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Th' eternal fnows appear already past,

And the first clouds and mountains feem the last.
But thofe attain'd, we tremble to furveys
The growing labours of the lengthen'd way;
Th' increafing profpect tires our wand'ring eyes;
Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arife.,

SECTION IV.

Cruelty to Brutes cenfured. I WOULD not enter on my lift of friends,

POPE.

(Though grac'd with polifh'd manners and fine fense,
Yet wanting fenfibility,) the man

Who needlefsly fets foot upon a worm.
An inadvertent step may crush the fnail,
That crawls at evening in the public path;
But he that has humanity, forewarn'd,
Will tread afide, and let the reptile live.
The creeping vermine, loathfome to the fight,
And charg'd perhaps with venom, that intrudes
A vifitor unwelcome into fcenes

Sacred to neatnefs and repofe, th' alcove,
The chamber, or refectory, may die."
A neceffary act incurs no blame.

Not fo, when held within their proper bounds,
And guiltlefs of offence, they range the air,
Or take their pastime in the fpacious field :
There they are privileg'd. And he that hunts
Or harms them there, is guilty of a wrong;
Disturbs th' economy of nature's realm,
Who, when the form'd, defign'd them an abode.
The fum is this; if man's convenience, health,
Or fafety, interfere, his rights and claims
Are paramount, and muft extinguish theirs.
Elfe they are all, the meanest things that are,
As free to live and to enjoy that life,
As God was free to form them at the first,
Who, in his fovereign wifdom made them all.
Yetherefore who love mercy, teach your fons
To love it too. The fpring time of our years
Is foon difhonour'd and defil'd, in moft,
By budding ills that afk a prudent hand
To check them. But, alas none fooner fhoots,
If unreftrain'd, into luxuriant growth,

Than cruelty, most dev'lish of them all.
Mercy to him that fhows it, is the rule,
And righteous limitation of its act,

By which Heav'n moves in pard'ning guilty man ;
And he that shows none, being ripe in years,
And confcious of the outrage he commits,
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SECTION V.

COWPER.

A Paraphrafe on the latter Part of the 6th Chapter of St.

4

Matthew.

WHEN my breaft labours with oppreffive care,
And o'er my cheek defcends the falling tear;
While all my warring paffions are at ftrife,
Oh let me liften to the words of life!
Raptures deep felt his doctriné did impart
And thus he rais'd from earth the drooping heart.
"Think not, when all your fcanty ftores afford
Is fpread at once upon the fparing board;
Think not, when worn the homely robe appears,
While on the roof the howling tempeft bears;
What farther fhall this feeble life fuftain,
And what fhall clothe thefe fhiv'ring limbs again.
Say, does not life its nourishment exceed?
And the fair body its invefting weed?
Behold! and look away your low defpair-
See the light tenants of the barren air:
To them, nor ftores, nor granaries, belong;
Nought, but the woodland, and the pleafing fong
Yet, your kind heav'nly Father bends his eye
On the leaft wing that flits along the fky.

To him they fing, when fpring renews the plain;
To him they cry, in winter's pinching reign;
Nor is their mufic, nor their plaint in vain ?,
He hears the gay, and the distressful call;
And with unfparing bounty fills them all.

Obferve the rifing lily's fnowy grace;
Obferve the various vegetable race;

They neither toil, nor fpin, but careless grow;

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Yet fee how warm they blush! how bright they glow !
What regal veftments can with them compare!
What king.fo thining or what queen fo fair!
If ceafelefs, thus, the fowls of heav'n he feeds
If o'er the fields fuch lucid robes he spreads;

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Will he not care for you, ye faithlefs, fay?
Is he unwife? or are ye less than they?"

SECTION. VI.

THOMSON.

The Death of a good Man a strong Incentive to Virtue.
THE chamber where the good man meets his fate
Is privileg'd beyond the common walk

Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heav'n.
Fly, ye profane ! if not, draw near with awe,
Receive the blessing, and adore the chance
That threw in this Bethesda your disease:
If unreftor'd by this, despair your cure.
For, here, refiftlefs demonftration dwells;
A death-bed's a detector of the heart.
Here tir'd diffimulation drops her mask,
Thro' life's grimace, that mistress of the scene!
Here real and apparent, are the fame.

You fee the man; you fee his hold on heav'n,

If found his virtue, as Philander's found.

Heav'n waits not the last moment; owns her friends
On this fide death; and points them out to men ;
A lecture, filent, but of fov'reign power!
To vice, confufion; and to virtue, peace.
Whatever farce the boaftful hero plays,
Virtue alone has majesty in death;

And greater till, the more the tyrant frowns.

Reflection

How a riore.

SECTION VII.

YOUNG

Reflections on a future State from a Review of Winter.
Tis done! dread winter fpreads his latest glooms,
And reigns tremendous o'er the conquer'd year.
How dead the vegetable kingdom lies!

How dumb the tuneful! Horror wide extends
His defolate domain. Behold, fond man!
See here thy pictur'd life; pafs fome few years,
Thy flow'ring fpring, thy fummer's ardent strength,
Thy fober autumn fading into age,

And pale concluding winter comes at last,
And fhuts the scene. Ah! whither now are fled
Thofe dreams of greatnefs? thofe unfolid hopes
Of happiness? thofe longings after fame ?
Thofe reítlefs cares? thofe bufy bustling days?
Thofe gay-fpent, feftive nights? thofe verring thoughts
Loft between good and ill, that fhar'd thy life?

All now are vanish'd! Virtue fole survives,
Immortal, never failing friend of man,
His guide to happiness on high. And fee!
2Tis come, the glorious morn! the second birth
Of heav'n and earth! awak'ning nature hears
The new creating word; and starts to life,
In every heighten'd form, from pain and death
Forever free. The great eternal scheme,
Involving all, and in a perfect whole
Uniting as the prospect wider spreads,
To reafon's eye refin'd clears up apace.
Ye vainly wife! Ye blind prefumptuous! now,
Confounded in the dust, adore that Power
And wisdom oft arraign'd; see now the cause
Why unaffuming worth in fecret liv'd

And dy'd neglected why the good man's fhare
In life was gall and bitternefs of foul:
Why the lone widow and her orphans pin'd
In ftarving folitude; while luxury,

In palaces, lay ftraining her low thought,
To form unreal wants: why heaven-born truth,
And moderation fair, wore the red marks.
Of fuperftition's fcourge: why licens'd pain,
That cruel spoiler, that embofom'd foe,
Imbitter'd all our blifs. Ye good distrest!
Ye noble few! who here unbending stand
Beneath life's preffure, yet bear up awhile,
And what your bounded view, which only faw
A little part deem'd evil, is no more:
The torms of wintry time will quickly pass,
And one unbounded spring encircle all.

SECTION VIII.

THOMSON.

Adam's Advice to Eve, to avoid Temptation.
10 WOMAN, beft are all things as the will
Of God ordain'd them; his creating hand
Nothing imperfect or deficient left

Of all that he created, much less man,
Or aught that might his happy state secure,
Secure from outward force. Within himself
The danger lies, yet lies within his power;
Against his will he can receive no harm.
But God left free the will; for what obeys

Reafon, is free, and reason he made right;
But bid her well beware, and still erect,
Left by fome fair appearing good furpris'd,
She dictate falfe, and mifinform the will
To do what God expressly hath forbid.
Not then miftruft, but tender love, enjoins
That I should mind thee oft; and mind thou me :
Firm, we fubfift, yet poffible to swerve,
Since reafon not impoffibly may meet
Some fpecious object by the foe fuborn'd,
2 And fall into deception unaware,

Not keeping ftrictest watch, as she was warn'd.
Seek not temptation then, which to avoid
Were better, and most likely if from me
Thou fever not; trial will come unfought.
Wouldst thou approve thy conftancy? approve
First thy obedience; th' other who can know,
Not feeing thee attempted, who atteft?
But if thou think, trial unfought may

find

Us both securer than thus warn'd thou seem'st,
Go; for thy tay, not free, abfents thee more;
Go in thy native innocence; rely

On what thou haft of virtue, fummon all;

For God towards thee hath done his part; do thine."

SECTION IX.

On Procraftination.

MILTON

BE wife to-day; 'tis madness to defer;
Next day the fatal precedent will plead;
Thus on, till wisdom is pufh'd out of life.
Procraftination is the thief of time.
Year after year it fteals, till all are fled;
And to the mercies of a moment leaves
The vaft concerns of an eternal scene.
2 Of man's miraculous mistakes, this bears
The palm, "That all men are about to live;"
Forever on the brink of being born,
All pay themselves the compliment to think,
They, one day, fhall not drivel; and their pride
On this reverfion takes up ready praise;
At least, their own; their future felves applauds :
How excellent that life they ne'er will lead !
Time lodg'd in their own hands is folly's vails
That lodg'd in fate's, to wisdom they confign;

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