For pious hope alone bestows The cordial drop which heals our woes; That, when life's stormy voyage is o'er, L'ENVOY OF THE POET. That man, good sense with ideot name would brand, Who, void of food and raiment, journey'd far: Do thou prepare for that same unknown land; Nor, by neglect, thy soul's bright prospects mar. THE POET'S CHORUS TO FOOLS. Come, trim the boat, let folly rear her whip, For tho' but few, some fools will man my ship. boasted arguments of philosophers can inculcate; whose dying moments have, generally speaking, given the lie to their professions while living. SECTION XXXIV. OF DISCONTENTED FOOLS. Diruit, ædificat, mutat quadrata rotundis. HE* bears a fardel on his back, * It is difficult to discriminate to what class of men this folly is most applicable, as they all partake of it in a certain degree; and are so thoroughly convinced of their weakness on this score, as to allow, that the more they have, the more they want: travellers are peculiarly the slaves of this temperament of mind, as the globe itself is insufficient to gratify their thirst after inquiry: nor can a finer lesson be displayed than De Foe's Robinson Crusoe, which is a most finished picture of the instability of the human intellect. But navigators are not more unsettled than what are denominated men of science, whose labours have no termination, and whose brains are eternally conjuring up new speculations, which are too frequently hazarded without the warranty of reason. Toiling for that, which when attain'd, Whose primitive tradition reaches As far as Adam's first green breeches : And much of Terra Incognita, Th' intelligible world can say. Much has been said of the female part of the creation, in speaking of this folly; nevertheless I must candidly affirm, that I do not perceive any feature so prominent in women, as to brand them more than their lords with this failing; and if we talk of affection, which is, perhaps, one of the noblest characteristicks of the human mind, the feminine part of creation undoubtedly claims pre-eminence over the male. Where can we find inore extraordinary instances of heroism, than have been displayed by women who have been actuated by love for men in misfortune: they generally give proofs of possessing a greater portion of equanimity: and, in the hour of success, the same fervor of passion animates their bosoms: while men, yielding to the fascinations of pleasure, as universally waver from the fixed principle which honour, duty, and gratitude claim at their hands. In fine, the page of history displays one unvarying proof of the What most his folly doth augment, To battle, for the destin'd treasure; As April rays, the wav'ring mind discontented and unsteady humour of mankind; kings would be gods; lords would be kings: every captain would prove an Alexander; and every beggar an independent gentleman: and yet, if it were possible to change their several stations at pleasure, a something would still be wanting to realize the scene of fancied happi❤ ness; and it is therefore most certain, that he who knows and enjoys the least, approximates the nearest to that most envied of all earthly states-content. Un certo è meglio che dieci incerti, L'ENVOY OF THE POET. Curb, in thy bosom, ev'ry changeful thought; And o'er thy wishes hold the steady rein: For he who's fancy's fool, is folly fraught; Grasping mere phantoms of his ideot brain. THE POET'S CHORUS TO FOOLS. Come, trim the boat, row on each Rara Avis, Crowds flock to man my Stultifera Navis. |