But ere felf-flattery foothe the vivid breaft
With dreams of fortune near ally'd to fame,
Reflect how few, who charm'd the lift'ning ear
Of fatrap or of king, her fmiles enjoy'd!
Confider well, what meagre alms repay'd
The great Mæonjan, fire of tuneful fong,
And prototype of all that foar'd fublime,
And left dull cares below; what griefs impell'd
The modeft bard of learn'd ELIZA's reign
To fwell with tears his MULLA's parent stream,
And mourn aloud the pang to ride, to run,
To spend, to give, to want, to be undone."
Why fhou'd I tell of COWLEY's penfive muse
Belov'd in vain? too copious is my theme!
Which of your boasted race might hope reward
Like loyal BUTLER, when the lib'ral CHARLES,
The judge of wit, perus'd the sprightly page
Triumphant o'er his foes? Believe not hope,
The poet's parafite; but learn alone
To fpare the fcanty boon the fates decree.
Poet and rich! 'tis folecifm extreme!
'Tis heighten'd contradiction! in his frame,
In ev'ry nerve and fibre of his soul,
The latent feeds and principles of want
Has nature wove; and fate confirm'd the clue.
Nor yet defpair to fhun the ruder gripe
Of penury; with nice precision learn
A dollar's value. Foremost in the page
That marks th' expence of each revolving year,
Place inattention. When the luft of praise,
Or honour's falfe idea, tempts thy foul
To flight frugality, affure thine heart
That danger's near.
Is no vain ore. It is thy liberty,
It fetters mifers, but it must alone
The world, the cit-like world
Bids thee beware; thy little craft essay;
Nor, pidling with a tea-spoon's flender form,
See with foup-ladles devils gourmandize.
Economy! thou good old-aunt! whose mien
Furrow'd with age and care the wife adore,
The wits contemn! referving still thy ftores
To chear thy friends at last! why with the cit,
Or booklefs churl, with each ignoble name,
Each earthly nature, deign'ft thou to refide?
And fhunning all, who by thy favours crown'd
Might glad the world, to feek fome vulgar mind
Infpiring pride, and selfish shapes of ill?
Why with the old, infirm, and impotent,
And childless, love to dwell, yet leave the breaft
Of youth, unwarn'd, unguided, uninform'd?
Of youth, to whom thy monitory voice
Were doubly kind? for fure to youthful eyes,
(How fhort foe'er it prove) the road of life
Appears protracted; fair on either fide
The loves, the graces play, on fortune's child
Profufely fmiling; well might youth effay
The frugal plan, the lucrative employ,
Source of their favour all the livelong day.
But fate affents not. Age alone contracts
His meagre palm, to clench the tempting bane
Of all his peace, the glitt'ring feeds of care!
O that the mufe's voice might pierce the ear
Of gen'rous youth! for youth deferves her fong.
Youth is fair virtue's feason, virtue then
Requires the pruner's hand; the fequent stage,
It barely vegetates; nor long the space
Ere robb'd of warmth its arid trunk display
Fell winter's total reign. O lovely fource
Of gen'rous foibles, youth! when op'ning minds
Are honeft as the light, lucid as air,
As foft'ring breezes kind, as linnets gay,
Tender as buds, and lavish as the spring!
Yet hapless state of man! his earliest youth
Cozens itself; his age defrauds mankind.
Nor deem it strange that rolling years abrade
The focial biafs. Life's extensive page
What does it but unfold repeated proofs
Of gold's omnipotence? With patriots, friends,
Sick'ning beneath its ray, enervate fome,
And others dead, whofe putrid name exhales
A noisome scent, the bulky volume teems.
With kinfmen, brothers, fons, moift'ning the shroud,
Or honouring the grave, with fpecious grief
Of fhort duration; foon in fortune's beams
Alert, and wond'ring at the tears they shed.
But who fhall fave by tame profaic strain
That glowing breast, where wit with youth conspires To sweeten luxury? The fearful mufe
yet proceed, tho' by the fainteft gleam Of hope infpir'd, to warn the train fhe loves.
N fome dark season, when the misty show'r
Obfcures the fun, and faddens all the sky;
When linnets drop the wing, nor grove nor stream
Invites thee forth, to fport thy drooping mufe;
Seize the dull hour, nor with regret affign
To worldly prudence. She nor nice nor coy
Accepts the tribute of a joyless day;
She fmiles well-pleas'd, when wit and mirth recede,
And not a grace, and not a mufe will hear.
Then, from majestic MARO's aweful strain,
Or tow'ring HOMER, let thine
eye defcend
To trace, with patient industry, the page
Of income and expence. And oh! beware,
Thy breast, self-flatt'ring, place no courtly fmile,
No golden promise of your faithless muse,
Nor latent mine which fortune's hand may fhew,
Amid thy folid store. The firen's fong
Wrecks not the lift'ning failor, half fo fure.
See by what avenues, what devious paths,
The foot of want, detefted, fteals along,
And bars each fatal pafs. Some few short hours.
Of punctual care, the refufe of thy year
On frugal schemes employ'd, fhall give the muse
To fing intrepid many a chearful day.
But if too foon before the tepid gales
Thy refolution melt; and ardent vows
In wary hours preferr'd or dye forgot,
Or feem the forc'd effect of hazy skies;
Then, ere furprize, by whofe impetuous rage
The maffy fort, with which thy gentler breast
I not compare, is won, the fong proceeds.
Know too by nature's undiminish'd law,
Throughout her realms obey'd, the various parts
Of deep creation, atoms, systems, all!
Attract and are attracted; nor prevails the law
Alone in matter; foul alike with foul
Afpires to join; nor yet in fouls alone,
In each idea it imbibes, is found
The kind propenfity. And when they meet,
And grow familiar, various tho' their tribe,
Their tempers various, vow perpetual faith:
That, fhou'd the world's disjointed frame once more
To chaos yield the fway, amid the wreck
Their union fhou'd furvive, with Roman warmth,
By facred hofpitable laws endear'd,
Shou'd each idea recollect its friend.
Here then we fix; on this perennial base
Erect thy fafety, and defy the storm,
Let foft profufion's fair idea join
Her hand with poverty; nor here defift,
Till, o'er the groupe that forms their various train
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