Shakes not her poppies o'er his longing eyes,

335

That roll in vain; what inward-eating care

Preys on his pamper'd blood; what wishes wild;
What dread of future mifery; what dreams

Of horror gleam athwart the fable scroll

Where Memory prints her records: would the fcene 340
Wake thee to envy? Would thy wishing foul
Pant for the boon that glitters to the eye,
But ftings the heart, and poifons all its joy?

I READ thy fecret doubt :-" "Tis Guilt that fhades "The brow of Grandeur; 'tis the folemn peal 345 "Of Confcience thundering in the mental ear, "That wakes to quick fenfation. To the dream "Of harmless Innocence, no Demon shakes "His front terrific: All is calm within, "And tuned to perfect harmony.-Yet Peace May dwell with Opulence; one happy mind

"May eye rejoicing its extended power
"To work for man; exulting as it views
"A smiling tribe around, fnatch'd from the grafp

Line 344. &c. 'Tis Guilt that fhades, &c.]

Evafiffe putes quos diri conscia facti

Mens habet attonitos, & furdo verbere cædit ?
Hi funt qui trepidant, & ad omnia fulgura pallent,
Cum tonat exanimes primo quoque murmure cœli.

350

Juv. Sat. XIII.

"Of

"Of ruthless want, and basking in the beam "Of Joy, to transport kindling, and to love."

"Tis juft :-The noble mind by Fortune raised,
And warm'd by ftrong benevolence to spread
Its happiness to all; difplays to man

His Maker's image. To a god-like Few,
Heav'n gives at once the virtue, and the power;
Yet plants not Opulence for these a snare,
That Poverty escapes?—The wretch who dragg'd

Line 362, 3. Yet plants not Opulence, &c.] Though it is to be hoped, that the example of this mentioned in the Allegory will feldom or never happen; yet it is ftill certain, that the profpect of poffeffing large acquifitions, may fuggeft to the needy, the voluptuous, the profufe, or the avaricious part of mankind, defires, which never enter into the thought of a perfon in low, or even in moderate circumstances; and methods of accomplishing these which reafon disapproves. The humorous Satyrift's remark is confidered by fuch men in a ferious light.

very

355

360

Before therefore any individual prefumes to blame Providence for not having placed him in fuch a fituation as his ambition afpires to; he ought to confider, whether or not fuch an imaginary benefit (if it was conferred upon him) would not be productive of greater mischief to himself and to fociety, than the abfence of it can poffibly be of pofitive evil to either. But as it is fcarce poffible that fuch an enquiry can be conducted with perfe& impartiality, he will probably find examples within the circle of his acquaintance fufficient to convince him, that Afluence cannot confer Felicity; and that an unexpected flow of Profperity in most instances, alters the whole character; and subslitutes Pride, Prefumption, and Petulance, in the place of Humility, Modefty, and that amiable Diffidence, which is commonly characteristic of merit.

eye

His Sire relentlefs to the tomb ;-Say, rofe
No boiling paffion in his rankled heart?
Felt not his tortured breaft the venom'd fting
Of keen Impatience? Flamed not to his
Gold, titles, honour; all the tinfel-show,
That on the fullen front of Avarice wakes
A gloomy smile, and bids his little thought
Receive a gleam of joy.-From these secure,

365

370

Lives not untutor'd Indigence at ease?

And steals unfeen along the vale of Life,

Calm, peaceful, fhelter'd from the stormy blast

376

That shakes Ambition's plume, that wrecks the hope,
The quiet of mankind? What though to these
The means are scanty?-O'er the roughned cheek
Health sheds her bloom: their finews knit by toil,
Robust and firm support th' allotted weight;
And gradual loofed by long-revolving years,
Refign their charge, untainted by the feeds
Of lurking Death flow thro' the form diffused
From meals that Nature naufeates, from the cup

380

Line 383. From meals, &c.] The infcription on Sardanapalus, the last Affyrian Monarch, is pregnant with inftruction to this purpose.

Εν ειδώς ότι θνητο εφυς, σου θυμον αίξε
Τερπομένοις μεθοισι. Φαγούζα σοι έξις στησις,
Και Εγω κακ ειμι φαγων ως πλεισία και ησθεις"
Ταυτ' εχω οσ' εμαθοι, και εφρόντισα, και μελα πολων
Εσθλ' επασθον τα δε λοιπα και ηδέα και τα λελειπταιο
Chryfip. ap. Athan. L. VIII.
Where

Where the wine laughs, and on the mantling cheek Kindles a tranfient blush; but works disease,

And shades the temples with untimely fnow.

385

LIVE these unknown within a narrower fphere, Where plumed Ambition treads not?—If their Hopes, Lefs ardent, point not to some dazzling aim;

Their Fears are fewer: if their power to spread

The stream of Happiness o'er all around,
Suits not, Benevolence, thy boundless will!
Yet lefs, yet weaker are the tempting fnares
That lead to Vice. The man who eyes with pain
Superior power, or inly-murmuring feels

Indignant paffion, as he marks the mean,

The weak, the bad, on Fortune's giddy wheel
High raised; who fees the Miser's hoarded chest
Lock'd faft, Sufpicion scowling on the door;
Who marks the young Heir joyous from the tomb
That wraps
his Father's bones, with eager gaze
Devour the shining mammon, and difperfe

Line 387.] Cur igitur Divitiæ defiderentur ? aut ubi Paupertas beatos effe non finit? Signis credo, tabulis, ludis. Si quis eft qui his delectetur, nonne melius tenues homines fruuntur, quam illi qui his abundant-Quotidie nos ipfa Natura admonet quam paucis, quam

390

395

400

parvis rebus egeat, quam vilibus. Num igitur ignobilitas, aut humilitas, aut etiam popularis offenfio fapientem beatum effe prohibebit ?Vide ne plus commendatio in vulgus, & hæc quæ expetitur gloria molefiæ habeat quam voluptatis. Tufcul. Quæft. lib. v.

The

The duft long-heap'd to all the rufhing winds:
Then mute and pensive plans ideal schemes
Of generous bounty, calls the flitting breath

From Famine's throbbing lip, or ftrips the raggs. 405
From Poverty's fhrunk back :—then secret blames
The depth of God's unfathom'd ways to man;
Knows not himself; knows not that like the ice
On Zembla's wintry rocks, the Paffions froze
By the chill blast of Penury would thaw
Before the Sun's effulgence, ftreaming wide
With genial warmth, and from the loosened foil
Swelling the pois'nous weeds that lurk'd unseen.

THEN ere thy mind, though pining in the shade
Of indigence, oft as it eyes the train
That bafk like fummer infects in the ray

410

415

420

Of warm Profperity;-arraign the doom.
Of Heav'n with justice; first impartial, scan
Each Paffion's various power. Say when with joy
Elate; when Pleafure's gentleft fmiles allured
Thy yielding heart; when high Ambition rear'd
Her prize aloft, and pointing, fhow'd the goal
In fight; what paffions elfe unknown, inspired
That hour thy kindling thought! The latent sparks
Of Pride, by mildews damp'd, or funk in fhade, 425
Tell how they tower'd in flame! How from his bed,

Though