II, c. 3. 71" To return one injury for another is to revenge like man: whereas to revenge like God is to love our enemies. It is a great happiness not to be able to hurt one's neighbour, nor to have the power and parts to do mischief. The ingenuity of (what we call) men of the world, consists in knowing how to injure others, and revenge ourselves when injured. Whereas, on the contrary, not to return evil for evil is the true ho nour and vital principle of the gospel." Leon. 72 Jude, v. 9. Zech. c. iii, v. 2. 73 Hosea, c. viii, v. 7. Hind is the head-servant in husbandry matters. Chaucer, Dryden, and in the west of England at present. Unhappy wretch! wrapt up in thin disguise! (25.) Perfect would be our nature and our joy If man could ev'ry year one vice destroy 76 77 Withdraw thee from the sins that most assail, And labour where thy virtues least prevail78. (26.) False joys elate, and griefs as false controul The little pismire with an human soul79: (27.) To wail and not amend a life mispent Means to confess, but means not to repent: Tongue-penitents, like him who too much owes, Run more in debt, and live but to impose. (28.) Deem not th' unhappy, vicious; nor de vote To sarcasm and contempt the thread-bare coat. Oft have we seen rich fields of genuine corn Edg'd round with brambles, and begirt with thorn. The pow'rs of Zeuxis' pencil are the same, Enclos'd in gilded, or in sable frame. (29.) The down that smoothes the great man's anxious bed, Was gather'd from a quiet poor man's shed: Content and peace are found in mean estate, And Jacob's dreams on Jacob's pillow wait80. So Tekoa's swain, by no vain glories led, Nurtur'd his herds with leaves, and humbly fed81. (30.) Good turns of friends we scribble on the But injuries engrav'd on marble stand82. [sand, (31.) With pray'rs thy ev'ning close, thy morn begin; But Heav'n's true sabbath is to rest from sin. (32) An hermit once cry'd out in private pray'r, "Oh, if I knew that I should persevere !" Do now 83, what thou intendest then to do, 74 Isaiah, c. lix, v. 4. 5 Matth. c. x, v. 28. Imitat. of Christ, L. I, c. 11. L. II, c. 23. "Instead of standing still, going backward, or deviating, always add, always proceed: not to advance, in some sense is to retire. It is better to creep in the right way than fly in the wrong way." St. August. in Serm. 78 Imitat. of Christ, L. I, c. 25. 79 Man. 50"And Jacob took the stones of that place and put them for his pillows." Gen. c. xxxviii, v. 2. 81 Amos c. vii, v. 14. 82 Kempisii dictum commune. "Beneficia pulveri; si quid mali patimur, marmori insculpimus." 83 "A Christian hath no to morrow; that is to say, a Christian should put off no duty till to morrow." Tertull. Imitat. of Christ, L, I, c. 25. To choose, implies delay; whilst time devours The sickly blossoms of preceding hours. Repentance, well perform'd, confirms the more; As bones, well set, grow stronger than before. (33) When Heav'n excites thee to a better way, Catch the soft summons, and the call obey: (34.) The virtues of the world, which most men move, Are lay'rs from pride, or graftings on self-loves6: Whatever for itself is not esteem'd, Proves a false choice, and is not as it seem'd87. (55.) The track to Heav'n is intricate and Narrow to tread, and difficult to keep: [steep; On either hand sharp precipices lie, And our steps faulter with the swerving eye; They like the paradise, but shun the cross Few have the faith to suffer for his sake93. 85 Imitat. of Christ, L. II, c. 28. See John c. ii, v. 28. 86 There is a sort of seeming good, which, if a rational mind loves, it sinneth; inasmuch as it is an object beneath the consideration of such a mind." St. August. de Ver. Relig. "Whatever is not loved on account of its own intrinsic worth, is not properly loved." Idem in Soliloq. L. I, c. 13. 87"In this life there is no virtue but in loving that which is truly amiable. To choose this, is prudence; to be averted from it by no terrifying circumstances, is fortitude. To be influenced by no sort of temptation, is temperance; and to be affected by no ambitious views, is considering the thing with impartial justice as we ought to do." Idem de Ver. Felicitat. L. II. 88 Imitat. of Christ, L. II, c. 11, No. 1. 89 Ibid. 90 Ibid. 91 Matth. c. viii, v. 34. 92 Ibid. "It is common for man to ask every blessing that God can bestow, but he rarely desires to possess God himself." Aug. in Psalm lxxvi. 93 Imitat. of Christ, L. II, c. 2. No. 1. 94 Ibid. See also c. 12. CONTENTMENT, INDUSTRY, AND ACQUIESCENSE UNDER THE DIVINE WILL: AN ODE, WRITTEN IN THE ALPINE PARTS OF CARNIOLA, 1749. The wilderness and solitary place shall be glad for them, (the children of the Lord:) and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Isaiah, c. xxxv, v. 1, 2. WHY dwells my unoffended eye The high-arch'd church is lost in sky, Supremely gracious Deity, Earth's womb, half dead to Ceres' skill, The scurf-grown moss, and tawdry weeds. Yet health, and strength, and ease we find : Tremble, and yonder Alp behold, Supremely gracious Deity, Bless me! how doubly sharp it blows, Supremely gracious Deity, Then, in exchange, a month or more For Nature rarely form'd a soil Son of Sirach:-"When the cold north wind bloweth, and the water congealed into ice, he pourcth the hoar frost upon the earth. It abideth upon every gathering together of water, and clotheth the water with a breast-plate. It devoureth the mountain, and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the grass as fire." c. xilli, v. 19, 21. A glaciére, or ice-mountain. Cuncta gelu, canâque æternùm grandine tecta, Atque ævi glaciem cohibent: riget ardua montis Æthenii facies, surgentique obvia Phabo Duratas nescit flammis mollire pruinas. Sil. Ital. "The Sun parcheth the country, and who can abide the burning heat thereof? A man blowing a furnace is in works of heat, but the Sun burneth the mountains three times more; breathing out fiery vapours, and sending forth bright beams, it dimmeth the eves." Ecclus. ch. xliii, v. 5, 4. Each earth at length to culture yields, Supremely gracious Deity, Scipio sought virtue in his prime, He serv'd the state with zeal and force, Supremely gracious Deity, When Dioclesian sought repose, Cloy'd and fatigu'd with nauseous pow'r, For foois t' adunire, and rogues devour: He 8, who had rul'd the world, exchang'd Supremely gracious Deity, Thus Charles, with justice styled the Great", For valour, picty and laws; Resign'd two empires to retreat, And from a throne to shades withdraws; In vain the Saracen comply'd, And fierce Northumbrians stain'd with gore. Du Hamel; Elem. d'Agricult. Patullo; Meliorat. des Terres. 7 Virg. Georg. IV, v. 127, &c. 8 Dioclesian. 9 Heart's-ease, viola tricolor; called also by our old poets Love in idleness; pansy (from the French pensée, or the Italian pensier); three faces under a hood; herb Trinity; look up and kiss me; kiss me at the gate, &c. 10 Spiræa, named also in ancient English poetry, mead-sweet, queen of the meads, bridewort, &c. 11 Charlemagne, YOL. XVI, One Gallic farm his cares confin'd; Supremely gracions Deity, Observant of th' Almighty-will, The moss-grown Haran's flinty soil 12: -Formidine nulla; Stat. Theb. IV. v. 489. THE VISION OF DEATH. Imperfecta tibi elapsa est, ingrataque vita: Mille modis leti miseros Mors una fatigat. ADVERTISEMENT. As this poem is an imperfect attempt to imitate Dryden's manner, I have of course admitted more triplets and Alexandrine verses than I might otherwise have done. Upon the whole, many good judges have thought, (and such was the private opinion of my much honoured friend Elijah Fenton in particular) that Dryden has too many Alexandrines and triplets, and Pope too few. The one by aiming at variety (for his ear was excellent) was betrayed into a careless diffusion; and the other, by affecting an over-scrupulous regularity, fell into sameness and restraint. We speak this with all due deference to the two capital poets of the last and present century: and say of them, as the successor of Virgil said of Amphiaraüs and Admetus; AMBO BONI, CHARIQUE AMBO.- INTRODUCTION. DRYDEN, forgive the Muse that apes thy voice 12 Gen. ch. xii, v. 31. Nehem. ch. ix, v, 7, Judith, ch. v. 7. Acts, ch. vii, v. 2—11. Bb Thou mak'st cach quarry which thou seek'st thy No sameness of a prattling stream is thine. (So Huron-leeches, when their patient lies Of all the pow'rs the human mind can boast, "Ahout his wreaths the vulgar muses strive, From limbs of this great Hercules are fram'd Whole groups of pigmies, who are verse-men nam'd: Each has a little soul he calls his own, 1 Layer,lair, and lay.-The surface of arable or grass-lands. Chaucer; Folkingham, 1610; Dryden. Laire also signifies the place where beasts sleep in the fields, and where they leave the mark of their bodies on young corn, grass, &c. 2 Voyages du Baron La Hontan. 3 Milton. The verses of Robert Waring, (a friend of Dr. Donne's) on a poet in the beginning of the last century, may be applied to Dryden: Younger with years, with studies fresher Alike in shape; unlike in strength and size;- More still I think, and more I wish to say; In those fair vales by Nature form'd to please, Fatigu'd with courts, and votary to truth, 'Twas now the joyous season of the year: The Sun had reach'd the Twins in bright career; Nature, awaken'd from six months' repose, Sprung from her verdant couch;—and active rose Like health refresh'd with wine; she smil'd, array'd [glade, With all the charms of sun-shine, stream and New drest and blooming as a bridal maid. Yet all these charms could never lull to rest I sought my bed, in hopes relief to find: Yet free from grief was I, and void of pain. |